"The Cult" Touring LIVE in Sydney Fri 4th Oct 2013

British post-punk icons The Cult have announced they will tour our shores this September and October and even better, they will be performing their seminal album Electric in its entirety.

The band, who formed over three decades ago, were one of the most innovative acts to emerge throughout the '80s, with their ever-evolving and ability to bring indie into the mainstream. Electric, released in 1987, showed their diversity, moving into a clearer hard-rock sound with the help of big-time producer Rick Rubin. Despite a couple of hiatuses over the years, the band has continued to remain one of the most influential acts of recent times.

Here's one of the tracks off the Electric album, Wild Flower:



The band will also play a second set during the shows, with a mix of their other songs to be performed. You can get your pre-sale tickets from 10am on Thursday 27 June and general sale from Thursday 4 July. Check out all the details below.

When: Friday ~ 4th Oct 2013
Where: HORDERN PAVILION, Moore Park Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Tickets: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/


Need accommodation near Moore Park? 

Metro Hotels offer affordable and comfortable hotel rooms in the Sydney CBD and within close distance to Moore Park, via a short bus ride or taxi ride. The hotels are 2-5 minutes walk to major train stations and close to all buses and taxis that can take you to Moore Park.

• Metro Hotel Sydney Central

Metro Hotel Sydney Central Location: 431 - 439 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

• Metro Hotel on Pitt

Metro on Pitt Location: 300 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

• Aspire Hotel Sydney

Aspire Hotel Location: 383-389 Bulwara Road Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007 Australia

Sydney city also offers a free bus service (it's a completely green bus) that loops around the main streets of Sydney every 10 minutes. Many Sydney attractions (like Darling Harbour, Harbour Bridge, Opera House) can be reached by foot or bus from our hotels and apartments. Nearby there are also supermarkets, shops, restaurants, convenience stores, ATMs and public toilets all within walking distance.

If you'd like to arrange a stay in a Metro Hotel or Apartment, here are some specials available for booking: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special

Romantic Stays for Couples

Romance Ideas for Couples

Do you have an anniversary coming up? Or wanting to impress your new partner? Want to sweep her off her feet? Try out these romantic ideas to spice up your love life.

*   *   *   *   *

Secretly book a show your partner will like at the Capitol Theatre Sydney, and surprise them by taking them to the show. Make sure you book a stay at Metro Hotel Sydney Central (located directly across from the Theatre) for a romantic night out together after the show at Capitol. Our hotel special will provide a late checkout at noon so you can sleep in and enjoy your stay. A hot buffet breakfast is also included.

Book this Capitol Theatre Special for $165.00* per night including:

• One night's accommodation in a Superior Queen Room
• Hot Buffet Breakfast for two adults
• Extended check-out to 12 noon the following day

*Tickets to Capitol Theatre shows are not included

Location: 431 - 439 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9281 6999

Book this special online: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/242

Metro Hotel Sydney Central: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/metro-hotel-sydney-central-1

*   *   *   *   *

Take your spouse for a romantic dinner in the city and have a night away from the kids by staying at

Metro Hotel on Pitt. A hot buffet breakfast for two is included in this package.

Metro Hotel on Pitt is offering this Bed and Breakfast PLUS Package including:

• One Nights Accommodation in a Superior Deluxe Room
• Hot Buffet Breakfast for two

Location: 300 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9283 8088

Book this special online: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/217

Metro Hotel on Pitt: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/metro-hotel-on-pitt-3

*   *   *   *   *

For some sparkle and spice, you can't go past this special by Metro Apartments on King. Treat your partner to a wonderful night with this package where you get free sparkling wine and chocolates on arrival. This package is a multiple night stay so you can take your time to relax and enjoy each other's time.

Metro Apartments on King invite you to book this Winter Warmer Special including:

• Free Sparkling wine
• Chocolates

$179.00 Sunday-Thursday, $279.00 Friday-Saturday (minimum 2 night stay)

Location: 27 - 29 King Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9290 9200

Book this special online: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/167

Metro Apartments on King: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/metro-apartments-on-king-17

*   *   *   *   *

If you're going to take your partner to Broadway, the Powerhouse Museum or restaurants in Ultimo, try a stay at the Aspire Hotel Sydney. This package includes a stay in a deluxe room with parking included. WiFi is also included so you're always connected, and breakfast is included so you both enjoy a stress-free stay.

