And so ends another day in sunny Brisbane (it sprinkled just a touch today....but the weather was again close to perfection), here's how it went down:
I started off the day by grabbing a train to the other side of the river, getting off at the South Brisbane station (just across from where the state library and gallery of modern art are, if you remember from yesterday's proceedings). From there I headed into West End, an urban village (all these districts of Brisbane are officially called urban villages) adjacent to South Bank.
West head is tiny in area, but lots of character is squeezed into that space. West End is Brisbane's bohemian district, filled with quirky cafes and bars, ethnic restaurants, and some eccentric book stores. Much of the action takes place along Boundary Street, while much of the streets that extend off of Boundary are primarily residential. If you can't quite decide on something to eat, just peruse the offerings on Boundary, you will find something to your liking: Greek, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, along with other bars and cafes offering all kinds of different styles. Apparently over a third of the areas population was born overseas, so its no surprise that you can hear a babel of languages on the streets.
From the looks of things, there are a number of neat little places to grab a breakfast in West End, including the interestingly named Gun Shop Cafe. I had already had a a cheap breakfast in the room fashioned out of yesterday's grocery shopping, so I couldn't justify paying through the nose for a full breakfast, but I did pick up a delicious coffee roll (roll with raisins baked in and with a strawberry frosting) from two Vietnamese ladies running their bakery out of basically a garage. I also came across the funky Bent Books bookstore, fashioned out of multi-colored corrugated metal (like something you might find in Caminito, in Buenos Aires), selling all kinds of used books. You could also step out into the buildings tiny courtyard, and into a side room with yet more books.
Having gotten a decent feel of West End, I set off on foot for another set of urban villages, Milton and Paddington. Both are on the other side of the river, farther down from the CBD. Milton is home to two of the city's larger landmarks, its rugby/football stadium and the XXXX Beer (the locally produced brew, I see signs for it all over the place) brewery. I wasn't all that interested in these, and just strolled by. Milton wasn't really quite up to expectations. There is one nice street, Park Road, that is lined with restaurants and cafes. The menu prices indicated a wealthier clientele, however, and so did some of the cars parked along the curb. Otherwise, the area did not offer much, and had the air of a very large business park.
If you walk north from Milton you will eventually (in 10-15 minutes maybe) reach Paddington. Paddington is a much nicer (its leafier, trees line the streets), quieter (a main arterial cut through Milton) village. Set in a hilly area, Paddington is mainly residential, and from the looks of things, probably for high rollers. I didn't get too close a look at many of the homes, but even from distance you could tell the homes were nice cottages. The stuck to the main street in the village, called Given Terrace. Given Terrace is primarily outfitted with fashion boutiques, but also boasts a handful of restaurants and cafes. Mid-afternoon on a weekday, things were pretty quiet, I imagine it being much busier on a weekend. With the nice weather though, it would make for a nice stroll anytime.
I caught the train back for a little R & R in the room, and around dinnertime I ended out once more. I caught off the train at Central Station, joining the Brisbane rush-hour, with crowds pouring in and out of the station at that time. I ended up hanging out for a while on Queen Street, enjoying the weather (I have to while I can...Whitesboro awaits) and indulging in a favorite past-time of The Four Corners, people-watching. Soon I left my position on one of the many benches along the street and headed again for the West End.
I had read that West End, like Fortitude Valley, is another good spot for live music. With all the possibilities for dinner as well, I figured I would make an evening of it. I first had some Vietnamese, which was delightful and cheap (miracles do occur I guess), though the name "Happy Morning" seemed an odd choice for the place. Anyway, I ended up hanging around Boundary Street for the rest of the evening, catching a handful of live musical acts. I first listened to a female jazz singer belting out tunes in a little cafe. She had a very nice voice, I didn't recognize the song, so not sure if it was of her own writing. A burger joint (not like Five Guys or anything, it was a more classy establishment), was hosting live acts as well. There I listened to this solo act (a guy) playing his acoustic. He had a decent enough voice, but his lyrics were beyond depressing. Lacking a gun to shoot myself with, I left him after a short while. After-wards I crossed the street to a bar where there was another solo act going on, also a guy on a guitar. He was VERY good, both in his lyrics (which I'm pretty sure were his own), as his musical accompaniment. Walking back, I did catch the tail-end of another solo guitarist in the burger place, doing a cover of a song I vaguely recognized. If you want to include the drunk old man playing a harmonica and stumbling along the street waving a cane amongst the live acts I saw, I guess you can, but I didn't hang around very long to get a good feel for his musical talents.
Tired and sore (walking all day will do that do you), I drew the evening to a close, and now here I am, about to get ready for what will probably be a very satisfying sleep. One more full day in Brissy, see you back here tomorrow.
Photos: The quirky Bent Books on West End's Boundary Street; eccentricities on display outside a Korean restaurant in West End; a replica of the Eiffel Tower along Park Road, in Milton; Paddington's boutique-laden Given Terrance; Boundary Street in West End livens up during the evening hours.
