It was advertised as an event with over 100 tuba players playing a collection of holiday chestnuts. We discovered upon arrival that this year broke a record with 118 tubas! (woohoo) And they were decorated.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tis the season for ubas
Things have been very quiet in blogville due to what some refer to as "life events". Anyhoo, life events were pushed aside on the weekend so that H and I could fill ourselves with holiday cheer. And nothing sounded merrier than the 14th Annual Tuba Christmas (or should that be the Uba Xma)!
It was advertised as an event with over 100 tuba players playing a collection of holiday chestnuts. We discovered upon arrival that this year broke a record with 118 tubas! (woohoo) And they were decorated.
It was advertised as an event with over 100 tuba players playing a collection of holiday chestnuts. We discovered upon arrival that this year broke a record with 118 tubas! (woohoo) And they were decorated.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
“Spare-ohs”
Last week I went to see the local acupuncturist/herbalist for my recent fatigue. She diagnosed me with blood deficiency (anemia), qi stagnation (standard issue for uptight people like me) and weak wei qi (immune system). After 30 minutes of needles and a bag of ground herbs, I’m now on the mend. I should mention here – there are few things as unpleasant as decoctions. They smell bad and taste worse. My herbalist grinds the herbs so you can steep individual cups rather than boiling up 2 days worth, which takes a couple of hours and “scents” the home. You should use a sieve to remove all the grounds, but because ours is in transit, I’m sipping around them. Only three cups of this granular, brown liquid a day for 10 days….
So with renewed energy this weekend, H and I continued our quest for a decent coffee and brunch here in Jacksonville. The Cool Moose Coffee Company looked and sounded perfect – cool, old building in Riverside, hipster wait staff and excellent food served with organic coffee. Well the space and staff were great and laid back, and that’s where the positives end. I wanted to order the Reuben sandwich but was told that they only serve breakfast/brunch on Sundays. OK -- then the salmon bagel will do. H ordered a latte and the Eggs Benedict. Good lord – they should have paid us to eat his meal or allowed him to cook his own! Was there even a cook in the kitchen?
The latte was just warm coffee-scented milk served in a paper cup. Seriously people – if you can’t make proper espresso drinks, just stick to drip coffee! Note to selves: perhaps we should just order drip coffees since 99% of Jacksonville establishments can’t make proper espresso drinks….*
Anyhoo, the “Eggs Benedict” consisted of 2 poached eggs on a muffin with more-processed-than-usual ham all topped with… (wait for it)… a mound of butter??! This “sauce” didn’t come close to hollandaise – there was no tang of lemon nor was it smooth or creamy. Obviously the ingredients weren’t measured or emulsified properly, and the VERY well-buttered egg yolks coagulated from excessive heat. And the folks at Cool Moose served it this way with no hesitation. My smoked salmon bagel was fine despite the fact that it was only served with cream cheese, tomato and a smidgen of salmon – no red onion or capers.
Numerous reviews state that the Cool Moose serves a consistently good brunch; it’s even where you head if you’ve had a disastrous/disgusting attempt at brunch. If our experience is anything to go by, the “bad brunches” in this town must be downright lethal.
While walking off our meals, we met a nice chap from Sydney. His advice was to give JAX 4 years as that’s the amount of time we need to adjust to it. His tip on coffee was to buy our own espresso maker. And when it comes to restaurants – he said all but 3 or 4 were shit. So save money and eat at home. The money we save from not eating out should go towards travelling up to NY (or any other big, progressive city) about once a month, which is what he does. That way we’ll keep our edge and our sanity. And then in about 4 years, we’ll actually feel at home here and be able to laugh at it all.
Is this advice really meant to make us feel better? If it is, it ain’t working.
* The coffee problem here cannot be explained away by the fact that Jacksonville is small or southern. While in Augusta, we actually had lattes that were comparable to the ones in Melbourne.
