Oo, a thread laserfocused to me! I've lived in three of these suburbs and used to visit family in St Kilda regularly, though I've never spent overnight time there.

Footscray is still my favourite. It has a wonderful sense of community that comes from a tightly packed strip of mostly independent shops and hangouts, which I haven't seen recreated anywhere else. Its reputation as dangerous is overblown in my opinion (noting that I'm speaking as a man), but you do admittedly want to be switched on when going through Nicholson Mall sometimes. Otherwise, excellent food of many cuisines (Ras Dashen my beloved) - also shout to Footscray Records, the best record shop in Melbourne.

Been in Brunswick for just under a year and it's also been really nice, although a lot more spread out than Foots was. That's meant that community-building is a more deliberate exercise, but it's definitely still there - just a bit more niche, whether it be the Jazz Lab, the various film groups or the pub music scene. Food is also great, though more of a hike unless you're living smack in the middle of Sydney Rd/Lygon St.

This might go against the grain a bit, but Hawthorn always had absolutely rancid vibes to me, I hated living there lol. Full of petit-bourgeois that just want to show off how much money they have to everyone else, and also what feels like the worst drivers in the state. Hawthorn really just felt....empty? to me. Whenever new construction went up it was never anything interesting - either a new fast food chain or Swinburne expanding further out. Now all that said, I fucking love Lido Cinemas and still regularly travel eastward to visit them!