Melbourne story
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Living in the suburbs, and working at home, I find that sometimes I really need to force myself to get out. When I first moved to Melbourne, I found the suburban life agreeable, since I wasn't tempted to eat out all the time as in the city centre. There weren't as many choices, especially at night. Later on, I found that I was really missing out on exercise - which is the number one reason why I try to get out on my days off.
City life was easy and convenient, because you had the many transport options all in one place. In the suburbs, I have one tram line. There is another tram and a train station a few blocks from my place, but living in the outskirts of city means limited night life for me. Not that I was ever a party animal, but in Auckland and Paris everything was within walking distance, be it 11pm or 3am. Here, I am learning to keep to my tram times, or, very rarely, to just call a cab.
Some cities are better at night. Most big cities, even. Paris was beautiful when the Eiffel Tower was lit, like a beautiful beacon guiding me home. Seoul was definitely more beautiful at night, with its lit skyscrapers. In the suburbs, it's really quite dark and quiet. But Melbourne city is beautiful at night, too. I don't think I've truly appreciated its beauty until this weekend. Which reminds me once again that I should explore more.
I love playing tourist in my own cities, but I had kind of forgotten how, since my move to Melbourne, when I hadn't even seen everything. My friend M is doing a three month secondment in NYC at the moment. She tells me how she is working until 11pm every night, then going out every weekend, and enjoying her experience as fully as possible. I say, well done, and I need to take note. This weekend I visited Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Toorak, Hawthorn, and even the Alfred hospital, for the first time. Melbourne is so big!
It has been six months since I moved to Melbourne. I seem to be flying back and forth from Auckland every month, but I am enjoying it here. From now on, I will try harder to enjoy the city even more. That's what I cam here to do, to enjoy its Arts scene as much as possible. Oui, oui.
5 comments
We moved to Melbourne a couple of months ago and because of the suburban downsides you mentioned we chose to live pretty central (Prahran). It's great having everything at our fingertips but like you pointed out, we tend to eat out waaaay more than when we lived in the 'burbs of Perth. We also head out and explore a lot more now because there's always something happening. Sometimes it can get pretty exhausting but it's nice to have options readily available.
ReplyDeleteI know, you win some, you lose some, right? Melbourne is such an awesome place to eat out anyway! Where are your favourite vegetarian places in Prahan?
DeleteDefinitely! Coming from Perth, it's so nice to have good, affordable food at your doorstep. Not to mention the novelty of coffee under $4 (unheard of in Perth!). As for local eats, Organica's got a pretty good selection of fresh and healthy food. I've had some great breakfasts/brunches at: From on High, Dukes, and Two Dudes Kitchen. Lunch and dinner I tend to head further afield.
DeleteAwesome, thanks, Lily! Prahan is an area I need to explore in more depth. Especially now with a list to get me started ;)
DeleteNo worries! I look forward to seeing what discoveries you stumble upon. :)
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