I was first taken here by friends from the Ballet, and we had a night of it, dancing until 2am. The beer is good, and they serve some of the best unhealthy bar food I’ve tried. Most pubs in Melbourne are fairly civilised, but if I want to let off steam, I’ll visit Leonard’s House of Love, an under-the-radar place in South Yarra where they play extremely loud heavy-metal music. Great vibe, great coffee, great people-watching Another South Melbourne institution is St Ali, which achieves a neat trifecta: great vibe, great coffee and great people-watching. On a Sunday morning, my friends and I will grab stools up the back and order long blacks and avocado toast. The city is dotted with buzzy cafés that draw big crowds, but I prefer the low-key atmosphere at Wynyard, a laneway haunt in South Melbourne. Melbourne’s reputation for fantastic espresso is well deserved. “Great vibe, great coffee and great people-watching”: St Ali © Ying Ang I visit every weekend and head straight for Woodfrog Bakery, which does a fabulous honey oat loaf.
Aside from its grand Victorian residences and wide, tree-lined streets, it’s best known for the vibrant South Melbourne Market, which has been operating since 1867 and sells superlative produce, meats and cheeses.
When I arrived, the Ballet set me up in South Melbourne, one of the oldest parts of the city. The neighbourhoods are very distinctive, and you really settle into the enclave you live in. There are hardly any Starbucks stores here. You find your local everything: your local pub, your local newsstand, your local restaurant. Melbourne’s charms feel purer and more subtle. New York has authenticity, but it’s overlaid with power and wealth. What sets Melbourne apart is its authenticity. It also gave me a chance to walk and explore. The latest lockdown was a logistical challenge, but my company – and Melburnians in general – seemed to take it in their stride. Happily, I’ve discovered that the unique energy I felt on those early trips is still very much alive. Last year, I packed up my life in New York and moved to Melbourne permanently to lead The Australian Ballet. When I returned in 2015, to work with The Australian Ballet artistic health team, that initial infatuation developed into love. I first visited Melbourne in 2010, to dance The Nutcracker, and I fell hard for the place.
0 kommentar(er)
