Melbourne Part Two: Shopping, Show Seeing and Eating

Oh pretty Macaroons...

Getting lost was my speciality when shopping in Melbourne, so when I found this stunning little dress shop I had no idea where I was! I don't think I was meant to take photos, but how could I resist!!

 Melbourne Part One, including Accommodation and Sightseeing, was put up last week about my trip over the Easter Break. In today’s part two I shall take you through the shopping, show seeing and eating elements of the trip, and believe me, there were many!

Shopping

As much as I try, I’m not a girl of unlimited budget and nor do I have wily ways to avoid luggage weight restrictions, so my shopping allowances in Melbourne were somewhat smallish. That said I was really very happy with my Melbourne purchases and the places I visited to find them.

my purchases

Bridge Road

Bridge Road has long been etched into my psyche as one of the places to shop in Melbourne. My sister and I visited as the last stop at the end of a long first day of sightseeing and let me tell you, Bridge Road looks awfully long and unappealing when you’ve already walked a thousand miles in uncomfortable shoes. 

I think, after everything else we’d seen in Melbourne, I was expecting something a little bit more glamorous than Bridge Road turned out to be, but with the knowledge that this was the place for outlet bargain hunting we soon got into the shopping spirit. 

With money and weight restrictions in mind, I was only planning to buy really stand out special items, and while the shops were mostly lovely and sometimes bargain filled (occasionally snob filled, but you tend to get that everywhere), there wasn’t much that tempted me. I was planning to avoid shopping at chain stores that I could visit in Brisbane, but my hunt for the perfect leather jacket led me into a Just Jeans where I found a remarkably well fitting specimen of soft black naked leather which, on sale, had me pulling out my wallet. In the end, a well done shopping trip, though Bridge Road might not be high on my list of places to return to desperately. 

Laneways and Alleys

After a suggestion from my mother, I visited The Melbourne Visitor’s Centre and picked up a free pamphlet containing a self guided walking tour of Melbourne’s Laneways and Alleys, something which now I also would highly recommend visitors to Melbourne do themselves.

The city is famous for its narrow little shopping and café strips, many remaining hidden unless you know where to look. Each corner I turned I was delighted by yet another alley with quirky shops and delicious smelling eateries. Again, I didn’t buy much, but spent a lovely afternoon wandering the alley ways, finishing off with a refreshing cocktail at the rooftop bar of Campari House and writing some postcards. 

 Brunswick and Johnston Streets

Our hotel was a short five minute walk to Brunswick St and another ten to Johnston Street, which both boast many smaller boutique shops. There is a mysterious little shop selling antique and new handmade puppets, Kleins Perfumery, an Allanah Hill warehouse, ‘Meet Me at Mikes’, my very favourite brand outlet ‘Friends of Couture’; I was in shopping heaven.

Sneaky, possibly illegal shot of the Alannah Hill warehouse

Eating

Eating is one of Melbourne's big things and trust me, I did a lot of it! Almost every street is packed with restaurants and cafes, and the whole place smells divine, it was hard to choose where to dine!

Chocolate Eclair and Hot Chocolate from Brunettis...deeelicious

Lygon St

I had two delicious dinners on Lygon St. The first my father insisted we go for a ‘proper, Italian made pizza’, the activity he partook in during my sister’s (obviously long enough for a pizza break) birth twenty-four years plus one day earlier. 

We ate at Papa Gino’s, where I had an absolutely delicious pizza of ham, cheese and pineapple (I know, I know, it’s not exactly traditional, but what better way to compare than with my favourite?). Honestly, the difference between fast food pizza and this heavenly creation was indescribable, you’ll just have to head on down and see for yourself, people.

The second night I ate at the lovely Carlton Espresso. I sat out on their back deck under the stars and I wish I could describe the night as balmy but really it was pretty cold. The food, however, was lovely and made up for the shivery weather. I had spirelli with mediterrean vegetables and hand torn mozzarella and my was it amazing. After playing it safe the night before I had decided to try something further from my circle of comfort and was very glad I did. Again the service was exceptional; personal, timely and friendly, and it was a joy to feel like our patronage was valued. 

Lord of the Fries

Lord of the Fries has gained a somewhat mystical hype about it in Brisbane; I had heard from many people tales of the amazing fries shop before I left and was determined to visit one.

I just happened to spot a Lord of the Fries as I passed by on a tram to Fed Square and though it took me two slightly confused walks to find it again, Lord of the Fries became my Tuesday lunchtime option. At Lord of the Fries the servings are big and the prices cheap, just the way I like things, and the potato delicious. I chose a small size with ‘traditional French mayonnaise’ (garlic aioli) and was happy with my purchase. 

Beans and Bagels

Suffering New York bagel withdrawals, my sister spotted and made a beeline for Beans and Bagels on Johnston St on our very first day. Not a huge bagel fan myself I am no judge, but she said that they compared nicely to the bagels of the states. What I do know, though, is hot chocolate, and with certainty I can tell you I received the best hot chocolate of my trip here. 

