We made it to Melbourne early
today. We opted for a Airbnb in Melbourne which is the same approach we
took in Sydney. It has worked great for us to stay in a neighborhood
apartment and get a little more of an insider's take on the city. Maybe
we will jump on to the Airbnb economy full board and rent out our house in
Portland and stay in friends' basements from now on.
In Sydney, we went for the surfers'
neighborhood in Bondi as you may recall. Here in Melbourne, we are
getting a different experience in the Collingwood neighborhood which is hip,
arty, and a bit edgy.
Upon arrival, I got decked out in my
edgy urban apparel of khaki shorts, souvenir New Zealand t-shirt, tube socks,
and older Adidas (none of it worn ironically) and went out with Margaret and
the boys to keep in real on the mean streets of Collingwood. Collingswood
has a little bit of East Burnside thing going on and it seemed extra cool due
to its unfamiliarity. Overall, it was very Portland-esque which should
aid the re-entry transition in a few days. My comparative analysis
between East Portland and Collingwood:
- Wall murals / cool graffiti - advantage Melbourne
- Absence of ugly graffiti - advantage Portland
- Hipster bicyclist density - advantage Portland
- Vintage clothing stores - advantage Melbourne
- Microbrewery density - advantage Portland
- Food cart density - advantage Portland
- Lumbersexual density - advantage Portland
- General edginess - advantage Melbourne
Pretty much a toss-up.
Graffiti so fresh you can smell the VOCs (panorama of several shots at our corner)...
Wall mural large enough to require a scissor lift...
Old school art in the park...
These graffiti "artists" need to work on their game a bit...
One upping Portland. "You've got streetcars. That ain't nothing. We've got streetcars on our roofs"...
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