Travel - Parramatta review: the other Sydney
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COMMENT, Sydney, Parramatta – APEC is over and the last of the politicians has gone home. So I am back in not-so-central Parramatta.
Parramatta is the demographic heart of broader Sydney, being the secondary centre and a major work and residential hub.
The tale of two Sydney’s
APEC Sydney.
Glitzy. Glam. Harbour. Flashy. If you have money and a local on your arm a good place to dine out. Not my taste, but popular. If you like LA, you’ll like Sydney.
Add to that the Eastern beaches and the leafy green North shore. (When the traffic doesn’t destroy the experience).
But Sydney it really looks good in a fancy dress and jewels. Sydney is often called Sin City. Or colloquially a flashy lady of the night to Melbourne’s grande Dame formidable.
Sydney city is a fun place. A relatively vibrant place if you have the cash. A great city to visit.
Western Sydney.
That’s where people live. Concrete. Steel. Clean enough. But culturally nothing much except big brand shopping.
Parramatta and surrounding Western suburbs is what APEC leaders never see. It’s Sydney’s other side. It’s where people can afford to live (few can afford the harbour view).
One thing I like about Parramatta is the friendly people. It’s like Sydney before it became pretentious. Many of the friendly people I meet in Parramatta are nicer to talk to than most in APEC Sydney city.
However culturally if you like shopping malls and concrete, that is about the limit of Parramatta’s broader charms. It’s not an intellectual or cultural kind of place.
If you are in Parramatta
- Visit Church Street
- Do a few restaurants in Church Street
- Catch a ferry
- Shop at Westfield
- Shop at Brand Smart
You like Parramatta culturally if:
Your tastes aren’t fancy. If it’s more about who you are with than surroundings.
There are some quite good ethnic eateries, so if you have a taste for food of various ethnic backgrounds, and you recognize a restaurant you might like.
But if you’re big on big culture, Parramatta is not for you.
Try the other Sydney - the one with the Opera House and the Art Galleries.
Take care,
Christopher
Speaker. Author. Editor-In-Chief. Executive Director of Innovation, 2thinknow.
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