The Grand Hyatt Hotel

The Grand Hyatt Hotel is located on 123 Collins St in Melbourne and has the most beautiful bathrooms. I met up with Nathaniel F Enright in the city and he took me to this fancy hotel. We walked to the nearest and most unobstructed window, which happened to be a little past the entrance of a cafe. The woman at the entrance pleasantly asked us if we were paying guests, which we were not. Nat told her we were just having a look. She made it clear that the cafe was for paying guests only and then informed us that "Although it sounds silly, the bathrooms have the best view." Indeed, they do.

Nat pointed out that the air quality is different because of the recent fires and you can see a bit of a smokey haze over the city. Bush fires are a real and terrifying problem here. During descent on the airplane, the pilot informed us that we might smell a bit of the smoke. The fact that the air is that thick with smoke is unsettling and saddening: people's lives, memories, homes, all disintegrated to ash and smoke. About a week ago, a number of people received text messages from the Victorian police containing warnings, due to dry conditions and strong winds. The implications of those conditions are terrifying: bush fires spread at alarming rates. Fortunately, it's been raining here lately and although it's inconvenient at times, I really cannot complain. Australia needs more rain.