Jol is one of my favourite South African words, short and upbeat and basically meaning to have a good time. So I go on the jol as we say, and together with friends discover the fabulous new side of this crazy cowboy city. Here are my seven best Jozi jols:
The
Marabi Club I fall in love with this jazz
bar and its pop up restaurant called The Potluck Club. This is Afro New York
at its sexiest. Gorgeous Nigerian doormen dressed in black, Art
Deco interiors that evoke Johannesburg in the 20s, a long stylish wooden
bar where charming waiters peddle intriguing cocktails; smoky live jazz while
you eat. I have the Thai Green Curry Cocktail which is so fabulous I have
another one, William and Sally have enormous designer G&Ts, Phil has a lot
of whisky. We jol in the chic cigar lounge, we feel hip, we meet people, the
food is brilliant, the music is delightful. I never want to leave. www.themarabiclub.com
Hallmark
House So I spend the night at Hallmark House which is conveniently next to the Marabi Club, First we admire the views from Phil’s apartment and
ooh and aah at the nightlights of Hillbrow where I once used to jol too. Hallmark
is a fabulous new addition to the Maboneng area, although this is actually New
Doornfontein. They’re styling it as African New York, so the first five floors
are the hotel and there are apartments above, and small shops and art and of
course the jazz club. A great jazz-jol-sleep-over combo. The rooms are hip
with slender balconies and killer urban views. There’s a spacious meet n' greet space downstairs looking onto the street, with a bar, restaurant and coffee
shop.
The
Rooftop Bar Tour Tony, Lee and I Uber it to Newtown and get on the bus with forty
others and we go to six different bars in and around Braamfontein, Maboneng and downtown Jozi. It’s a think and drink tour. Our fearless leader is
the delightful Gerald of Joburg Places who does a brilliant talk at each bar, describing the boom and bust of Jozi which has fallen and
risen six times, a bit like some of the people at the end of the tour. We
have the best jol. It hails, then the sun comes out, the views are astonishing,
the drinks are strong, the rooftops are hip and happening, the bars are trendy,
the people are friendly. There is a spectacular sunset down Albertina Sisulu
Street. It’s night. The drunker we get the friendlier and louder we all become
on the bus, the more exited we get about Jozi city - the style, the
regeneration, the friendliness. We are more fun than
a barrel of monkeys. We carry on the jol to the Troyeville Hotel. www.joburgplaces.com
The
Fabric Tour Willie and I hit the fashion district
in downtown President Street in style. We start our tour at a hip coffee shop
called The Fashion Shack and led by Ishvara of Ancient Secrets. He explains the origins of the area and trade, the stories of the cloth. We wander
through the small shop selling fabrics from Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya and
different parts of South Africa. Kangas, capulanas, kente, Masai tartan. The colours are
beautiful, we meet tailors and traders. I buy a funky cap and a mat, Willie
gets shoes. www.inyourpocket.com/johannesburg/african-fabric-tour_7642e
Keyes
Art Mile I have a few hours to kill so I slip into Southern Guild on Rosebank's Art Mile to see an exhibition by the interestingly named Porky
Hefer. He has crafted a series of sleeping pods inspired by things like the
workings of the weaver bird. I love this pod, it's a very good post-jol pod indeed. I also visit the Everard Read Gallery which is one of my favourite spaces, and Circa gallery next door where I climb to the top and check out the views to the north. www.keyesartmile.co.za
The
Roving Bantu Kitchen This fabulous shebeen style spot adds love and life to the historic suburb of Brixton. We drink
Zamalek and talk about jazz and freedom and Sifiso the Roving Bantu himself comes to say hi, then we chat to the lovely Ashley and a tourist from Berlin. The soul food is delicious and the conversation continues...www.facebook.com/rovingbantu
WAM Bam, bam. Maxine, Kirsten and I go to Wits Art Museum (WAM) to see the Andy Warhol exhibition which is fabulous and and makes us want to listen to Lou Reed and Velvet Underground. We set off the alarm by mistake when we pose too closely in front of Uncle Sam for a selfie. The collection of Warhol’s work is impressive and just being in the museum space is uplifting. We catch an espresso at the coffee shop downstairs and talk about life and art and how trendy Braamfontein has become. www.wits.ac.za/wam/
