TRAVEL SPECIAL..................... Travel planner - Bird's eye view of Sydney

Travel planner - Bird's eye view of Sydney   Got vertigo? Hold the reins of that feeling of dizziness. Acrophobia? Shirk that irrational fear of heights. Glue a wing. Or, two. No, not to fly away. But to get a bird's eye view of Sydney. Imagine being an eagle and flapping wings over a 226-year-old city that packs 4.76 million people within its 4,775 sq m girth. From the top, the iconic Sydney Opera House could pass off as a ship's sails. Or, a nun's habit. If you could grow wings and watch the Harbour Bridge from the fluffy clouds, you'd know why Sydneysiders refer to the famous bridge as The Coathanger. Well, if you could be a bird, you'd flutter a vehement yes. Its bridge certainly looks like a gigantic coathanger. The clutter of skyscrapers that dare to scrape the sky. Victorian houses. Yachts at the marina. Gulls squawking incessantly. The expanse of the Tasman Sea and Hawkesbury River that change from a cobalt at dawn to burnished orange at dusk. The million neon lights that glimmer at night. Truth be told, at an eye-level, you cannot fathom its beauty. Truth be told, this former British penal colony is at its glorious best top-down. Truth be told, you are no eagle. You have no wings to fly for a bird's eye view. Do not sulk. Not yet. Get harnessed and walk up ladders and catwalks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the world's tallest steel arch bridge. Pick between a languorous Discovery Climb or a hurried Express Climb. You'd sweat. The knees might go wobbly. When you reach the top, look down 134 metres. The view from The Coathanger is so spectacular your heart migh jump out of the ribs. Hold it. If you baulk at the thought of climbing the bridge, hurry down 200 steps to the Pylon Point. Look out for a scenic view from 87 metres above sea level. It is the next best thing to do. Do not want to walk/ climb/fret/sweat? Drive to Rose Bay for a seaplane or helicopter ride by Sydney Sea Plane. Warning: Be prepared for `weighty' questions. Do not titter if they ask how much you weigh. The Cessna Caravan, the largest single-engine float plane currently manufactured, cannot bear obesity. You cannot fib. A weighing scale stares from a corner! The options include short/long scenic flights or fly & dine return flight to Jonah's, Sydney's oldest restaurant. In the mood for acrobatics? Climb into the front seat of an open-cockpit bi-plane and fly 2,000 ft above the city with Red Baron Adventures. From behind the goggles, gape at Sydney Harbour, the golden t sands of the Northern Beaches and the i World Heritage Blue Mountains. Buckle tight because the pilot might be in the mood for adrenaline-inducing roller-coaster acrobatic thrills. All this not high enough? Head to Sydney's highest point ­ The Sydney Tower which is 4 times as high as Opera House and twice that of Harbour Bridge. Ignore the staircase (1,504 steps!); get whooshed in an elevator to 268 metres above the street. Play it safe and peep out of the glass which can withstand wind speed of 172 kmph. Want that adrenaline rush? Take the Skywalk experience. You'll be walking on air (well, almost!) with only the glass-floor viewing platform between you and the city below. Stretch your view. You can see 80 km beyond Sydney.  Looking for a ritzy bird's eye view? Slip into your little black dress, wait for the clock to strike 5 pm, take a seat in Alti tude Restaurant perched on the 36th floor of Shangri-La Hotel. With its 5-metre-high floor-to-ceiling win dows, Altitude's two-tiered table zones offer every diner a spectacular view of the city. Not getting drunk on the view? Order a $10,000 martini that comes with a diamond ring for your beloved! Whoever thought of wearing knickers over onesies and turning Spiderman for a bird's eye view of Sydney was surely loopy. Options galore. Pick one and gape at Sydney; top-down. Preeti Verma Lal TL140615