Michael's is an independent photography store located in Melbourne's CBD. I'm not much of a photography person, but upon finding some of my grandmother's old Polaroid cameras, I wanted to see if I could get them up and running.

I discovered that Michael's Camera House stocked the film and battery cartridges that I needed for the cameras, and so off I went; I took the camera into the store with me, and the staff were incredibly helpful in getting everything set up for me to use, and explaining to me how film, flash bars, and other such things for these cameras work; Things were quite pricey (over $100 for a snap on permanent flash bar, and $40 per cartridge (which includes 8 exposures/films and a battery) - but the exceptional service does somewhat make up for the crazy prices. The store appeared to cater to everything from beginner point and shoot photography through to high scale professional photography, and also offered development of film as well as digital prints.

Overall, I was impressed with the staff's friendliness and knowledge, the variety of products available, and the atmosphere within the store; I thought prices were a bit ridiculous, but put this down to Polaroid equipment being difficult to find. I will definitely return to buy more film.

I have been visiting the Dandenong Market my whole life, and as long as I live close to the area, I will never stop;

The market has everything you could possibly need - fruit and vegetables, meat and seafood, clothes, accessories, collectables, homewares, books and magazines, and technological items. Most, if not all stalls, offer incredible value for money, which I can definitely appreciate. I love the cheap, fresh fruit and vegetables, and I love browsing all of the stalls for unique gifts and things to keep around my house - my favourite at the moment is "Crystal Wishes" which stocks a great range of natural soaps - free from not only chemicals, but animal fats, too.

Overall, not everything at the market is of the highest quality, but everything is exceptionally good value considering what you pay for it, and I love the atmosphere it creates in the community!

The market is now open on Sundays too which adds to its convenience!

My friend and I stumbled across Chuckle Park on a recent trip to Melbourne, and I have a feeling it will now become a regular hangout for us both.

We were looking for somewhere to cool down and relax when we found this diner/bar hidden away, in true Melbourne fashion, in one of the CBD's laneways. The whole business is run out of a caravan, decorated with a giant Mother Mary figurine hidden amongst an array of fake flowers; The tables and chairs line the sides of the laneway, in a manner that is cozy, yet surprisingly roomy.

The menu offers a range of street style food, which seems mostly of Spanish and American style. They cater for vegetarians, which was impressive.

My friend and I decided to share a peach, pear, and cinnamon spice white wine sangria, which was absolutely delicious. The menu informed us it would equate to approximately four standard drinks (two each) - and this allowed us to both consume approximately 5 or 6 glasses of the sangria. It was delicious, and the entire time we sat with our gigantic jar of sangria, we talked about going back again another time for more. They have the taste perfected, and it truly is an exceptional summer beverage.

We also ordered food and snacks - I really enjoyed my vegetable frittata, but the highlight was perhaps the nut snacks - they were absolutely delicious.

Overall, we spent probably close to 3 hours just sitting and taking in the wonderful, warm atmosphere of Chuckle Park; Friendly staff and great value food definitely contributed to our desire to head back there soon!!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quirky and fun dining experience in Melbourne!

I recently purchased an Instax Mini instant camera, and I was looking for a range of the fun themed films (including rainbow, polka dot, and Disney print borders) for a reasonable price;

My previous research had lead me to believe you could find these types of film for as little as $8-$10 for a 10 pack... When I first entered Ted's Cameras, I noticed they were selling 10-packs of the film (with white borders or Christmas themed borders) for $20, and 20-packs of the same films for $30. This, to me, seemed overpriced, and it wasn't really what I was looking for.

However, I spoke to a staff member who informed me that they had recently started stocking summer fun packs of the instant film - he explained to me that these packs were better value (a 50-pack for $50) and somewhat met my needs (included in the pack is a 20-pack of white film, and three 10-packs of fun print film). This is one of the best value packages I have seen in Australia for this type of film, so of course I bought it. The staff member's honesty about how I could save money, as well as his ability to help me meet my needs (he also offered suggestions of other places within the centre to buy film for my camera) was outstanding, and the product is high quality and reliable. I was impressed with my experience at Ted's.

I stopped by the Knox Cafe for a milkshake on a recent visit to the Knox Shopping Centre, and I was genuinely impressed. As I am not familiar with the shopping centre and it's cafes, I just went for the first "quiet" one i saw - Knox Cafe is situated away from the food court, in a quieter area of the shopping centre (near the news agency and bathrooms) which I felt was perfect. My chocolate shake tasted great! Staff seemed friendly and attentive to detail, and I noticed many of the other customers around seemed just as pleased with their food and drinks as I did with my shake.

The value was also great; I'd definitely like to return if I am ever at Knox shopping centre again!

I'm a big believer in "you get what you pay for" - and at the rate we paid for our room at Oaks on Market, I was thoroughly impressed.

Two friends and myself booked a room on level 19. The room was a fantastic size, with a great view. Room service was available, however we only stayed one night so we didn't need it.

Check in took about 15 minutes total time, but the majority of that was lining up with everyone else also trying to check in between 2-2:30 PM. Slightly inconvenient but concierge/reception staff worked well to get everyone checked in as quickly as possible. Concierge were open 24/7 which was great.

