dudes

our Thanksgiving consisted of zero turkey consumption, but more than a little salt water was taken in.  To celebrate a holiday that is not celebrated in Australia, we went with a very Aussie activity - surfing. Neither one of us had tried it before, but we were there and WHAT THE HELL... ya know?

Admittedly, I was a tad bit of a bitch on the way out there. We took a massively long bus ride to a non-touristy surf spot, so I spent my time wishing I was laying on the beach being a bum. Once we got in the water, my mood shifted and I became friends with my board. Turns out, I love surfing and I don't suck at it. Who knew? God bless the adventure.

Unfortunately, the photographer (yes, there was one with this particular instructor) didn't get too many Rp shots, but I figured Ron's legit ALL OVER this blog, so here's my face for a minute.

(please disregard my intense face and disappearing eyes... next step is learning to surf with sunnies)

later, dudes!

xxoo,
b

imagination station

Most people in Byron Bay seem to be on perma-vacation... and that's an incredible thing if you can manage it. We, however, manage to always squeeze in work when we find the time (noooo/blahhhh/rawrrrr/etc). It's super lame and counterintuitive. However, when your job lands you in a place like this super fantastic music imagination station, it doesn't suck quite as much.

We were hooked up with a friend of a friend who runs a studio/artist haven ON the water in Byron. Pretty sweet gig, ehh? OH, and they have a major beer sponsor that just delivers cases upon cases of beer to their doorstep every month. To say it does not suck would be a slight understatement.  So when we were offered the chance to go chill for the day, we jumped on it. We wandered the 30 minutes down back roads to get to the place and were much better for it. 

They fed us their free beer, we talked shop, we played some tunes (i.e. I was sort of drunk after 3 beers so I twirled around a bunch and looked like a spastic 5 year old), and we met a baby and a dog. Perfect day? I say YES. 

then things got a little hazy on the way home. I think we met a spirit guide in the form of a dog and I forced Ron to take a photo of me muscling up a drunk handstand (hey! at least I remembered to point my toes). It's a miracle what three beers will do to me after all these years of being a fully grown/mostly functional adult. 

listen, I don't judge you and your hobbies.

And with that: goodbye & goodnight!

xxoo,

b

a break in byron bay

after the tour we took a short detour (get it?? get it?! Oh my God, I'm lame) and went to Byron Bay. It's about two hours away from Brisbane, which was the last show of the tour. What a show it was, also! First of all, these crazy Aussies came out in the HAIL. I'm not sure why I was under the impression that Australia was a never-ending summer, but my brain has been sorted out properly now.

We chose Byron in an effort to skirt the Schoolies... which is basically Australian kids' one shot at spring break. It happens right after they finish high school - which happened to coincide directly with the end of the tour. While we did find a few stray schoolies running about, Byron was pretty low key for the most part & unlike any beach I've ever been to. The water is an insane blue and the beaches are left in their wonderfully natural state.

The weather was pretty meh the first day we went out exploring... but it definitely redeemed itself the following days.

Catch ya later - so behind on these!
-b

mmmm, melbourne (food part 1)

As a New Yorker, I hate and love to say that I'm a food snob. Everyone in New York calls themselves a foodie, which I refuse to do since the argument has been made that everyone on earth is a Foodie. We all love food and must to survive... big, giant, DUH. I don't call myself a "sleepie" because I love sleep and know the best kinds of beds. Foodie is also not a job title, people... do you think Adam Platt tells people he's a foodie when they ask what he does? NO - he's a professional restaurant critic. Back to my point - regardless of being a "foodie" or not, if there is one thing we know, it's that New York has the best cuisine in America - HANDS DOWN. Therefore I am a snob about it. If you don't agree, you have never visited. If you have visited and don't agree, your tour guide/friend was clearly terrible and took you to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Times Square. No other explaination. And before you come at me with all sorts of nonsense about the best BBQ place in Texas or the best cuban place in Florida - I'm saying as a whole New York food is head and shoulders above any other city. GAH, you're not even fighting me and I can already feel the backlash.

