33 Hours in Melbourne

I was in Melbourne last weekend to attend the wedding of our friends Melissa and Neil. It was a jammed pack weekend in one of my favorite cities (to those I did not get a chance to see, we will be back soon). I have always loved visiting Melbourne and when we decided to move to Australia we seriously considered Melbourne even though most of our friends and family were in Sydney. There is a certain energy and creativity in Melbourne, a grittiness which appeals to me and reminds me of New York or even parts of San Francisco (Sydney is so pristine).

We arrived in Melbourne early, around 10am. It is a quick and easy one hour flight. We stayed at The Prince hotel in St Kilda, which was where the wedding was held. St. Kilda, a popular beachside area about five minutes outside the Central Business District and easily accessible by tram, is a quaint yet vibrant neighborhood. Streets are lined with cafes, restaurants and some strange mixes in between.  Sidewalks (or footpaths, as they are referred here) are bustling as the cafes take over the public space. We could have been in parts of Miami or LA.

Kate and I strolled around, had a great brunch and relaxed over good coffee. We were tempted by the array of amazing Italian pastry shops (called Cake Shops here) that lined Acland Street but controlled our will power, and just window shopped. We walked down to Luna Park, a beachside small scale amusement park (could have been at Coney Island) and then to the beach. 

The beach itself, really a bay, has nothing on the Sydney beaches (Melbourne wins in other areas). That said, the promenade and pier is a perfect after brunch walk, culminating in the St Kilda Pavilion, a heritage kiosk that was reconstructed in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire, and the Break Water, which is home to two protected species, Little Penguins and the Rakali (a water rat). I will get back to the penguins a bit later.

Friends began arriving for the wedding and it was imperative to grab an afternoon drink and snack before getting ready for the wedding. Afternoon drinks were followed by a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception at Circa restaurant, with a fantastic selection of wines, which equals danger.  It was a good time.

Day 2 began and let’s just say that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, not in my best form. But I knew there were people to see, places to go and work to do. We dragged ourselves out of the hotel and headed to Richmond for brunch. One of our favorite Melbourne restaurants, Pearl (highly recommend, specifically the duck curry, which might just be the best thing I have ever eaten in my life), opened a café down the street which is open during the day and made me very happy. The coffee and delicious breakfast was a perfect solution…

We walked around Richmond, a great area for shopping, and jumped on a tram into the city. Trams are the most convenient way of getting around Melbourne and they really add character to the city streets. The tram network in Melbourne is supposedly the largest in the world. They share the roads with the cars, which I would have a really hard time with. I can barely cross the street correctly. Scary!

We meandered around the streets and laneways that make up Melbourne’s city center. This is my favorite part of Melbourne. Exploring the city's hive of laneways, bustling with activity and creativity, you find the best of Melbourne. Everything is hidden; as you wander down alleys covered in graffiti and other random interventions, you’ll stumble across small bars, hole-in-the-wall cafes, high end restaurants, galleries and boutique stores. It’s all there and a very unique urban condition. At some point, I will do a post dedicated to laneways as there is so much to share.

I had to interrupt my holiday with a bit of work but was able to finish off the afternoon with a lazy lunch of tapas and wine, sitting by the Yarra River at Southbank, enjoying live music and some sun.  

Before we headed back to the airport, we ran back out to the St Kilda Pier as we were told that at dusk the Penguin colony sometimes come ashore in the rock alcoves. Sure enough, even though it was a bit early, a couple began to appear (luckily no rats but there were black swans, I think?). Small gray penguins, hiding in the rocks, are not something you see every day in an urban environment. They were seriously adorable.

It was a quick 33 hours and writing this makes me realize the majority of the time was spent eating and drinking. That’s work/life balance if you ask me. I guess I am slowly learning…

Most Liveable City

This week, the annual World’s Most Liveable City survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit came out.  For the fifth year in a row, Vancouver took the top spot. Four of Australia’s biggest cities are in the top ten. Actually, this year Melbourne (which I will post about shortly) claimed second place from Vienna. Sydney came in seventh.

The Economist Intelligence Unit survey ranks cities based on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety. Here is their top 10:

1. Vancouver, Canada

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Toronto, Canada

5. Calgary, Canada

6. Helsinki, Finland

7. Sydney, Australia

8. (equal) Perth, Australia

9. (equal) Adelaide, Australia

10. Auckland, New Zealand

New York held steady at 56th this year...

Work/Life Balance

So my blog posting has been slightly infrequent over the last two weeks. I have a personal goal to post three times a week and I am going to do my best to do that from here on out. Which brings me to the topic of the day: work/life balance.

Part of the draw of moving Down Under was the "quality of life" stereotype. I had enough with 80 hour work weeks and truthfully, as I get older, the work-hard/play-hard mentality starts to get a bit old. In Australia, it's more of a work-hard/live-hard mentality but it ain't as relaxing as I once expected or hoped. In fact, suddenly I am inundated with more work than ever (which is extremely exciting but also completely overwhelming).

Statistics show that Aussies actually work harder than anyone else. Say what?

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s “got some of the longest working hours among full-time employees in OECD countries.” The average working week in Australia among full time employees is 44 hours. And one in five Australians work more than 50 hours a week.

