I feel antsy when I go too long without blogging about something in Joburg. So last week during a brief hiatus between trips to Cape Town and Mozambique (more about my Mozambique trip in the next post), I headed to Rosebank and had lunch at the new Keyes Art Mile.
If you’re a Jozi enthusiast, you’ve probably been hearing buzz about the Keyes Art Mile for the last few weeks and wondering what the heck it is. The name has an interesting air of mystery. Is it a mile-long mall? An outdoor market? A massive art gallery?
Even after my visit, I’m not sure how to explain the Keyes Art Mile. But here is my best attempt.
The Keyes Art Mile is located at 19 Keyes Avenue at the corner of Jellicoe Avenue in Rosebank, a cosmopolitan suburb halfway between downtown Joburg and Sandton. Jozi art lovers will be familiar with this corner as it houses Circa Gallery and the Everard Read Gallery, two of the best art galleries in Joburg. (Circa featured in my Jozi Top Five Museums and Galleries post.)
Next to Circa is a huge new building called the Trumpet building. Trumpet is the heart of the Keyes Art Mile.
Trumpet has a huge, cavernous entry hall. It’s very arty and avant-garde.
Trumpet has several fancy design shops and galleries inside, as well as a “curated members’ club” called Mesh and a hot new restaurant called Marble. Marble is the newest restaurant by David Higgs, of Saxon five hundred fame, and I am eagerly awaiting my chance to eat there. (Invitations are welcome.)
Trumpet is grand and innovative and all, but it’s a little pretentious for my taste. The best thing about the Keyes Art Mile, in my opinion, is the little strip of shops on Keyes Avenue next to Trumpet.
This little strip has a couple of high-end accessory shops that I didn’t have time to investigate, and a “premium sneaker and accessory store” called Shelflife.
I’ve saved the best for last. This strip also includes BGR, one of the best burger restaurants in Joburg, and the Milk Bar, my favorite new Jozi café chain.
Unless I missed something during my brief exploration, this is the Keyes Art Mile in a nutshell. Arty, pretentious, delicious, and a little weird. I like it.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.