So, I was more than pleasantly surprised that Australia has RIDICULOUS food. I even found out that when people travel to New York they expect the food to be BAD - whaaaa??? Yeah. So, confusion aside here are my top picks! (and one miss):

MoVida (Melbourne) - spanish amazingness

After a failed attempt to go to a recommended spot, Mamasita (the line was out to the street), we ended up at MoVida. It's busy with a post-work, yet cool crowd. We waited about 10 minutes before being seated at the bar. They really hit the nail on the head with their spanish tapas style menu. We nommed on a spanish pork + pepper sandwich, a beetroot salad, an out of this world spanish meat board and various other delicious things. PLUS, a really nice rioja to tie it all together. As far as the location - while it is downtown, it's tucked away on this cool little side street, so it doesn't have the corporate vibe that might normally go with downtown resto. GO. Go, now!

Pelligrini's (Melbourne) - Hole in the wall Italian

After a SECOND failed attempt at Mamasita's (ughhhh! conquest for next time), we went with our back up recc of Pelligrini's. I honestly wasn't sure if we made a mistake when we walked in. It's a dingy little diner style restaurant. No one offers to seat you and there are no menus handed out. The noise level is a bit above minimum as almost everyone has their head down in their pasta bowl with a pink drink to their right. Whatever, we were starving so we gave it a shot. Turns out the pink drink was watermelon juice and they serve some of the best lasagna I've EVER put in my mouth (and again... coming from someone who is well versed in an Italian kitchen). I can see how it does get negative reviews - it's not a normal restaurant experience. You go in, you eat, you pay, you leave. No fluff. I don't know about the rest of the "menu" - but a stop in is well worth it for the lasagna. 

29th Apartment (St. Kilda, Melbourne) - bar food perfection

On one of our only days off, we wandered down to St. Kilda to walk around the bay. We were there at an odd time, but were STARVING. Our eating schedule is severely off due to our non-stop travelin. It can be a real hassle. We found a spot that was JUST opening and sat down at the bar to grab some food. Turns out they were going for an "American" vibe, which I still find funny since very little cuisine is really ours. We got a dip plate, a caramelized onion pizza, and a burger. ALL exceeded expectations! It tried to be messy, I could tell, but they were just too good at putting it all together. The decor tried to look like a messy New York apartment with oddly match furniture. For the most part, it succeeded. They also were setting up to have a vintage/young designer market that evening - so bummed I couldn't stick around for it. Looked like some amazing stuff. Ch ch ch check it if you have the chance and tell me how it is!

Papa Gino's (Lygon Street for Italian food, Melbourne) -  OUR MAJOR MISS

One of our first recc's in Melb was Lygon street for a Little Italy type atmosphere. We were DYING for some good pasta, so we were all about this experience. Except... it sucked. The pasta was overcooked, the parm was terribly breaded, the sauce was potentially from a jar, the antipasto left a lot to be desired. MAJOR BOMB. To sum it up, here is how my wonderful partner in life described the meal (to our server, much to my dismay).

Server: "So, how was it?" (hands us the bill)

Ron: "Average; I'd say mediocre at best"

 - Insert me with my head down looking anywhere but at this poor server - 

Server: "Oh..."

Ron: "I mean, I'm from New York - we have the best Italian food outside of Italy there"

Server: "So... it wasn't good."

Ron: "No... um, just... no. Sorry, man"

Gotta love him for speaking the truth! 

That's it for now. Be back soon! Commence the comments!

love,

b

so many thanks!

this is from last year in the Hamptons. I have not seen ONE pumpkin or squash in Australia. 

Well, here we are - another Thanksgiving has come 'round again. Last year I was in Mexico... this year I ended up in Australia. WHAT THE HELL. I almost never know where my life is going to take me, but no complaints so far. I still have multiple Aussie posts just waiting in the wings, but since the holiday sprung up without much warning where I am, I'm going to take a short detour for a minute.

