This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land

Cape Town is segmented into sections that are more than just “areas” in which one stands. They’re towns inside a big city, proper enough to be included in mailing addresses and culturally distinct enough that you can often see a literal border between two adjacent ones.

Cape Town's "City Bowl" area

We live “in the city” on the very edge of Tamboerskloof, a funky area adorned with charming shops, vibrant people, bustling vibes, hipster fashion, and prime real estate. We’re a short walk away from everything one would need: a pharmacy, a laundromat, a coffee shop, a local favorite restaurant and bar, a few groceries and convenience stores, and quaint cafes. We've become familiar faces at a few stops on our street, and when the barista recalled my order this morning, I felt a little bit at home.You’d compare our neighborhood to East Nashville, if you were familiar with both, meaning one thing: I love it here. Much like Keep Louisville Weird and I Heart BG, our area of the city has its own campaign: I Love My Hood.

I Heart My Hood stickers and t-shirts pop up all over the place on Kloof Street

The convenience store "next door" that we visit multiple times a day

There’s so much to love here that one even finds the colony of homeless men, which makes a nearby corner their home each night, endearing. Beleza and Peter’s House, small neighborhood restaurants, are frequented for their free wi-fi access. The Power & The Glory, where I sit as I write this, serves coffee and café food all day and beer and wine at night. Rafiki’s, directly above me, is the second home of plenty of young locals, staying busy late into the night. As if that we're enough to win one over, a one-minute walk down the (very steep) hill to Kloof Street introduces you to a charming boutique and café district that one can’t help but adore.

The Power & The Glory, our neighborhood coffee shop

And Long Street, Cape Town’s equivalent to Nashville’s Broadway, New Orleans’s Bourbon Street, Louisville’s Bardstown Road, and Memphis’s Beale Street, is only a five to ten minute walk away. It is home to African shops, backpacker lodges, coffee shops, and as much variety in nightlife as you can imagine. A favorite of locals and international visitors and residents alike, you're never sure who you'll meet on Long Street.

Long Street from above

Every time it slips our mind just how lucky we are with our location, a visiting friend will ask how we pulled it off. Considering the fact that we learned everything we knew about Cape Town residence online (and Lindsey's diligent research), we'll chalk this one up as a job well done. It's safe to say that by the end of a year here, I'll proudly display "I Love My Hood" logos as if it were mine all along. Home sweet home.