Tuesdays are trouble in Cape Town, and here's why... A pre-emptive intervention approach to mid-week stress is on the Mothercity's Tuesday To-Do List. Forget weekends in the culture of the Cape - Tuesdays are a full force party day. For those keen to kick it up to some commercial radio hits with students, lumo-lovers and bachelorette partiers, "Summer of 69" style, the Claremont strip is watering hole of choice. Claremont favourites include Springboks, Tiger Tiger and Tin Roof. Tiger Tuesday’s promise free drinks ‘til ten and top of the chart tracks to get you swaying. The plush interiors of this well-designed club allow ample bar space and a sunken, dense dance-floor. Be sure to arrive collared, smart-shoed and on
Bastille 10.0
11 July, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Franschhoek is a bit of an "all or nothing" little town, and those of you who follow the blog will know my opinion of this French corner of the Cape - this slice of heaven town has a crème de la crème reputation for fine wine, dine... and apparently, swingers (an interesting little fact I picked up at last year's Bastille bash). Celebrating French Huguenot heritage with admirable abandon this 17th - 18th of July, every shop front and five year-old painted face screams the red, blue and white colour scheme. Being a valley of award-winning restaurants, Bastille day boasts first and foremost the marquee - housing the aromas and jollity of lavish cuisines and cellar-sellers. In
Deli Express
10 July, 2010 by Leave a Comment
For those of us that reside on the 'burbs side of the mountain, we occasionally feel cheated of the abundant trendy little bistros and food-stops that one stumbles into so frequently in town. While I love the picket-fence-school-bell atmosphere, I do often catch the city-bowl-itis and drive into town just for the sake of seeing and doing something different - and perhaps being in a place where the average customer does not tick either the "soccer mom" or "geriatric" box. Luckily though, as the Mother City does, the Southern Suburbs are rejuvenating and thanks to places like The Kitchen, The Bromwell and The Old Biscuit Mill (which started it all), what was industrial Woodstock/Salt River (I'm never really sure of the
Adidas Three Stories
8 July, 2010 by Leave a Comment
For those of you who haven't yet hit up Adidas' World Cup pop-up initiative - Three Stories, in Woodstock Industrial Centre - get it while it's hot! At sixteen we all dreamed of a place like this. A home where artists, sculptors, photographers and general trendsters hang out, with local art exhibited on the walls, skate ramp downstairs, big screen upstairs, free-flowing freshly-popped popcorn, killer margaritas, homemade food, and live acts rocking out just for the kick of it. And best of all there's no hustling and hitching to get there. Arrive alive with the free shuttle service running through town to Three Stories. This week's Three Stories schedule: Daily: A-Store and Adidas
Mexican Shebeen!
1 July, 2010 by 1 Comment
Weeks of searching and I believe that I've discovered where the real, riotous, palpable World Cup fever is AT!!! Cape Town's football-crazed chaos has largely been a pub and fan park affair. With other great places to perch onesself for a viewing, including the actual stadium, and Mzoli's. But in search of something more - something different - last night we wandered down toward the muffled crowd sounds of the Shebeen (which is at the Strand Tower Hotel on the corner or Strand and Loop Streets) and found our way up into, what looked like, an entrance parkade... and low and behold, discovered the Me-heee-carn shebeen! Think hot dog stands, big screens, foosball tables, a mechanical bull, a live DJ blaring the Bump 205's
Fan Parks and Fan Fare
11 June, 2010 by 1 Comment
Day two of the incessant vuvuzelas ringing in the air and it still gets me all tingly:) For those of you without tickets as we spin into the 2010 Soccer World Cup, cruise into (although it's more liikely a bob and weave procedure) Cape Town's fan fare! Fan parks are found at: Bellville Velodrome, Phillipi Stadium and Athlone Stadium, while the four smaller, community viewing sites are at Atlantis, Khayelitsha, Nomzamo and Maynardville. For the festivities of the fan mile and the near-stadium electricity, hit Cape Town's official Fifa fan park - Grand Parade. At a capacity of 25, 000, Grand Parade is going to be bursting with "Ayoooooobaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" every match day from 11h00
Sushi and Chinese please!
4 June, 2010 by Leave a Comment
It's Friday! And given that we're on the precipice of a weekend, this post should come as divine enlightenment... On a very merry excursion to all sorts of central city venues for debauchery, jollity and merriment, we found ourselves quite under the weather/influence on the taxi trip home. Doing the route back to le loov-leh 17 on Loader (Cape Town's chic bed and breakfast in De Waterkant), the heavens opened and revealed a luminous red sign, on Seapoint Main Road, reading - "Xiang Yuan". With the excitement of teenage girls at the mall, we begged the cab driver to pull over and poured in to Xiang Yuan. Now my love of the place may seem ridiculously evangelical but, given that the time was almost
Estelle in Cape Town
31 May, 2010 by Leave a Comment
"Tell the promoter we need more seats, We just sold out all the floor seats!" As 2010 comes in so do "the hottest in the world right now". For the not-so football frantic, one of the wonderfluff consequences of being a designated Fifa 2010 host city, is the splendour that we're expecting to pour in. And while I may be including the European men that our slick city will be swelling with, I am, more importantly, referring to the celebrities that the event will bring. For those familiar with the phrase "American Boy" (and that should really be everyone who speaks english and lives above ground), Friday the 11th of June brings the lady that famed the phrase to Cape Town! Estelle, famous for
Grahamstown National Arts Festival
19 May, 2010 by Leave a Comment
"The time has come!" the Walrus said... The National Arts Festival is, once again, almost upon us. 20th of June until the 4th of July - set the dates aside. Time to rethink youth-reclaiming road-trips, places to stop by on the garden route, and the essential first-aid kit: K.Y./masquerade masques/bandages/backseat readings and booze. "To talk of many things!" Grahamstown is where things inevitably get messy. With an economy founded entirely on the student-town's love of liquoring it up, things get fairly festive during festival time. But when physical theater is sidewalk decor, The National Arts Festival experience is as culturally enriching as it as sleep-draining and
DJ Rene the Frenchman
17 May, 2010 by 3 Comments
While us over at 17onLoader (De Waterkant's premium bed and breakfast) often review back alleys and bustling venues, we don't usually take a look at the lingerers in the limelight. But recently we found ourselves beers-ing with the Frenchman that keeps HQ frantic on Fridays... DJ Rene (the Frenchman - as he is referred to) is the towering, infectiously jovial energy of a man pleased with the way his life's turned out. His bombastically beautiful grey hair bounces as he animatedly gesticulates with a wide, trusty smile. Despite having lived in South Africa for seventeen years, Rene still has the two unmistakable traits of a Frenchman - the accent, and the kind of effortless charm that could hypnotize a girl right into
