fitzroyalty

This man often stands on the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets with his crazy banner. He’s so old skool. I’m tempted to walk up to him to say ‘get a website dude!’

Not all the local residents are famous. Painter girls and sailor boys lurk and loiter in Fitzroy.

The Gertrude St Enoteca is a very cool, cute and cosy place to visit at night for drinks and nibbles or, if you’ve already had dinner, for delicious hot chocolate. You can also drink and buy to take away many different wines.

If you want to get into someone’s pants, take them here first for hot chocolate. It’s that good.

I was surprised to find that I have not written on Mecca Bah on New Quay at Docklands already. I love the food and although the service can be rather slow at busy times, I keep going back. I was there for lunch on Friday with the Docklands Marketing Network and had the wonderful Moroccan spiced calamari with Turkish bean salad.

Mecca Bah usually gets positive reviews from bloggers and I agree. With a crisp WA unwooded chardonnay and a view of the sparkling water, you won’t want to leave in a hurry.

I went to the Artery in Fitzroy recently. It’s another cute Fitzroy place located on a quiet side street that you could easily miss. It’s a relaxing place to hang out or have coffee at on the weekends. It has art exhibitions, bands and a calm spacious environment.

I’ve been following the growth of hyperlocal sites - sites that focus on specific geographical areas. Fitzroyalty is focused on Fitzroy, for example, though it also includes whatever occupies my miniscule attention span at any particular moment.

There are some other excellent examples: the Smith St blog covers Fitzroy and Collingwood, the Abbotsford blog specialises in Abbotsford and the inner north-east, and the Republic of Moreland deals with Brunswick, Coburg and surrounding suburbs. I also love I Love St Kilda.

As the New York Times reported in July, hyperlocal sites are becoming more popular. We may usually think that virtual social networks exist to bring together people from opposite ends of the country or other sides of the world, but they are as effective in connecting people who may live only a street away but who may never otherwise meet.