Here's my definition of Melbourne - artistic, sytlish and lovely. I've never seen a city with such a colorful nighttime skyline and with such a bustling and exciting (though spread out) nightlife. There's a Texas-size casino here. There's a world class horse racing track. There's a waterfront. There's a maze of Chicago sized buildings and Seattle towers. Pretty much all you could ever want from a purely urban city.

The Melbourne Cup The australian kentucky derby. Suits. Dresses. Style. Money. Excitement. Racing. What a crazy freaking time, after I smuggled a carrier of Whiskey in the bottom of my hat (Ryan had luck smuggling a bottle in a subway sandwich loaf also) we got to get some horse racing in. I hit the first raced and cashed a quick win. Didn't hit any more after that, but still left the racetrack up A$100 (~$85 USD). Not too shabby. After that, it gets a little foggy. Here's my stream of memories:

Champaigne bottles everywhere, grandma got a kiss on the cheek, off to the quiet man bar after some streetside advice, a group of 8 crazies at the pub, Alyssa getting hit on by the IRA members, my 2 minutes of VIP at the outdoor section, meeting the Australian Brett and Marnie (same names, different personalities), Mystery meet Style, my arms covered with must-see australian travel destinations. Off to the dance club: the peacocking begins w/ the crazy sunglasses. Dancing. Scaring guys off of Alyssa, and finally topped off with a McOz sandwich from McDonalds at midnight. wow. simply wow.

And if that wasn't enough, after recovering from the hangover that lasted till 7pm the next day, I managed to scrape up another $100 of winnings at the nearby casino. Then, we made it to the Dracula's Cabaret Quite the experience really - hands down just a wild dinner theatre experience to say the least. Dustin, mad props to you buddy for recommending that place - it was worth every penny. When's the last time a vampire served you a drink with a bloody eyeball in it? Eye popping. Eye loved it.