Melbourne

Week three of September already, time is flying by! We hit the road and flew the entire program down to Melbourne (pronounced MEL-bin, people.) for 4 days, which quickly became my new favorite field trip. It takes a trip down to Melbourne to truly understand the rivalry between Sydney and Australia's second city. These two have a relationship that rivals only New York and Boston. Sydney, like New York, is like the big brother who doesn't really care that much about its little brother. Sydney thinks it's better so doesn't bother with comparisons. Melbourne, like Boston, is like the little brother who is constantly comparing the two and has developed what we might call an inferiority complex. Personally I know that Bostonians are always saying "Yeah! We're awesome! We're so much better than New York! Yeah!" whereas New York...doesn't even compare the two. I've met quite a few Aussies during my time with GYLC-- all of whom will proclaim "Melbourne's #1" or "No, no! Sydney's better!" Here's the truth:
They're both great cities in very different ways, for different reasons.

Melbourne's definitely got a more European feel to it, both in look and diversity. Historically, each city got off to a very different start. Sydney's got a convict background-- it was originally set up as a colony to which to send Britain's criminals. During Britain's Industrial Revolution, crime skyrocketed and soon jails filled up too quickly for crimes as petty as stealing food or clothing. Even the smallest crime, such as pickpocketing, would send someone packing to Australia to serve time. After being released from prison however, the criminal wouldn't go back to England but rather would be expected to stay in Australia.
Melbourne, on the other hand, doesn't have this convict history. Instead, it was a major hub for European immigrants who landed directly in Port Phillips Bay, or came over after landing initially in Perth. This is how Melburnians attribute their diversity, multi-culturalism on steroids and city planning.
In 1850, gold was discovered in Victoria, ironically only a month after Victoria split from New South Wales. This transformed the city as hundreds of thousands flocked to Victoria to sift for gold, and the colony soon replaced NSW as the darling of Britain's colonies down under.

Throughout the city are these tiny laneways that twist and wind and offer all sorts of shops, boutiques and cafés. The city is known for its unique and quirky bars with a decor that New York restauranteurs could only dream about. For example, Sunday night I went with my coworkers to Madame Brussels, a rooftop bar that looked like a 1950s garden party. After we hit up Gin Palace and ordered exorbitantly priced but fabulous cocktails. The inside was dark with pillows everywhere-- it looked like Austin Power's lair. Another fun bar was a place called Cookie, a trendy restaurant with a decor themed 50s children's room, with old trains, children's stories and lanterns surrounding the bar. But by far my favorite venue was Berlin, down an old venue with a menu that's split in half: The West vs. The East. The cocktails on both sides are themed after each side of Berlin, including the Checkpoint Charlie.

Chinatown

Another cool bar was down a twisted alley covered in graffiti, (no sign by the way) called The Croft Institute with mad scientist cocktails in test tubes. From What's On Melbourne: "The Croft Institute is tucked at the end of a winding Chinatown alley well off the beaten track. Getting there [and actually finding the place] is part of the experience as you wander past street art covered walls and the back entrances of some of Melbourne's finest Chinese restaurants."

 The city is actually a grid system, or at least the CBD (Central Business District) is. This makes the city extremely easy to navigate-- I could walk from the northeast corner of the grid to the southwest corner within 20-30 minutes. Along the way you'll see trams running in the centre of the street. Melbourne actually has one of the most extensively tram systems in the world-- and they're not your typical trams that you'd find in Grenoble, but more like the ones in San Francisco. Old rickety trolleys that are adorable and give the city that extra charm. This accounts for one the biggest differences I think between the two: the trams give Melbourne the appearance of being clean and organized, while Sydney's non-existent tram service, suburban trains and bus system give the appearance of...chaos, loud city noises and exhaust. It's.. lovely.
Why would I move to Melbourne over Sydney?
Two words:
Bike Lanes.

The downtown is covered in them! I am so envious! Sydney,  having NONE, can be quite backwards when it comes to modern-day transportation (it seems like). Apparently there was a tram system in place, but they ripped it out at the turn of the century in a bone-headed move. Second, there is ONE official bike lane that will take me absolutely no where, and there are rumours going around that the city may remove it. Blurgh!The general argument goes that if you're trying to decide between the two, Sydney's got the harbour and the beach. Gotta love the beaches' proximity to the city. It really can't be beat.
If you're looking for the beach, a city that is more finance/business and all that serious stuff, head to Sydney.
If you're looking for the arts, the film industry, theatre, fantastic quirky bars and cafés, a river on which to go running and BIKE LANES, head to Melbourne.