Melbourne Day 1: February 4, 2007

So far, Melbourne seems like fantasy camp. Everything is perfect. I’ll start work tomorrow so I just spent today unpacking and settling in. It was sunny and 75 degrees, oh wait I mean 24C or so. (I am bad at the metric system.)

My hotel room is fantastic. It’s very modern and gets a ton of light and has lots of space. It’s about 4 times the size of my NYC apartment. I even, for the first time in my life, have my very own washer-dryer. It’s one of the dual washer/dryer in one unit deals that I see more often in Europe. I did a load of wash of the stuff I wore on the flight just because I could. This is the life.

One interesting detail about my hotel room is that there is no shower curtain. There is just a shower and a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor. It’s pretty impossible not to fill the entire bathroom with water. 6 hours later there are still puddles all over the bathroom floor because it isn’t graded well enough to drain. I’m wondering if I could be the one to introduce the concept of the shower curtain here. I will take all the credit for inventing them. I’ll be a hero, just like Jonas Salk.

After showering and unpacking I walked around town a little. My hotel is downtown in a retail district. It’s sandwiched between a Ben Sherman store and an Indian restaurant where I got some takeaway lunch (since my flight has conditioned me to eat a full meal every 3 hours or so). I timed my walk to work and it’s about 15 minutes (though a safe, well-populated area, Mom). There’s a lot of high end retail on my route to work so I did a little shopping. (Shockingly, it seems I have not entirely left my consumer lifestyle in New York City.) Prices seem really high here. I saw a cute pair of Campers but they were A$250. That seems strange as I think they would have been about $100 US in NYC or €30 in Madrid. I refrained (for today). Maybe Melbourne is like Dublin or something where all clothes just cost about twice what you would think.

I also went to a store called Big W to buy a hair dryer. It was great. It is just like a Big K and has everything so I am not worried about finding anything I need here. I am curious about the swap of the W for the K. I’m wondering if I should also keep an eye out for Wraft macaroni and cheese or Wleenex. (I also found a 24 x 7 grocery, which I’m sure will come in handy for all my cooking needs ;) .)

On my route-timing trip for work I noticed that there are a number of well-signed public toilets. As most of you know I’m a strong believer that toilets are basic human right. (Finding a toilet in NYC can be a real challenge and I think we’ve all bought the cheapest possible thing on the menu at one point or another to meet the ‘restrooms are for customers only’ standard. “Can I buy a packet of ketchup?”) I can’t imagine that I’ll ever need to use a public toilet on the 15 minute walk from my hotel to work, but just knowing they are there makes me feel at ease. I think Melbourne and I are going to get along just fine.

On my work route there is a Maker’s Mark store. Can you imagine my excitement upon seeing this entire store dedicated to Maker’s Mark? Well double it, and turn it into disappointment because here in Australia, Maker’s Mark is apparently some kind of vase and glass jewelry dealer. What a low down dirty trick. I wouldn’t have been more disappointed if I walked in to a store named “Toy Store” that only sold dental floss.

I got a new prepaid phone with a sim card. If you want to call me, send me an e-mail and I’ll send you the number. While I was waiting for my phone to charge, I watched a Melbourne Tigers Basketball game on TV. They slaughtered the Adelaide 36ers! (Move over Knicks city dancers and check out the Tiger’s halftime show the Dodo Dancers.) I am now a huge fan. My favorite player is Tom Greer who was recruited from basketball powerhouse Southeastern Florida University. Scoffers might have said he’d never play pro-ball, but little did they know he’s be a big star in Melbourne one day. I’ll let you know when I get tickets.

Now I’m planning to go for a run and then get ready for bed. First day of work is tomorrow. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’ll post some pictures in a while. I brought my camera but I’m pretty sure I shipped the cord that allows me to download photos, so it may be a couple of weeks before I have anything to share. Fill yourselves with expectation and make do with bonus links in the meantime!