I'm pretty sure I did everything today....or so it felt. The girls went on a wine tour today and, since I had my fair share of wine related activities in Cape Town with Joe, I decided to pass and explore the city on my own.
I got an early start, just after 8 this morning, but not so bright. The morning's weather was pretty dire, with a light rain accompanied by a chilling wind. Not one to be deterred, I walked in the direction of the city center, having to forgo the free tram service, which doesn't start until 10:00. My main goal was to explore some of the city's "laneways", the narrow alleys that branch off the main streets that have become hubs of activity. Neat little bars, cafe's, restaurants, and clubs can all be found in various laneways. I was able to find a handful of the main laneways just off of Flinders Street (the main drag that the free tram runs along), including Center Place, a tight, compact laneway with some bars, coffee shops, and even a barber shop squeezed into it. A giant wall covered by graffiti (more on this in a bit makes it stand out). All I can really say is that Melbourne feels much different from Sydney, and has a distinct European air to it. Oddly enough, as I was strolling through one laneway, I was thinking how much it reminded me of Milan, Italy. Just then, I couldn't make this up, I passed a cafe called the Cafe Duomo, which sported a poster of Milan's massive Duomo cathedral outside. Magic.
Anyway, I bopped about in the city center for a while and the weather began to clear. I eventually made it to the east of the city center, where I passed by Victoria's (the state Melbourne is located in) parliament, and a large Catholic cathedral, St. Patrick's which had a nice gardens outside. From there I moved north a ways, to Melbourne's Exhibition building, supposedly the Victorian architectural icon of the city. It is located in a large green space known as the Carlton gardens. Collectively the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I didn't hang around there to long, but grabbed a sit on a bench outside the Melbourne Museum (just behind the Exhibition building) for a quick rest and some crackers for lunch.
From there I moved back in the direction that I just came from, but using a different route. I walked along Gertrude Street. I hadn't really planned it out that way, but I am glad it happened. As I would later read in the guide book, Gertrude is the bohemian/fashion center of Melbourne. The street, which is pretty long, is lined with all kinds of eccentric boutiques, cafes and restaurants. All the buildings are low-lying, I don't think any were above three or four floors, which gives it a much different vibe from the city center, which is clustered with skyscrapers. All I can say for Gertrude (as well as the intersecting Smith Street, which I checked out as well) is that they bleed character, and were exactly the types of things I look for when in a new city.
I headed back to the hotel from there for a brief breather. The weather was starting to get really nice, so I didn't want to spend long in the room. As I caught my breath, I peeked some more in the guide and read about Melbourne's distinction as the "graffiti-art capital of the world", and some of the best laneways to check out for it. I had probably passed by them early without knowing it, but I was fine with going back to the city center. First I walked along the promenade that runs along the Yarra River (geography lesson: the Yarra River splits the city in two, with the city center in the north, and other districts in the south. Our hotel is in the south, and the promenade runs just outside the building). I took the promenade all the way down to the Melbourne Arts Center, where the hotel concierge told me I could find a great example of some street art nearby. Unfortunately I couldn't find it, but I at least got a look at a different part of the city.
I crossed the river once again and walked through Hosier and Union Lanes, both completely covered in graffiti. Unfortunately, one of my other points to check out, Caledonian Lane, has recently been demolished as part of the construction of a major shopping complex. Bollocks. The concierge told me there was a really sweet bar on the end of that lane as well, one worth checking out. Double bollocks. To compensate, I found a unique bar in a laneway in Chinatown called Section 8. Section 8 is basically an outdoor bar where crates act as the seating and the bar is fashioned out of an old shipping container.
For dinner the concierge recommended a place in Chinatown called the Supper Inn, apparently very popular with the locals. It didn't open for business until 5:30 though, so I strolled around a bit more to kill time, and sat down on a bench in the pedestrian mall along Bourke Street, another one of the city's more popular streets. There I also listened to a Japanese street musician play the didgeridoo. The guy dropped some really dope beats....I could have listened all evening. I eventually got to the Supper Inn just as it was opening. While the the food was really good, it was pricey, contrary to what the concierge had said (I asked for a Chinese joint that wouldn't put me into debtor's prison). It must be as popular as the guides say, because it did began to fill up pretty quick while I ate my meal. Price aside, I figure it was worth the experience of trying a local favorite, and it was one I never would have found on my own (its basically tucked in at the end of a very non-descript alley in Chinatown).
I took the tram back to the room but decided I had a bit left in me. It was turning into a pleasant evening, so I decided to give the promenade another stroll and see what Melbourner's do in the evening hours. Couples, groups of friends, tourists, dog walkers, you name it, everyone was out on the promenade, either heading to one of the many restaurants in the area or just enjoying the fine evening, like I was. Some street performers and musicians took up places on the promenade as well. I listened to my iPod, watched the crowds, and watched the setting sun reflect of the city skyline on the other side of the water. After deciding enough was enough, I turned back, and as I neared the hotel, the sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon, and it became night-time in the city of Melbourne.
That was quite a bit I know, take a look at some photos though, and come back to see what happens tomorrow.
Photos: Center Place "laneway"; part of Gertrude Street; graffiti in Hosier Lane; Supper Inn, where I ate this evening; Japanese street musician rocking out on Bourke Street; dusk falls on Melbourne.
