vintage_dog wrote:carlo sent me this pic of an antique shop/bookstore whic he "discovered" in sydney with tons of vinyl...
I am sure that is Ashwood's Music and Books near the Queen Victoria Building. It's a fun place to browse, but a difficult place (IMO) to buy for a serious vinylista. I say this for a few reasons. It's not very well organized, so if you are looking for specific titles it can take a while. The condition of the records tends not to be the best. Their prices are too high (again, IMO) for the quality that they offer. Most importantly, they pull all the "good stuff" to sell on-line. However, if the staff are in a good mood when you are there, you can ask them to bring the "good stuff" out of the back room. I was there once looking for piano jazz records, and after finding nothing asked at the counter, whereupon they came out with a stack of about 10 Oscar Peterson and 10 Art Tatum records. I bought one of each, but at $15-20 a title its not a bargain shop that's for sure.
My favorite shops to try are Red Eye Records (one on King St near George, and one on upper Pitt St near Chinatown). There used to be a place called Mojo Music on lower York St, but I have not been there in a while and don't know if they are still going.
Now my #1 tip for a music lover visiting Sydney: The Basement is a jazz and blues club near Circular Quay that brings in top local and international acts. They have a very good bistro too. So for a reasonable price (for Sydney prices anyway!) you get a three course gourmet meal and a concert. I have seen some great shows there. Another really fun venue is the Arthouse Hotel on Pitt St just past Market St
As for hotels, the Marriot, Shangi-La, and Jamieson are all within an easy walk of Circular Quay and the Rocks. The nicest hotel in that area is the Observatorybut its expensive. The Raddison is also good. There is also a very high quality Holiday Inn at the far end of the Rocks. The absolute best way to get a hotel in Sydney is to use Wotif:
http://www.wotif.com