So with renewed energy this weekend, H and I continued our quest for a decent coffee and brunch here in Jacksonville. The Cool Moose Coffee Company looked and sounded perfect – cool, old building in Riverside, hipster wait staff and excellent food served with organic coffee. Well the space and staff were great and laid back, and that’s where the positives end. I wanted to order the Reuben sandwich but was told that they only serve breakfast/brunch on Sundays. OK -- then the salmon bagel will do. H ordered a latte and the Eggs Benedict. Good lord – they should have paid us to eat his meal or allowed him to cook his own! Was there even a cook in the kitchen?
The latte was just warm coffee-scented milk served in a paper cup. Seriously people – if you can’t make proper espresso drinks, just stick to drip coffee! Note to selves: perhaps we should just order drip coffees since 99% of Jacksonville establishments can’t make proper espresso drinks….*
Anyhoo, the “Eggs Benedict” consisted of 2 poached eggs on a muffin with more-processed-than-usual ham all topped with… (wait for it)… a mound of butter??! This “sauce” didn’t come close to hollandaise – there was no tang of lemon nor was it smooth or creamy. Obviously the ingredients weren’t measured or emulsified properly, and the VERY well-buttered egg yolks coagulated from excessive heat. And the folks at Cool Moose served it this way with no hesitation. My smoked salmon bagel was fine despite the fact that it was only served with cream cheese, tomato and a smidgen of salmon – no red onion or capers.
Numerous reviews state that the Cool Moose serves a consistently good brunch; it’s even where you head if you’ve had a disastrous/disgusting attempt at brunch. If our experience is anything to go by, the “bad brunches” in this town must be downright lethal.
While walking off our meals, we met a nice chap from Sydney. His advice was to give JAX 4 years as that’s the amount of time we need to adjust to it. His tip on coffee was to buy our own espresso maker. And when it comes to restaurants – he said all but 3 or 4 were shit. So save money and eat at home. The money we save from not eating out should go towards travelling up to NY (or any other big, progressive city) about once a month, which is what he does. That way we’ll keep our edge and our sanity. And then in about 4 years, we’ll actually feel at home here and be able to laugh at it all.
Is this advice really meant to make us feel better? If it is, it ain’t working.
* The coffee problem here cannot be explained away by the fact that Jacksonville is small or southern. While in Augusta, we actually had lattes that were comparable to the ones in Melbourne.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
#4 Haule Haule
It’s been a boring week in blogville. Life and a general malaise have prevented my fingers from typing.
As promised to J -- here is a lovely little video clip H and I recorded while walking home from Melbourne’s 2008 Coffee Festival. Fueled with 4 coffees each on a sweltering summer day, we stumbled upon a Bollywood movie shoot. The Indian crew had blocked our path out of Docklands so we pulled out the camera and captured this classy little dance number. This was Take 2 – here’s hoping there were a few more takes as it needs a little work! Excuse the shaky camera work – excessive caffeine and fits of laughter are to blame.
Monday, November 3, 2008
“from hell to breakfast, hold your fire”
I’m not a political person. In fact, I really loathe politics. This moment of clarity came after a short stint volunteering for the Victorian Greens a few years ago. During this time, I also discovered the true meaning of radical and that I’m not THAT left-wing after all. So I’m really surprised how into the 2008 US presidential election I am. I have such pre-election jitters at the moment that I’m in a perpetual state of nausea. Thank goodness it will all be over some time tomorrow, and I can decide whether or not to abandon my Australian and NZ PR….
So to get my mind off the election and ease my frayed nerves, I thought I would take J’s advice and write more about the cultural differences between Jacksonville and Melbourne. (J is not his real name since we all speak in code here in blogville.) After coffee, the next biggest difference that we have seen has been in the concept of going out for breakfast, one of H’s and my favorite pastimes. Honestly the two cities are polar opposites!
The staples of the Melbourne breakfast scene are:
Then the Melbourne foodies decided that these basic options were, well, a bit too basic. And our favorite haunts started serving more exotic dishes. There was the spicy Indonesian breakfast – steamed jasmine rice topped with mesclun, bean shoots, mint, cilantro, toasted peanuts in a sweet and sour soy dressing topped with 2 fried free-range eggs and sambal on the side. Or bagna cauda eggs served with toasted Turkish bread covered with roasted red pepper and olive stew, topped with 2 poached eggs and then slathered in a creamy anchovy and parsley Piedmontese sauce. (Words cannot describe how HARSH this is first thing in the morning, and I adore olives and anchovies!!) Or maybe a Middle Eastern take on the humble omelet with chickpeas, roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes and haloumi finished with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a sprinkle of ground sumac and coriander.
