Sydney leads the way. whatever time it is in the most of the world, Sydney has already been and gone. When you are winding down on a Sunday evening, Australia’s largest city is stealing a march into next week. When you are living the last day of the old year, Sydney has pressed ahead into the new one.

Futurologists contend that the 21st century will be Asia’s era. Sydney is already there. Geographically, economically and culturally, the city is the meeting place for east and west.

In 2007, Sydney was the venue for an extensive series of meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the 21-nation forum that includes Australia, the United States, Russia, China and many emerging Asian and Latin American countries. The organization accounts for 56 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.

APEC was founded in 1989 as an Australian initiative. Throwing off the shackles of its British colonial past, the country has embraced its geographical position at the fulcrum of Asia. Sydney, as ever, is in the vanguard. The city is home to 65 percent of all the Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Australia, and to 81 percent of Asia-Pacific finance and insurance regional offices. Overseasborn workers account for 40 percent of the city’s total workforce. Of these, about 33 percent are from Asia (compared with 18 percent from the United Kingdom and 9 percent from New Zealand).

One of the buzzwords in Sydney is “fusion.” It is a philosophy expressed most noticeably in the cuisine, which is often a contemporary blend of European and Asian influences. But you also find it in the architecture and interior design, in the arts and within the population itself.

More than a hundred nationalities have an established presence in Sydney, each contributing to the city’s overall flavor. Yet to describe the place as a “melting pot” would be misleading. Sydney is a vibrant patchwork of distinct communities; a city of villages.

When you spend time in Sydney, you soon become familiar with the individual districts. There is trendy Surry Hills, with its packed pubs, antique shops and popular market on the first Saturday of each month. Next door is Paddington — “Paddo” — with its beautiful Victorian terrace houses. Kings Cross — “The Cross” — is a densely populated, slightly seedy area known for its red-lightdistrict and anything-goes nightlife. Darlinghurst is the center of the gay community, and is home each January to the flamboyant Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which has become a major tourist attraction.

“Little Italy” is centered on Darlinghurst’s Stanley Street (though there are also Japanese and Thai restaurants alongside the ubiquitous pizzerias). Sydney’s Chinatown has relocated three times in the city’s history, but is now settled in the Haymarket district, close to the Spanish Quarter. The sizeable Lebanese, Vietnamese and Macedonian communities are primarily based in Bankstown, in the southwest of metropolitan Sydney.

For all the color and diversity of its suburbs, the main focus of Sydney will always be its magnificent natural harbor, officially known as Port Jackson. The first European settlers, convicts from Britain, arrived at Sydney Cove in 1788. The landing spot of the First Fleet is still an important junction. Each day, more than half a million commuters shuttle in and out of the Cove’s Circular Quay by ferry, bus and train.

To one side of the Cove looms the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the “old coat hanger,” which was completed in 1932. Escorted climbs to its highest point, 440 feet up, have become a popular tourist activity, providing a thrilling panorama of the harbor and the surrounding city.

The building on the other side of the Cove, occupying Bennelong Point (named for one of the area’s early Aboriginal inhabitants), needs no introduction. With its soa ring, saillike roofs, the Sydney Opera House is a global icon.

These days, cities around the world are eager to commission celebrity architects to provide them with signature buildings. Sydney, as ever, led the way. Commissioned nearly 50 years ago, the Opera House, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, proves the power of architecture and its capacity to provide a city with an instant identity.

Immediately behind Circular Quay are the gleaming high-rise offices and hotels of the Central Business District, with every window seemingly jostling for a view of the harbor landmarks. Among the forest of modern skyscrapers, fragments of the city’s past remain. Not everything has been swept away on the tide of progress. Here you’ll find Victorian shopping arcades, the venerable St. Andrew’s Cathedral and a scattering of early 19th century buildings.

In recent years, Sydney has recognized the value of its heritage. The area known as the Rocks, at the foot of the Harbour Bridge, was the site of the first settlement and, until the 1970s, had a reputation as one of the city’s roughest neighborhoods. Since then, its cobbled streets and stone buildings have been sanitized and renovated, and now provide the atmospheric backdrop for a thriving tourist precinct.

Similarly, the once-derelict Darling Harbour has been transformed into an extensive leisure complex within walking distance of the CBD. Also accessible by monorail, the waterfront site includes a shopping center, a convention center, an aquarium, cinemas and museums.

Besides being the largest city in Australia, with a population of nearly 4 million, Sydney is also the capital of the nation’s wealthiest state, New South Wales. NSW accounts for a third of Australia’s GDP, and boasts an economy larger than those of Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia or New Zealand.

For most of its history, Sydney has appeared to be perilously situated on the edge of the world. In the early years of the penal colony, survival was dependent on essential supplies imported by ship from England. Even in the jet age, long flights through multiple time zones have maintained the sense of remoteness: the tyranny of distance.

But Sydneysiders know better. The Land Down Under is at the strategic heart of things — with a significant natural advantage.

Every morning, the commuters arrive at Circular Quay in droves. The offices of the CBD buzz with industry, deals are done and money is made. While the rest of the world is still asleep.

