GWAS Notes: Paean to Brisneyland

GWAS Notes: Paean to Brisneyland

Image: Frock Paper Scissors

You know the intense love Carrie Bradshaw felt for New York? That's how I feel about Brisbane. We've had a lot of special moments together over the past three years, as we've got to know each other's quirks and tastes in our honeymoon phase, and while it's hard to see her suffering, she's shining despite the circumstances.

Now submerged beneath muddy waters, South Bank and its surrounding areas have provided an adventure playground for a girl who loves the library, ballet, market stalls, cafes and long strolls on sunny days; the ideal setting for showing the city off to visiting friends and touring author types.

I still get butterflies when I drive down Coronation Drive into the city, taking in the Brisbane River. Not as "pretty" as Sydney with those dazzling Harbour views, not as eccentric as Melbourne with her anachronistic trams and cobbled backstreets, but unique nevertheless.

Testimony to the city's thriving cultural scene and also lady-of-the-moment Premier Bligh's commitment to investing in the Arts, last year the city hosted the Valentino Retrospective at GoMA, an impressive museum opened in 2008, while Vogue editor Kirstie Clements took in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival (here's hoping Vogue brings Fashion's Night Out to Brisbane this year), QPAC put on a wonderful ensemble of stage shows (like West Side Story), and the Brisbane Writer's Festival attracted excellent literary talent (bookmark it now!).

Oh, the Arts, fashion and fancy food; how frivolous you seem as the city floats away and with it the dreams of so many. But how we will need you to keep the city afloat once the clean-up is done and we are looking to get lost in the creativity of humanity, and have some fun.

For more insights into Brisbane, a calendar of events and a short cultural history by Lara Burke, visit Frock Paper Scissors.

Yours trulym
Girl With a Satchel