The playground at Chatswood Park has seen better days. Dilapidation is the word to describe it, and…read moreit appears Willoughby Council is set to forget about this playground (and maybe the park as well) - more development space maybe. Why not? We don't have enough appartments in Chatswood. Come on! Bring them in! Who needs parks, when you can make money from high rise appartments...? The gate to the playground is probably the best gate I've seen for any playground in Sydney. Should that playground go, I hope they save the gate. If you look closely there are even some faces on the bars of this Art Nouveau-esque gate. I think reading somewhere that this gate was made by a local artist. Way to go! However, after entering the playground you can't miss the many defects showing up. The line of mosaics on the ground are as bad and dilapidated now as the web browser of the same name (Mosaic that is - uuugh, geek joke). The latest addition to the playground is a newish water fountain indicating that the council hasn't completely given up on this playground (yet). However the remaining play gear is not in good condition. There are slides (one straight, one curved), swing(! only one left), a wooden boardwalk and a sandpit. There's a spinner that was in such bad state that it had to be wrapped in. The rubberised ground is breaking up also. The swings had their trailing 's' cut off to become a swing, meaning there used to be two. Must've been that playful, but ravaging possum figurine on top of it (see image). Damn you, playful, but ravaging possum figurines! Talking about ravages, the ravages of time also show up on a group of wooden blocks as well. I guess they were installed as way to play with balancing. Over time those wooden blocks must've developed holes in their centre, which the Council must have filled with concrete to avoid getting trapped (and sued). However further deterioration of the wood means these concrete fillers are now depressing further (unfortunately both, in terms of their vertical location and looks). On the upside, this playground offers lots of shade thanks to big trees around and the slides and sandpit are not broken down yet. Willoughy Council, do something about this playground!

Built in 2001, Chatswood is a medium sized skatepark located just near the main shopping district…read morein downtown Chatswood. The park consists of a 5ft half bowl with extension, a couple of 5-6 ft banks featuring boxes, rails and extensions & finally a 2ft quarter leads down to a small funbox and handrail. We have full review and photos at SkatinIt

The cinema that ruins every other cinema experience for ever more…read more Quite simply the finest, classiest, most demure, seductive, charming and good old-fashioned fun cinema experience in Sydney and quite possibly the universe. Every time you visit a soulless megaplex after your time at Hayden Orpheum it will be a singularly disappointing experience bereft of any aesthetics or cultural value because really, how can anything compare? The cinemas are stunning art deco, they sell old-school choc tops, there's a solid program of the latest blockbusters and art house / doco fare, and they have insanely fun cult classics like a monthly interactive showing of the word movie ever made, The Room. There are love seats in the main cinema, and a freaking organ that rises up out of the floor for matinee performances. I know right! What what all the way. Best.

Being an eastern suburbs dweller, I've only been to the Orpheum on a couple of occassions. Each…read moretime I've sworn to journey over there more often (it's not even that far FFS). The Orpheum has kept it's gorgeous original deco interiors and exteriors intact, and the last time I visited (John Cleese triple bill including the Life Of Brian on Easter Sunday- kudos Orpheum!), there was a vintage pianist playing the grand piano in the lobby. I would love to see a silent movie thing here and I would bet money that they do them, it's that kind of place. Check out retro cinema Sundays- awesome and affordable triple bills that people dress up for. Old school wholesome entertainment, I love it.