Towards the end of our stay in Melbourne, H and I were bemoaning this pretentious trend. Yes, I know that we’re both rather pretentious foodies ourselves, but these gourmet breakfasts just didn’t pair well with coffee, and prices jumped up to $40. That’s dear for a simple, just-rolled-out-of bed Sunday morning breakfast!
Back to Jacksonville where we have sampled two of the most popular breakfast joints. Our Melbourne standards now seem gourmet compared to the simplicity (sorry southern home-style cookin’) we have encountered. At the Fox, H got poached eggs that were over-cooked and served not on a piece of toast or English muffin but in a heaping mess in a bowl. There was a plain biscuit and what I guess was Jimmy Dean sausage on the side. I had rather ordinary eggs with cold, undercooked turkey sausage links and some rather loose grits. All white, tan and tasteless and not a green to be seen! It was cheap, but it was all about the quantity rather than the quality. The same with the Metro Diner – granted my waffle did come with a strawberry on top.
So in my breakfasts -- like my politics – I don’t like extremes. I guess H and I will continue searching for that perfect middle ground where quality is key and where a sprinkle of culinary imagination has dusted our plates.
So to get my mind off the election and ease my frayed nerves, I thought I would take J’s advice and write more about the cultural differences between Jacksonville and Melbourne. (J is not his real name since we all speak in code here in blogville.) After coffee, the next biggest difference that we have seen has been in the concept of going out for breakfast, one of H’s and my favorite pastimes. Honestly the two cities are polar opposites!
The staples of the Melbourne breakfast scene are:
- Option 1 -- Savory: Poached eggs on sourdough toast served with steamed spinach, sautéed mushrooms and half a roasted tomato. Maybe a hash brown thrown in if you order the “big brekkie”
- Option 2 – Sweet: Ricotta hotcakes with lemon curd and fresh berries
- Option 3 – Healthful: Fresh fruit with or without untoasted muesli topped with organic plain yogurt
Then the Melbourne foodies decided that these basic options were, well, a bit too basic. And our favorite haunts started serving more exotic dishes. There was the spicy Indonesian breakfast – steamed jasmine rice topped with mesclun, bean shoots, mint, cilantro, toasted peanuts in a sweet and sour soy dressing topped with 2 fried free-range eggs and sambal on the side. Or bagna cauda eggs served with toasted Turkish bread covered with roasted red pepper and olive stew, topped with 2 poached eggs and then slathered in a creamy anchovy and parsley Piedmontese sauce. (Words cannot describe how HARSH this is first thing in the morning, and I adore olives and anchovies!!) Or maybe a Middle Eastern take on the humble omelet with chickpeas, roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes and haloumi finished with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and a sprinkle of ground sumac and coriander.
Towards the end of our stay in Melbourne, H and I were bemoaning this pretentious trend. Yes, I know that we’re both rather pretentious foodies ourselves, but these gourmet breakfasts just didn’t pair well with coffee, and prices jumped up to $40. That’s dear for a simple, just-rolled-out-of bed Sunday morning breakfast!
Back to Jacksonville where we have sampled two of the most popular breakfast joints. Our Melbourne standards now seem gourmet compared to the simplicity (sorry southern home-style cookin’) we have encountered. At the Fox, H got poached eggs that were over-cooked and served not on a piece of toast or English muffin but in a heaping mess in a bowl. There was a plain biscuit and what I guess was Jimmy Dean sausage on the side. I had rather ordinary eggs with cold, undercooked turkey sausage links and some rather loose grits. All white, tan and tasteless and not a green to be seen! It was cheap, but it was all about the quantity rather than the quality. The same with the Metro Diner – granted my waffle did come with a strawberry on top.
