Running Around Town, Melbourne Edition

Just another beautiful sunny day here in Melbourne, so I thought I'd go for a run and take some snaps. A guy could get used to this.


Boardwalk at St. Kilda Beach, about 3pm on a Thursday. Hoppin'!


Fooling around at St. Kilda Pier.


That's downtown Melbourne in the background.


Ahhh...

The Best and Worst of Wellington

My time here in Wellington is nearly up. In a few days, I pack up all my stuff and shuffle off to the South Island for a little New Year's revelry, and then on to Melbourne. So, what to say about Wellington?

The Bad

There's no doubt that my time here has been, uh, challenging. Both of my personal computers, the one that sits on my lap and the one that rests between my ears, have experienced spectacular hardware failures. If only my bio-ware were as easily replaced as my laptop.

The weather has been disappointing too; even the local are complaining about the lack of a summer. But there's something to be said for high winds in a city full of women wearing skirts. Never let it be said that I fail to see the glass as half-full. Seriously, watching women gamely trying to hold their skirts from blowing over their heads is funny, funny stuff.

And as a base for digital nomadism, I can sum up Wellington in two words: "Don't bother." There are no coffee shops with free WiFi, period. What Internet there is, is sloooow and expensive. Want coffee with free refills? Ha! You can't even buy filtered coffee here -- espresso only, and it's pricey.

The Good

I feel guilty complaining at all about beautiful Wellington. Like when I went for a short jog up Mount Victora the other day...

 

It took only 10 minutes to reach this breathtaking view:

 

And it's only 10 minutes in the other direction to walk into town, where I've made myself a fixture at several local establishments. I can enthusiastically recommend The Malthouse, a beer-lovers oasis. And! And! They have free WiFi. I know! The staff are beer geeks (and computer geeks) of the first order. Ask for a bottle of Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale. Good stuff.

I've also become close with the whole staff of The Jimmy Cafe and Bar, the site of my little medical mishap. They made me promise to keep in touch after I leave, and I will.

For a cafe with serious hipster credentials, I like Midnight Espresso on Cuba Street, and Fidel's. In fact, all of Cuba Street is pretty darn cool.

And obviously, I don't hold Wellington responsible for my health and hardware issues. On the contrary, I couldn't have hoped for a more forgiving place to encounter challenges like those. I've learned a lot about how to cope without really ending up worse off in any way. So bonus.

I leave in a few days for the South Island, where I'll experience complete radio silence. My next post will probably be from Melbourne, in a new country, in a new decade. So until then...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And what a year it's been!

Running Around Town, Part 5

Trite thought for the day: there's beauty wherever you look for it. Case in point: Cornelius, NC. Less than a mile from Doug's place is the really-quite-lovely Lake Norman, which is surrounded by parks, trees and walking paths -- perfect for a short jog.

 
Squinty, a little sweaty, but otherwise happy.

 
Beautiful Lake Norman, created in the 60's be the construction of Cowans Ford Dam. Fancy a swim? Watch out for Normie, the Lake Norman Monster. Think I'll file that one in the "Shameless Tourism Ploy" category.

 
This is Doug leaving me in the dust. Hey, wait up!

Running Around Town, Part 4

I step onto the beach and turn right to run into the wind. On my left, the surf. Ahead is an unoccupied stretch of sand and, in the far distance, the lighthouse.

My first few strides are short and tentative as I get a feel for the loose sand under my bare feet. First aide tape is wrapped around my big toes for protection. Soon my legs and lungs are pumping. Waves pounds the sand. My feet pound it, too; four steps for each wave. Now five. Six. Watch out for broken shells. Jellyfish. Breathing heavy now, in and out like waves, misty salt air in my nose, a salty residue on my sunglasses blurring my vision. My salty sweat coming down on my glasses, too. In the sky ahead, a big hazy ring around the sun.

I turn and put the sun and the wind at my back, waves crashing on my right now. Spy the water tower, my landmark. Pick up the pace. The surf and my breath are the only sounds. Faster. And now just my breath. The words drain from my mind and there's an emptiness, expanding, carrying me with it. Carrying me.

Running Around Town, Part 3

This is the little corner of the world I grew up in. Armed with a camera and a pair of running shoes, I set out to see it through fresh eyes. And what do you know? Long Island is more beautiful than I remember.

This is part of Tappen Beach. If I could post smells to the blog, I'd post a smell of a salty bay at low tide, with some stale seaweed and the distinctive odor of mussels baking in the late afternoon sun. It smells like my childhood.
 

Kayak rentals at Tappen Beach.
 

The waterfront along Hempstead Harbor. Not that bad.
 

This guy looked like I felt at this point in my run.
 

Running Around Town, Part 2

It was a beautiful weekend, so I put on my running gear, grabbed my camera and went exploring again. This time, I decided to catch the J to Embarcadero Station and run from the Ferry Building to the Golden Gate Bridge and over.


View Ferry Building to the Golden Gate Bridge in a larger map

Had I bothered t create this map before setting out, I might have tried for something less ambitious. The Ferry Building is nowhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. But I survived, and got some decent pics along the way.

 
The Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Crissy Field, and my thumb as seen from the majority of my photographs.

 
The money shot.

 
After the run, I was a bit calorie deprived, so I stopped by the Crissy Field Warming Hut Bookstore and Cafe for a hot cuppa and a chocolate croissant. This is why we run.

Running Around Town, Part 1

IMO, there's no better way to get to know a town than to strap on a pair of running shoes and go. This is the first of two posts in which I did just that. I brought a camera along, too.

The first run was in the general direction of Sutro Tower, near the top of Twin Peaks. It's the gigantic TV antenna that dominates San Francisco's skyline. I had to investigate.

It's easy to get there. Just keep going up.

 
Twin Peaks, that-a-way.

 
Sutro Tower from the top of Twin Peaks

 
A view from the top of Twin Peaks, looking downtown.

 
A view from the top of Twin Peaks, looking South.

For me, it's a 25 minute uphill slog from Noe Valley to the top of Twin Peaks. I took a buncha snaps from the top. Does anybody know how to stitch them into one of those cool 360 degree views? That'd be rad.