Atomica Café

Good Friday being the last day of our trip, we weren’t expecting there to be much going on entertainment wise. The cafés of Melbourne were still doing a roaring trade on the public holidays however, and we escaped the turned rather freezing weather in café café. Pancakes with richotta and berry compote, an amazing choice! 

Caboose Canteen

Between comedy shows at Melbourne Town Hall in the city’s centre I had an hour to get dinner. I found the nearby but nicely uncrowded Caboose Canteen and can now attest that their ‘famous steak sauce’ really is worthy of fame.

China Town

The absolutely best food I had in Melbourne was from China Town. I visted once for lunch and returned the next night for dinner.

My first stop was City BBQ, which drew me in with their busy lunchtime hustle and bustle; a full restaurant must be a good restaurant! My logic in this area paid off and I was treated to a wonderful feast of Sizzling Mongolian Beef, Fried Rice and never ending free cups of hot tea. It was packed inside, I was moved tables twice in fact, but the hectic atmosphere added to the dining experience, and the food was well worth the craziness!

I returned the following evening with my sister, who had been away on a tour for a few days, and we made tracks for the more upmarket looking Dragon Boat Restaurant, where we ordered an veritable feast! Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Vegetarian Fried Rice...it was amazing! 

 

Shows

Baal

It’s hard to give worthy credit to the Sydney Theatre Company show without doing a full review, but Baal, performed at the Malthouse Theatre, was an amazing production and a highlight of my trip. The production of Brecht’s first play was technically superb and acted brilliantly, a fantastic translation of a brilliant play to the stage.

Australia Dot Com

Australia Dot Com was shown as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival and played at the La Mama Courthouse. An intimate, funny and thought provoking work, it showcased a very talented cast, crew and creative team and gave a refreshing take on the workings of the modern family.

Stephen K Amos

Stephen K Amos is of course a big name in comedy, and once you’ve attended his show it’s easy to see why. His act was seamless, mixing prepared material with audience interaction with significant ease and charm. Describing comedy never does it justice, I would simply say you should definitely attend one of his shows.

Sam Simmons

Sam Simmons’ comedy show, The Precise History of Things, was hilarious. The perfect mix of clever, unusual, dirty and a little bit odd, Simmons had the audience engaged from the very beginning of the night. Not scared to use theatrical devices; narration, voice over, mime and plot, he mapped the show out through a series of marker on butcher’s paper drawings and short vignettes. I bought my ticket to the show in the knowledge the Sam Simmons was a very clever man, and the subtle intelligence of his act didn’t let me down. 

Salsa Dancing at The Night Cat

Not technically a ‘show’ as such, on the very first night of our Melbourne stay, my sister and I went to a salsa dancing class at The Night Cat on Johnston St for her birthday. At just $15 for two one hour classes, we twisted and twirled the night away. My sister, a rather seasoned ballroom dancer, performed much better than I did, but it was a tremendous amount of fun and when I wasn’t learning how to turn or avoid my partner’s toes, I was laughing the whole time.

Melbourne In Review - Part One

Melbourne

So, as you probably read (we certainly weren’t keeping it quiet) Ell-Leigh and I both headed off on holidays a couple of weeks ago. While Ell jetted off to the sunny climes of Hawaii (Hawaii!), I took a much shorter plane trip down south to Victoria for a family party in Ballarat and then a stay in Melbourne. Today’s post was supposed to be a full run down of my trip, but I discovered that there was simply too much to share, and being stricken with a not very bad but still making me want to only curl up and watch Gilmore Girls and eat Easter chocolate cold, I decided to split the post in two. So, today I will take you through accommodation and sightseeing, next week will come shopping, show-going and eating! Hurrah!

Accommodation

For our stay in Melbourne I chose The Brooklyn Arts Hotel. On the page, The Brooklyn seemed to fit all my requirements; price, location, great reviews, and as an added bonus owner Maggie only charged our twin share as a single room when my sister went away for two nights on a driving tour. Top it all off with a quirky and friendly webpage which suggested an out of the ordinary stay and included breakfasts and we were decided. Happily, off the page and in real life, The Brooklyn Arts Hotel was as lovely as hoped.

the street we stayed on (The Brooklyn is the building farthest left)

Puppies!!

oh so cute!

Our colourful little room had two comfortable single beds, a sink and mirror, a little writing desk and the most amazing heater in the world. We shared a bathroom with one other room, though never had to wait for use, and attached were two toilets. The facilities were always clean and they were decorated nicely with a rustic feel. I did wonder how comfortable one might be in the open air toilets in the dead of a cold Melbourne winter, though finding any warm bathroom in the Melbourne chill is a possibly difficult task. 

 

Breakfast included a choice of gluten free breads, an amazing range of spreads, yoghurt, tea and coffee makings and friendly banter amongst guests and staff. The back garden sheltered chairs and tables set up for reading, working, or taking afternoon tea and was home to two delightful dogs.

our bathroom + yours truly

The Brooklyn Arts Hotel is located in hip and happenin' Fitzroy (this is purely guidebook speak, the locals would not use this language. That said, it's certainly the hip and happenin' part of town) and within walking distance of Brunswick and Johnston Streets, with a tram stop one block down and the city a very cheap taxi fare away when late nights negate public transport.

