I flew to Melbourne, Australia for an EditMate meeting and acted like fancy, high flying exec with curry and cocktail lunches at Chin Chin and dress shopping on Chapel Street... but I also slept on an inflatable mattress in Scott's sisters living room because, you know, reality.
The city hasn't changed much since my days of running amuck there as a 22 year old living at Flinders Station Hostel. It was wild to meander through the same alleyways I used to, remembering how I once skipped dinner for 3 weeks to save up money to buy a coat I kept eyeing on my morning walk to Spring Street Cafe, where I was making sandwiches and not putting my bachelors degree to good use.
Hosier Lane
Views of the Yarra River.
Federation Square
7 years later, I still wear that coat but I found that Spring Street Cafe no longer exists. The laneways however remain brightly spray painted and all the tiny, artsy coffee shops still lured me in and left me hyper-caffeinated.
The shopping is still worth skipping a few meals to save up for too.
If you ever find yourself in Melbourne, may I recommend checking out:
A25: I literally ate an entire pizza here. Go do the same.
CUE: Shop here if you need to buy an outfit that says "I am a creative business owner" when all of your other clothes say "I have been living out of a backpack for the last year and a half". An incredibly chic sales woman really won me over her by being wildly helpful and lovely, but I later cursed her name (Jan) when I saw my credit card bill.
Ponyfish Island: Outdoor bar in the middle of the Yarra River. Great sangria. Beautiful view.
Urban Yoga: For yoga AND a vegetarian dinner for $14. I don't know what those Hare Krishna's are chanting about but they sure know how to cook.
Good 2 Go: Take away coffee place on the famous Hosier Lane that trains and employs homeless and disadvantaged youth to get them in the job market. Also has killer cappuccinos.
Lord of the Fries: The name alone is reason enough to visit but they do have outstanding "hot chips" (french fries) as well.
Australian Center for the Moving Image: Incredible exhibitions. I saw a really interesting one called "All Current Art is Fake" featuring Cate Blanchett... and how awesome does the current Scorsese one look?