From 2011 to 2017 Melbourne was named most livable city in the world by The Economist. This stand out city, among other top dogs like Vienna, Vancouver and Toronto, is set on the southeast coast of the Australian state Victoria. Victoria, although a smaller state, is well known for its beautiful coastline, mountains, seasonality and, especially, Melbourne. Having now lived in this hip, coastal city for five months, there are three things that really stand out to me as the city’s top brags: art, food and people.

Art

The art scene Melbourne is unlike anywhere else in Australia. Dubbed the culture capital of Australia the streets are filled with informal art galleries. No matter where you go in the central business district and surrounding neighborhoods your eyes are flooded with street art, some commissioned, some done freely. With everything from portraits of Hollywood stars to more traditional graffiti script, there is something for everyone in Melbourne’s ever expanding laneways.

Food

          A literal melting pot of cultures, it only takes a few blocks to discover why finding food is not a problem, but what to eat is. Since 40% of Melbourne’s population is from overseas, everything from authentic Chinese dumplings to traditional Greek gyros is a regular find in the city.You also won’t find too many Starbucks in Melbourne and that’s because Melbournians know good coffee. Trust me, you and your coffee addiction won’t get too far without being taunted by the delicious smells that fill the streets of downtown.

People

Much like any other destination, the locals can make or break how enjoyable the place was. Being from Chicago I’m used to midwestern hospitality and “over-niceness” and, much to my surprise, Melbourne was no different. There is a certain level of community that is hard to come across is other big cities. The diverse cultures of its 4.8 million inhabitants makes it so there is always something new to do and new people to meet. Plus, if you lucky you might find a few people to take you surfing on the weekends.