LosPantalones

Big Fluffy High Five

This is the food capital of Brisbane, right in the heart of West End. Boundary reminds me of Lygon Street in Carlton or City Road in Newtown.

Vulture is a long and busy street. I will only talk about the West End part of Vulture. The West End part of Vulture has the primary school, is close to Hargrave, and forms a well-known intersection with Boundary, the centre of the West End village. There are some great retro shops down near Hardgrave. I wouldn't want to live on the street, but it is an important street for retail in West End.

Montague links the cultural centres of Brisbane (on the north of West End) to the parks at Hill End (to the south). The street still has industrial use to the north (which is being resumed and replaced with high-priced residences). Home to the Brisbane farmer's markets, the road becomes very busy on Saturdays, and a pedestrian crossing or walk lights would be a great idea to ensure that everyone stays safe. Close to the river, the road will eventually become a retail strip as the finger parks are developed between Montague and the river, and a new city cat stop is put in next to the park.

Still home to a lot of outlet shopping, a number of coffee shops and high end offices have replaced the older factories and warehouses.

Great public transport now that the City Glider runs along the street.

This street has a mixture of traditional West End residences and new homes. The street is close to the primary school and West End park, the markets and Hardgrave Street. Very easy to get anywhere because it is close to transport on Montague and Hardgrave. Great part of West End.

This is a very nice street in a nice part of West End. There is a nice Yoga School and the people are very friendly. There is a cute dog on the corner of Skinner and Beattie, which I occasionally stop to say hi to. Just a short walk to the markets on Saturday and the Hardgrave for shopping.

West End is not for everyone.

It is nice and quiet, and is getting quieter. As a peninsula it is naturally a local traffic only zone. If you like noise you will be disappointed because even the couple of remaining industrial sites at the city end of the peninsula are being replaced with wide bike/pedestrian paths, and new residences full of people who can walk/ride less than a kilometre to work (or the best state high in Queensland), or catch the new City Glider bus service, or City Cat (including from another stop at the end of Victoria Street). If noise is your thing you might think West End is "terrible".

West End is also the food capital of Brisbane. Locals don't need to drive to the best food in Brisbane because they can just walk there at any time. And if they enjoy a few drinks, they can just walk back home or get a taxi there for a few bucks. So, if you don't like good food, then you might think West End is "terrible".

There are a growing number of riverside parks, and the town plan promises even more parkland in the area. West End will soon be the park capital of inner Brisbane, with the entire western side of the peninsula becoming one long riverside park and bikeway. So, if you don't like parks that link you to work and Queensland's premier cultural attractions, then you might think West End is "terrible".

West End has the best farmers' market in Brisbane. You will save at least half of your fruit/veg/meat budget by shopping here every Saturday morning, and get fresh food for the privilege. You can also stop to have a coffee by the river enjoying some of the best busking on offer. And if you are a local you can do all of this while catching up with the neighbours. So, if you don't like fresh cheap food and coffee with friends, then you might think West End is "terrible".

West End is close to the CBD. This means that it is easy for the locals to walk/ride/commute minutes to the city or any of Brisbane's major uni campuses. So, if you like to jump in the car and commute for large portions of your waking hours, burning money for the privilege, then you might think West End is "terrible".

West End is an urban community that has little room for the snobbery of those who measure success by the size of their car. Those who make plenty happily live alongside those make relatively little. In fact, the locals think this is exactly how things should be. So, if you like to be surrounded only by people who are like you, then you might think West End is "terrible."

If you think that saving money on food and transport, living among interesting people, and enjoying the arts is "terrible" there are plenty of places in Brisbane that you will rate as "Excellent". But for this fluffy dog, there is no better place to have my kennel.

Where do I start? Like to eat? This street connects Hardgrave's famous cheap (and awesome) restaurant/cafe strip to the West End farmer's markets. Like to get places? Take your pick of public transport to UQ or the city (including the CityGlider) leaving from Hardgrave or Montague every few minutes. You can also walk or bike to just about anywhere that is worth going - whether it's Boundary, the City, or UQ. And all of this without noise? How is this possible? Well, this aptly named street is Skinner than most so only locals drive down. If you own a Hummer, this skinny street could be a Bummer. Fortunately, Hummer access is not one of the ratings.

There are also the characters on the street - from the super friendly dogs who are so old they don't have much left other than an appreciation for a scratch, to the cat that loves to go for a drive with a suspicious bandage on the end of its tail; rumor has it that one drive in the car was a little less enjoyable than the others.

It is also one of the streets in West End that has families as well as the Bohemian potpourri that makes West End special. With nice size blocks, narrow street and school around the corner make it a bit of a no-brainer.