Standing SOLID in the HOSPITAL PRECINCT
This building caught our eye this week. MONOLITH. We think that it belongs to the RHRU – Reproductive Health Research Unit – it’s situated in Esselen street in Hillbrow, just next to or behind Constitution Hill depending on where you’re facing… The entire area is being upgraded to become the HOSPITAL PRECINCT, read more about it’s rich heritage and …BIG PLANS yet again on the uber-informative “City of Johannesburg website “....
ISH – Why not have two jobs?
Anyone that hangs out in Melville in Johannesburg (as you may have gathered, we do!) can tell you that it is a shifting changing place, with new shops and restaurants opening all the time. One of the five or six new places caught our eye, there’s something so ‘fresh’ about it that we just had to go and sample it’s delights. We were pleasantly suprised to find that it was not just another new s…pot in Melville. ISH is a coffee shop on the corner of 7th and 4th avenues in Melville, it’s BRAND NEW and looks very slick and tastefully put together. We popped in for a light lunch, the service, food and atmosphere all got our thumbs up – we’ll definitely be hanging out there. BUT THAT’s NOT ALL! ISH is actually the fourth ISH in Joburg, they all belong to Jason Lee, an Estate Agent aka clever Property dude whose love of good coffee gave him a unique idea. He got tired of leaving his office and cruising the streets in search of decent coffee, so he decided to instead turn his office into a coffee shop as well – that was where ISH was born. All four ISH’es are both a property office and coffee shop, the others are in Honeydew, Mondeor and Winchester Hill. Each of them focuses on property in the immediate surrounds and of course on the people that hang out there too. Nice concept bruvva. They’re only open during the day until early evening (week until 8pm, weekend until 6pm) and Sunday’s are their late night where the lights are on till 9 – 10pm. They don’t serve alcohol (per se 🙂 ) or have an extensive menu, they’re all about COFFEE. You can however have a light breakfast or lunch for a very reasonable price, there are lots of magazines and newspapers to read as well as boardgames to play and it’s the kind of spot that’s perfect for people-watching. Very reasonable too. Puma are doing a launch there soon and they’re open to hiring the place out to the ‘right kind of brands’ for a launch. Jason wants to attract the ‘hip, out there’ crowd and doesn’t want to be just another grungy Melville drinking hole (you know who you are). Good luck Jason!...
GOOGLE one of world’s most VALUABLE BRANDS
But Coca Cola is still number one! Google is number 38! “GOOGLE has leapt into the world’s most valuable brands list for the first time at no 38. The internet search engine is valued at $8.5billion (ý5billion) – more than several household names such as Heinz. And online auction site eBay has had the biggest rise in its brand value rising 21 per cent to $5.7billion (ý3.2billi…on). That puts it at 55th in the respected annual table compiled by Business Week and Interbrand. Computer giant Apple, fuelled by the success of the iPod, was among the top five gainers. It saw its brand worth rocket 16 per cent to put it at no 41. Its rivals IBM, Intel and Microsoft are all in the top 10.” Daily Mirror UK. Read all about it in this article from the Daily Mirror. Top ten most valued brands of 2005 are: 1. Coca Cola 2. Microsoft 3. General Electric / GE 4. Intel 5. Nokia 6. Disney 7. McDonalds 8. Toyota 9. Marlboro 10. Mercedes-Benz If you would like to see the complete list, click here!...
Wanna know what goes on in a Business Class lounge?
Check out this fabulara website called AIRLINEQUALITY.com, it’s a platform for people to complain about, compliment and compare their experiences of ALL the major airlines in the world. Even if flying is not in your budget, you can always plan and dream 🙂 Like this – did you know that SAA has some of the most comfo…rtable flat seats out of all the airlines? You know the incredible seats that turn into beds – apparently ours are loved by all. Click on the picture to go there. What made our day though were the reviews of SAA’s business class lounge compared with that of New York JFK Airport. You gotta love us. JOBURG – First Class (Cycad) and Business Class (Baobab) Both lounges are comfortable, with friendly staff and plenty of space. Separate smokers rooms are provided in both and the shower facilities are fantastic. The First class lounge has a separate ‘sleeping section’ where you can listen to CDs. Computer facilities are provided, but web connection can be slow. Only downside is the lack of natural light. Business Lounge – Complimentary bar and snacks provided – crisps, nuts, cakes, sandwiches etc. First Class – amazing food, cooked to order. Normally simple bistro type meals but served by friendly, welcoming staff. Huge selection of drinks available to help yourself. NEW YORK While the lounge is spacious enough the green colour scheme is very banal. Giving business class passengers vouchers for only two complimentary drinks in the lounge is rather mean – no other airline that I have flown with has restricted the number of drinks available in the lounge. I asked about the shower and eventually an attendant brought me a towel and the key to the shower, though rather grudgingly. Sandwiches and other snacks also had to be purchased- altogether a disappointing experience....
Watch out coffee shops – the Schmuck is out there!
Thanks to Varan for sharing this awesome blog from Joburg artist Roy Blumenthal with us – Roy aka the Schmuck is a one-man coffee shop critic, weaving his amusing tales of coffee shop horror and pleasure through his blog. Don’t even bother to read the conventional review sites. His sense of humour and wit give us a refreshing take on Restaurant Reviews. You go Roy! href=”http://schmucknews.blogspot.com/2005/03/nescafe-cafe-rosebank.html”Check out his site for more reviews of LOTS of COFFEE SHOPS and RESTAURANTS. ———————————————————– Nescafe Rosebank. Service: * * * 1/2 Food: N/A Ambience: * * * 1/2 Babe Count: * * * Decaf cappuccino definitely doesn’t match the rush of what’s just happened. And I’m sitting here scheming about ways to maximise my experience. What’s happened is that a couple of hours ago I saw Clint Eastwood’s MILLION DOLLAR BABY, which was both brilliant and somewhat disappointing at the same time. Immensely powerful performances all round, but an oddly unbelievable story. Still, it gets about 8 out of 10 on the Roy-o-metre. But that’s not what’s gotten my adrenalin flowing. I decided, after having cried for a quarter of the movie, that I wanted something more upbeat. So, having been lured by the publicity surrounding CONNIE & CARLA, I decided to make the short trek across to The Zone to see that. After all, it’s loosely based on a Billie Wilder classic, SOME LIKE IT HOT. Unfortunately, I never got to see the movie. Which is where the adrenalin kicks in. Lofty Ledwaba… I hope you’re reading this. And I hope you’re preparing yourself for total onslaught. Here’s what went down. I buy my ticket, and realise I haven’t eaten supper, and that I’m rather hungry. So, I peruse the Ster Kinekor delectables counter, and realise that I don’t want to spend R20 on cardboard popcorn, when what I really need is sustenance. So I trek down to Europa, and buy a Tra Firenze (excellent, by the way!). On getting back to the cinema, I tuck the takeaway under my arm, under my jersey, and go through the ticket checkpoint. Lucky is the man on duty, and as it turns out, Lucky decides he smells a rat. I get into the cinema. The lights dim. The adverts play. The trailers play. I eat four bites of my tramezzini. And Lucky arrives. “Excuse me,” he says, “but you’re not allowed to eat in the cinema. You can give that to me for safekeeping, or you can leave.” “I think I’ll do neither,” I say. On the spur of the moment, I decide that making a stand against this idiocy is more important than...
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