What was intended as a "break" after the tour, has turned into our normal schedule of working, stressing, and making sure everything runs smoothly in the world of RP Music. While I could complain about never getting a real holiday or vacation, I'm going to relax & take in the moment (as they say to do). This is what we chose - I love my job and wouldn't pick one other way to run our life. PLUS, in an effort to celebrate the holiday, we just wrapped up a day of surfing (or doing our best trying) and now I'm sitting out on the balcony of our hotel room. I am SO fortunate that I had the opportunity to leave behind a career that was less than fulfilling and move on to one that I am not only invested in, but wake up everyday ready to make a difference. I get to work in music, I get to travel with my love, I get to be creative, I get to see the very real effects of my influence, I get to work with people from all over the world and make new friends every day. Our life isn't conventional & I suppose a lot of people question it, but I'll take it just the way it is.

There is one gaping hole that can't be filled, though. The fact that we are constantly away from our loved ones and miss holidays with them hurts in a way I can't explain. I miss the feeling of waking up on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning and knowing that I am going to smell certain smells and hug certain arms. While I've only had two years of it, I already ache for the sound of my nephew's laugh and his semi screaming "AUNT B!" - it's decidedly, the best. I'm also missing one of my favorite aunts who is going through a tough time (send up an extra prayer if you have one!) - she's not going to have the best day and I would do anything to make it better for her.

So that's that! Before I move completely away from my snarky self, I'll wish you all a very HAPPY (and maybe drunk, if you take it that way) THANKSGIVING! Thanks for hanging out with me these past few months... much more to come!

xxoo
-b

love from Melbourne

One of the hardest things about traveling is realizing that you likely won't live long enough to live in all of the places you fall in love with. By now I've racked up quite a hefty list of places I'd like to lay my head & call home for longer than a weekend.  The latest addition to this list is Melbourne. So far she wins as my favorite city in Australia. Melbourne is chock full of art, cafes, boutique shopping.... and marsupials.

It will take me a couple of posts to tell you all of the reasons I love Melbourne, so we'll start at the top! 

We went to the city a few days before the show so we could do press. Fortunately for us, our amazing publicist set up press that could also coincide with some sightseeing.  She's the best. Our first stop was about 90 minutes outside of the city. Ron had a photoshoot at Healesville Sanctuary with koalas, a baby kangaroo, and a baby wombat. To say we were in heaven is the understatement of the year!  Forget models - koalas in a photoshoot are where it's AT. This town was overly cute to boot - AND we drove past some beautiful wineries on the way there. AND you can ride a horse at said wineries. AND they don't care how drunk you are on said horse. I think we could make a life here. 

I've got some AMAZING food rec's for you travelin' fools... but for now, I'll leave you with these priceless photos of us with our new friends & our first day in Melbourne!

First stop: a Bloody Mary

a walk in St. Kilda - so many kite surfers!

new friends!

yes! lifelong dream.

baby wombat//baby wombat is now our child.

introducing the star of the day. I don't like to choose favorites... but I'm stealing her.

love her

Like I said... much more to come. Time to get ready for a SOLD OUT SHOW in Sydney! Catch you next time... with some foooooood... or virtual food. 

Later,
b

Bondi

So, the first thing you need to know about Bondi is how to say it. Seems I was saying it incorrectly for the first 24 hours before someone was kind enough to correct me. The emphasis is on the I at the end. Like, bond-EYE. Don't say bondeee unless you want to sound like a total idiot. Moving along...

We went out there to have lunch with a friend that I met in New York years ago. As much as people bitch about Facebook, it really is a handy tool in keeping up with friends all over the globe. It was like we never missed a beat! We had lunch at Le Paris Go then grabbed gelato and headed to the beach. It was a tad more windy than we had planned, but we still had fun wandering around and planning out our next Aussie summer (we'll be living in Bondi, we've decided). We felt a little more at home in Bondi... it's like a cross between the East Village and Williamsburg.

The weather didn't cooperate the entire time - changing drastically from sunny to cloudy to make-your-hair-stick-in-your-lip-gloss wind. Either way, below is our adventure.

Later babies! Gotta run so I can go meet a baby koala. This is real life.

PS - apologies for my lack of pants in these photos.