Arrived in Melbourne

United Airlines flight 98 from LAX>MEL departed on time at 10:30PM on Sunday. We settled in for the 15+ hours we had in the air - our every need attended to by the lovely Sally.

We landed Melbourne at 8:40AM Tuesday, local time. We breezed through immigration and customs, the entire process taking less than an hour, then caught the Bluebird shuttle to downtown Melbourne for $20 Australian each ($14.50 US), arriving at the Doubletree on Flinders Street by 10:40 - too early to check in. 

Hayden, the concierge, gave us a lovely overview of downtown Melbourne, marking "must sees" on the map he provided.  Once settled in our room, we unpacked, rested, then took off on the Free City Circle Tram (Route 35) to orient ourselves. Circumnavigation of the city center takes a bit less than an hour. 

Initial Impressions of Melbourne 

Located on the SE coast of Australia, Melbourne is considered to be the cultural capital of Australia. Its population (3.5 million) is impressively multicultural, a true global representation with many languages, ethnic neighborhoods and eateries. The Yarra River cuts a swath through the city on its way to empty its muddy waters into Port Phillip Bay. Across from the Double Tree Hotel on Flinders Street where we are staying is the train station, which is massive (a much-used Australian adjective). Verdant parks, colorful gardens and greenways are ubiquitous. The downtown architecture is a quirky mix of Victorian, sleek modern and "wanna-be Frank Geary" styles. The latter is featured at Federation Square where angular buildings, in addition to being Picasso-esque, stand in stark contrast to the rest of the city's skyline. 

At some point, and at Hayden's suggestion, we wandered down one of the many little laneways, this one called Degraves Street, for tapas and a beer (Coopers Pale Ale from South Australia) and where I also discovered a fabulous children's bookstore, The Little Bookroom, that carries a most impressive collection of Australian authors. 

Tonight we are thinking of checking out the Night Noodle Markets, part of Good Food Month Melbourne. For 18 nights in November, more than 56 stalls are set up at Birrarung Marr on the banks of the Yarra River, each hawking signature noodle dishes, dim sum, dumplings, etc. Stay tuned!