Melbourne, Australia 

After my long haul flight of sixteen hours from LAX to MEL, I hopped on a bus that took me to the St. Kilda neighborhood. St. Kilda is a beachside suburb just a few miles southeast of Melbourne’s CBD (Central Business District). This bustling ‘burb is known for its coffee, pastries, entertainment, and my personal favorite, fairy penguins. That’s right, penguins! You can catch the smallest species of penguins make their way to their nests on St. Kilda pier just after sunset. 

Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia, so if you’re a coffee connoisseur like I am, grab yourself a ‘long black’ or a ‘flat white’ on one of St. Kilda’s busiest and popular streets—Acland. Here you’ll find tourists and locals alike, indulging in the cake shops or sipping on a schooner from a local pub.

Venturing out of St. Kilda is a must. The first place I suggest going to is Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne’s most iconic marketplace. A wide variety of fresh, quality produce and eclectic goods can be found here. Wandering aimlessly through the stalls is a pleasant joy in and of itself. Outside of the market you are in the heart of the CBD, so gallivanting through the city streets is the perfect way to see downtown. Check out Hosier Lane for world renown graffiti. It’s a hotspot that has put Melbourne’s urban art scene on the map.