Melbourne Mayhem -1-13-12

Federation Square spasm building.

The same reluctant feeling of finally gaining a comfortable bearing on a city you have come to love is always trumped by the excitement of finding something new when traveling.  That's what makes traveling so much more intoxicating than simply...staying put.

Neighboring Cathedral next to Fed Square

Portion of Fed Square

Brisbane was a hell of a city, and at first when we got in to Melbourne, we all seemed to long for our good old Woolloongabba home.  There is a stark contrast in feel, architecture and scenery in Melbourne as compared to Brisbane that we are all growing to love and appreciate.  There is a strangely interesting juxtaposition of historical buildings maintained to keep their original appearance - of utmost importance and relevance to my thesis - butted right up with some of the most visually interesting, eclectic, and, at times, spastic architecture.  Really interesting to experience this in a grid patterned, tram based, and aquatically centric city in contrast to the meandering intertwined and vastly complex system of roads, walkways, and bus ways that Sydney and Brisbane were both centered around.  If I could imagine, it gives Melbourne a NYC type of big city feel while maintaining the notoriously bucolic aspects that all cities of Australia tend to hold on to in their parks, river walks, etc.  The main city center is Federation Square where an extremely funky architectural piece with sharp lines and spastic symmetry adjacent to the historically maintained Melbourne Train Station illustrate the standard theme throughout the city.  The mix of styles and eras works well throughout the city.

After a short stop in Federation square to pick up our Australian Open tickets and join the loiterers for some first class people watching, we were off to another botanical garden and more ridiculously old and equally enormous trees.  Walked the park, climbed some of the more inviting ones, and headed off back into town for a celebratory first meal.  

We wandered for about an hour to find a place until, by chance, we stumbled upon a certain Warehouse Street which is more of an alley than anything, but it turns out to be a very popular and well known restaurant and pub way for the indulger and imbiber in all of us.  Had an incredible meal, some half price cocktails – another round of martinis was certainly in order – met a waitress from Ireland that happened to be at Full Moon the same time I was, got some of the lay of the land from her, heeded the advice, and stumbled home with empty pockets, full bellies and dizzy heads.  

Early start the next morning and a pricey first meal meant a relatively early night back in the RMIT Village.  12 Apostles early tomorrow morning.  Melbourne is looking up. 

Cheers.