LODGING

BLUE

Try keeping a straight face when the cab driver asks for your destination and you answer with a poignant three-word poem: “Blue in Woolloomooloo.” But you certainly won’t be blue when you step into the lobby. With flair and humor, the India-based Taj hotel group has transformed an old wharfside shed into one of the city’s top hotels. The 100 guestrooms are comfortable enough, but for something special opt for one of the 36 bi-level loft rooms. Sydney Opera House and the CBD are just a short walk away through the Royal Botanic Gardens. $$$$
BLUE
The Wharf at Woolloomooloo
6 Cowper Wharf Road
tel 61 2 9331 9000
http://www.tajhotels.com/sydney

FOUR SEASONS SYDNEY

Situated in the Rocks, this hotel started life as The Regent, and was Sydney’s first 5-star hotel. It was rebranded the Four Seasons in 2002, and provides the customary high standard of service and attention to detail. The big selling point, however, is the view. Not all of the rooms are equal in this regard. To take in the entire picture-postcard panorama, request a room with a full harbor view. They are more expensive, but worth every dollar.$$$$
FOUR SEASONS SYDNEY
199 George St.
tel 61 2 9238 0000
http://www.fourseasons.com/sydney

THE GRACE HOTEL
“Location Sensation” is how the hotel’s marketing literature describes it. Situated in the CBD, this 11-floor Neo-Gothic hotel, which was architecturally inspired by Chicago’s Tribune Building, began life in 1930 as the Grace Brothers department store. Ironically, its incarnation as a retail outlet was inhibited by its location off the main s hopping drags, and in 1997 it was converted into the current hotel, with meticulously restored art deco interiors. Centrally placed on King, Clarence and York streets, the hotel is a short walk from the Opera House, Darlinghurst and Darling Harbour. And the entire CBD is right on your doorstep.$$$
THE GRACE HOTEL
77 York St.
tel 61 2 9272 6888
http://www.gracehotel.com.au

DINING

THE QUAY

The Quay, which from its waterside location offers a superb view of the Opera House, is widely recognized as one of the finest restaurants in Australia. Under Chef Peter Gilmore, the restaurant’s reputation continues to grow. The daytime menu includes “Sydney’s Most Magnificent Lunch.” This is no idle boast. For $75 you will enjoy a three-course extravaganza with sophisticated international dishes such as mud crab congee, Chinese split rice porridge and eight-hour slow-braised Flinders Island lamb. Reservations are essential. $$$$
THE QUAY
Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Rocks
tel 61 2 9251 5600
http://www.quay.com.au

SUMMIT RESTAURANT
I tend to have a hate-hate relationship with revolving restaurants. The constantly shifting view can make me giddy, and the quality of food is rarely anything to write home about. The Summit, 47 floors up, is an exception. Here the cuisine is more than equal to the stunning 360-degree panorama of the harbor and city. (It takes a leisurely 105 minutes to complete a circuit.) Under the guidance of celebrity chef Michael Moore, the menu puts an emphasis on fresh Australian ingredients, especially seafood, brought together in a blend of European and Asian styles.$$$$
SUMMIT RESTAURANT
Level 47, Australia Square
264 George St.
tel 61 2 9247 9777
http://www.summitrestaurant.com.au

HARY’S CAFÉ DE WHELS
Harry’s has been a Sydney institution ever since the late Harry “Tiger” Edwards set up his pie cart beside the naval base at Woolloomooloo in 1938. (It closed for a few years while he fought in World War II, then reopened on his return in 1945.) One of the original carts is now on display in the Sydney Powerhouse Museum. The signature dish is the pie floater — a meat pie drowned in green pea soup. After decades of disputes with the city council, Harry’s is now listed on the NSW National Trust Register.$
HARY’S CAFÉ DE WHELS
There is also a Harry’s pie cart in Haymarket.
Woolloomooloo
http://www.harryscafedewheels.com.au

DIVERSIONS

Put your jet lag to good use. For the first few days you’ll probably be up well before dawn, so why not experience the sunrise from the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge? Bridge Climb Sydney(http://www.bridgeclimb.com) offers dawn walks on the first Saturday of each month, from $258. There is a range of other available climbs, both day and night, including the Discovery Climb, which takes you up the maintenance walkways. A more sedate eagle’s-eye view can be gained from the observation deck of Sydney Tower (http://www.sydneytower.com.au), 750 feet up; admission costs $21. For an entirely different view of the city, try a guided kayak tour (http://www.sydneyharbourkayaks.com.au). On the $86, four-hour Middle Harbour Eco Tour, you’ll paddle from urban Sydney into the wilds of Garigal National Park. Several operators offer touristy harbor cruises, which typically last 60 to 90 minutes and cost from $26. Alternatively, for $14 you can buy a day-tripper ticket on Sydney Ferries (http://www.sydneyferries.info), which will enable you to spend the day exploring some of the 39 destinations dotted around the harbor shore. There are plenty of attractions clustered around Darling Harbour(http://www.darlingharbour.com.au), including the Australian National Maritime Museum (http://www.anmm.gov.au); the Powerhouse Museum (http://www.powerhousemuseum.com), which houses an eclectic collection relating to science and design; and Sydney Aquarium (http://www.sydneyaquarium.com.au). The city’s celebrated Taronga Zoo (http://www.zootopia.com.au) is located on the north side of the harbor, a 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay. Many of Sydney’s most popular attractions are covered by the Sydney SmartVisit Card (http://www.seesydneycard.com); a three-day card providing entry to 40 attractions and unlimited public transport costs $190 for adults and $104 for children. For shopping, the historic Queen Victoria Building (http://www.qvb.com.au), in the CBD, houses nearly 200 stores. The Rocks Market(http://www.therocksmarket.com.au) takes place every weekend, and beginning this year, includes stalls selling local produce as well as those offering art, design and fashion.

JUST THE FACTS

Time Zone: GMT +10
Phone Code: 61 Australia, 2 Sydney
Currency: Australian dollar
Entry/Exit Requirements: U.S. citizens require a passport valid for three months beyond their intended stay. Tourists require a visa or electronic travel authority, issued by the airline or travel agent. Business travelers must have a business electronic travel authority, which costs $60 and is valid for the life of your passport — it is available through airlines or travel agencies. For more information, visit http://www.austemb.org .
Official Language: English
Key Industries: Finance, retail, IT, advanced manufacturing, medicine, biotechnology