Making Art in Johannesburg

12 April 2016

Johannesburg is a great city for making art.

I’ve heard artists/art enthusiasts complain that Johannesburg is less art-friendly than Cape Town. But I can only speak from my own experience. From the moment I arrived in Joburg I was struck by the creativity that oozes from every corner and crack in the city: the guys making and selling bead art on the street, the avant-garde clothing that people wear, the profusion of art workshops and studios, and the explosion of exhibitions and gallery openings that flood my Facebook feed. I was never particularly interested in art before I came to Joburg; here, I got inspired. I became an art lover and an artist.

Read More

Big News About Joburg's Newest Inner City Development

08 April 2016

This week I got a behind-the-scenes look at No. One Eloff, an exciting new development project in downtown Joburg.

One Eloff from below
No. One Eloff, at the corner of Eloff Street and Wemmer Jubilee Road in Johannesburg. You can’t miss it, as it’s the only neon-blue-and-yellow building in town. You’ve probably seen it while driving down the M2 highway toward the airport.

No. One Eloff is a huge, 1950s-era building that used to be an automotive storage/sales facility (for Rolls Royce and then for Chrysler) and later became an OK Bazaar and then an auction house for repossessed cars. A couple of years ago, a company called Molten Black purchased the building, with the plan of turning it into a residential/retail property. That plan is now in full swing.

Read More

The Wilds: Joburg's Controversial Garden of Eden

01 April 2016

There is a big park in Johannesburg, very near to the city center, called the Wilds. For many years I didn’t go there because everyone said it was dangerous. Even the name – the Wilds, bwahahahaaaaa – has a menacing tone to it. I assumed the warnings were legit.

Read More

Wild Horses of the Drakensberg

30 March 2016

A few weeks ago Ray and I spent three days at the Drakensberg Mountain Retreat, on the northern edge of the Drakensberg Mountain range near the border of the Free State and KwaZulu Natal. The lodge is frequented by a herd of wild horses.

Read More

Some Updates on Mexican Food in Johannesburg

24 March 2016

UPDATE (OCTOBER 2017): Alas, Café Mexicho has closed down. It had a good run though. Fortunately there are several good alternatives around town, which are included below. Also, I’m pleased to report that Perron (whose Illovo location is reviewed below) now also has locations in Melville and Bryanston.

Read More

Roving Johannesburg With the Roving Bantu

21 March 2016

A few months ago, I briefly referred to a place in Brixton called the Roving Bantu Kitchen.

In December I wrote a short review of the Roving Bantu Kitchen for JHBLive, but I held off on writing about it on my own blog because I wanted to get to know it better first. But now the day has come. If you’re really interested in the Roving Bantu Kitchen though, please read the JHBLive review first because I won’t repeat all of it here.

Read More