Observatory, Cape Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contents |
[edit] Geography and history
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. It is on the railway line from Cape Town to Simon's Town with regular trains every 40 minutes or so, every hour on Sunday. The name is derived from the location of the first Royal Observatory in the area at in 1820. This original site serves as the headquarters of the South African Astronomical Observatory, with an on-site museum exhibiting various historic instruments and telescopes.
Known colloquially as 'Obs', its proximity to the University of Cape Town (UCT) and its Medical School in particular, have always made it popular with students and lecturers. During the years of apartheid, Observatory was one of the few de facto 'grey' suburbs where all races lived together. It continues to be a somewhat alternative part of town, with 'New Age' style shops and a monthly 'Holistic Fair' at the Community Centre on the first Sunday of each month. It has many churches. The Anglican parish church of St Michael and All Angels has a strong choral tradition.
Observatory is the location for much of the short-term accommodation used by increasing numbers of overseas, particularly North American and European, students attending UCT.
[edit] Economy and popular culture
 |
This article or section reads like a review and may need a cleanup. Please help improve this article to make it neutral in tone and meet Wikipedia's quality standards. |
There is a fast turn-over of restaurants in the area, but also some long term stayers such as Obz Cafe, Diva and the 'Dragon Chinese which all have been there for some time. A popular spot is the 'Sushi Zone', a Korean restaurant offering a buffet on Saturday nights. Opposite this, a new Thai restaurant is setting up. At St. Peter's square there is a 'Spur' restaurant as well as an Indian take-away and the Pie shop - St. Peter's square is opposite Groote Schuur graveyard. Other than that, an insiders' tip is the "Ganesh", a fancy but traditional small and hidden African restaurant, which is well known for its desserts, especially lemon meringue.
In Observatory itself, there are a number of bars. Roots, with a rastafarian theme, caters for younger people. Gandalfs,R.O.A.R and Gothem are further down the street but offer a more alternative vibe with music from Rock and Metal. Off Pepper Tree Square, a more middle aged haunt, A Touch of Madness, is to be found. Around the corner, the homeless frequent the al fresco informal bar centring on the Observatory Bottle Store.
Observatory has a soccer and hockey stadium below the station, Hartleyvale, on Liesbeeck Parkway and an outdoor swimming pool that's very popular on summer afternoons - between the two there's a circus school.
[edit] Hospitals
Beyond the astronomical observatory is the famous mental hospital, Valkenberg, an impressive Victorian building that has undergone extensive renovations recently. Valkenberg houses the mentally ill in secure accommodation as well as providing out patient care. Beyond Valkenberg is a 'boutique' hotel with a restaurant and bar, the Wild Fig.
‘Obs' also harbours the world famous Groote Schuur Hospital. It was here that Professor Chris Barnard performed the world's first heart transplant on 3 December 1967. The hospital's emergency department is off the N2 motorway and, consequently, serves the crime-ridden and poor suburbs on the Cape Flats. This skews the statistics, making Obs appear to be a much more violent place than it in fact is[citation needed].
[edit] Crime and security
As with most of Cape Town, crime has been a problem in recent years, with burglary, and muggings as well as minor vandalism and graffiti. Over the past decade there have been about half a dozen murders. A pioneering community security organisation, Obs Watch, ran bicycle patrols for years, but became defunct as a result of a strange quirk of company law[citation needed]. It has been replaced by the Observatory Neighbourhood Watch[citation needed]. Large CCTV cameras have been erected at most of the exits and entrances to Obs. On top of this the Woodstock Police have become increasingly active in getting rid of the scourge of crime from this pretty and friendly suburb.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- History of the South African Astronomical Observatory
- Observatory Neighbourhood Watch
- Restaurants and a write-up on Obs
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
