Melbourne 2024

At the time of writing this blog, I am on my way back home from my third trip to Melbourne. For someone with the curiosity of a 5-yr old and an appetite for traveling, I would like to think that I am starting to exhaust the list of things I can do in Melbourne. But, the reality is that I am still only scratching the surface! With every trip, I have an increasing appreciation of how much this city has to offer. P.S: This respect (from a true Sydneysider) shouldn't be mistaken - Sydney is home and arguably better 😁

This latest trip to Melbourne was all about the Australian Open - the first Grand Slam of the year. And this was my first time watching the AO in person! More on the tennis below.

On Culture et al

Like most other places, Melbourne has it's flair and boast-worthy cultural icons. Any trip to Melbourne is incomplete without walking through the many alleys and busy city streets arcades. Some might say that Hosier Ln is overrated and overcrowded but for me, it is still fascinating to see the expression of free art form on the city walls. Degraves St, AC/DC Ln (yep, like the band) are my other favorites, much less crowded and great for instagram pictures!

I also love to wander around the boutique stores in Royal Arcade and Block Arcade - set in an old Victorian vibe featuring cute cafes, chocolate stores and some hidden bars.

Of all the things I've enjoyed in and around Melbourne, having access to the best coffee scene is my favorite. If you know me, you are aware that I have a keen passion for coffee. Almost every time I am having a coffee outside work or home, I will make an effort to look up boutique cafes, read over recommendations on Google and try out as many beans as I possibly can. Over time I have compiled my own list of cafes I want to try and cafes that I recommend for fellow caffeinators. Melbourne leads the charts by a mile! You can read all about the places I've tried in my Google Reviews (follow won't go unnoticed 🤪). Some of my favorite experiences have been brunch and bottomless batch brews at Seven Seeds Roastery, walking into an aromatic roasting scene at St Ali's Roastery, trying the single origin varieties at Duke's, Patricia, Industry Beans and Code Black - all boasting their own beans!

If you're staying in Melbourne CBD, I strongly suggest waking up earlier (around 7am), walking through the quiet city streets, grabbing a coffee and walking over to Lune for some of the world's best croissants! The worth in the queue is worth it, especially for the monthly special and the almond croissants. I am no croissant aficionado but if you like breakfast, pastry, baked goods and/or sugar, you won't be disappointed 😊

When traveling, another thing I enjoy is walking through the city - observing locals, compiling a list of places that look interesting, smiling at quirky quotes on glass windows and taking pictures of tall buildings, artwork etc. In Melbourne however, I sometimes take the free tram in the city square - sometimes to cut travel time and other times to protect myself from the unpredictable weather. Not a cultural icon but don't be surprised if people are wearing shorts, carrying a coat and an umbrella all at the same time - thanks to the moody skies.

On my latest trip, I explored the sandwich and bagel shops around the CBD. What started as a convenient takeaway snack soon turned into a "thing". On my latest trip, I enjoyed the filling Polish bagels at Schmucks, a classic Salmon and cream cheese at Brown Bagels, the Smoked Beef sanga at Warkop (super juicy) and Saluministi (hit or miss but worth trying). Just remembering and writing about some of these is making me drool 🤤 For something different, feel free to checkout my Lunch and Brunch lists on Google Maps 😄

If you are into cocktails, hidden bars, rooftops and other fancy alcohol things, Melbourne could be a haven for you. When I first visited Melbourne, Manmeet and I tried QT rooftop, Trinkets hidden bar and a few other iconic bars. Lately, I've been exploring more Whisky and I've really enjoyed the Whiskey Den and Beneath Driver's Lane. Although most of these places will be a little expensive, they're worth it for the vibe and if you are going with the right company. By now, you're probably guessing it and you're right, there is a list 😄

On the edge of Flinders Street (an icon in itself) is another jewel of Melbourne - the Yarra. South Wharf - like Barangaroo in Sydney - is a scenic area on the banks of Yarra river featuring bars, restaurants and gardens for more than 2 kms on either side of the water. Walking along on either side, you'll run into happy hours, live music and food festivals, sport or movie showings on big screens, the famous Crown Casino and so much more. On one of my walks, I ran into Daniil Medvedev, men's world No. 3 (former No.1). Unfortunately, no pictures as he was enjoying his lunch at Nobu. If you enjoy walking by the harbor, shopping for discounts at DFO (factory outlets) or drinks with a view (maybe even a sunset), you must visit the Yarra!

Also only a few meters from Flinders street station is the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). NGV has a beautiful permanent collection with many 18th and 19th century European artifacts. But, the main highlight for me is their rotating exhibition. This year, I thoroughly enjoyed the Triennial - a collection of modern art, most of which was AI inspired / influenced. As someone who works in software, it was fascinating to see how AI is incorporated into art. One particularly intriguing artwork sparks questions around the amount of crossover of machines and humans that we (humans) are comfortable with! 🤖 I wasn't into art growing up and still no art connoisseur but I could easily spend a day at the NGV.

My latest visit to NGV stood out also because it was the first time my dad had been to a gallery. I was hesitant at first to even propose the idea to him. But, I am glad I did. He had a much better time than we'd both imagined and although it was his first time at a gallery, he was able to connect on a very deep level, much more naturally than my first time. I guess there are some advantages of getting old 😉

Traveling with family can be fun and or challenging. As an adult traveling with my dad, I feel like it is fair to say that I now experience similar feelings as he once did when I was a kid. Sometimes, it is difficult to navigate the differences in opinion and preferences, largely driven by the generational gap. Other times, it is crazy to see how much similarity there is because of shared life experiences!

