1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? It was coming to visit Edinburgh College of Art on an open day when I was aged 17. I immediately fell for both the city and the college and knew that I would have to come and live here.
2 What are your
memories of school? I went to Huntcliff Secondary School at Saltburn and I remember Wham bars from the tuck shop, rows of exam desks in the hall, fantastic art lessons and incomprehensible French lessons.
3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? I love sitting in one of Edinburgh's lovely cafes with a cup of tea – the perfect place to watch the city go by.
4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? I love how Edinburgh is big enough to have fantastic amenities and culture, yet small enough to walk across and bump into someone you know. It's fantastic that you can walk down a street and look up to see the green bulk of Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill.
5 What would you change about the city? I'd introduce a system similar to the London Oyster Card on Edinburgh's public transport. I am always hunting for change for the bus. A pass you could top up with credit would be fantastic.
6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. I'd have morning tea and a croissant with the newspapers at the Bijou cafe at Leith Links before enjoying a walk alongside the Water of Leith to the Botanic Garden. I'd then head on to Stockbridge for lunch before browsing the charity shops and then go to David Bann for dinner.
7 Which sports interest you? I love swimming and normally go four times a week to the pool at the Leith Victoria Swim Centre.
8 What was your most embarrassing moment? I was on the running machine at the gym when I dropped my water bottle. In a moment of absent-mindedness I forgot that I was on a fast moving surface and promptly bent down to pick it up. The result? Ignominiously ejected on to the gym floor.
9 What is your greatest achievement? It was getting my first children's book published by the Tate last year. This allowed me to become a fully self-employed illustrator and set up my website www.alicemelvin.com
10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words. Compact, cultured, classic.
The full article contains 424 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
