As we welcome June in the southern hemisphere of Africa, we also say goodbye to the sights and sounds of summer, and usher in our brief but cold winter. This equally means giving up of some of my favorite summer past times, such as being outdoors and soaking up the sun.
It must be the New York City girl in me, but show me a rooftop, serve wine, some good food, good music, great conversation- and I’ll be there. So it therefore is no surprise that one of my favorite summer past times in Joburg is to frequent the neighborhood markets downtown.
Background on the City of Joburg
Note however, that in Jozi (other acronym for Johannesburg) when one says “downtown”, you would be referring to one of the roughest sections in the city. In essence, the city of Johannesburg underwent a transformation in the 1980s whereby faced with growing crime rates, the city’s businesses moved away from the then downtown area and formed an entirely new downtown oasis free from crime, in the section of town we refer today as “Sandton”. Sandton is now the financial hub of the city. However, the old downtown obviously did not go anywhere. Majestically tall buildings in what today is one of the most dangerous parts of town, can still be seen gracing the city skyline. Some optimistic residents of the city have not given hope on this section of town though, and are slowly but surely coaxing the revitalization of this neighborhood by bringing in new businesses, mainly in the restaurant and arts sector.
Art Art Art – found everywhere in the neighborhood
The once dilapidated buildings downtown………. now turned into chic hangout areas…..
The neighborhood usually has live music performances on Saturday afternoons…….
As you say in Zulu…………Ntombazana 🙂
Dope areas attract dope people………………check out the stylish dreadlocks..
The Neighborhood Market
One of the most popular
activities bringing folks to downtown Joburg nowadays is the establishment of an
eclectic neighborhood market. Eclectic in the sense that the market is held in a
space which is a “garage parking lot” during the week and on Saturdays becomes a
bustling entertainment hub.
Check out the transformation for yourselves – and I am sure you’ll see why this became one of my favorite Saturday afternoon, summer past times.
First floor of the parking garage………..transformed into a sitting area
Decided to pass on this one……lol.
Had some for dessert…..Yuuum!!
My buddy Sebastian – French Journalist from Le Monde Newspaper
As you can tell, this is a great people watching venue…….lol.
Great Company………..
Wine and Cheese…….
Good Jazz Music…….
Life in Africa is just too awesome 🙂
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