It's good news to know that I don't need to go all the way to St Kilda, Prahran, or Brunswick Street to imbibe some laid back coffee culture. The lanes in and around the city center are full of an artsy vibe that has transformed these parts of the city from once dark, grubby, graffiti-sprayed, dumpster-laden no-go zones. Now all I need is to buy one of the Victorian, Federation or Art-deco apartments just round the corner and I'd be ready to settle...who needs the suburbs!