Observatory – Cape Town’s Heart
Modern suburbia. The white picket-fenced, “2.4 children” stereotype. The kind of neighborhood I grew up in. Take your pick, Cape Town is full of places like these. As safe, secure and sterile as they may be, they lack character in my opinion. The area which I’ve called home this year, Observatory, has something different to it. Here’s why.
Although not recognized as an affluent area, the laid-back village affectionately known as “Obs” is unlike any other area in Cape Town. Here you’ll find Victorian-style houses nestled tightly together, sliced apart by narrow roads reminiscent of a era long gone. But it’s not the architecture that sets Obs apart from neighboring areas – it’s the people.
We’re a potpourri of cultures, races, faiths and creeds. Here you’ll find people from every nook & cranny of our planet all living together in harmony. It’s the mass mentality of being open-minded that makes it so unique. Nobody judges, nobody discriminates. It’s a mini-society where everyone knows how they fit in, a place where everyone knows each other and where everyone knows that help is as far away as next door. We have our interesting characters too, of course!
If you’re a born-and-bred Capetonian like myself and have heard the rumours about Obs, you’ve probably thought “Crime?” at least once during reading this article. Well, in the 8 months of living here, I’ve yet to experience any sort of crime whatsoever (touch wood of course!). Sure, I’ve heard the stories about cars being broken into, but then again petty crime is everywhere, if not more so in the suburbs I mentioned earlier on.
We have some sort of “township-vigilante” mentality here. If we see somebody in trouble or in need of assistance, we wouldn’t hesitate to help that person out. It’s a mentality which a lot of other cities could learn from.
There is so, so much to do and see here. Off the top of my head, there’s The Armchair Theatre, Obs Cafe, Stones, Hello Sailor, Pancho’s, Trenchtown and The Blue Marlin (a gem of a sushi/Asian restaurant – review in the making!).
Observatory is one of a kind. Visit us with an open mind and you’ll see what I mean.
[...] Two weeks ago we had a surprise guest attend one of our braai’s – a furry critter known as a gennet. I’d only ever seen these guys in the Karoo and was amazed to see one in our garden in Observatory. [...]