Interesting stuff in Sydney

Unashamedly I should mention my own venture - Cockatoo Calling Rocks, musical performances and creative development in a Rocks popup.

About to start 15 nights of music, alongside Vivid Festival.

Program looks like this.

Events are free or less than $10

If you can't read it  visit the website places + spaces

Melbourne places to stay

Blackman Hotel
This is definitely one of my favourite hotels in Melbourne. Great style.  Though rooms near the road do get the tram noise. 

It is a tiny way out of the centre of town ie not walking distance to town.

452 St Kilda Road
Melbourne, Victoria 3004
Blackman Hotel

Then to the other end of the spectrum


Travelodge Hotel at Southbank


Not glamous, a little above basic, clean and OK decor.  The best thing about this place though is the location.  Close to the National Gallery Victoria, Melbourne Theatre Company, Melbourn Recital Hall, Arts Centre and a short walk into town.

However, it was great value and depending on why I was in Melbourne I would return.

Travelodge
9 Riverside Quay
Southbank

Darling Towers on Collins
233 Collins Street
Melbourne
Apartment style hotels, starting to look a little tired.  However the location is very convenient for shopping in the centre of town.

Rooms are a good size.







Oaks on Collins
I am not sure what the other rooms are like, but I got this at what seemed like a bargain rate.  The room I got felt really claustrophobic, no windows, tiny bathroom.  I wouldn't stay here again.  Perhaps the rooms in the rest of the hotel are better, but don't take one without a window.

Location wasn't so great, there are plenty of hotels in Melbourne in more central locations, though that is my personal preference
Oaks on Collins
480 Collins Street
Melbourne

More on Melbourne

One of the best things about Melbourne is finding new places to eat in places you might never expect.  Cookies is a good example of this, located in Curtin House, the entrance looks like the front of a gig venue, which I think it is as well.

It is home to a range of restaurants, plus a rooftop bar and open air cinema.  Shame the lift doesn't work after 7pm.

Cookies is at 252 Swanston Street, very Golden book in decor.  Image is from some of the wall decorations. 

Food is tasty and it has that great Melbourne vibe.

Huge range of beers and you could spend a while reading the wine list, which is hefty.  Food is Thai influenced.  Definitely worth a trip.

Cookies

Another place we tried, (still carrying on with the Asian theme and in the groove of bunnies and rabbits.  The icons seem to be all over town, even down to the busker who was wearing a rabbit outfit), was Chin Chin.  Visit the website and you'll see what I mean.

This is a tad more upmarket and indeed, extremely popular.  No reservations taken and when we rocked up on a Friday night the wait time for a table was 2 hours.

However, we were offered a seat at the bar, which suited us perfectly.  You can have lots of little tasting plates and if you can't make a decision they'll choose for you.

Asian theme with Thai influences and it felt a tad Malaysian as well.  We had kingfish sashimi, dumplings and a massaman curry with roti, so we really toured the Asian region.

Chin Chin, 125 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

I'd definitely be happy to return to both of these restaurants.

Also, another place to grab a bite to eat before a show is My Mexican cousin which is adjacent or inside the Melbourne Recital Hall.  Cnr of Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard.

Another place where they don't take reservations, unless there are more than 4.  My friend tells me they can be table nazis here.

They serve Mexican influenced food.  We had some rice and a chicken curry and whilst we thought it was pricey, really these two dishes could have fed two people quite easily. 

A good option for a pre or post theatre bite.

More good coffee around Sydney

Other good places for coffee in Sydney:

Workshop coffee / Toby’s Estate decaf. Shop RG01A, the Galeries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney.

Good coffee opposite the QVB building. There is just about always a queue here.


Picture below of Mecca - As soon as I took my first sip, I was hooked. This is great coffee.

Mecca Espresso 646 Harris St, Ultimo 2009. (02 9280 4204 meccaespresso.com). Mon-Fri 7am-4pm; Sat 7am-3pm

Bourke Street Bakery - Potts Point
26a Macleay Street



Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

More Sydney Shopping

These shops are for nic nacs - cute shopping.

Newish shop - There Zakka

Love the theme for the shop

Zakka (from the Japanese 'zak-ka'（雑貨）or 'many things') is a fashion and design phenomenon that has spread from Japan throughout Asia. The term refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and appearance. It is often based on household items from the West that are regarded as kitsch in their countries of origin, but it can also be Japanese goods, mainly from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. In Japan there are also so-called Asian zakka stores; that usually refers to Southeast Asia. The interest in Nordic design or Scandinavian design, both contemporary and past, is also part of this zakka movement. Zakka can also be contemporary handicraft.

Zakka has also been described as "the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane". The zakka boom could be recognized as merely another in a series of consumer fads, but it also touches issues of self-expression and spirituality. "Cute, corny and kitschy is not enough. To qualify as a zakka, a product must be attractive, sensitive, and laden with subtext."

Haymarket, Sydney, Australia

Shop address: Shop 8, 107-121 Quay Street, Haymarket Sydney 2000

Also there are three Morning Glory shops in the Chinatown vicinity

The Stuffed Olive Co

65 Queens Street Berry
An alternate to the busier end of town - this is a great little deli.

Sydney jazz

Some ideas to catch jazz in Sydney of the contemporary variety. In no particular order, they all have their own charms and Idiosyncrasies

Sydney Improvised Music Association
www.sima.org.au
Regular Friday and Saturday night program in the Sound Lounge of the Seymour Centre.
Musicians are now saying they like playing there, good sound and atmosphere, people listen to the music.

Jazzgroove Association
www.jazzgroove.com
Artist led collective that presents double bills at the 505 on Tuesday nights.
A mixture of old and new artists. Jazzgroove also have a summer festival.

505
505 http://venue505.com/
Primarily jazz, but they mix it up with world music and sometimes just great artists that take the fancy of the artist owners.
Springing up from their famous warehouse venue, this is a step up from underground.

Basement
Basement
Established Sydney venue that presents jazz amongst its program. Operates most nights of the week. Best tables come with dinner service.

Notes
Notes
A newer addition to the scene. Varied choice of music, not always jazz, but jazz has a strong influence.

Cockatoo Calling
Cockatoo Calling
Often presenting jazz and improvised artists on the first Saturday of each month on Cockatoo Island. A raw, industrial kind of feel.

Camelot
Camelot
Jazz on some nights, but always an intersting and diverse range of musical performances. Very quirky and has actually arisen from Quirkz. Worth going to, just to check out the decor.

Colbourne Avenue
Colbourne
Mostly jazz on Thursday nights in Glebe. A wonderful lounge room vibe. Its BYO so you can sink into a lounge chair and bliss out.

Hopefully listings will be on the Jazz Australia website over the months to come
Jazz Australia