09 July 2018|25 Shawaal 1439|Business insider
The quaint seaside village of Kalk Bay, Cape Town and the creative melting-pot of Maboneng, Johannesburg, have been named two of the ‘coolest neighbourhoods in the world’ by US business magazine Forbes.
The neighbourhoods beat Manhattan in New York, and London’s fashionable Soho district to be included on the list of just 12 neighbourhoods.
The list also includes Amsterdam Noord in Amsterdam, Keramikos in Athens, and Seongsu-dong in Seoul.
Maboneng has transformed from a no-go zone at the end of Apartheid to a “lively urban area with blossoming art and culinary scenes”, Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder of luxury travel agency Indagare, told Forbes.
Maboneng, a Sotho word meaning “place of light”, is known for the Museum of African Design in Arts on Main, a complex of restored factories and buildings which now house several galleries, restaurants and boutiques
Tom Marchant, the founder of travel specialists Black Tomato, called Kalk Bay a “vibrant harbour neighbourhood” with several picturesque cafes which are the talk of Cape Town.
“A seaside haven slightly removed from the bustle of Cape Town, the former fishing village Kalk Bay is attracting more than just the local surfer community,” Merchant told Forbes.
“Locals have always known that Kalk Bay is a cool place, but its inclusion in the Forbes list means that many of our international visitors may now put it on their itineraries,” says Western Cape Economic Opportunities MEC Alan Winde.
“Each seaside ice-cream, delicious plate of fish and chips or souvenir bought from a small store goes a long way to growing the tourism and hospitality economy, and creating new jobs,” Winde said in a statement on Monday.
Here is the full list of cool suburbs around the world
Barcelona – Saints, Washington DC – Navy Yard, Amsterdam – Amsterdam Noord, Cartagena – Getsemani, Johannesburg – Maboneng, Tbilisi – Plekhanov, Panama City – Casco Viejo, Saigon – District 5, Athens – Keramikos, Seoul – Seongsu-dong, Chicago – Pilsen, Cape Town – Kalk Bay
Source Extracts (Cape Talk)