With apologies to Melbourne, Sydney will always hold a special place in my heart. I love the neighborhoods, the restaurants, the accessible ferry system, and the theater scene. While its cosmopolitan bustle reminds me of New York City, iconic views of the Harbor and Opera House remind me that I am in the heart of Australia.

While in Sydney, I read that it is one of the top 10 airports to book a window seat from which to admire aerial views during landing. I make sure to snag the window on my flights to and from Tasmania to verify this and, despite the clouds, I’m impressed:

On my first night walking around Sydney, I pass by St. Mary’s Cathedral as organ music fills the air. It feels magical. I pause and listen for a few moments, caught up in how thrilled I am to be in this city.

On my second day here, the Tony Awards air live from New York at 10am. I find out at the last minute that my hostel gets this channel and I’m thrilled to spend a few hours watching my favorite awards show, followed ironically by an episode of The Young and the Restless.

Australia is about 9 months behind the Y&R episodes currently airing in the States, so I catch an episode I worked on last fall — it opens with a scene featuring Jeanne Cooper, who very sadly passed away in May after living an extraordinary life. Being so far away from my Y&R family, the full impact of her death hadn’t hit me until I saw her image pop up on screen. I hold back tears and say my own special goodbye to this magnificent lady.

Over the next few days, I enjoy several meals prepared by my own two hands at the hostel (okay, so it’s really one big meal with lots of leftovers). It feels good to cook for the first time in a long time.

There’s also a cheap and tasty Thai restaurant a few doors down which I frequent over the week.

Here’s a memorable meal from my visit to Manly Beach — Rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, and pesto pasta. This lasted for two dinners.

I’m even in Sydney long enough to establish a favorite coffee place: Joe’s Cafe, located just around the corner from the hostel — I get a frequent visitor punch card and earn a free latte by the end of my trip. The owner doesn’t charge me for soy milk or vanilla syrup, so each day I tip him. He always adds the tips to their charity jar, MJ’s Coffee4Cancer, which provides a space for teens with cancer to spend time together.

This is a lamington, possibly my favorite Aussie dessert. It has yellow cake with a berry center and a chocolate-and-coconut coating.

My favorite neighborhood, which I’ve already written about while detailing the Free Walking Tour, is called The Rocks. I love the numerous shops and cafes, and network of alleyways and “secret” stairs which lead to even more shops and cafes. Here are a few random images of this area:

This is a passionfruit cupcake that even now, weeks later, I can vividly remember biting into.

Weekend markets are the best and I return on consecutive Saturdays.

And I have to tell you about this incredible place called The Shakespeare Hotel that my friend Susan invites me to (remember Susan from New Zealand?). The decor of the second level — deep tones, plush sofas, bejeweled chandeliers, animal heads on the wall — has an 18th century Sherlock Holmes feel. I arrive before Susan and spend a good while just taking photographs and soaking up the atmosphere.

Oh, and the food is outstanding — all meals are under $12.50 and are LEGIT. The food excels in both presentation and taste, and The Shakespeare Hotel could easily get away with charging $30 per plate. Lucky for us they don’t!

I can’t believe, after all of those photos, that I forgot to take a photo of Susan. Silly me! You should check out her blog, The Salient Script, where she writes about travel. Her other passions include writing, massage therapy, and ESL — Susan is a jill of all trades.

And I happen to be in Sydney during the annual film festival. This makes me very happy.

I snag tickets to The Attack [dir. Ziad Doueiri], an Israeli film about a prominent Tel Aviv doctor who is shocked when his wife is accused of being a suicide bomber after a local bombing. In the wake of her death, he must confront her secret life and determine if he ever really knew her at all. It’s fascinating, thought-provoking, well-directed, and an interesting cultural study.

Let it also be known that I spent a rainy afternoon catching The Great Gatsby in the home country of its esteemed director, Baz Luhrman. I thoroughly enjoy the spectacle element that has become a hallmark of his films.

Here’s a few photos of King’s Cross neighborhood. This place is a party scene at night, but my particular hostel has outstanding reviews and is very quiet after 10pm.

And here is my home for the week — Backpackers HQ in King’s Cross. I first heard about this place from my Melbourne hostel mate Kaiyang, who had stayed here recently. It proved to be the perfect base for my Sydney excursions and I met really nice people. I shared a 4-person room with three other guys, two of whom were there the entire duration of my stay. (Hi Bryan from Réunion and Silvio from Portugal!) It was SO nice to come back at night and debrief about our days, share tips on local attractions, chat about our respective cultures, and bond over how weird it is that Australians pronounce the word “Quay” like “Key.”

Here are some images from the hostel. Should you find yourself in Sydney, I highly recommend it — the prices are fair (around $35 a night for a 4-person room with en suite bathroom) and the location is great (maybe 200 feet from the King’s Cross subway stop).

This is Peter. He’s one of my favorites. His son co-owns the place and he’s been helping out at the front desk. He used to be a pharmacist and then a winemaker. Peter is extremely kind, funny, and charming.

And there is a resident dog named Isabelle! She belongs to the owners and is often curled up in the office. I very much enjoyed petting her.

There you have it… a wrap up of my favorite meals, neighborhood, and hostel. Hope this helps if you are planning your own Sydney itinerary.