I got an early start, just after 8 this morning, but not so bright. The morning's weather was pretty dire, with a light rain accompanied by a chilling wind. Not one to be deterred, I walked in the direction of the city center, having to forgo the free tram service, which doesn't start until 10:00. My main goal was to explore some of the city's "laneways", the narrow alleys that branch off the main streets that have become hubs of activity. Neat little bars, cafe's, restaurants, and clubs can all be found in various laneways. I was able to find a handful of the main laneways just off of Flinders Street (the main drag that the free tram runs along), including Center Place, a tight, compact laneway with some bars, coffee shops, and even a barber shop squeezed into it. A giant wall covered by graffiti (more on this in a bit makes it stand out). All I can really say is that Melbourne feels much different from Sydney, and has a distinct European air to it. Oddly enough, as I was strolling through one laneway, I was thinking how much it reminded me of Milan, Italy. Just then, I couldn't make this up, I passed a cafe called the Cafe Duomo, which sported a poster of Milan's massive Duomo cathedral outside. Magic.
Anyway, I bopped about in the city center for a while and the weather began to clear. I eventually made it to the east of the city center, where I passed by Victoria's (the state Melbourne is located in) parliament, and a large Catholic cathedral, St. Patrick's which had a nice gardens outside. From there I moved north a ways, to Melbourne's Exhibition building, supposedly the Victorian architectural icon of the city. It is located in a large green space known as the Carlton gardens. Collectively the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I didn't hang around there to long, but grabbed a sit on a bench outside the Melbourne Museum (just behind the Exhibition building) for a quick rest and some crackers for lunch.
From there I moved back in the direction that I just came from, but using a different route. I walked along Gertrude Street. I hadn't really planned it out that way, but I am glad it happened. As I would later read in the guide book, Gertrude is the bohemian/fashion center of Melbourne. The street, which is pretty long, is lined with all kinds of eccentric boutiques, cafes and restaurants. All the buildings are low-lying, I don't think any were above three or four floors, which gives it a much different vibe from the city center, which is clustered with skyscrapers. All I can say for Gertrude (as well as the intersecting Smith Street, which I checked out as well) is that they bleed character, and were exactly the types of things I look for when in a new city.
I headed back to the hotel from there for a brief breather. The weather was starting to get really nice, so I didn't want to spend long in the room. As I caught my breath, I peeked some more in the guide and read about Melbourne's distinction as the "graffiti-art capital of the world", and some of the best laneways to check out for it. I had probably passed by them early without knowing it, but I was fine with going back to the city center. First I walked along the promenade that runs along the Yarra River (geography lesson: the Yarra River splits the city in two, with the city center in the north, and other districts in the south. Our hotel is in the south, and the promenade runs just outside the building). I took the promenade all the way down to the Melbourne Arts Center, where the hotel concierge told me I could find a great example of some street art nearby. Unfortunately I couldn't find it, but I at least got a look at a different part of the city.
I crossed the river once again and walked through Hosier and Union Lanes, both completely covered in graffiti. Unfortunately, one of my other points to check out, Caledonian Lane, has recently been demolished as part of the construction of a major shopping complex. Bollocks. The concierge told me there was a really sweet bar on the end of that lane as well, one worth checking out. Double bollocks. To compensate, I found a unique bar in a laneway in Chinatown called Section 8. Section 8 is basically an outdoor bar where crates act as the seating and the bar is fashioned out of an old shipping container.
For dinner the concierge recommended a place in Chinatown called the Supper Inn, apparently very popular with the locals. It didn't open for business until 5:30 though, so I strolled around a bit more to kill time, and sat down on a bench in the pedestrian mall along Bourke Street, another one of the city's more popular streets. There I also listened to a Japanese street musician play the didgeridoo. The guy dropped some really dope beats....I could have listened all evening. I eventually got to the Supper Inn just as it was opening. While the the food was really good, it was pricey, contrary to what the concierge had said (I asked for a Chinese joint that wouldn't put me into debtor's prison). It must be as popular as the guides say, because it did began to fill up pretty quick while I ate my meal. Price aside, I figure it was worth the experience of trying a local favorite, and it was one I never would have found on my own (its basically tucked in at the end of a very non-descript alley in Chinatown).
I took the tram back to the room but decided I had a bit left in me. It was turning into a pleasant evening, so I decided to give the promenade another stroll and see what Melbourner's do in the evening hours. Couples, groups of friends, tourists, dog walkers, you name it, everyone was out on the promenade, either heading to one of the many restaurants in the area or just enjoying the fine evening, like I was. Some street performers and musicians took up places on the promenade as well. I listened to my iPod, watched the crowds, and watched the setting sun reflect of the city skyline on the other side of the water. After deciding enough was enough, I turned back, and as I neared the hotel, the sun was just about to disappear behind the horizon, and it became night-time in the city of Melbourne.
That was quite a bit I know, take a look at some photos though, and come back to see what happens tomorrow.
Photos: Center Place "laneway"; part of Gertrude Street; graffiti in Hosier Lane; Supper Inn, where I ate this evening; Japanese street musician rocking out on Bourke Street; dusk falls on Melbourne.
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