Amongst the world's up-and-coming cities, Sydney is one of the biggest. What has made it one of the world's hippest? The Land Down Under's de facto capital has grown from "that city in the country where Crocodile Dundee was from" to just plain "Sydney" (the name uttered with a note of respect). Trendy travel web sites and jet-setting hipsters have elevated Sydney to the same level as other meccas of the English speaking world. Sydney is often heard in the same sentence as London, New York, or Vancouver.

Add a mix of hip eateries, raucous nightlife, and modern museums to Australia's trademark, relaxed lifestyle and you get one attractive place to visit.

Here are some reasons to visit that might not be on many travel brochures:

1. A lively modern art scene. Probably one of the best and most respected south of the equator.
2. Plenty of restaurants worth exploring. Even in some of the areas outside of the city center. There are plenty of neighborhood gems worth beating the asphalt for.
3. Best of all, people are just plain friendly. Despite the modern vibe, it would be hard to find the same "nose-in-the-air " attitude of other major metropolises.

Sydney is not a hidden gem in an of itself. But it contains innumerable ones. That's the coolest thing about it.