Image: Supplied
International city guide Time Out has released its pick of the world’s 50 coolest neighbourhoods to visit right now — and the leafy Johannesburg suburb of Melville has got the nod.
The list stems from the Time Out Index 2019 survey, which polled 27,000 respondents in major cities around the world on the most overrated and undervalued neighbourhoods in their home towns.
The suggestions were then whittled down by Time Out editors and contributing writers who were tasked with identifying the buzziest neighbourhoods in their city.
Neighbourhoods were selected based on criteria such as affordability, art, culture, food and drink scenes, and new venue openings.
Most importantly, neighbourhoods had to be considered a destination “whose star is on the rise”.
WHAT MAKES MELVILLE SO COOL
Melville, which ranked 48th on the global list, was hailed as being one of Joburg’s “most diverse neighbourhoods” on the Time Out website.
“Take a stroll and you’ll discover an ever-changing cross-section of all day places to eat, coffee shops, bistros, hookah lounges, themed restaurants and dive bars, all nestled between antique furniture shops, niche galleries and thrift stores,” it reads.
Restaurants The Whippet Harvest Store and The Anti-Social Social Club, the Bamboo Lifestyle Centre, and the clothing store Convoy were highlighted as places well worth a visit.
WHICH OTHER CITIES MADE THE LIST?
The multicultural parish of Arroios in Lisbon, Portugal, took the top spot. It’s described as a “dynamic, intercultural hub” for young artists and different ethnic groups, and boasts open-air galleries and a multicultural dining scene.
Japan’s Shimokitazawa took the second place spot; it’s called the Brooklyn of Tokyo for its young eclecticism.
Rounding out the top three podium is Onikan in Lagos, Nigeria, which Time Out describes as a historic district in which “past, present and future collide effortlessly”.
For the full list, visit timeout.com.
• Additional reporting by staff reporter.
BY: AFP RELAXNEWS
SOURCE: TMG DIGITAL