I started off the day by grabbing a train to the other side of the river, getting off at the South Brisbane station (just across from where the state library and gallery of modern art are, if you remember from yesterday's proceedings). From there I headed into West End, an urban village (all these districts of Brisbane are officially called urban villages) adjacent to South Bank.
West head is tiny in area, but lots of character is squeezed into that space. West End is Brisbane's bohemian district, filled with quirky cafes and bars, ethnic restaurants, and some eccentric book stores. Much of the action takes place along Boundary Street, while much of the streets that extend off of Boundary are primarily residential. If you can't quite decide on something to eat, just peruse the offerings on Boundary, you will find something to your liking: Greek, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, along with other bars and cafes offering all kinds of different styles. Apparently over a third of the areas population was born overseas, so its no surprise that you can hear a babel of languages on the streets.
From the looks of things, there are a number of neat little places to grab a breakfast in West End, including the interestingly named Gun Shop Cafe. I had already had a a cheap breakfast in the room fashioned out of yesterday's grocery shopping, so I couldn't justify paying through the nose for a full breakfast, but I did pick up a delicious coffee roll (roll with raisins baked in and with a strawberry frosting) from two Vietnamese ladies running their bakery out of basically a garage. I also came across the funky Bent Books bookstore, fashioned out of multi-colored corrugated metal (like something you might find in Caminito, in Buenos Aires), selling all kinds of used books. You could also step out into the buildings tiny courtyard, and into a side room with yet more books.
Having gotten a decent feel of West End, I set off on foot for another set of urban villages, Milton and Paddington. Both are on the other side of the river, farther down from the CBD. Milton is home to two of the city's larger landmarks, its rugby/football stadium and the XXXX Beer (the locally produced brew, I see signs for it all over the place) brewery. I wasn't all that interested in these, and just strolled by. Milton wasn't really quite up to expectations. There is one nice street, Park Road, that is lined with restaurants and cafes. The menu prices indicated a wealthier clientele, however, and so did some of the cars parked along the curb. Otherwise, the area did not offer much, and had the air of a very large business park.
If you walk north from Milton you will eventually (in 10-15 minutes maybe) reach Paddington. Paddington is a much nicer (its leafier, trees line the streets), quieter (a main arterial cut through Milton) village. Set in a hilly area, Paddington is mainly residential, and from the looks of things, probably for high rollers. I didn't get too close a look at many of the homes, but even from distance you could tell the homes were nice cottages. The stuck to the main street in the village, called Given Terrace. Given Terrace is primarily outfitted with fashion boutiques, but also boasts a handful of restaurants and cafes. Mid-afternoon on a weekday, things were pretty quiet, I imagine it being much busier on a weekend. With the nice weather though, it would make for a nice stroll anytime.
I caught the train back for a little R & R in the room, and around dinnertime I ended out once more. I caught off the train at Central Station, joining the Brisbane rush-hour, with crowds pouring in and out of the station at that time. I ended up hanging out for a while on Queen Street, enjoying the weather (I have to while I can...Whitesboro awaits) and indulging in a favorite past-time of The Four Corners, people-watching. Soon I left my position on one of the many benches along the street and headed again for the West End.
I had read that West End, like Fortitude Valley, is another good spot for live music. With all the possibilities for dinner as well, I figured I would make an evening of it. I first had some Vietnamese, which was delightful and cheap (miracles do occur I guess), though the name "Happy Morning" seemed an odd choice for the place. Anyway, I ended up hanging around Boundary Street for the rest of the evening, catching a handful of live musical acts. I first listened to a female jazz singer belting out tunes in a little cafe. She had a very nice voice, I didn't recognize the song, so not sure if it was of her own writing. A burger joint (not like Five Guys or anything, it was a more classy establishment), was hosting live acts as well. There I listened to this solo act (a guy) playing his acoustic. He had a decent enough voice, but his lyrics were beyond depressing. Lacking a gun to shoot myself with, I left him after a short while. After-wards I crossed the street to a bar where there was another solo act going on, also a guy on a guitar. He was VERY good, both in his lyrics (which I'm pretty sure were his own), as his musical accompaniment. Walking back, I did catch the tail-end of another solo guitarist in the burger place, doing a cover of a song I vaguely recognized. If you want to include the drunk old man playing a harmonica and stumbling along the street waving a cane amongst the live acts I saw, I guess you can, but I didn't hang around very long to get a good feel for his musical talents.
Tired and sore (walking all day will do that do you), I drew the evening to a close, and now here I am, about to get ready for what will probably be a very satisfying sleep. One more full day in Brissy, see you back here tomorrow.
Photos: The quirky Bent Books on West End's Boundary Street; eccentricities on display outside a Korean restaurant in West End; a replica of the Eiffel Tower along Park Road, in Milton; Paddington's boutique-laden Given Terrance; Boundary Street in West End livens up during the evening hours.
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