" Us Americans will be "gobsmacked" with all you Aussies"

Hahaha Cheryl - I'm fending off a Maggie Smith - " How very amusing for you" riposte :)

cathies, thanks for the lead. I am solo this trip so the prospect of sharing room with 3 women who are strangers may not be optimum for me. I am looking at a few places on air bnb. How would you rate the Redfern area or Potts Point?
All opinions welcome.

@ Cheryl, I know I owe you an email. Balls to the walls busy. Hard to put two sentences together. Please be patient with me.

Hi ahotpoet,
YHA Sydney Harbour also has single occupancy rooms, so no need to share.
A bit above your budget, but brilliant location for sightseeing & transport.

Lots of good spots in Potts Point, but some landlords like to fudge a bit on the address to give a more salubrious impression. If you can tell us the street address, we will be able to advise.

Generally speaking it's a great area with lots of restaurants, good transport & only about 30 minutes walk or less to Circular Quay.

I've been a bit bummed for the last hour or so. I had a thread going on the Asia board about exploring some options in Thailand for early retirement.
It turned into a slanging match between some regular suspects, so the moderators have deleted the last 50 posts (out of 90) and closed the thread to further comment.
There was some helpful info amongst those deleted posts, I will have to ask again but feeling a little gun shy right now.

So, to cheer myself up, I booked a flight to Sydney !

YAY, see you on the 21st.....

Brilliant! Nothing like a little trip therapy, Sartoric. It's shaping up to be quite a party! And all thanks to you, Cheryl :)

I saw your Thai thread yesterday Sartoric & thought there were some interesting posts. Didn't see the funeral pyre smouldering, though. What a shame.

So glad you are coming, Sartoric.

I think we will be an irresistible bunch.

I am overwhelmed! What is the "body" count by now?

RNcheryl and Mr Rncheryl. Maybe the couple we are traveling with. not sure yet. I think they don't really get this Fodors Thing...

I think this is it so far:

RnCheryl & Mr RnC
Possibly 2 RnC friends
Cathies
Susan7
MargoOz ?
Lavandula
Schnauzer
Sartoric
Ahotpoet
Stormbird?
Pat Woolford
Bokhara

And Gruezi??

Hi everyone - would you count me in as well please? I'm just deciding now whether to just make it a day trip down or thinking of staying the night and catching a play at the Opera House - Children of the Sun. I've never seen a performance at the opera house so may do. Either way will definitely be there for lunch - we might have a bit of fun hey?

I'll book flights tomorrow after I've decided whether to stay or not.

Stormbird, that's great news! Looking forward to meeting you.

Great!

Soooooooooo jealous.

Stormbird, so glad you will be joining us. Urging you to make it a cultural experience as well with the Opera House experience. We have tickets the following night to see The King and I. Soo very excited.

Pat? Pat Woolford? Terrific.

I'll do my best to be there.

Okay I'm booked - I'll go down and back same day as I am planning another trip to Sydney in November to see Strictly Ballroom so will save my pennies for that.

Looking forward to seeing you all then! Yay - I love GTGs.

Looks like my trip has been moved up to later this week. (Likely arriving in Sydney on 21 or 22nd for 10 days. Sorry I will miss this GTG but my plans were dependent on a business trip of Mr. Gruezi's.

Will post back when I have a clearer idea of my plans in case anyone wants to meet up.

Best wishes for a great Oct. GTG!

Let us know, Gruezi - I'm fairly free this week & others may be, too.

Pack your raincoat - it's wet & cool/cold. 9-19c until Sunday, with rain predicted most days, but not necessarily all day.

It's 12c now (5:42pm) & I have jeans, silk top, sweater, long UniQlo jacket, wool sox & fleece lined boots on. I'm a wuss. A warm, dry wuss who has just been out for a walk.

I'd love to meet up. I'm not available next Monday or Tuesday but apart from that I can be available at a moment's notice! A mini mini gtg. What fun!

Hi Bokhara and cathies - Mr. Gruezi and Co. are again re-working plans this morning (loud sigh!) but as soon as I have a boarding pass in hand (my new indication of a real plan as of this a.m.) I'll be in touch. It would be great to connect. Sorry I can't make a definitive plan - it's not my usual behavior believe me!