Day 87: Arcades & Alleys, Melbourne

The closer I get to returning to the US, the lazier I get ... go figure

Not much going on today --- it was actually sunny this morning, so i did some laundry and hung it out on the deck to dry (of course once I did that, the sky clouded over).  Fortunately my clothes were dry by the end of the day.  It's getting pretty chilly here in Melbourne -- winter starts here in a couple of weeks -- it doesn't snow in the city, but it does in the nearby mountains.

After my exciting morning doing laundry, I decided to go out and do some shopping and get a pedicure (because it will hopefully be warm in the US when I get there).  I haven't done that much shopping in the past 3 months -- mostly because I didn't want to lug stuff around (and I don't really have that much room in my bags).  Lots of cool stores in Melbourne (it's nice to shop and not see the same old stores) -- although all the clothes stores have only winter apparel -- so I skipped by most of those.  One of the big shopping areas is on Chapel Street in South Yarra (on the other side of the river) -- I didn't feel like going over there -- so I just walked around downtown Melbourne -- very European-like -- there are little arcades / alleys all over the place -- makes it interesting to go and explore.  I am amazed by how many restaurants / cafes there are in Melbourne -- I could be here for 1 year and not hit all of the little coffee bars strewn across the city.

Note:  my pedicure was only so-so; I've had pedicures all around the world -- and still haven't found anyplace that comes close to average pedicure in the US.

Weather:  partly cloudy, nice pops of sunshine, 39 - 61F
Miles Walked:  4.5

Pic Notes:

• 1:  the view up Smith St. from my tram stop -- quiet day.  It worked out really well to have an apartment located so close to a tram line (I'm like 0.25 blocks away -- the longest part of the walk is crossing the street).
• Melbourne trivia:  Melbourne's tramway system is the largest outside Europe, and the 4th largest in the world.  It stretches along 152 miles (244 kms) of track and has 450 trams.
• Patty trivia:  During rush hour -- the trams are packed -- and get caught in a lot of traffic -- today I hopped out 1 stop early -- the tram and I arrived at my normal stop at the same time
• 2:  Elevator in some building (I thought it was interesting looking)
• 3 - 6:  shopping arcades / gallerias
• 6:  a lot of people queued up for afternoon tea -- it's a big thing in Melbourne 
• 7:  I have no idea why these people are dressed in animal costumes 
• 8 - 11 (not very good pics):  Weathervanes -- on the 4 corners of the Bourke & Swanston Sts intersection.  I just noticed these today -- and I just thought they were sculptures at the top of tram posts -- didn't realize they were weathervanes until I read this article.
• the vanes were conceived to represent specific aspects of Melbourne:
• the bird symbolizes the city's parks & gardens
• the horse symbolizes its culture & sport
• the fish refers to its waterways
• the pig represents the city's hope & future
• 12:  There are street performers on almost every corner in the downtown core.  This is 'Amistat' -- I thought the were really good (I've attached a video clip -- you can hear them doing a Ryan Adams cover).