Aspire Hotel Sydney is offering this Deluxe Package for our best available rate + $40 including:

• Staying in a deluxe room
• On-Site overnight parking
• In-room wireless internet
• Daily breakfast

Location: 383-389 Bulwara Road Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9211 1499

Book this special online: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/64

Aspire Hotel Sydney - Ultimo: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/aspire-hotel-sydney-10

Coming Soon to the Powerhouse Museum

Power House Museum Location: 500 Harris St, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia

George Nelson: architect, writer, designer, teacher
Opens on 3 August 2013 

This exhibition is a comprehensive retrospective of the work of George Nelson (1908–1986), one of the most influential figures in American design during the second half of the 20th century. Nelson created classics of modern furniture and interior design, including the Coconut Chair (1956), the Marshmallow Sofa (1956), the Ball Clock (1947) and the Bubble Lamps (1952 onwards). He was also a prominent author, editor, lecturer, exhibition designer and a passionate photographer. 

An exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum, Germany. This exhibition has been generously sponsored by Herman Miller International, Asia Pacific. 

---

Australian International Design Awards 2013
Opens 2 August 2013

See a selection of innovative products from the Australian International Design Awards 2013 entries. Those displayed, are chosen for their outstanding design, innovation and significance to Australia’s material culture.

---

Playing with Light
Opens 14 September 2013

Interact with a variety of illuminating hands-on displays! Make yourself shorter, taller, thinner or wider with our flexible mirrors, mix together coloured lights, freeze and interact with your shadows, use strobe lighting to examine a piece of machinery rotating at high speed, make light bounce down a stream of water, plus challenge your friends in our maze of lasers!

Produced by Scitech, Perth, Western Australia

---

The Oopsatoreum: inventions of Henry A. Mintox
Opens late 2013

Author and filmmaker Shaun Tan’s new collaboration with the Powerhouse Museum is the fictional tale of a strikingly original but spectacularly unsuccessful inventor: Henry A. Mintox.  Shaun’s whimsical stories of Mintox’s failed inventions are inspired by strange and largely obscure objects from the Powerhouse Museum collection.
The Oopsatoreum exhibition brings to life the world of Henry Mintox. A mechanical dog and a prototype laptop messenger are some of the strange devices featured in the exhibition. Also on show are Henry’s personal items, including the 1927 Austin Tourer that he planned to drive to Tasmania and the fat suit he wore to impress his audience at a lecture in the midst of the Great Depression.

---

Powerhouse Museum garden

The Powerhouse Museum plans to establish a garden on-site in Ultimo. If you live in the neighbouring Ultimo, Pyrmont and Chinatown areas, we'd like to hear what you think. 

The Museum has been working to establish a Museum Garden, as a learning and community engagement facility, for some time. The project has been delayed by development proposals which in turn have had an impact on plans for the proposed site, in the Museum car park.

In 2011, the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) which owns part of the car park land, announced plans to reclaim the land for incorporation in a 'linear park' to connect Central railway station to Darling Harbour. This put on hold plans to establish a garden on the site, or for the possibility that the site be used for a much larger urban agriculture proposal, as a site for the City Farm, being developed by the City of Sydney. A feasibility study undertaken by the City had proposed the use of the car park, along with a much larger site at Sydney Park, as a possible two-site 'articulated model' for the proposed Farm.

read more...

---

Hotels near the Powerhouse Museum ~ Ultimo and Central:

• Metro Hotel Sydney Central: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/metro-hotel-sydney-central-1

Address: 431 - 439 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9281 6999

• Aspire Hotel Sydney: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/aspire-hotel-sydney-10

Address: 383-389 Bulwara Road Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9211 1499

1940's In The Mood Musical Live @ Capitol Theatre Sydney 2013

On Friday 11 & Saturday 12 October, the all-singing, all-dancing, all-American 1940s brassy big band musical revue hits the Capitol Theatre Sydney.

In The Mood - To the delight of Hepcats, Lindy Hoppers and lovers of Swing Jazz, this brassy, all singing, all dancing, all-American 1940’s musical revue returns to Australia in celebration of its 20^th season.

The 1940’s was a time when America was in tune with sentimental ballads and up-tempo Swing Jazz rhythms, where the waltz and fox trot competed with the wild, acrobatic jitterbug, jive and boogie woogie crazed Hepcats, crowding the ballroom dance floor.

