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…