#25 - From Melbourne's Upper West Side to its Soho to its Edgy

 

Really?? ….come on now, could it really be any good???

Saturday morning, nine am, and our hostess had offered to drop us in South Melbourne, just a ten minute car ride from South Yarra. When we are in cities, we love the museums and the great food but, we are also all about seeing the neighborhoods - the established ones where people live and the up and coming ones being gentrified. J suggested South Melbourne for a bite and boutiques and its Market, so, of course, we did it all. 

Let's have a bit if a primer on brekky here. They have very different combinations of what comes on toast for breakfast.

Steve had a pot of baked beans and chorizo and creamy feta with his toast, while I had smashed avocado, tomato, basil and yes, delicious crispy Aussie bacon, which is somewhere between what we have back home and Canadian bacon.

The brekky menus do have eggs but lean heavily in the direction of either interesting muesli/ fruit/ yoghurt combos or heaping combos of herbs, proteins and exotic favors. Rarely do you see anyone having a simple two eggs over easy.

We boutique strolled the couple of blocks around the restaurant after we ate but, as always, shopping and buying are limited for a couple of reasons. First, the size of the suitcase. We had already sent our last package off and there would be no time left on the weekend to send another one. Second, as happens on vacations, what looks great here just doesn't work back home, think of those crazy Hawaiian shirts in your closet from your first trip there. 

Next we hit the South Melbourne Market, lots of great food stalls from produce to seafood, if you were cooking, and some shops, but not really many of interest for buying for us.

We did a quick trip to the supermarket to restock on lotion and toothpaste and then walked into town, through the big casino, across the Southbank, over the bridge and through Chinatown and more of the little hidden lane ways. The cloudy, cool morning had turned into a glorious sunny day made for an afternoon outdoor cafe stop for a beer and an Aperol spritz...and some good people watching. 

We hopped on the free city tram that circles the perimeter for just a few stops before walking to our next destination..the funky, trendy Gertrude Street. 

Here's a funny story about how quickly you can get an idea of someone's style. The other night, we had a glass of wine with our hosts before they were headed out to a Xmas party. J had a great look going, a bit hip/goth, with perfect necklaces, numbering about six, and I took note of each piece she was wearing. 

Back to Gertrude Street and we come to the very first store. I look in the window, see lots of interesting black clothing and say to Steve, boy, this looks like a store J would shop in.

We go inside and right away...there is the shirt she was wearing the other night. I mention this to Steve, using her first name, and the clerk asks who we are talking about, as they apparently know many of their clients. Turns out...you guessed it, her outfit was from this store. They had a small selection, but great things. One caught my eye enough to try it on and try and figure out if this might be what I would wear to Shelby and David's wedding. Now that is a pretty hard call since they have not yet figured out where, when or what the wedding will be like. And the piece is funky and nothing like Mother of the Bride, but might have the ability to be dressed up or dressed down, and go from beach to ballroom.

                                           

I have another day to decide and have them ship it home for me. 

The first few blocks of Gertrude were replete with boutiques, one after another, all small, independent and with different clothes. I can think of a few friends at home that would love this area. As we kept walking it went from high end to a bit edgier to a bit gritty as we got up to Rose Street, our next destination..

We had a quick look at a contemporary photography space, the end of the day at the Rose Street Market and then landed for a drink at Palinka , a small outside Central Euro bar where we kicked up a conversation with an Melbourne couple preparing (partly by trying the food) for their trip to Prague. 

We had an early dinner (notice again, there was no pit stop at home or downtime between leaving at 9am and coming home at 9pm) at Transformer in Fitzroy, the latest hip vegetarian restaurant in an old warehouse.

The look was great as we entered the almost empty place for our old people time dinner. In actuality, it was the only time table we could get before 9:30 on a Saturday. In a matter of 15 minutes, the place was almost full, mostly young, and with interesting small plates coming out of the kitchen. I liked almost everything we had from the thin crostini with pumpkin pinenut dip, to the sweet potatoes with nuts and Japanese flavors.

               

 

Steve was not as impressed but I really think it was because, while I was shopping at 3:30, he couldn't resist stopping for some Nashville-style hot chicken with a side of pickled veggies. Having consumed that and then a huge beer at Palinka at 5:30, I doubt there was much room left in his belly.

But we did have a really nice Tasmanian Pinot Noir and our waitress from Southern California was charming. Seems we are meeting a lot of young people here from the U.S., here on one year working visas.

After having basically walked from South Melbourne to the north edge of Fitzroy 
( about 6 miles or so...),  we did cab home, relax, throw in another load of laundry and plan for tomorrow, our last day in Melbourne and, sadly, last day in Australia.