Generally we couldn't fault anything about our stay at Oaks On Market - the only thing is, it may be tricky to find for people who are not familiar with the Melbourne CBD.

After leaving the hotel, I realised I had left my camera charger behind, and staff offered to return it to me via mail, a gesture which I greatly appreciate.

I would definitely consider staying here again if I needed accommodation within the Melbourne CBD area.

A friend suggested we visit the Bowery To Williamsburg "American Restaurant" before heading to a concert, recently. She had heard rave reviews, and was excited to check it out. Knowing that I do not eat meat, she was able to tell me they had "Vegetarian menu items" so I happily went along.

After hearing her comments of how wonderful the restaurant was, I was slightly disappointed. Hidden in a dingy alleyway just off Flinders Street, the "restaurant" is actually more like a cafe or sandwich bar, serving American style sandwiches, sides, drinks, and desserts.

The cafe itself was very small and seemed overcrowded. We were seated at a tiny bench by the doorway, on bar stools, which were very uncomfortable.

When our waitress brought us some menus, I was extremely disappointed to find that sandwich options were set and could not be changed - and there was only one vegetarian option, which did not sound really appealing. I asked if it would be possible to order sides (such as a salad or macaroni and cheese) without ordering a sandwich, and the waitress was really quite rude in the way she told me no, before adding there was no macaroni and cheese, despite it being written all over menu cards and menu boards around the cafe.

Between our seating situation, the rude waitress, and the lack of vegetarian options, we actually almost left. However, once we caught a glimpse of the dessert bar, we decided we would stay, especially as my friend was keen to try the Reuben sandwich.

I settled on just a Pecan Pie and TAB drink (a sugar free cola from the Coca Cola company which I was given as there was no Diet Coke available). My friend had a sparkling peach iced tea with her sandwich.

When the food arrived, we were impressed. My friend's sandwich appeared to be filled well with fresh products only, and her drink was an authentic product of the USA.
My Pecan Pie was delicious and surprisingly filling considering its size; The TAB was also an authentic product of the USA and whilst it did not have the same taste as Diet Coke, it was rather enjoyable. My only complaint was that the cream with my pie was not fresh; It appeared to have been served out of a nozzle can from the supermarket.

After we had eaten, my friend and I decided to get second drinks; This time around she got a coffee, and I chose an organic sparkling lemonade from the same company as the sparkling peach iced tea. The lemonade was wonderful - a richer lemon taste than drinks such as Sprite, but not bitter or sour. I really enjoyed it.

Overall, while the food was of high quality, I was not thoroughly impressed with menu options, service, seating arrangement, or value; I may return for dessert and drinks, but definitely not as a meal, at least not unless the menu changes.

Approximate cost: $17

Jessie's Pizza is a conveniently located Pizza Shop in Hallam on the corner of Princes Highway, and Belgrave-Hallam Road. It is in a large group of Takeaway shops, making it perfect for families looking for variety. Due to its location, it was easy to park outside Jessie's Pizza, however once we entered the store, we found it small and overcrowded.

We ordered our pizzas (margherita and supreme) and waited for them to be cooked; I would estimate this took about 15-20 minutes, much longer than other places. I had hoped that the busy store and the long wait were a sign that the pizza would be excellent... Whilst it wasn't bad, I was somewhat disappointed.

The taste of the pizza base was perfect, possibly one of the best I have tried. The pizza toppings were fresh and looked delicious, however there were not many of them on the pizza. This was extremely disappointing to me, as I like my pizzas to be full of flavour and the main flavour I was getting from this pizza was pizza base.

Considering the pizza itself, value was reasonable but not exceptional. Staff were friendly and attentive.

While I wouldn't recommend Jessie's Pizza to friends or family, I may try it again.

I have done guitar lessons with Jim, the owner of the store, for around two years. I find that he is a great teacher, but can often be sidetracked, and his half an hour lesson may be 15 minutes of playing guitar and 15 of chatting, taking away from valuable lesson time.

I feel as though a lot of his teaching notes are simply free tutorials printed from the internet, which I could have been teaching myself at home. However his method of teaching is great, and I have learned a lot about playing technique from him.

Lessons are reasonably priced; You pay depending on the length of your lesson. Lesson times are flexible; I have been able to take lessons on a variety of weeknights as well as Saturday mornings.

At the end of the year there is a concert where all students get the chance to perform, beginners in an ensemble, and solos or smaller groups for more experienced students.

One thing that disappointed me, was the purchase of a guitar through Jim. He found me a guitar which I thought was excellent - it had a beautiful sound to it, and was "only" $500. However I later found out from a guitar technician that the guitar was poorly made, and probably not worth the money I had paid for it.

Generally, I would return to Jim's Music Creations for further lessons in the future, and I would recommend it to beginners starting out in any of the instrumental lessons he offers.

I have visited Mega Pet Warehouse on numerous occassions, usually just to browse pet supplies such as toys and food.

I love the laidback attitude of the staff; While they are well informed, they are happy to let you browse. However, I do find that once you ask them for advice, they will try to persuade you to purchase the most expensive, top of the line, product. I suppose this is because they are deemed to be higher quality products, however it sometimes does bother me.

Generally the store offers good value, however other pet warehouses in the area are very competitive.

I would definitely be inclined to return again.