11 July 2012

Night Out on Long Street

Some of you might remember when I flew to Stellenbosch a couple months ago to meet up with Jenny and Brigid {see here and here}.  In case you're new around here, the three of us studied {and lived} abroad together in South Africa in 2008 and this was our first reunion {and their first trip back to SA} in more than four years!  Needless to say, there was lots of catching up to be done and fun to be had.

Colorful buildings on Loop St - just opposite Long St

Since Stellenbosch and Cape Town are so close {about a 30 minute drive apart}, we set aside one evening to stay over on Long Street in Cape Town and enjoy a girls night out on the town!  Jenny's sister Lindsey is {or was - she just flew back home to the states} studying in Stellenbosch this semester so she joined in on the fun.  Long Street is known for its young, artsy vibe and is lined with enough restaurants, bars, and backpackers to keep one busy for days.  No trip to Cape Town is complete without a visit.

The four of us checked into an adorable little backpackers on the main road and then headed out for a walk around the area before it got too dark.  I love looking at all of the old, brightly painted buildings and imagining what the street must have looked like during Cape Town's early heydays.  The buildings are so picturesque and photogenic.

Our backpackers!

After our little evening stroll, we headed back to the backpackers and got ready for the night.  We decided on a quick and casual dinner of pizza and cider and then headed across the road to the Dubliner {not pictured} for some live music and to meet up with a couple of local friends.  The Dubliner is definitely a must for any trip to Long Street - one of my favorites!  


Later in the night, one of the people in our group recommended that we stop by his favorite bar in the city {seen below} for cocktails, but for the life of me I cannot remember what its name was.  I know it was hidden away on a little side street and from the outside you would have never guessed that it would open up into such a beautiful rooftop setting with views of old buildings and skyscrapers all around.  That's Long Street for you, full of surprises.  Next time I visit I'll be sure to try and find it again.  I'd love to take Jurgen there sometime.


We ended the night at another venue that I cannot remember the name of and had an awesome dance party before heading home.  I do remember that the theme that night was "After Burn" which made for a really interesting {?} but fun crowd of people.  I {as usual} ended up in the DJ box and took in the crowd from a distance while snapping away photos. 

 By the way, have any of you heard of Afrika Burn?  

Somehow I had never heard of it until this year, but it's supposedly an African version of Burning Man and I'm officially intrigued.  All of a sudden it seems like everyone's talking about it and the photos look insane.  Maybe I'll do a blog post on what it's all about soon.  Not sure that I would ever actually go myself, but it looks fascinating nonetheless.


Ah, Long Street... it never fails to live up to its expectations.

Also, today I'm being featured on Ashley's blog {A and B C the World} in her weekly travel feature Travel Tips & Tidbits!  I'm talking a little bit about my life in South Africa, why I started blogging, where I would most love to travel, and also offering some travel tips and advice.  Be sure to stop by and check it out here!  Thanks so much for having me Ashley :)

13 comments:

  1. We stayed not too far from Long Street at a little boutique hotel called "Rouge on Rose." Highly recommended if you are ever looking for a place to stay!

    I'm fairly certain we stopped at the Dubliner for a beer or 2 a couple of times too - great place!

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  2. Noted, I would definitely go down Long Street when visiting CT someday.

    I might be wrong, but I think that Long Street was the third most expensive property on South African Monopoly ;)

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  3. This looks like so much fun! My sister and I definitely had a few drinks at the Dubliner when I was visiting her in CT, after dinner at (the probably very touristy, but still super cool) Mama Africa. Such a fun place!

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  4. i love the buildings, but if I was honest I was disappointed by Long Street (apart from the cool little clothes shops) i think i heard too much about it-but have you been to Rafikis
    http://rafikis.co.za/
    not far-very cool place

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  5. What an awesome backpackers! I could really kick myself that I've been to SA twice and never made it to Cape Town - who does that?? Looks like you had a great time!

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  6. Oh it looks like a fantastic time! Look at those buildings!

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  7. love this! is there anything better than reuniting with your girls? i had a reunion with my 3 besties from college back in october, we hadn't all been together for 4 years (!!) and it was like no time had passed at all! so fun!!

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  8. I love Long Street! What a fun girls night.

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  9. You stayed in that blue building?!? I'm a bit jealous right now. It is amazing! And it looks like a great time on Long Street. :)

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  10. Too funny...a LOT of people get into Burning Man around here! Sounds like quite the experience!!

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  11. Thanks for the shout out Jenna! So glad to have featured you! Also, that is the most picturesque hostel ever! Was the inside just as gorgeous?

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  12. I bet you guys had an absolute blast! :)

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Thanks for the love!