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    Open Streets in Observatory

    Fazielah Williams

    This Africa Day, Cape Town’s vibrant locals and visitors will be taking to the streets ... the Opens Streets in Observatory, that is, on Saturday May 25, 2013. Inspired by Bogota’s Ciclovia and projects in other cities like San Francisco and Jakarta, Open Streets in Observatory will see the usually traffic-congested Lower Main Road collectively transformed from a car-dominated road to a people-friendly public space.

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    Facebook Feedback Friday: Your favourite soup spots in Cape Town

    With cooler weather setting in, it’s important to know where in Cape Town you can find some warm, delicious soup. So who better to ask than the fans of our Facebook page, I ♥ Cape Town? On Thursday, we posed the question: “Where do you go to have your favourite soup in Cape Town?”

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  • Featured

    #InstagramDiary: the awesome architecture of Long Street

    Long Street is one of Cape Town’s most iconic streets, and with the incredible variety of food, fashion, nightlife spots, book stores, antique stores, street vendors and international visitors lining the sidewalks, it’s easy to see why. But don’t let all of this distract you from one of Long Street’s finest features: the awesome architecture.

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    Your Cape Town Weekend: things to do from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 May, 2013

    Fazielah Williams

    Tick tock, tick tock … can you hear that? It’s the countdown to an eventful weekend in gorgeous Cape Town! From hilarious comedies to divine wine festivals and gourmet shows, there is plenty to see and do in the Mother City over the next 48 hours. Join me at the following events in Cape Town from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 May, 2013.

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  • Open Streets in Observatory
  • Facebook Feedback Friday: Your favourite soup spots in Cape Town
  • #InstagramDiary: the awesome architecture of Long Street
  • Your Cape Town Weekend: things to do from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 May, 2013

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Cape Town: A man’s guide to life in the Mother City

The Mother City offers a number of wonderful and unexpected experiences, and for visitors to our picturesque hometown there is no one of greater assistance, and with a wealth of knowledge, like a friendly hotel concierge. For guests of the Table Bay Hotel at the V&A Waterfront, the man to call on for all practical and information needs is the Table Bay Hotel Head Concierge, Ryan van Zyl.

Sample the Cape’s flavours at V&A Waterfront’s restaurant challenge

Twenty-five restaurants, hundreds of fusion dishes and a challenge to be named the Master of the Trade Routes… this is the V&A Waterfront’s winter culinary offering. Running until August 31, this gourmet contest sees chefs from participating restaurants OYO, Signal, Quay 4, Hildebrand, The Grand and more preparing warm, rich dishes in an all-out battle to be the ultimate trade routes master. The challenge, inspired by the Mother City’s culinary roots, pays homage to the Dutch, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Malay, French and British cooking influences of our past.

Vintage shopping between 86 and 219 Long Street

Cape Town is a city filled with fashionable people and with the number of fashion designers who’ve made the city their home, it’s easy to understand why. But where does one find the best buys? Why Long Street, naturally. Guest writer Lucy da Costa takes a walk down this busy street to discover the unique vintage stores.

Fazielah’s top three weekday picks for July 9 to 12,2012

If the cold weather has kept you indoors and given you chills down your spine all weekend, you simply must join me at the following events from July 9 to 12, for some warm winter fun this week:

Shipwreck trails in Cape Town

Encountering the shipwrecks that litter the beaches of the Cape Peninsula can be poignant and awe inspiring in equal measure if you are interested in South Africa’s maritime history. Their twisted, rusted, metal husks are a stark reminder that no matter how advanced naval engineering and ship building becomes, the Cape of Storms’ turbulent oceans remain an unforgiving place, especially when human error and folly enter the seafaring equation.

Fazielah’s top weekend picks in Cape Town

Let the countdown to a fabulous weekend in the cool Mother City begin! Join me at the following events from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 July, 2012 and discover why Cape Town warms up in winter:

Winter wonderland in the Cape’s Gordon’s Bay

The global economic recession has not been kind to small businesses in South Africa that rely on tourism, so when I heard the Gordon’s Bay Business Forum was putting on a festival to invigorate the beach town during its slow season, I was keen to attend. And after spending last Saturday evening taking in the sights and sounds of the Gordon’s Bay Winter Wonderland festival, I can report it was truly heartening to see the community spirit on show in the small town tucked away in False Bay’s eastern corner.

My Bontebok National Park getaway

My exploratory adventures with South African National Parks continues this winter and if I thought that quad biking along the West Coast in April was thrilling, I clearly had not seen anything. For me Bontebok National Park, on the outskirts of Swellendam, has taken the title of most exhilarating weekend getaway spot.

Fazielah’s top three weekday picks in Cape Town

Let’s have a moment of silence for the dearly departed weekend… Now, cast off those blues and join me at the following events from July 2 to 5, 2012, and discover why Cape Town warms up in winter:

Discover the history of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront with Oom Willem Steenkamp

The V&A Hotel was a mail warehouse, the Breakwater Lodge was a prison and the Hildebrand Restaurant was the Port Master’s offices… sound like fiction? Well, it’s true and you can learn about that, and more, during the V&A Waterfront’s historical tour.

My love affair with winter in Cape Town

I have a bit of a thing for fireplaces, not to mention my love affair with food and my growing wine collection, and winter is the perfect time to indulge in all of them.

City Sightseeing in Cape Town for senior citizens

Enjoying your time in the Mother City is a given, what with our views, attractions and culture. Thanks to City Sightseeing Cape Town, though, senior citizens can now enjoy all of those things and more for less, with its winter special for pensioners.