So in my breakfasts -- like my politics – I don’t like extremes. I guess H and I will continue searching for that perfect middle ground where quality is key and where a sprinkle of culinary imagination has dusted our plates.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
"The Opposite of Coffee"
OK I’ll admit it – H and I are serious coffee snobs, and Melbourne is to blame with its 5000+ cafes and passion for proper Italian coffee and baristas. I’m not talking about drive-through Starbucks coffees either because, despite what they say, frappuccinos and pumpkin flavored beans aren’t coffee. I’m talking about heavy-bodied, bitter-sweet espressos topped with the perfect reddish-brown mantle of crema. And in the mornings, a heavenly (soy) latte served in a glass on a saucer (refer to picture if you're unfamiliar). In Melbourne, there’s an art to making and serving coffee.Unfortunately for us, Jacksonville doesn’t possess this flair. Perhaps it’s the lack of Italian culture or maybe the tropical climate…. Who knows? But as H and I have discovered in the last month, there’s some seriously bad coffee here!
Our first coffee was at a small café near Riverside. The espresso cup came out with around 30 ml of dark brown liquid. The portion was correct as was the cup. But there was no crema and no rich flavor. Instead we were served a mini cup of hazelnut flavored, Hawaiian drip coffee. Oh dear.
The following week, we broke down and reluctantly entered the Starbucks lair for a latte. I mistakenly thought that they could handle an ordinary soy latte. WTF!!! I thought as this sickeningly sweet shit sprayed out of my mouth. Did I order some bastardized version of chai? No. Apparently when you order a soy latte here, it’s made with vanilla flavored “soy product” packed with a gazillion calories and enough sugar to make your teeth ache. Natural soy milk is delicious – nutty and subtle. Yes it’s an acquired taste, but it’s a taste you’ll never acquire if you drink this syrupy shit! I won’t even go into the portion sizes….
That day H and I bought our own coffee grinder and a pound of over-roasted, fair-trade organic beans from Native Sun. At least our homemade drip coffee is a bit better than mediocre. Here’s hoping it will taste better when our Bodum arrives.
Folio Weekly (the independent street mag) just came out with its Best of Jax issue. Best Coffee went to Shelby’s Coffee Shoppe in Neptune Beach. Off we go to the beach! H scurried to the counter and breathlessly ordered 2 regular lattes with a double shot of espresso. The fact that it’s a “shoppe” rather than a shop or café should have raised alarm bells. Anyway, out came our flavorless lattes in large paper cups (we didn’t order takeaway btw) with this weird head of light over-aerated foam that gave the appearance of a milkshake rather than a coffee. H wept.
Here’s a good time to stop with our coffee adventures and give a quick café latte lesson. Of course a good shot of espresso is the foundation of a latte, but it’s also how the barista handles the steamed milk. The aim in steaming the milk is to aerate it and give it the consistency of whipped cream without burning it. The combination of frothed and steamed milk is then poured and gently ladled onto the espresso in the cup, as if folding it in. One must also be careful in getting the temperature of the milk right. The best milk temperature is between 60 C and 70 C because it gives the best flavor to the coffee and doesn’t scald your tongue (80C is the temp at which milk boils.)
Lesson over. So when all hope was lost, H decided to try one more place around the corner from our apartment called the Bad Ass Coffee Company. To our relief/surprise, we actually got decent coffees. Their espressos are better than the lattes – mainly because the lattes were served a bit too hot and were too "milky". However compared to our previous outings, we definitely have a winner. The beans are all Hawaiian, and the staff couldn’t be nicer. Now if only I can get them to make an unsweetened soy latte….. I’ll work on that!
Friday, October 24, 2008
“Not for all the tea in China”
Forget dueling pianos (there’s an Italian restaurant near us that actually advertises such a thing on Saturday nights…)! In Tinseltown, we have dueling Chinese chefs. The result is that Jacksonville’s best Dim Sum restaurant (or so they say) has been closed for the last 2 days. Last night on our walk, H and I witnessed one such altercation as the chefs/managers had a verbal throw down outside the restaurant refusing to open doors while perplexed potential diners looked on in horror….
What to do?! Could this mean that H and I will never sample the best char siu bao that JAX has to offer? We’re holding our breaths and will keep you posted.
