Hoods and Burbs

Melville

Like any city, Joburg is just a collection of neighborhoods. So in order to get to know the city of Johannesburg, Vince and I have been hitting the streets urban-exploring the hoods and burbs.

Joburg is big. Depending on what you read, it is the second largest city in Africa and the largest in South Africa. Most people live outside the Central Business District (CBD) in the suburbs. But there is very little demarcation from suburb to suburb.

The northern suburbs where we live are pretty much a homogenous sprawl of affluent homes, high-walled apartments, shopping malls, golf courses and corporate headquarters. Sure there is a gem here and there such as the Bryanston Organic Market and the Rosebank African Crafts Market, but most restaurants, cinemas and galleries are found in the middle of huge indoor malls or planned outdoor pedestrian malls. Safe and secure. That's why we chose to live here of course but it doesn't mean we have to play here too!

There are other neighborhoods and even suburbs that have a more artsy and offbeat personality. Melville, Newtown, Greenside, Rivonia, Braamfontein, Parkhurst, Parktown North, to name a few. Whenever we can, on Sunday afternoons we will grab the leashes and the dogs and walk around a different neighborhood or suburb. We pop into art galleries or craft shops, have lunch or drinks outdoors at a cafe, or listen to some jazz.

Greenside

The trick is to find the heart of the neighborhoods, what makes them distinctive. It is usually found along its main street or boulevard. The streets to visit in Melville are those along 7th Street from 1st to 5th Avenue. The Roundabout on Gleneagles Road in Greenside is a hotbed of restaurants that we have barely tapped. Nearby Rivonia is undergoing a huge revitalization of its shopping district with a pedestrian walkway on Rivonia Boulevard. A wonderful street to peruse on a lazy Sunday is 4th Avenue in leafy Parkhurst or else 7th Avenue in Parktown North.

Nelson Mandela Bridge

Downtown Joburg or the CBD is booming too. Newtown and Braamfontein have been hard at work reinvigorating their downtowns. With venues like 44 Stanley, Braamfontein is now one of Jozi’s hippest neighborhoods with trendy shops, gourmet food and cosy coffee shops. Newtown has the historic Market Theatre, jazz clubs, the SAB World of Beer and the Museum Africa. There is a Saturday Neighbourgoods Market and a burgeoning restaurant scene as well. 

the infinity pool at the Westcliff Hotel overlooking Jozi

There are lots more hoods and burbs to visit and luckily Joburg has some fine weather to explore them in.