Travel & Lifestyle

When it comes to rich cultural history, there are few cities in America with more to offer than San Antonio, Texas. Situated less than 90 minutes drive from Austin, Texas, San Antonio used to be one of the State’s best kept secrets. But now, it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the USA, with…

It’s almost midnight as I arrive at the Ace Hotel, jumping out of a taxi, having flown into Newark Airport on the other side of the Hudson. I walk past someone taking a selfie with a man who I assume is famous; he is ushered into a car moments later (then again, with Uber, who…

In our new regular series on AU Abroad, we take you around the world and deliver you our culinary picks for the things you just have to eat when you head to some of our favourite cities. We continue this series in one of the best cities to eat in the world: New York. You…

Much like Melbourne, for a city with one of the best public transport systems in the world, the airport seems to have been neglected over the years in Toronto, Canada. In the past, to get downtown from the airport it took a bus, a couple of trains and roughly over an hour to get to…

In the venue’s biggest update since it opened its doors in August 2013, the Bridge St Garage Bar and Diner in Sydney’s CBD has just launched a brand new, fully equipped second bar and deli at the back of the diner. Opening up to the public earlier this month on June 9th, the new Bridge…

The Smoking Panda is one of those blink and you’ll miss it places, a nameless sign stamped with a cute furry panda is the only clue that this hidden gem of a bar even exists. Which is just the sort of thing to be expected from its cheeky collaborators barman/mad scientist Grant Collins (White Hart, The Powder…

Sky Zone came to our backyard, took one look at that lone, depressingly rusty trampoline drowning in overgrown lawn and decided Australia needed more awesomeness in its life. In the spirit of one upmanship they took a stadium, lined it with trampolines (and padding you know, for safety’s sake) and said ‘hey kids, have at it!’…

Gravity defying tea cup cake, cake decorating championship finalist Sydney Olympic Park Stadium braced itself over the weekend when it opened its doors to thousands of sugar-crazed patrons for the annual Cake Bake and Sweets Show. Three glorious days of sweet treats and basically anything that goes in, on or around a cake is hardly…

Following its success at The Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and at Universal Studios Japan, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is set to open at the world’s original Universal Studios Park, in Hollywood, in Spring 2016 (Autumn in Australia, should we get technical). Though this has been known for a…

There was some big news yesterday for those of us who travel to the US. Qantas and American Airlines (AA) announced they’d be expanding their trans-Pacific relationship, which will introduce AA to the popular and competitive Los Angeles to Sydney route for the first time, while Qantas will return to flying direct from Australia to…

The world’s newest Universal Studios Theme Park – Universal Studios Singapore – turns five years old this year, and there have been a few new additions to the park to celebrate. Towards the end of last year, a new Puss in Boots themed show “The Dance for the Magic Beans” launched that preceded “Puss in…

Photo by Dan Freeman As anyone in Sydney would know, it’s well and truly Winter time in the city, and there are few meals that warm the body up as well as a good Laksa. Around the city, there are plenty of places to get your fill, but where can you get the best? Our…

As far as burgers go, Jimmy “The Burger Lord” Hurlston, also known as the man behind Jimmy’s Burgers, just may be the most experienced and well-traveled guy in history. He has spent years trekking all over the world tackling one of the most famous food creations of all time, attempting to eat, record, and review…

When it comes to an overnight airport stay, there are only three things that really matter: convenience, comfort and cost. Is it easy to get to from the terminal? Will my well earned (and usually rather brief) sleep be a pleasant one? And will I be keeping things within budget? In this respect, Four Points…

Chef Chris Irving can claim some pretty incredible career achievements, including organising a banquet for the Queen, consulting for the Spanish Noble family, feeding the Beckhams and working alongside Chef Gordon Ramsay for four years. His hard work has led to an illustrious career and status that he’s used to champion the adoption of ethically…

Following the massive success of the seventh installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, which is currently the fourth highest grossing film of all time on the international box office charts (and the number one film of all time in China!?), Universal Studios Hollywood have revealed more details about their forthcoming “Fast & The…

Sydney has a new food truck, and it just so happens to be delivering some of the best pizza in the city thanks to its authentic Italian recipes and a woodfire oven built right into the impressive architecture of the truck – which sees two levels sit inside a shipping container. Going by the name…

Some six and a half years ago, I discovered what at the time was the best Eggs Benedict I’d ever had. And it was at a place quite unsuspecting. World Bar on the Melbourne Southbank. Everything about the dish was perfect, to the point I’d schedule in earlier flights than I’d need whenever I flew…

Situated along San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk, the Wyndham couldn’t be better located for the visiting tourist. A short walk to the city’s entertainment area and tourist hotspot The Alamo, the sizable 410 room hotel, spread over 21 floors, serves as an excellent port for both business guests, tourists and their families. As with any hotel…

After the likes of Alison Wonderland, Jack Beats, Carmada, Hayden James, Peking Duk and Touch Sensitive kicked things off in 2014, the second annual boutique Island Festival “Your Paradise” is set to return to one of Fiji’s most beautiful islands on Malolo Lailai. The festival will return with an incredible lineup – yet to be…

Further to our look at Kiyomi last week, we also explored the other new restaurant leading the charge in the $345 million transformation that is sweeping through Jupiters Gold Coast. Italian restaurant Cucina Vivo is in stark contrast to Kiyomi in design; whereas the neighbouring Japanese restaurant is dimly lit and moody, Cucina is endearingly…

I’ve always been fascinated by Theme Parks, especially in America. The stories of how the parks originated and have since grown and thrived is often as interesting as the rides themselves. Six Flags: Fiesta Texas, located just outside of San Antonio, is no exception, with the origins of the park dating back some 25 years,…

San Diego, California is a beautiful place! A laid back kinda vibe, nice beaches and friendly folk. This was our first show in a string of dates through this beautiful state! Tonight’s venue is called The Casbah, so it was pretty cool to literally ‘rock the Casbah’ just one time in our musical careers, even…

It was announced on Friday that Qantas Airlines would return service to its Perth to Singapore Route on June 26th, after shelving it in May 2014, as part of a run of improvements set to be instated for its West Australian services. Qantas will operate five return Boeing 737 Perth to Singapore services each week,…

To set the scene here, we’d just arrived on American soil at JFK airport, New York from Frankfurt, Germany after our first European tour as King Parrot. A couple of us have toured Europe before with other bands, but this was our first run as KP. We did a 10 show run across 7 countries…

There was once upon a time where it wasn’t too hard to get a $5 steak in Sydney – it wasn’t the best steak in the world, but it was $5. Nowadays, finding a good steak under $10 isn’t even the easiest things in the world – but if you know where to look, it’s…

Part of the Millenium group of Hotels and Resorts, Singapore’s Studio M hotel is a perfect example of the city’s unique ways to make the best of small spaces, something which is typical both of the city’s hotel rooms and the apartments that line the streets. But Studio M takes this concept to another level,…

For years now, United Airlines haven’t quite matched the competition on the Australia to USA route for their economy customers. Though premium customers have been given some luxurious upgrades in recent times – especially those flying the new Dreamliner 787 (pictured above) – economy has always gotten the short end of the stick. Until now!…

Acclaimed Sydney restaurant Flying Fish are in the midst of a menu change, preparing for autumn with a brand new range of tempting dishes. With food as stunning as that million dollar view at the Jones Bay Wharf in Pyrmont, the award winning restaurant remains one of the cities best and so we thought it’d…