Views from Ansteys

After a long day sitting behind the desk, there is nothing better than having a few beers high above Joburg... and thank goodness this happened on Tuesday eve!

Its was pretty cool hanging around in the city without the usual hoard of tourists not familiar with the beat of the street. After work I met up with Jo at Niki's Oasis while she waited for her guests to get picked up, afterward we went on a mission, a mission to find a bottle store to acquire our well deserved beverages, and lets just say the hustle and bustle around the Bree Street taxi rank at 5pm is something else! Unperturbed by the palpable need for the Jozi workers need to get home, we discovered our salvation on the corner and managed to get a few drinks for the night ahead.

Missioning back to the car and out journey had not yet even begun, but we could hardly wait to arrive at the Ansteys, which eventually we did, after a battle down Bree Street I'll have you know... Driving in the city during rush hour is not small feat! But regardless of this stress we managed to find some parking and made our way up!

Now I know you are asking yourself WHY would you be going into the city on a Tuesday night and why at the Ansteys Building? Well, let me tell you... Our friend Brian, an owner of several flats in the Ansteys Building, invited us for some sundowners at his flat on the 16th floor, which also happened to belong to the one and only Cecil Williams back in the day... and if you don't know who he is, I will explain a little later. Anyway, the reason for the sundowners was that Brian and the building were featured in a French newspaper along with no other than Jo, the Joburg Tour Guide, as some of the influential people of Joburg rejuvenation... and a big thanks to Sophie for writing the article. So we were invited along so that the photographer could take a few shots... pretty cool.  

I also got a few shots of the view in, and I just have to say that I love the place. If I had a bunch of cash lying around, this is a definite place where I would invest!

And now, let me explain why the Ansteys is so cool and who Cecil Williams is for those who don't know. Cecil Williams is a very famous South African personality, most famously known for his connection to Nelson Mandela. When Nelson was arrested back in the 60's, it was while acting as Cecil Williams's driver. And yes, Nelson used to frequent the flat owned by Cecil, the very same flat now owned by Brian.

It is an awesome place, built in the 30's, it is one of the best Art Deco buildings Joburg has to offer, and if you have the chance you must go and have a look.