Silo District, Cape Town
33.90752˚ S, 18.4213˚ E
Cape Town has been stunning thus far. Granted, we are staying in one of its nicest districts, but everything just feels refined without being exclusive, with a distinct sense of history and place. The waterfront is similar to San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, but less hectic and kitschy. Its restaurants are full of people, all of whom seem engaged in conversation instead of distracted by technology. It’s hard to think how the demographics could any more diverse (we’ve had trouble finding ingredients for Mexican recipes, so perhaps Central & South America is under-represented). And everyone is so well-dressed!
On the north side there is a glittering shopping mall (yes, it’s possible for a mall to be attractive) full of tourists mixing with the locals going about their daily lives (we did some provisioning at a Woolworth’s in the mall; it had by far the best meat department of any grocery store I’ve ever been in). But then just west of us is the ancient Robinson Dry Dock still servicing the vessels that come in and out of Cape Town harbor. The cosmopolitan has not eradicated the local, as sadly so often seems to be the case.