I loved the non-sterile feel of The Brooklyn which allowed me to feel much more comfortable and welcome throughout my stay than I do at 'regular' hotels. I would definitely reccommend The Brooklyn to anybody heading to Melbourne.

Sightseeing

Certainly, there is much to see and do in Melbourne and I split my time between touristy sightseeing and more specific activities. Here are a few of my picks for best of sight seeing in Melbourne. 

City Circle Tram

Melbourne is famous for its trams and for good reason. They run often, are quick, easy to navigate and though there are newer models out and about, many are still quite old and give a sense of history and pomp your day to day journeying. The City Circle tram is free and runs a rectangle right around the city centre, with running commentary played over speakers about upcoming historical buildings or interesting sights. The City Circle is a very good and wallet friendly way to get acquainted with the area and pick out places to return to. 

tram

Dreams Come True Exhibition (or the Disney Princesses) at The Australian Centre of the Moving Image

ACMI, as it is more easily written, is located within Federation Square in the heart of the city. The Dreams Come True Exhibition, which, sadly, ended yesterday, was housed in just one of the large exhibition areas located in the centre, and even without the princesses I would suggest ACMI is very much worth a visit. 

Dreams Come True was a very special exhibition of the art and work behind Disney’s classic fairy tales and their princesses. While I was already excited to see the films themselves deconstructed and get a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse, I was amazed at how engagingly the exhibition was presented. With each section dedicated to a different princess, chronicling the differences in techniques and technology behind the each of the film’s creation, it was a very informative show. 

Tutankhamen Exhibit at the Melbourne Museum 

I’m always a little bit wary when I have to buy tickets in advance for a museum exhibit, because it generally means crowds, and being a shorter person this generally means viewing can be difficult.

While the exhibition was certainly crowded, it was set out in a way combated this well, with small glass cases of various ‘tomb artefacts’ scattered around each room, with written panels both at the base of the exhibited item and at the top of the case. The display included a huge collection of relics taken from Tutankhamen’s tomb, plus information on what his life might have been like, his family, and the uncovering of his burial place. 

State Library of Victoria

Now that's what I call a library

While a library might not be everyone’s cup of tea to visit, I love to see how grand libraries are set up, particularly because ours here in Queensland, while pretty great, doesn’t have the grand architectural aspect of others.

The State Library of Victoria also, I must add, provided me a very welcome warm and dry retreat on a morning of not so welcoming Melbourne weather, complete with free internet and some very interesting photographic displays. 

ANZ Gothic Bank Building

An outside part of the actual bank!

Not the fancy roof of the bank...but of some other buidling

There was something grand sounding about the ANZ Gothic Bank Building that caught my attention on my touristy guide map, and I made a note to check it out if I happened to be close.

While mostly easy to navigate, I did find myself becoming slightly disoriented when in the central business and shopping parts of the city, and I have to admit I did enter one building thinking that it was the ANZ building I wanted to see, only to take interior photos and exit to see a sign pointing to the actual building in the opposite direction. I didn’t stay long at the bank once I finally got there, but it was indeed grand and gothic and distinctly reminded me of the bank the children are taken to in Mary Poppins, the bank in which all the scary men sing about tuppence. It’s definitely worth a solemn squiz if you’re ever in the area. 

The National Gallery of Victoria

The National Gallery of Victoria is actually split over two different venues on opposite sides of the Yarra River. This should not be confusing, but after all my careful laying of plans and pouring over the incredibly thick gallery guide book to choose which exhibitions I wanted to see in my limited time, I somehow still went to the wrong one! Luckily it was only a short tram ride to the other gallery and I was still able to get back in time to see all I wanted, but it was rather embarrassing to return to collect my cloaked bag only minutes after handing it over (cloaking, by the way, is the most genius of ideas when you’re travelling to relieve sore shoulders and backs from heavy, tourist stuff filled bags). 

this one got my vote, sketches all done in biro.

I visited two of the gallery’s current exhibitions, ManStyle and Top Arts: VCE 2010, both of which were incredibly interesting. ManStyle took a look at men’s clothing, particularly the suit, and how it had adapted to change and caused change over the centuries. Top Arts is an annual display of the best of Victorian year twelve art students' projects, and it was a simply amazing and inspiring collection. There was an viewer’s choice vote at the end, and while I loved and voted for Freya Alexander’s ball point pen on cardboard drawings, I believe Philip Hickingbotham’s portrait of his father drawn in charcoal (!!) will win. It was honestly one of the most moving piece of art I’ve ever seen, and purely amazing considering it was created by someone so young. Oh the talent! 

charcoal...amazing.

Both images from The Sydney Morning Herald's slideshow of all the selected artwork. Definitely worth a look!

 Stay tuned next week for Melbourne in Review - Part Two: Shopping, Show Going and Eating!