Fazielah’s top weekend picks in Cape Town

Between the cold weather, a financial course and long meetings, I have had a pretty tough week … which is why I can’t wait for my weekend entertainment. Join me at the following events and activities from June 29 to July 1, 2012 and discover why Cape Town warms up in winter:

Vodacom Funny Festival performers unearth Cape Town’s comedic side

If laughter is the best medicine to cure ailments, then Cape Town’s Vodacom Funny Festival is the finest dispensary in the country when it comes to dishing out medicinal humour. I spent an evening at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch where the festival is underway, and after three hours of being entertained by six comedic acts I walked away with an ache in my side and a smile on my face.

Mountain walks in Cape Town: Interesting discoveries

One of the lesser-known facts about Cape Town is that it offers visitors, with a penchant for the past, an incredible opportunity to carry out a bit of amateur exploration into our history. The rugged mountain range that cradles the Mother City stretches into the Cape Peninsula and, in addition to offering a peaceful sanctuary from city life amongst its flora and fauna, it also holds the lure of fossils and rock art left behind by the region’s early inhabitants.

Fazielah’s top 3 weekday picks in Cape Town

My weekend was fabulous (when you live in Cape Town, isn’t it always?) but I’m looking forward to a week of entertainment, comfort food and spending time with my loved ones. Throw back the bedcovers and join me at the following warm winter events in the Mother City from June 25 to 28, 2012:

School’s out: Exciting things to do with kids in Cape Town this holiday

What would the Mother City be without great entertainment for kids? Cape Town is a kid’s paradise and parents will soon discover that this is one place where they can really give kids a day out without spending a fortune. From forests and botanical gardens to seaside boardwalks and beaches, there are lots of options to choose from.

Cape Town film trail on the way

These days living in Cape Town can feel a little like residing on a film set, such has been the explosion of interest among international film producers and directors in the city’s movie location potential over the past few years.  Many movies have been made in the city since South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994 and this year alone four blockbusters, filmed in the Mother City and her surrounding hinterland in 2011, will be released around the world.

Uthando Benefit Concert in Video

Hundreds of Capetonians came together for a worthy cause at the vibrant Uthando Benefit Concert at the Willowbridge Barnyard Theatre in Tyger Valley on Youth Day, June 16, 2012.

Fazielah’s top 3 weekday picks in Cape Town

I’ll bet you’re as fed-up with battling the sniffles and staying indoors this chilly season as I am, so why not join me at the following events and places from June 18 to 21, and discover why Cape Town warms up in winter?

A taste of the motherland in the Mother City: An Ethnic African Food Safari

Established as a tavern port to nourish sailors travelling between worlds, Cape Town was always destined to become a great culinary destination. Invariably, global cooking styles have become part of the local social fabric, but only recently have flavours from other parts of Africa been added to the “pot”. Keith Bain discovers a few of the Mother City’s Afropolitan dining scene highlights.

Lucy Tops’ top 3 weekend picks in Cape Town

Picking only three top weekend things to do in Cape Town is difficult because we are so spoilt for choice in this beautiful city, which I am proud to call my home. If it has to be three, though, you can’t go wrong with…

Bicycling in Cape Town

Bicycling is fast becoming a growing trend in Cape Town and South Africa. Wherever you go, you’re sure to spot at least one local on a bicycle, sans the spandex. Bicyclists use their bicycles for transport, fun and social gatherings rather than for the usual fitness reasons, but it does promote a healthier lifestyle.

Claus’ top five unexpected sights: Interview with City Sightseeing CEO Claus Tworeck

CEO of the beloved Cape Town attraction, City Sightseeing Cape Town, Claus Tworeck shares his top five unexpected city sights with us and explains why he loves Cape Town.

Cape Town Tourism’s dame of theatre – a chat with Coleen van Staden

She’s the life and soul of the Cape Town Tourism office, the charismatic colleague who brings a touch of drama to the mundane workday and now industry services supervisor Coleen van Staden is taking her panache to the Masque Theatre stage in Muizenberg.

Cooking on top of a wonder of nature: Interview with Table Mountain’s Chef Harry Schmidt

Table Mountain Café is the go-to culinary stop after admiring the awe-inspiring views from the top of our New7Wonder of Nature, Table Mountain, but have you ever given a thought to who creates the delicious meals? I sat down with Harry Schmidt, master chef at Table Mountain Café and found out how he and his team manage to prepare mouth-watering meals and transport the delicious goods to the top of the mountain every day.

My top 3 weekday picks in Cape Town

The weekend is fast becoming a distant memory and there are deadlines that demand to be met, but that doesn’t mean it should put a damper on your winter weekday fun. Join me at the following fabulous events from June 4 to 7, 2012 and discover why Cape Town warms up in winter:

Cape Town’s HOT 2012 winter entertainment

This winter, Cape Town’s talented entertainers help us to fight off those blistering chills with a red-hot line-up of fabulous events, shows and performances. From the renowned ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham at the glitzy Grand Arena, in June, to ice skating by your favourite Disney characters at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), in July, and Cabaret the Musical at Theatre on the Bay in August , there is no excuse to hibernate under the covers this chilly season, as tempting as it may be.

Cape Point’s Two Oceans Restaurant closed for renovations

The Two Oceans Restaurant is known both for its spectacular views of the iconic Cape Point and serving world-class gourmet creations prepared by award-winning Executive Chef, Phil Alcock. To stay on top of trailblazing international trends and deliver an even better experience to visitors of its unique setting, the restaurant will be undergoing extensive renovations from June 1 to July 10, 2012.

My Cape Town, my home

Coming from Ireland, a country that exists in a perpetual state of winter, I spent much of my teenage years dreaming of far-off destinations where the sun shines for more than a few weeks a year. This need for sunshine combined with Ireland’s poor economic state of the early 1990s – there wasn’t a sniff of a job to be had – meant it was only a matter of time before I packed my bags and hit the road to see what the world could offer a restless spirit such as mine.
 
 

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