End of an Era

  After every year since it's inception we are finally NOT heading to Sydney's 'Openair' Cinema at Mrs Macquarie's Chair!! The 2000 seat bleachers [complete with Sebel plastic chairs] and catering on the edge of the Botanical Gardens has been a staple through kids, all weather [we've only had the worst of it once in that time] and another one or two light showers nights... ponchos are handed out free and only high winds would stop a screening. Various reasons we're not going I guess... oh well!

   Much like the SCG members who turn up at 10.20am expecting their favourite seats to be available, my favourite viewing has always been those who rock up at 8.15pm with a date to impress and discover there are only single seats 150m apart because many people have lined up since 4-5pm to be let in after 6pm and grabbed a seat and a table and settled in to make a night of it!!

If you plan to go here's the way to do it:
- Open a St George account I guess, pre sale access 500 tix per film or main sale a week later
- Tix in advance but no reserved seats, first in gets the choice
- Personally we rule out films over 2 hrs [plastic seats]
- There is early parking at Mrs Mac's Chair but go around so facing west
- Go early and line up with your print at home tix [that's changed most over the years]
- One race to get two seat reserved St George signs and go up the first stairs to find good seats
- Another head straight for the Dining Tables and grab spots
- Grab your free Lindt ball on the way through
- Take your time before ordering, the eating/drinking
- Move to seats a bit before 8pm so you can still read a newspaper/magazine
- The screen mechanically goes up around 8.15pm
- Movie 8.30pm-ish
- Enjoy!!

   There are deck chairs for first 200 St G customers, special nights for them too. I preferred the original Phillips sponsors and no VIP seats [although there's always been a VIP bar and a bevy of celebrities]. Props to the famous who sit with the great unwashed... there's plenty of spottos each year!!