UPDATE: Well I’ve taken a wee break from blogging so I should probably give an update on the dueling Chinese chefs. It appears that all issues have been resolved (well at least enough to reopen for business.) H decided to pop in yesterday for a take-away menu, and I now have quite the dilemma. Do I order the Fried Bean Curd Delight (fried tofu with mixed vegetables) or the Crispy Tofu with Vegetables???
What to do?! Could this mean that H and I will never sample the best char siu bao that JAX has to offer? We’re holding our breaths and will keep you posted.
UPDATE: Well I’ve taken a wee break from blogging so I should probably give an update on the dueling Chinese chefs. It appears that all issues have been resolved (well at least enough to reopen for business.) H decided to pop in yesterday for a take-away menu, and I now have quite the dilemma. Do I order the Fried Bean Curd Delight (fried tofu with mixed vegetables) or the Crispy Tofu with Vegetables???
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"Up with the Birds"
I just realized that we have been in Jacksonville for exactly 3 weeks! That’s it – 21 days. But it feels like an eternity with Melbourne being a distant memory. Granted it’s very likely that I’m suppressing immense grief for leaving our home, friends, job and school…. Anyhoo, I’m not slowing down; I won’t let myself slow down (at least not yet). There’s too much to see, do and organize. Here’s a rundown of the last 20 days in no particular order:
- Found out mother was in a car accident during our travels (luckily she’s now on the mend
- Cruised around town in PT Cruiser and happily dispensed of it 10 days later
- Moved into our lovely serviced apartment after 1 very long night in the airport Microtel
- Welcomed our two cats from Australia after their comfort stop in San Francisco
- Explored San Marco – twice. Cute from a distance but way too much tchotchke up close!
- Stumbled into 5 Points, which makes Little 5 Points seem huge
- Met the lovely owners of Scribes Café and had the tastiest reuben
- Found a feline vet when our little cat was suffering from extreme jetlag
- H did his part for the flailing economy by taking advantage of a Banana Republic sale
- He then embraced FL culture (and colors) by buying a pastel orange oxford for work! It really suits him btw
- Still deliberating about which whole foods market is better – Fresh Market or Native Sun?
- Decided that the city’s “best” authentic Indian is really, really ordinary and not that authentic. (Needed a microscope to find the paneer in my palak paneer)
- Scared by the portions at the Metro Diner but happy to have a brunch place
- H started his new job
- Got drivers license and managed to register to vote by a whisker
- Found a nice walking path that we’re enjoying most nights. It actually rains here!
- Almost finished a large bottle of Bombay Sapphire – G&Ts are a bit too lovely in this tropical climate
- Went to dinner in Ponte Vedra with friends of the PUs
- Explored Avondale and discovered $5 happy hour martinis at Sterlings (nice crab cakes too)
- Agree with Folio Weekly about Burrito Gallery having great burritos
- Went to a hot yoga class
- Then uncovered the dodgy “shiatsu” underbelly of the city and seem to have gotten blacklisted by the one and only “guru”….
- Grandmother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure but is still fighting
- Found an acupuncturist, who I’ll definitely be seeing again since there’s no shiatsu
- Got a library card
- H got his drivers license, we got insured and bought a new, pretty Honda – all in one day
- Went to Jacksonville Beach where H bemoaned the fact that the Atlantic ocean is brown
- Toured St Augustine during Bike-tober Fest and found it more than a little scary
- Still looking for a Tai Chi class….
- Job search underway -- postings are few and nerves are frayed
- Trying to psych myself up to make cold calls re employment opportunities – not quite there yet
- Contacted the MS Society about volunteering and have already had one volunteer gig
- Getting creative – started this blog and have been taking heaps of photos
- Staying disciplined with daily meridian exercises and meditation
- Happy with local Total Wine & More – found an excellent 2006 Alsatian Gewurztraminer
- Have given H one shiatsu treatment
- Rekindled my love for gua sha
- Finished 1.5 books and gave up on 2 others
- Have done our bit to support NPR (Made sure $ went to national programming instead of local because of the surly volunteer who took my call and money)
- Wasting way too much time on Facebook!
- Discovered I fit into size 0 cords from J Crew – who knew? Got a pair in v. bright persimmon (I should mention my australian matchstick jeans are size 9....)
