Melbourne skyline (Courtesy: Tourism Victoria)
By Lena Katz
Melbourne: where leisure is a luxury … for everyone
As a girl who lives on the beach, I’m never head-over-heels to see more white sand. I like cities, especially the ones with character and architecture all their own, which is why I included Melbourne on my Australia vacation itinerary. Though its urban sprawl covers more square acreage than U.S. cities twice as populated — Australians don’t like to live on less than a half-acre — its city center is a colorful labyrinth of laneways sprouting more laneways, where tiny bars are tucked into corners and attics and rooftops.
Federation Square teems with milling tourists and locals hurrying toward the train station across the street. People stroll and bike the banks of the Yarra River whenever the weather permits. Outside the Queen Victoria Market, locals angle for tables two blocks down the sidewalk, chatting and snacking without a care in the world, even at 2 p.m. on a Thursday. For anyone used to the typical 40-means-60-hour U.S. workweek, this spectacle is hard to comprehend. Aren’t these people supposed to be in offices? Maybe we can learn something from them.
