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Star Appeal
Nicole on a stroll
With a guest list that reads just like a red carpet awards ceremony, next time you are in Sydney, you’ll not only be walking the same path as your favourite celebrity visitor, you’ll probably even run into one.
What do Dannii Minogue, Cameron Diaz, Kate Bosworth and Justin Timberlake have in common? They all like their eggs scrambled and their toast on the side from Sydney brekkie institution Bills. And these aren’t the only big celebs who have eaten their most important meal of the day at one of Bill Granger’s city eateries, nor is it the only celebrity story that can be told about the Harbour City – it has many.
While Hollywood, New York and London might be the place the biggest A-listers call home, Sydney is the city they use as their playground, with an emphasis on ‘play’. Entourage’s lead man Adrian Grenier has been one of the most recent stars to visit, and if his Sydney social itinerary is anything to go by, somebody had better tell party queen Paris Hilton to give up her crown.
Grenier hit all the top Sydney venues during his three week stay in October: Icebergs in Bondi, Hugos Lounge in Kings Cross, Hemmesphere in the CBD, De Nom in Darlinghurst, along with local favourites like the Paddington Inn and Harry’s Café de Wheels in Woolloomooloo. And in between several rumoured holiday romances, the actor even squeezed in time to test drive a Maserati.
Of course, not all of those who touch down in Sydney concentrate solely on the city’s VIP offerings. Some of them prefer the simpler life and others hang out in more unassuming places.
Jessica and Ashlee Simpson turned down the menu at the Hilton’s acclaimed Glass Restaurant – designed by chef to the stars, Luke Managan – in favour of ordering takeaway pizza; Robbie Williams shunned his official 2006 concert tour after party at Guillaume at Bennelong in order to get an early night and Prince Harry chose the unassuming London Tavern in Paddington over other more exclusive night spots for a real Aussie beer. Low key does seem to be a hit though with lots of stars, particularly anyone of royal lineage: the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips visited the Royal Hotel in Paddington and it was at the popular CBD after-work drinks venue the Slip Inn, that Prince Frederik found his princess in 2000.
And it’s not just the dining and nightlife that stars have developed an affinity with – many of Sydney’s other attractions, iconic landmarks and parks, also keep the who’s who of the entertainment world occupied.
Matt Damon does the walking around the harbour thing when he’s in town; Russell Crowe exercises in the Botanical Gardens; Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z like to do the zoo; Keanu Reeves hits the bookstores; Paris Hilton heads to the beach; Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston love the Sydney Aquarium and everyone from Pink to Kylie to Owen Wilson have braved the heights of the Sydney Harbour Bridge BridgeClimb. (Pierce Brosnan is one of the most famous faces to have been turned away from the climb – he was over the blood alcohol limit!). Then there’s the shopping. With so many world class designers based in Sydney (Alex Perry, Zimmermann, Lisa Ho, Collette Dinnigan, Sass & Bide, Ksubi rate highly on the favourite designer lists of the A-list), Sydney is as much a hit with celebs for its shopping as it is for its harbour.
Omega ambassador, Cindy Crawford is always a certainty at Omega’s flagship store. She also makes a detour to Little Joe by Gail Elliot in the Strand Arcade as Gail is a close friend of Cindy’s from their modeling days together in the 80s. Tyra Banks and Princess Mary are both Spencer and Rutherford fans; Jennifer Hawkins loves Myer (for obvious reasons – she is their fashion ambassador!); while trend setters like Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Mandy Moore, Helena Christensen, Paris Hilton and Jessica Alba are known to head to fashionable meccas like Oxford Street in Paddington, Crown Street in Surry Hills and Gould Street in Bondi.
There aren’t many places in Sydney that haven’t had a brush with fame so keep your eyes peeled when you visit: chances are, you may have one of your own!
ON THE A-LIST
Hotels
Hilton Sydney: Mischa Barton, Fergie, Good Charlotte, Sophie Monk, Nicole Richie
Star City: David Beckham, KISS, Queen
Blue: Paul Walker, Gisele Bunchen, John Mayer, Owen Wilson, Nicollette Sheridan
Park Hyatt: Renee Zellweger, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger, Sandra Bullock, CharlizeTheron
Bars
Zeta Bar: Snoop Dogg, Perez Hilton
Hemmesphere: Bono, Jay Kay, Robbie Williams, Adrian Grenier
Hugos: Heather Graham, Heath Ledger, Paris Hilton, Michael Buble
Icebergs: Portia de Rossi, Kate Bosworth, Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman
Restaurants
Glass: Harry Kewell, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson
ARIA: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Mel Gibson
Wildfire: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Sylvester Stallone, Linda Evangelista
Quay: Sandra Bullock, Billy Joel, Elton John, Elle MacPherson
Shopping
Spencer and Rutherford: Tyra Banks, Princess Mary
Myer: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian
Bowie: Jesse McCartney, George Michael, Good Charlotte, Jared Leto
Scanlan and Theodore: Kate Bosworth, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
For more of the most comprehensive information and star-studded revelations about Sydney and its celebrity connections, check out The Red Carpet Guide to Sydney (New Holland, $19.95) By Kristy Meudell.
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