Hidden Joburg: Glenshiel and Villa Arcadia
My quest to visit all the places in the Hidden Johannesburg book — which began with my pilgrimage to the Lemon Squeezer Church and then a visit to the Lions Shul — continues. I recently went to Glenshiel, a historic mansion designed by renowned architect...
Spinning Bicycles in Soweto
Last Saturday afternoon I stood on Mbolekwa Street in Dlamini, Soweto, with a couple of hundred other spectators, watching teenage boys spinning around on super-long, low-slung bicycles. Most of the bikes didn’t have brakes, or even seats in some cases. The...
Sleeping in Jozi: A Night at the African Penthouses
Last week Thorsten and I spent the night at the African Penthouses — a group of five luxury, rooftop apartments in the center of downtown Joburg. My African Penthouse rooftop selfie. The African Penthouses are at 87 Commissioner Street, right across from the...
The Secret Ruins of the Johannesburg Gas Works
Several months ago, Thorsten and I took a walk through the old Johannesburg Gas Works. Our visit happened spontaneously and we definitely shouldn’t have done it. Most of the Gas Works has been abandoned since gas production terminated 30 years ago, and the...
Heather Mason
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.