- Wishes the elliptical fitness machine at the gym wasn’t so dull and difficult. Have to make sure the new cords still fit once it cools down (if it cools down?)
- Voted!!! How sweet is Florida’s early voting? Here’s hoping FL doesn’t fuck up again. Here’s hoping my candidate doesn’t fuck it up either…
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"The Suburb Inbetween"
So here we go again – day 2 of the writing/blogging project. At the moment H and I are living out in the ‘burbs in a serviced apartment while waiting for our beloved belongings to arrive from across the Pacific. As of last week, the ETA to JAX is mid December so we have a while yet before we’re settled in our own (much cheaper) apartment.
I thought I’d be going mad living in a gated community miles from the city and inner neighborhoods. Surprisingly that is not the case at all. The few people we know -- plus some random people we have met in the last few weeks -- are all trying to get us to move into one of the “hip” inner neighborhoods. However, I have no desire. Shocking I know coming from a born and bred urbanite….
I actually like the security of our gated community with its large apartments, manmade lake and lovely swimming pool. We have well manicured footpaths/sidewalks that provide ample walking area. In fact, one path takes us to Tinseltown -- complete with Chinese restaurant (with Dim Sum Lounge), pizza joint, mega movie theater and microbrewery. We haven’t sampled any of these yet, but we know they are there -- within walking distance. H’s work is only a 7 minute drive away as is an organic whole food market. And for literally everything else we need – we have Town Centre Mall around the corner. It’s not your typical enclosed mall. Instead it’s an open area mall with proper shop fronts and jazz that’s mysteriously piped through the shrubbery. It’s all shiny and new and generic, but it’s a nice community where I feel as secure as I can at the moment.
Here I should also mention that H and I are in love with the modern amenities of our lush apartment – with its laundry room, dish washer and closet so huge that H leaves the door open because it feels like a whole other room. We don’t really know what to do with all this luxury and space after almost 5 years in a squalid 70’s flat but we won’t go into that now….
We have ventured into these popular inner city neighborhoods/downtown. They feel quaint and seedy at the same time -- probably stemming from southern zoning laws or the lack thereof. They may offer river views and limited alternative medicine, but they don’t offer enough to make me give up our current suburban conveniences and security. Come the weekends though and perhaps the odd week night, H and I will happily venture into town and explore/support these historic neighborhoods. (We have already discovered some gems of restaurants that are sure to be staples while in JAX.)
I thought I’d be going mad living in a gated community miles from the city and inner neighborhoods. Surprisingly that is not the case at all. The few people we know -- plus some random people we have met in the last few weeks -- are all trying to get us to move into one of the “hip” inner neighborhoods. However, I have no desire. Shocking I know coming from a born and bred urbanite….
I actually like the security of our gated community with its large apartments, manmade lake and lovely swimming pool. We have well manicured footpaths/sidewalks that provide ample walking area. In fact, one path takes us to Tinseltown -- complete with Chinese restaurant (with Dim Sum Lounge), pizza joint, mega movie theater and microbrewery. We haven’t sampled any of these yet, but we know they are there -- within walking distance. H’s work is only a 7 minute drive away as is an organic whole food market. And for literally everything else we need – we have Town Centre Mall around the corner. It’s not your typical enclosed mall. Instead it’s an open area mall with proper shop fronts and jazz that’s mysteriously piped through the shrubbery. It’s all shiny and new and generic, but it’s a nice community where I feel as secure as I can at the moment.
Here I should also mention that H and I are in love with the modern amenities of our lush apartment – with its laundry room, dish washer and closet so huge that H leaves the door open because it feels like a whole other room. We don’t really know what to do with all this luxury and space after almost 5 years in a squalid 70’s flat but we won’t go into that now….
We have ventured into these popular inner city neighborhoods/downtown. They feel quaint and seedy at the same time -- probably stemming from southern zoning laws or the lack thereof. They may offer river views and limited alternative medicine, but they don’t offer enough to make me give up our current suburban conveniences and security. Come the weekends though and perhaps the odd week night, H and I will happily venture into town and explore/support these historic neighborhoods. (We have already discovered some gems of restaurants that are sure to be staples while in JAX.)
