Summary: dinner with Flynn, shopping, Fed Square again, AFL Football
On the night of the 28th, we met up with a friend of Aneta’s from work who lives in Melbourne. Flynn took us to a very good sushi place a couple miles from downtown. Alex got a little restless, so I took him for a walk while they paid the bill. Interesting little eclectic neighborhood with trendy bars, art galleries, dance studios, Taoist doctors, kebab places, and a bar with live music across the street (the Blue Tile). Alex loves live music and I told Aneta we would go over there, so we stood in front of this place for a song or so. Realizing that they knew where to find us, we went in and caught the show – bluesy rock and it was very good. Alex loved it, as long as I kept my hands over his ears. When they finished their set, we went back to the sushi place and they were catching up. Flynn just got engaged and they were discussing his fiancé and her family. Good time for all of us. By the way, Aneta had made this image of our trip and I kind of like it as an update. 
Today Aneta had more work to do, so Alex and I went walking around the immediate neighborhood. First thing we did was go to Brunetti and yes, they are higher end than Starbucks and Hudson’s. Good stuff and the photo of Alex with the plate is our documentary evidence. I had a strong skinny flat white, which is now my favorite drink in Australia. In American, that would be basically an Americano with two shots of espresso and steamed skim milk. We stopped by the Adidas store. First, Australians (at least the ones working there) pronounce it like Germans (AHdeDAS), not like we do in America (ahDEEdas). Second, their pricing in Australia was about like the US, which was welcome news. We did get a cute Aussie t-shirt with the well-known Australian seal (featuring a roo and an emu). He loves it and looks good in it.
Aneta, Alex, and I went to Fed Square for lunch – good lunch at a place called Time Out. They gave out their card, so now we can show it to Alex as something of a red card from soccer when he needs a time out. We went next door to the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). Cool place with independent, student, and indigenous videos, video games, and so forth. Then they got upset we took Alex’s photo for fear of copyright infringement (sounds like somebody else has too many lawyers). In our continuing effort to follow in the lawless footsteps of Ned Kelly (or is it Ned Flanders?), I am posting that illegal image right here.
Tonight’s game is actually a semifinal! It was a great time. First off, we found perhaps the first bargain in Australia - $15 tickets to a Pro Football game. Second, I walked around the stadium (Telstra Dome) - Nice modern stadium with a retractable roof (open). The concessions are a little behind the newest stadiums in the US (basic selection, no garlic fries or sushi or high end brats) but comparable to many pro stadiums. I checked out the apparel, but didn’t get anything. I had made up my mind to root for (whoops! make that “barrack” for) Essendon vs. St Kilda. Both are from Melbourne, both are black and red, so neither geography nor color could help, but “St. Kilda” sounds like a private school and the Saints does not sound like a winning team based on seeing the New Orleans Saints over the years. They did play “When the Saints come Marching in” a la Bourbon Street, which was cool. Still, the Essendon Bombers have a rather cool logo (we’ll see if I can find it online - ah yes, below! from official web site) and “essen” means “eat” in German, so it appealed to me on a rather basic level. Actually, the common color was a bit of a problem to follow right away - you don't know which fans are which but one team has vertical stripes and one has diagonal. The stadium was a neutral field, so there were no cheers led by the stadium sound system, but the fans of the two teams gathered in opposing endzones. The rest of the stadium was mixed and had quite a few kids – much more like baseball or college football than NFL football back home. It was general admission, so I could wander wherever I found a seat. Since it was preseason, even though it was pretty full, there were seats in any section. In the stadium, there is a club area which is essentially a sports bar inside the stadium where we could watch the cricket match vs. Sri Lanka before the football game got going. There, I struck up a conversation with a supporter of the Essenden side – Andrew – and hung out with him most of the game. He had come directly from work and was happy to talk with a foreigner and share any insights on his team or St Kilda. Great guy, very informative. Essenden’s real rival is the Collingswood Magpies. Several teams have great names: Mapgies is a good one, but Adelaide is known as the Crows because South Australians have the derisive nickname of “crow eaters” because the early settlers there liked to eat crow (not known whether it was necessity or choice – they even tried calling it the South Australian pheasant, but I am way off course here). Sadly, none of the Western Australia teams went with “Sand Gropers”. Sort of steering into the skid, like calling a team the West Virginia Couch Burners or the Cal Protesters. Most of the teams in the league are from Melbourne, so it is an exaggerated version of early Major League baseball when the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers played in a league with fewer teams.