Featuring the hypnotic String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra, In the Mood Singers & Swing Dancers from New York, sassy costumes and sizzling choreography from Broadway veteran Alex Sanchez, fifty unforgettable hits are performed LIVE -

Chattanooga Choo Choo, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B), In The Mood, Tuxedo Junction, Sing, Sing, Sing, Well Get It, Lili Marlene, Bugle Call Rag, On The Sunny Side of the Street, What Do You Do In The Infantry, Over There, He’s 1-A in the Army, A-1 In My Heartand more.

In The Mood has travelled throughout the USA (including the 1997 Inauguration for President Bill Clinton), Canada and Europe and was selected by World USO as an official entertainment for the 50^th World War II Commemoration.

All 32 shows sold out last tour so book early and get In The Mood for a sensational nostalgic journey through the music and movement which guided a nation’s spirit towards hope, promise and prosperity.

Location: 13 Campbell Street, Haymarket NSW 2000 Australia

When: Friday 11 & Saturday 12 October 2013

Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/In-The-Mood-tickets/artist/898784

Staying in Sydney for the show?  

Need accommodation near Capitol Theatre?

Look no further than Metro Hotel Sydney Central - right next door to the Capitol Theatre whilst being close to other iconic Sydney attractions. Metro Hotel Sydney Central offers affordable and comfortable accommodation right in the heart of Sydney! 

Close to major public transport hubs, shops, supermarkets, cafes, restaurants and close to Sydney's major tourist attractions!

Book here: Metro Hotel Sydney Central

SCG to host $13 million LA Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Match

 

Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers / Pic credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images/AFP 

Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks / Pic credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

US Major League Baseball is coming to Sydney, with the opening series of next season - between the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks - to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in March 2014.

In a $13 million coup for the NSW state government, the opening series of the MLB will be held at the SCG on Saturday March 22 and Sunday March 23 - the first time a competitive US baseball fixture will be held in Australia and only the sixth time one has been staged outside America.

Sports Minister Graham Annesley said the event would "generate more than 10,000 international and interstate visitor nights to Sydney, which will help us reach our goal to double overnight tourism expenditure in NSW by 2020".

The games have been described as the biggest internationally recognised event in this country since the 2003 Rugby World Cup final and come exactly 100 years after the Chicago White Sox played against NSW at the SCG.

"Sydney will host the first two games for the opening series of 2014 Major League Baseball at the Sydney Cricket Ground," Premier Barry O'Farrell said.

"The opening series will feature the LA Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks playing the first two games of the season.

"This is a significant win for Sydney and again delivers on my election commitment to bring major events to NSW. It's estimated the matches will deliver a $13 million benefit for the local economy, as well as attract visitors from interstate and overseas."

NSW will be showcased to an estimated global TV household audience of up to 168 million, including 75 million in the US.

Ironically - or perhaps fortuitously for sports fans who like to see a bit of biff - the Dodgers and Diamondbacks had a huge brawl in their game yesterday, with the entire squads of both teams running across the field to fight each other.

A similar spectacle can't be predicted next year but the Dodgers and Diamondbacks will be in Sydney for six days, when they will play the two games and open the doors to their training sessions.

"Sydney has a history of hosting significant baseball games at the SCG, with the Chicago White Sox playing against a combined NSW team in 1914," he said.

"The SCG will be transformed into an MLB field, with the construction of an infield clay area, pitcher's mound, dugouts and additional grandstand."

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/sydney-cricket-ground-to-host-13-million-us-baseball-curtain-raiser/story-fni0cx12-1226662783768

About SCG:

The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Test cricket, One Day International cricket, Twenty20 cricket and Australian rules football, as well some rugby league football and rugby union matches. It is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League. It is owned and operated by the SCG Trust that also manages the Sydney Football Stadium located next door.

Location: Moore Park, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia

Need Accommodation near SCG Moore Park Sydney for the 2014 Major League Baseball match between the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks? 

Metro Hotels offer affordable and comfortable hotel rooms and apartments in the Sydney CBD and within close distance to the Sydney Cricket Ground in Moore Park, via a short bus ride or taxi ride. The hotels are 2-5 minutes walk to major train stations and close to all buses and taxis that can take you to the SCG.

• Metro Hotel Sydney Central
• Metro Hotel on Pitt
• Metro Apartments on King
• Aspire Hotel Sydney

Sydney city also offers a free bus service (it's a completely green bus) that loops around the main streets of Sydney every 10 minutes. Many Sydney attractions (like Darling Harbour, Harbour Bridge, Opera House) can be reached by foot or bus from our hotels and apartments. Nearby there are also supermarkets, shops, restaurants, convenience stores, ATMs and public toilets all within walking distance.