“I am going to make it through this year if it kills me!”
I have been saying that I would start a blog to document this horrendous shock to the system of moving from Melbourne Australia to Jacksonville Florida USA. So here goes…. I am not sure how this will turn out as I am not much of a writer. I’m also a horrible typist so I tend to lose lovely bits of prose as my fingers refuse to keep up with my brain. But I will give it a go (at least for a little while).
Where to start? Perhaps a little about me and how I have gotten into this situation. I am an American who has lived in Australia on and off for the last 13 years. My longest stint in the country was 5 consecutive years from 2003 until 3 weeks ago. Ageing parents, Melbourne’s exorbitant house prices and a desire to travel prompted my partner (let’s call him H) and me to return to the US. When choosing American cities, we focused on Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston – big, vibrant, left-leaning cities where indie bands actually tour. But the pickings were, well, non-existent, and then H got an offer to come to Jacksonville with his company. When the choice was move to the US in this uncertain economic climate with a job or without, it was a no brainer. So here we are in Jacksonville – honestly grateful for this opportunity!
Now with this blog/journal/whatever – it would be easy to bitch and moan about this town and totally mock it from the get go, but I don’t want to do that. This morning I was looking at few existing blogs about JAX and was inspired by the bloggers passion to make Jacksonville better/more livable, to create a cultural outlet for inner city residents and to present a hipper side to the city.
But I don’t think I can do that either – not yet. Why? Because I don’t love this city nor do I know it well enough. I had never been here before we moved here, have no friends and no attachments to it whatsoever. It’s totally new and I want to be objective and honest – present the good and the bad – as H and I uncover it. Three weeks in and we are honestly raw from the initial cultural bitch slap we have gotten. It’s so different from what we know, need and want.
Over the years, I’ve fallen madly love with cities that have wooed me with their elegance, worldliness and charm. Jacksonville by contrast seems conservative, dowdy and somewhat dangerous – a suitor that would never catch my eye/interest except for the fact that we have been thrown together by necessity. I am not sure what we’ll have in common…. But this is all superficial at this stage. There’s no initial attraction/chemistry, but I need to keep myself open and look for the good that lies below the surface. Perhaps then we can be friends or at least acquaintances.
Where to start? Perhaps a little about me and how I have gotten into this situation. I am an American who has lived in Australia on and off for the last 13 years. My longest stint in the country was 5 consecutive years from 2003 until 3 weeks ago. Ageing parents, Melbourne’s exorbitant house prices and a desire to travel prompted my partner (let’s call him H) and me to return to the US. When choosing American cities, we focused on Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston – big, vibrant, left-leaning cities where indie bands actually tour. But the pickings were, well, non-existent, and then H got an offer to come to Jacksonville with his company. When the choice was move to the US in this uncertain economic climate with a job or without, it was a no brainer. So here we are in Jacksonville – honestly grateful for this opportunity!
Now with this blog/journal/whatever – it would be easy to bitch and moan about this town and totally mock it from the get go, but I don’t want to do that. This morning I was looking at few existing blogs about JAX and was inspired by the bloggers passion to make Jacksonville better/more livable, to create a cultural outlet for inner city residents and to present a hipper side to the city.
But I don’t think I can do that either – not yet. Why? Because I don’t love this city nor do I know it well enough. I had never been here before we moved here, have no friends and no attachments to it whatsoever. It’s totally new and I want to be objective and honest – present the good and the bad – as H and I uncover it. Three weeks in and we are honestly raw from the initial cultural bitch slap we have gotten. It’s so different from what we know, need and want.
Over the years, I’ve fallen madly love with cities that have wooed me with their elegance, worldliness and charm. Jacksonville by contrast seems conservative, dowdy and somewhat dangerous – a suitor that would never catch my eye/interest except for the fact that we have been thrown together by necessity. I am not sure what we’ll have in common…. But this is all superficial at this stage. There’s no initial attraction/chemistry, but I need to keep myself open and look for the good that lies below the surface. Perhaps then we can be friends or at least acquaintances.
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