The game itself was thrilling. I’ve figured out what creates which score, which is more than I can say for cricket. There are 18 players on the field for each team and they run like crazy and jump in the air for kicked balls. I am amazed that there is a single non-Australian punter in the NFL, because these guys can kick with accuracy, distance, and touch while being hit. There were a few rules in place for the preseason – like 50 meter “super goals” worth 9 points instead of 6. St Kilda won in the last minute 94-91. St Kilda is considered the more experienced and better team, whereas the Bombers just got a new coach. Essendon played very well and the fans were happy with the way their side looks for the season. I may have to watch this stuff when I get home.
Next: Last full day in Melbourne, meet up with friend from Sydney
Today Aneta had more work to do, so Alex and I went walking around the immediate neighborhood. First thing we did was go to Brunetti and yes, they are higher end than Starbucks and Hudson’s. Good stuff and the photo of Alex with the plate is our documentary evidence. I had a strong skinny flat white, which is now my favorite drink in Australia. In American, that would be basically an Americano with two shots of espresso and steamed skim milk. We stopped by the Adidas store. First, Australians (at least the ones working there) pronounce it like Germans (AHdeDAS), not like we do in America (ahDEEdas). Second, their pricing in Australia was about like the US, which was welcome news. We did get a cute Aussie t-shirt with the well-known Australian seal (featuring a roo and an emu). He loves it and looks good in it.
Aneta, Alex, and I went to Fed Square for lunch – good lunch at a place called Time Out. They gave out their card, so now we can show it to Alex as something of a red card from soccer when he needs a time out. We went next door to the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). Cool place with independent, student, and indigenous videos, video games, and so forth. Then they got upset we took Alex’s photo for fear of copyright infringement (sounds like somebody else has too many lawyers). In our continuing effort to follow in the lawless footsteps of Ned Kelly (or is it Ned Flanders?), I am posting that illegal image right here.
Tonight’s game is actually a semifinal! It was a great time. First off, we found perhaps the first bargain in Australia - $15 tickets to a Pro Football game. Second, I walked around the stadium (Telstra Dome) - Nice modern stadium with a retractable roof (open). The concessions are a little behind the newest stadiums in the US (basic selection, no garlic fries or sushi or high end brats) but comparable to many pro stadiums. I checked out the apparel, but didn’t get anything. I had made up my mind to root for (whoops! make that “barrack” for) Essendon vs. St Kilda. Both are from Melbourne, both are black and red, so neither geography nor color could help, but “St. Kilda” sounds like a private school and the Saints does not sound like a winning team based on seeing the New Orleans Saints over the years. They did play “When the Saints come Marching in” a la Bourbon Street, which was cool. Still, the Essendon Bombers have a rather cool logo (we’ll see if I can find it online - ah yes, below! from official web site) and “essen” means “eat” in German, so it appealed to me on a rather basic level. Actually, the common color was a bit of a problem to follow right away - you don't know which fans are which but one team has vertical stripes and one has diagonal. The stadium was a neutral field, so there were no cheers led by the stadium sound system, but the fans of the two teams gathered in opposing endzones. The rest of the stadium was mixed and had quite a few kids – much more like baseball or college football than NFL football back home. It was general admission, so I could wander wherever I found a seat. Since it was preseason, even though it was pretty full, there were seats in any section. In the stadium, there is a club area which is essentially a sports bar inside the stadium where we could watch the cricket match vs. Sri Lanka before the football game got going. There, I struck up a conversation with a supporter of the Essenden side – Andrew – and hung out with him most of the game. He had come directly from work and was happy to talk with a foreigner and share any insights on his team or St Kilda. Great guy, very informative. Essenden’s real rival is the Collingswood Magpies. Several teams have great names: Mapgies is a good one, but Adelaide is known as the Crows because South Australians have the derisive nickname of “crow eaters” because the early settlers there liked to eat crow (not known whether it was necessity or choice – they even tried calling it the South Australian pheasant, but I am way off course here). Sadly, none of the Western Australia teams went with “Sand Gropers”. Sort of steering into the skid, like calling a team the West Virginia Couch Burners or the Cal Protesters. Most of the teams in the league are from Melbourne, so it is an exaggerated version of early Major League baseball when the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers played in a league with fewer teams.The game itself was thrilling. I’ve figured out what creates which score, which is more than I can say for cricket. There are 18 players on the field for each team and they run like crazy and jump in the air for kicked balls. I am amazed that there is a single non-Australian punter in the NFL, because these guys can kick with accuracy, distance, and touch while being hit. There were a few rules in place for the preseason – like 50 meter “super goals” worth 9 points instead of 6. St Kilda won in the last minute 94-91. St Kilda is considered the more experienced and better team, whereas the Bombers just got a new coach. Essendon played very well and the fans were happy with the way their side looks for the season. I may have to watch this stuff when I get home.
Next: Last full day in Melbourne, meet up with friend from Sydney
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