Last weekend I led a jacaranda walk through Rosebank and neighboring Parkwood for Johannesburg in Your Pocket, followed by sundowners in a penthouse at the Tyrwhitt.
View from the enormous penthouse balcony at the Tyrwhitt — perfect for post-walk sundowners — with blooming jacaranda trees in the distance.
Although the jacaranda blooming season is on the wane, we still found plenty of purple vistas to photograph and the trees looked great from the Tyrwhitt’s 9th-floor penthouse balcony. Plus it was Halloween weekend and hoards of cute trick-or-treaters added to the vibe.
Teenage trick-or-treaters on the purple streets of Parkwood. As an American, I feel it’s blasphemous to go trick-or-treating on the Saturday BEFORE actual Halloween night. But I was happy to share Parkwood with this premature Halloween party, especially because it meant many of the streets were closed to traffic.
Rosebank is 15 minutes from my house and I normally go there only for shopping or the occasional dinner out. But this time Thorsten and I got to spend the night at the Tyrwhitt, and it was really fun to stay in Rosebank and experience the area like “locals” — especially during this magical season. Rosebank is delightfully walkable and there are still plenty of stately art deco apartment blocks to admire, mixed in among glitzy new high-rises like the Tyrwhitt.
Here’s a visual journey of our weekend.
Looking up at the Tyrwhitt. The Tyrwhitt is a regular apartment building, with flats of varying sizes for sale and for rent, but it is also an “apartment hotel” with short stays available through the Serviced Apartment Collection. Learn more about the Tyrwhitt on their Instagram page.Checking in to the penthouse.We spotted lots of purple witch hats during our walk.Ilana, a.k.a. the @magicalfairygodmother, frolicks among the jacarandas.My carefully planned jacaranda outfit, including purple-soled and -laced walking shoes courtesy of the iconic South African brand Veldskoen. I love these shoes — they are insanely comfortable. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)My dear friend Fiver is back in Joburg! Just in time to sketch the jacarandas, and she even dyed her hair to match them.Jacaranda sketching.One of Fiver’s completed sketches. Browse more of her work at @rabbitproductions.My boyfriend taking in the scenery. Thorsten also did some sketching along the way.A sketch by @thethinking_hand.Jacaranda shadows.Our group stopped in Fearnhead Park, a nice little community space in Parkwood that I had never noticed before, for a photoshoot. Thanks for posing, Noreen.Park sketch by Fiver.Silly group jumpstagram (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)Back on the penthouse balcony with Kennedy from Micro-Adventure Tours, who led a cycling tour at the same time as my walk.Ilana photographs purple trees from the balcony. Fiver on the balcony.A dazzling sunset over Northcliff Ridge.The next morning we had breakfast at Proud Mary, which is a block up from the Tyrwhitt. Proud Mary has fantastic food and I love the aesthetic — highly recommend.Breakfast at Proud Mary: Turkish poached eggs with lachna paratha, chilli chimichurri, lemon yoghurt, fresh dill, and za’tar. I can’t describe how good this tasted.
And that was our Rosebank weekend. I’m very sad the jacaranda season is nearly over — already looking forward to next year.
One last thing: Johannesburg in Your Pocket is currently hosting its annual #JacarandaInYourPocket2022 photo competition, and first prize is a two-night stay at the Tyrwhitt. (There are lots of other great prizes up for grabs, too.) The competition ends on 13 November so get those Instagram posts up.
One last purple portrait, featuring my amazing recycled-material earrings by @whore.duh. (Photo: Thorsten Deckler)Oh and one more by @thethinking_hand.
I’m an American writer/blogger/photographer living a quirky life in Johannesburg. Follow along as I explore Johannesburg, South Africa, and the rest of the world.
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What amazing pictures and drawings! Very inspiring! Wonderful to see good vibes and joy!
Thanks so much, Phillipa. It was a lovely evening.
Agree with Phillipa, photos and drawings are awesome as is your writing, that penthouse balcony is the best.
One of the most fabulous balconies in Joburg, for sure.
‘’ComplImentary’’
Ah! Thank you.
Gorgeous walk and a gorgeous view! I like that they close off the streets.
Yeah I was thinking about that too…I don’t know if closing off streets is such a thing on Halloween in the US.
Hi, and may I send you a “poem” (?) that I wrote, inspired over many years, by the jacaranda season and its “Blues and Hues ?”
Sure!