Who in the world doesn't like Melbourne? It's been rated as the #1 most livable city in the world, as my friend Erin tells me, and I can see why.
While Sydney reminded me a lot of a cross between San Francisco and LA, Melbourne reminds me of Chicago. I guess I should frame that with a disclaimer on my experiences in Chicago, of which I have two:
1. Around age 12, on my first ever cross-country flight by myself to see an old middle school friend. My dad managed to book me a flight with a 4 hour layover in O'Hare Airport, from 2-6AM. I found a Cinnabon in the terminal, ordered three of them, and ate until it was time to board my plane.
2. Around age 23, over a weekend for a bachelor party. Probably not the best state to judge a city.
But I'll stick by my unqualified assessment that Melbourne reminds me of a less windy, warmer Chicago. Something about the grace of the buildings, framed by the riverfront, and the beautiful public park areas. We'll go with that.
There are several things about the city that are awesome, and here's an incomplete list of some of my favorite things about Melbourne:
1. The People
You may remember Erin from my previous post on the Milford Track. I met her and her friend Amelia on the boat at the start of the track, and I walked with them for the whole way. Well Erin lives in Melbourne, and she was nice enough to take me in for a few nights when I arrived in the city. Erin was an amazing host, she took me to dinner in Melbourne's Chinatown, to Southbank to watch the nightly fire display, and on a walking tour through the entire CBD and beyond. She and her cousin Emma took me to see the Pierce Brothers, an incredible local music duo who were performing at a nearby social club. It's such a nice feeling to be half a world away from home, and yet to sleep and feel welcome in an actual apartment, not just a revolving door of people like a hostel.
2. The Architecture
I love being in a city for the buildings. There's always something to look up at, some sign to read, some historical significance to every block. Melbourne's architecture was amazing to me because its as if the city just skipped the 60s's entirely. You know, those ugly cement monstrosities every city in America has, that sprang up sometime in the middle of the last century? Melbourne has none. It's just gorgeous old buildings with amazing stonework, right next to gleaming steel and glass. I spent my last night in Melbourne walking around at dusk snapping pictures of all the pretty buildings I saw.
3. The Queen Victoria Market
Once I finally stopped being a couch-borne nuisance at Erin's place, I checked into a hostel right next to the Queen Victoria market. So cool. Hundreds of vendors selling cheap goods and fruit. I ate myself sick of kiwi fruit over a few days there, and it only cost me a few Aussie dollars.
4. Coffee Shops and Books
As my trip has worn on, I've developed a neat little habit of spending the day in a coffee shop with a good book and powering through it. You might argue that I could do that in San Francisco, or anywhere. Probably right. But I felt like doing it in Melbourne, and I feel great about that decision. I had a restful week in Melbourne, saving up what's left of my travel energy for my final stop.
Fiji. I left Melbourne early this morning, and as I write this I'm sweating in the Fijian humid heat outside of Nadi. Tomorrow morning I'm catching a boat out to a nearby island, and I'll be island hopping for the next 5 days until Sunday, when I catch a plane home. Internet is sparse in these parts, and I'm going to enjoy putting the iPad and phone away for a while.
So that makes this probably the last blog update before I get home and unleash a big retrospective post about what I've learned, and all that fun stuff. Thanks to everyone who's been reading along my adventures, I promise there are many more to come!
Cheers,
Jared
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