Sydney Harbor

Sydney Harbor I'd say is the most recognizably scenic place of my trip so far as it's home to both the Sydney Harbor Bridge and to the iconic Sydney Opera House.  I was staying on the harbor at the Park Hyatt Sydney, so found myself photographing both attractions each day as I passed by.  Both took on a bit of a different look throughout the course of my visit.  There were two different fireworks displays and on another night the Opera House was illuminated in orange and yellow.  First, here are some pics of the Sydney Harbor Bridge:

I decided to see a show at the Opera House one night.  I saw Miracle City, a musical, in one of the smaller theaters.  I have to say it wasn't all that great.  It was basically a much more boring version of Book of Mormon where this family in Kentucky has a church and they are trying to raise money to open up a religious theme park where you "pray and then you play."  It was kinda hokey, but it was still neat to see a show at the Opera House and wander around the building.

This is a view of the Opera Bar where you can grab a bite and a drink before or after a show, or just take in the view.

This a view looking back at Sydney from the Opera House

One of my favorite excursions in Sydney was climbing one of the Pylons of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.  You can climb the actual bridge itself, but the cost, in my opinion, is pretty insane.  Its $300 to do a full climb and just under $200 for a partial climb.  While the bridge is pretty amazing up close and I'm sure even more amazing to climb on, it seemed to me you could take it in pretty well without being right on top of it.  I did some searching and found out that it only costs $15 to climb the pylon, and you get quite high and are right next to the bridge.  I was happy with the climb and the views.  Several of the photos above are taken from atop the Pylon.  In the photo below if you look closely you can see bridge climbers who are about a third of the way across.  The Pylon on the left is the one that I climbed.

The Park Hyatt was pretty comfortable and was a great spot if you wanted to be close to the bridge and the Opera House.  Though it was probably a 10 minute walk to the core of the CBD.  I certainly needed the exercise though so think it was a good pick for me.  I found it to be pretty well appointed and a good use of Chase points.

More Sydney pics to come!