A Bit More Lively in Melville

I'm now in a new neighborhood, and it's a vast improvement. This area is called Melville, and it's much more lively and walkable. It's also kind of a trendy place to go out, so there are overpriced cups of coffee and people with laptops at restaurants and stylish people drinking wine at sidewalk tables.

Apparently this is an area that was built to house soldiers after World War Two, so the lots are small and the houses are not very fancy. But over time they've earned themselves some character and this has become a desirable neighborhood. Like Bramley, though, most houses have large walls surrounding them with electrified fences at the top.

But for the most part, the area seems pretty calm. It gets a little hectic on the weekend, when the bar scene really bows up. I went out on Saturday, and all the bars were packed. I ended up accidentally meeting an American girl and her Canadian friend, so I wasn't too good at blending in that night. But we had a good time, and the locals were very nice. Especially the dudes trying to get the white girls to go back home with them. Lots of American pop music, lots of shitty beer, and a surprising 2 am last call.

Because it's close to both the University of Johannesburg and the University of Witwatersrand, there's a fair amount of young people roaming around. But I've noticed, as someone able to be out and about during the middle of the day, that most of the people who are in and around Melville on a not-weekend day are early middle aged and middle aged. And mostly white.

I'm still staying at a bed and breakfast, but have been wondering around like a tourist looking for places to rent. I may have found one, a small bachelor not too far away that seems pretty nice. I'll be checking it out on Thurssday, so there may be more to share from the Melville area in the coming days.