You could spend all day going from room to room now that the beloved 'Espy' is back, after a $15 million renovation. Antiques complement its Victorian bones and there's live music on three stages – best is the famed Gershwin Room – plus a dozen bars, including the Ghost of Alfred Felton. For eats there's Espy Kitchen and modern Cantonese restaurant Mya Tiger.
Alfred Felton was a British immigrant who spent the final 20 years of his life at the Espy when it was a hotel. He donated his life savings to charities and the National Gallery of Victoria, which helped acquire an estimated $3 billion dollars' worth of the gallery's permanent collection.
Catch free live music Thursday through Saturday on the basement stage, in a room decorated with original band posters – thousands of them were found locked away during the renovations.
Need to pee? Go to the loo closest to Mya Tiger cocktail bar and open the closed 'ladies' in the corner – there's a secret plush powder room if you need a moment.