Sports consumes a large part of my personality and life. Social or competitive, playing sport can be quite meditating. I have often experienced the entire spectrum of emotions in a single game. Watching sport, especially one where you're supporting your favorite player or team, is also unspeakably beautiful! You connect with the player at an innate level and start to resonate with their energy, without being physically involved. I connected with soccer at an early age, well before I could understand how and why. When my dad was still playing soccer regularly, he would take me along to the field. While most kids were learning how to walk and run, I was also learning how to kick ⚽ Over the years, the connection has developed into a relationship with sports that gives me unconditional joy and it is sometimes impossible to put that feeling in words, which makes it purer and more precious. My dad has played more sports than I can possibly imagine ever coming close to. His passion is what has rubbed off on me and it's definitely what I have to thank for, when it comes to formulating one of the big pillars in my own life.

Growing up around a community of sports lovers, you form a lifestyle that revolves around it. So, it is not so surprising that I am almost as interested in following other sports as soccer. Some of my favorites are cricket, tennis and formula 1.

On Tennis

My dad's been watching tennis on the tv since 1987. That predates me by a decade 🥲 Over those 37 years, my dad hasn't been to any live games in the stadium, at least not a Grand Slam. Knowing how happy my dad would be to watch some big names live, I had to make sure we get to the AO whenever he is in Sydney. So, as much as I personally love tennis, this trip was largely influenced by my dad's love for it.

Grand Slams work on a knockout policy so there are a decreasing number of games in later rounds, expectedly with a better quality of competitors. To strike a balance between number of games, quality of tennis, budget and ability to watch favorites, I'd booked tickets for 3rd and 4th round matches at the Margaret Court Arena and Rod Laver Arena - the two main courts at the AO.

Scheduling is unpredictable at the time of booking the tickets so we knew we were at the mercy of good fortune. When we first realized that we wouldn't be able to watch Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sabalenka, I was truly devastated but on reaching the arena, we soon forgot what wasn't and got immersed in what was.

We witnessed a final set nailbiter between Sloane Stephens and Anna Kalinskaya. Both of us were immediately turned into fans of Anna for the grit she showed. What was promised to be a close game between veteran Azarenka and the aggressive 11th seed, Ostapenko, was an easy win for Azarenka but that did not take away from watching the former world No.1 up close 😀

Women’s games are best of 3 sets and men’s are best of 5. Because men’s games can go on for multiple hours, they can be boring (if one-sided) or intense (if they go to the 5th set). The night session at Rod Laver is usually home to the best quality of tennis. One such electric game was the 10th seed homeboy - Alex De Minaur - versus 5th seed Andrey Rublev. This was likely one of the fastest games in terms of ball speed and court coverage from both players. The atmosphere in the arena was unreal. For almost 4 hours, the crowd continuously supported the local favorite with “Aussie Aussie Aussie” chants and for the first time in my life, I saw a mexican wave in a tennis game 😂

Back in John Cain Arena, we saw two other hard hitters battle it out - Hubert Hurkacz beat wildcard Cazaux in straight sets but the score does not reflect how close each point was. The youthful energy of Cazaux was amplified by a group of French supporters that sang for him before every point! Even Polish fans were in awe of the determination shown by the rookie and I am keen to see more of his games in the upcoming slams.

One player that deserves a special mention and who has become the heartthrob of every tennis fan during the slam is Dayana Yastremska. She’s demonstrated the highest level of professionalism by making it to the semifinals beating many top seeds as well as new talent on the way (at the time of writing). Watching her on court as well as on tv, it is impossible not to start rooting for the Ukrainian. Although my personal favorite is Aryna Sabalenka (the world No.2), I wouldn’t mind anyone taking the cup home if Yastremska and Sabalanka battle it out in the final 😍

Soon after fanboying over Anna Kalinskaya, my dad and I agreed to go have a closer look at the talented and beautiful superstar. Surrounded by a couple dozen other fans, we watched patiently as she practiced her serves, forehand and slices before getting extremely lucky and scoring a selfie with her! If she continues to play this way, I’d be looking back at this selfie with a future world No.1 - you never know 😉

I also got a selfie with one of the best and long-time tennis umpires - James Keothavong. James is famous for his heroic effort when he jumped down from his chair and chased a fan who seemed to take a towel from Chinese player Lin Zhu after her victory over Rebecca Marino in the first round of the Australian Open. James is a highly respected Internationally Certified Gold Badge Chair Umpire with a vastly impressive CV having worked 75 consecutive Grand Slams, and 15 Grand Slam singles and doubles finals with 20+ years’ officiating experience.

Also at the practice courts, I watched my favorite, Sabalenka up close. Although there were no selfies, it was crazy to see her from 6 feet away.

Every sports fan craves moments like these and you can never be ready for the gush of joyousness that runs through your body when you’re in the vicinity of a celebrity sports figure. It’s magical!

On what's next

On the way back, at the airport, as we were casually strolling to our gate for a delayed flight, I heard someone shout “wine tasting”! Yep, I turned right around and spent the next 30 minutes chatting to Breana about all the boutique wines they had on offer from all around Australia. She’d worked in wine production in the past and was quick to pick up on my interest in wine. We had some really good conversations and recommended many wine regions and experiences to each other as my dad continued sipping through whatever alcohol was poured 😄

On my next trip, I would love to explore the Yarra Valley wine region and some of the suburbs that are popular among Melburnians - Richmond, Fitzroy and Brunswick. My local friends have spoken highly of the Vietnamese and Italian food streets and the hidden bars - both of which sound right up my alley 😁

Until next time!