Even though the Aussie’s are working hard, they seem to make the most of their downtime – from a swim in the beach in the morning (which I have yet to do) to sitting outside for a drink after work (which I do regularly), the Aussies know how to relax. I seriously need to take some lessons.

Back to work…..

Mozzies

Photo by iStockphoto from the ABC

With summer comes the mozzie (aka mosquito). With all the rain (which has produced record floods), it is the perfect weather for mozzies to incubate. And, it just so happens, that I am a prime target. They love me and attack in multiples (so far my top number of mozzie bites at once is 12).

The award winning architects that designed our building forgot to include screens on our windows (and an air conditioner, while I am at it) so we have been exploring a host of options to protect ourselves from these blood-suckers. We need ventilation, especially in this heat, and because our bedroom is lined with louver windows (aesthetically perfect but functionally painful) we have no choice but to offer ourselves as bait. There has been discussion of constructing some sort of three dimensional screen system that magnetizes to the louver (too complicated) or putting a mosquito net over the bed (which I think is a little strange). After hearing the mozzies buzzing in my ear for the first time (which is absolutely disturbing) I started doing more in depth research.

Suggestions range from a daily supplement of vitamin B (which is not scientifically proven), spraying oneself with Aerogaurd insect repellent (which does seem to be helping), and a mozzie plug-in, called the Mortein Odourless Mozzie Zapper, that keeps them away with a certain scent (people swear by it).

Last night, after using the plug-in for about a week, I came to a realization. I should preface this realization by saying that all electrical outlets in Oz have an on/off switch (which is a smart thing). In addition and as mentioned in a previous post, the on/off switch is opposite from what I am used to. You flip the switch down to turn the light or outlet on. To make the long story short, I am still having troubles with this simple difference. I had been turning the mozzie plug-in off every night (when the mozzies were in full force) and on during the day (when it served no purpose). Not so smart and now I am suffering the consequences, but it's a helpful reminder of the little things that make a difference. One day I will learn…

A friend (Dave) told me about an architecture speculation, a house designed by Francois Roche, wrapped in layers of protective skin that traps a mosquito. It definitely has me thinking....

108 Degrees Fahrenheit

Typically around this time of year we are braving the cold. I can’t help but reminisce: the layers of clothing that accommodate both the freezing exterior and the heated (in some case over heated) interiors, the fogging up of my glasses when moving from inside (hot) to outside (cold), the numbness that overtakes my nose, ears, and hands. Such fond memories... 

So this past Saturday when Sydney was hit by an intense heat wave, the hottest night ever recorded in Sydney, breaking a 150 year record, all I could think about was how little I could wear, and still be appropriate. While it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) in New York it was 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) in Sydney, the hottest I have ever experienced. People in stores were literally fighting over fans and portable air conditioners as they sold out throughout the city. It was seriously painful (especially since most Sydneysiders do not generally have air conditioning- us included).

Yesterday, Sydney welcomed a cool change, temperatures dropping ten degrees in an hour, going down to the mid 60’s, almost 40 degrees cooler.  Now that I can handle. Too bad it’s supposed to heat up again next week. Oh dear…

Rose Seidler House

A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of visiting the Rose Seidler House, designed by the Austrian-Canadian-American-Australian architect, Harry Seidler. I guess you can say Seidler moved around a lot but in 1948, at the young age of 25, while Seidler was living in America, he was offered his first Australian commission by his parents, later named the Rose Seidler House. Realizing the opportunities and possibilities available to him Down Under, he packed up his things and set up shop in Sydney (Sounds familiar? Except for the part about being 25).

Seidler became one of the most influential ‘Australian’ architects, introducing Bauhaus modernist principals into the Australian architecture landscape. Having worked for architects such as Marcel Breuer and Oscar Niemeyer, he had proper training and an impressive CV.  He built an estimated 180 buildings, spanning from 1948 to the present (even though he passed away in 2008, his office is still in full operation, run by his wife Penelope).

I have always been a fan of Seidler but the visit to the Rose Seidler House was confirmation. The house, only a 10 minute drive from where Kate grew up is located in Wahroonga. Nestled in a forested landscape (known here as ‘the bush’) a pristine white box, sits atop a sandstone foundation (more on sandstone in a later post).

It is about bringing the outside inside and vice versa, which is further demonstrated by the expansive windows and external courtyard which cuts away at the white mass to expose a colourful mural (also designed by Seidler). There are six different entrances to the house, the most dramatic being a steep ramp (which I do not think would pass handicap codes, at least those in the US) that leads to the external terrace. There is a constant feeling that you are floating within the trees. An in-depth description can be found here.

Although Seidler passed away in 2008, his exuberant presence lives all around Sydney. From the houses in North Sydney to the controversial Blues Point Tower which, according to the Wikipedia description “has been scientifically proven to be the ugliest building in Sydney (and indeed the Southern Hemisphere).”  I actually love it. I also have the pleasure of seeing the Horizon Apartments every day; a strange, almost sci-fi-like 43-story tower located in Darlinghurst. Whether you love or hate his work, one cannot help but appreciate it. Seidler’s portfolio is truly inspiring and therefore a trip to the Rose Seidler House should be added to your hit list.

From left: Killara House, Blues Point Tower, Horizon Apartments

The Rose Seidler House is open on Sunday’s from 10am-5pm and well worth the 20 minute drive from the Sydney CBD. Click here for more info.