While the vividly painted faces of old Victorian buildings,
advertising a seemingly endless string of youth hostels and
overland tour operators may understandably mislead you, Long
Street is not just a place for backpackers. It has a hip urban
feel that attracts young and old alike, making it one of the
most interesting places in the city to spend a few hours or a
few days.
Many of the city's tourist attractions are located on or around
Long Street. Take a dip at the Turkish Baths on one end and then
walk down towards the International Convention Center on the
other, visiting historic mosques and churches and popping into
the Association of Visual Arts or the Gold Museum along the way.
The peaceful Company Gardens, flanked by the Slave Lodge, the
National Gallery and the South African Museum, are in the
immediate vicinity and provide a lovely spot for a break from
the urban buzz of Long Street itself. Greenmarket Square and the
Adderly Street Flower Market lie in between Long Street and the
Castle of Good Hope. And if you want more ideas for sightseeing,
or have simply lost your bearings, the all-knowing Cape Town
Tourist Information Center is just one block down from Long on
Castle Street.
Long Street is also a mecca for shoppers looking for creative,
locally designed items. Stores to look out for are Mememe, Milk
and Misfit.
The interior shops and galleries on Church and Long can satisfy
your interior decorating needs, with sleek furniture and ethnic
accents or more serious photographs, paintings and sculpture
from contemporary South African artists. Or head to the
Pan-African Market or the daily flea market in Greenmarket
Square, where vendors hawk everything from commercial T-shirts
to intricate beadwork and tapestries, and are always willing to
bargain for "a special price, just for you." Specialty stores
include Clarke's Bookshop, probably the most serious bookstore
in all of Cape Town, and Caroline's Fine Wines, the place to go
for spot-on wine suggestions.
Long Street is also known for its nightlife and hip dining
scene. Sophisticated bistros like 95 Keerom and Ginja, which
both recently won special recognition from South Africa's Eat
Out magazine, are perfect for dinners with clients or first
dates. The chic Gallery Café, with its glassed-in second floor
balcony overlooking Long Street, is a soothing place to sit for
a lunch or evening meal. Ethnic restaurants range from the
upscale Mesopotamia to the student-oriented Mojito and the
Caravan Café. Vegetarians are well catered for at Lola's, and
for an informal meal, it is hard to beat Royale's gourmet
ostrich burger and a Bar One milkshake. After dinner, head out
for some live music and dance into the morning hours at
Kennedy's Cigar Bar, Jo'burg or Mama Africa. Sip wine on the
sidewalk tables at the popular Long Street Café. Or relax in
style in the bar at the seriously trendy Metropole. The bars and
clubs lining the street are packed on the weekends, with a mixed
local and international crowd. Of course there is always the
fascinating game of people-watching from one of Long Street's
many sidewalk cafes.
The area has a decidedly more bohemian air than the upscale,
super-secure Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, but an afternoon or
evening on Long Street is a fantastic way to witness first-hand
the energy, diversity and even contradiction that lies at the
heart of the new South Africa.
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