best+arcades+and+lanes

//Degraves street is located between Flinders street and Flinders lane. It is a popular place to stop for a coffee in a quiet unique café. Degraves street is named after Charles and William Degraves who where pioneer merchants from Hobart. Degraves street is a cobbled blue stone alley that loosely connects with centre place. The Degraves street underpass was built in the early 1950s. Modern Architecture like hotels and loft style apartments were later built in the 1990s. Vehicles have restricted access to the lane as there café seating planted in the centre of the street. The lane is home to several bars and cafes also home to an organic fruit and vegetable store called TOFWD. There is also a Christian Science Reading room, Belgian Waffle shop; Graffiti wall (Degraves Lane) Barbers, hairdressers and The C.A.E (short course university).//
 * __Best Arcades and Lanes__**
 * Degraves street**

__What we Think:__ We really liked Degraves Street because it has a lot of funky shops; one of our favourites was a small clothes shop that sold vintage clothing. We also loved the fact that the cafes are so small and compact but they have lots of personality and they are always busy with pleased customers. This laneway was voted the best lane in Melbourne on our survey because people seem to agree with us and also said it was convenient. We give it 4/5

//The Block Arcade is a short narrow laneway that connects Collins Street and Little Collins Street. This Arcade also connects to the Royal Arcade and it was built somewhere between 1891 and 1893. It was designed by David C. Askew. He got his model from the ‘Galleria Vittorio’ in Italy. It is said to be Melbourne’s most richly decorated place with Mosaic tiled flooring and a glass canopy. It was formerly known as Carpenters lane but was later changed because the shop keepers petitioned to change to the name. Now it is a tourist icon in the city.//
 * The Block Arcade**

__What we think:__ We really like the Block arcade because of its uniqueness. Though it is old it is still as popular if not more popular as the more modern ones. We gave it 3/5

//Flinders lane runs parallel to flinders street. It is on the Victoria heritage register. The lane was once the centre of Melbourne’s rag trade. It was once Queen Anne style, which is a type of architecture. It is known for its Soho atmosphere with each building no higher than 40 meters. Today the lane houses many boutiques and hotels. It also has loft styles apartments and cafes and bars. It also connects to Degraves Street, ACDC lane and Manchester lane. In 2007 an unknown man was shot in the corner of flinders lane and William Street.//
 * Flinders Lane**

__What we think:__ We think that Flinders Lane isn’t as good as the more smaller ones, because there aren’t as many nice cafes and shops. It has more accommodation and traffic, unlike Degraves Street for example that is just all foot traffic. We gave it 2/5

//Centre place is a small but fascinating area. It is made up of a laneway and an arcade that runs between Flinders lane and Collins Street. It is most interesting because it has a wide selection of cafes, bars and colourful arcade shops. Above the shops are small residential apartments, some with balconies that overlook the laneway it is also called ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ which is a dimly lit restaurant. It is a cosy cobblestone laneway that exits out of centre arcade. It is a busy laneway, Some of the stencil graffiti, called the ‘City Lights’, in the laneway is used as tourist promotions.//
 * Centre place**

__What we think:__ Centre Place was our favourite because it reminded Demi of France from various tv shows. It is small and has a cosy atmosphere. Also some of the clothes shops have many funky styles that you might not be able to find on one of the main roads. We gave it 4/5

//The Walk Arcade is located in the Bourke street mall which runs straight through to little Collins street. It offers a selection of jewellery, gifts, accessories and Home wares. The arcade also houses an Oxfam shop, a variety of clothing stores for women and the young. It turns into ‘The Causeway’ which is filled with restaurants and cafes. It features of 1000 square metres of shops and is located on 309-325 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria.//
 * The Walk Arcade**

__What we think:__ I think that the walk arcade isn’t as interesting as the other ones like the royal and block. It is very small as well. But there are a few funky shops in it. We gave it 3/5

//The Royal Arcade offers a whole range of interesting and delightful stores; you can find a whole variety of items. There are famous jewellery stores, antique stores, and food, clothing, cosmetics and games stores. There are also strange stores like Russian dolls and tarot card readings. The arcade still has its old ornaments with an element of fantasy. The roof features cast-iron scrolls decorated in red and gold. The glass skylights allow natural light to shine in to the arcade. It is now the oldest retail arcade in Melbourne. Since it was built in 1869 it has undergone some alterations for instance the east-west addition which was built early this century.//
 * The Royal Arcade[[image:IMG_5691.JPG width="203" height="157" align="right" caption="The Royal Arcade"]]**

__What we think:__ When we visited the royal arcade I found it has an old world charm because of the old architecture and the whole design of it. We gave it 4/5

//Menzies alley is located in Melbourne central, tucked behind The Melbourne Central Clock Tower. It has many different restaurants with ‘Al Fresco’ dining. Some places you can eat at in Menzies Alley. Chilli Padi- which serves modern Asian cuisine, Food Inc- which is a European bakery and café, Spiga- which serves traditional home cooked Italian food, Me Too Café- which has modern cuisine and Café Era- Which has an Italian influenced contemporary menu. This Laneway and some many other ones are included on the ‘Melbourne Lanes and Arcades Tour.’//
 * Menzies Alley**

__What we think:__ Our favourite feature of Menzies Alley is it's location in the heart of Melbourne Central. I think this makes it unique to all of the other outdoor laneways because it is indoors. This also makes it convenient for when there is wet weather. 3.5/5

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