If you'd like to arrange a stay in a Metro Hotel or Apartment, here are some specials available for booking: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special

Aspire Hotel Sydney's Expo Package ~ Great Value!

For just $169.00* per night, Aspire Hotel Sydney is offering this Expo Package including:

• Accommodation in a Superior room
• Buffet breakfast
• Free wireless internet
• Free car parking - One bay per room with unlimited entry and exit
• Exhibitor Survival Pack containing two bottles of water, one sandwich or ham croissant, one piece of fruit and one muesli bar)

Location: 383-389 Bulwara Road Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9211 1499

Book here: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/special/271

Terms and Conditions:

• Valid until 30th June 2013
• Offer subject to availability
• Offer not valid over special event and black-out periods 

Features of Aspire Hotel:

• On-site secure underground car parking is available 
• Full concierge services
• Free luggage storage on arrival and departure
• Smartbar vending machines
• Pay Phone
• Taxi / Airport Shuttle / Transfer Bookings
• Dry cleaning service is available Monday - Saturday with same day delivery
• All rooms 100% smoke free

Aspire Hotel Sydney provides ideal Hotel Accommodation for travellers attending an event at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, escaping to Sydney for a short getaway for shopping, a concert or sports event or attending a course at TAFE or UTS.

Aspire Hotel Sydney offers guest's the best Sydney has to offer like the Powerhouse Museum, Chinatown, IMAX Theatre, Star City Casino, Paddy's Markets, Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Entertainment Centre; all within walking distance of the hotel.

Attractions near Aspire Hotel Sydney: A Short History of Ultimo

'Ultimo' was originally the name of the estate of Dr John Harris, on 34 acres granted to him by Governor King in 1803. It was named for a clerical error in a legal case against Harris that had prevented him being court-martialled. His offence was listed as 'ultimo' (having occurred in the previous month) when it should have been cited as 'instant' (having occurred in the same month). Harris Street is named in his honour.

The area remained as farmland, in possession of the Harris family, until it was subdivided in 1859. At that time, most of the current streets were laid out, and the descendants of John Harris constructed the first residences in the area (at least one of which - a row of terraces in Wattle Street - was still owned by the family in the early 1980s).

Residential development accelerated in the 1880s. In 1891 the population of the Pyrmont-Ultimo area was 19,177, in 3,966 dwellings. The population peaked at around 30,000 in 1900. However, the construction of factories, quarries, woolstores and a power station in the early 20th century saw the demolition of hundreds of houses, and a steady decline in population. It was a good site for warehouses because of its proximity to Darling Harbour. Several examples of the federation warehouse style can be found along Wattle Street. By 1954, the population of Pyrmont and Ultimo was 5,000, and by 1978 it was just 1,800.

Subsequently, many industries began to move to cheaper land further from the CBD, and the decline of the wool industry made Ultimo's 15 woolstores redundant. By the start of the 1980s, derelict industrial sites began to be redeveloped for residences, mostly as apartments, a process that continues to the present.

In common with other inner suburbs such as Surry Hills, Ultimo still has some of the oldest examples of Victorian terraces. Despite constant 'slum' clearance and redevelopment during the 20th century, many fine examples exist which, as in other inner Sydney suburbs, have been progressively 'gentrified' in recent times.

Places to visit in Ultimo:

• Powerhouse Museum: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/ 500 Harris St, Ultimo NSW 2007, Australia
• Broadway Shopping Centre: http://www.broadway.com.au/ 1 Bay Street, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia
• Wentworth Park: http://www.wentworthparksport.com.au/ Wattle St, Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007, Australia

Close by attractions in Central (Haymarket):

• Market City Shopping Centre: http://www.marketcity.com.au/ 9-13 Hay St  Haymarket NSW 2000, Australia
• Paddy's Market (Flea Market): http://www.paddysmarkets.com.au/ 9-13 Hay St  Haymarket NSW 2000, Australia (directly below Market City Shopping Centre)
• Chinatown: http://www.sydney-chinatown.info/ Dixon and Sussex Streets, Haymarket NSW 2000, Australia

Hotels near Ultimo and Central:

• Metro Hotel Sydney Central: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/metro-hotel-sydney-central-1

Address: 431 - 439 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9281 6999

• Aspire Hotel Sydney: http://www.metrohotels.com.au/sydney-hotels/aspire-hotel-sydney-10

Address: 383-389 Bulwara Road Ultimo, Sydney NSW 2007 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9211 1499