The Lizard Lounge

In the old historic Central area of the city, old meets new, as a settlers cottage becomes a hip cafe and jazz club. Previously known as the Lizard Lounge, the metal gates were custom made to suit the theme. After a change of ownership, it is more boringly known as 52 Parliament Street, but they have luckily been retained! The historic building opposite can be seen reflected in the window. A great move is being made to restore these old…

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The (formerly) Grand Hotel

I love this graffiti, and this one is a real depiction of the vibe now going on inside, some cool Afro-Jazz takes place there. But as you can see, the place is pretty run down. In the past it lived up to its name. It was a Grand Hotel in a wonderful old historic building. Hopefully the move towards urban renewal in this part of town will include restoring this once gracious old lady, without losing the cool new ambience…

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Just Another Shopping Mall

I had lunch at Wimpy last week, (note Christmas decorations already up, can you believe it?)With the growth of franchises around the world, it seems that, in many countries, shopping malls have become so similar that, once in them, you could be just about anywhere in the world.

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places of worship #1

This is the Greek Church in Parsons Hill. PE has a close knit Greek community, many of whom keep close ties to the traditions of their motherland, even after several generations here. This beautiful complex houses, amongst other things, their church, as well as the Hellenic Hall where functions are held.

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View from the Top #2

This is a view from the rooftop parking at Greenacres Hospital, looking across towards the north west just after sunset. The domed towers are part of The Bridge Shopping Mall, which literally does form a bridge across a major road heading down to the sea.

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Urban Renewal

All cities go through cycles of growth and decay, and the centre of Port Elizabeth is no exception. Established in 1820, she grew rapidly and a bit haphazardly at first, to become, by the early 1900s, the South African port with the biggest exports. This was mainly because the diamond industry in Kimberley, and the Ostrich feather and mohair industries were all in their heyday, and used PE to export their goods.But as these waned, she was overtaken by other…

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Another view of the Casino complex

I hope this is big enough, it seems these panoramic shots end up a bit small, even when uploading large. I thought I would give you more of an overview of the Boardwalk Casino complex and the manmade lake with floating island.

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Jazz on the Lake

Yesterday at the Boardwalk Casino complex, a jazz festival was held. The complex is built around a man-made lake, and there is a floating "island" on which the various jazz bands played. Around the lake are many restaurants and outdoor cafes, and it was great sitting outside on a perfect summer day, enjoying good food and good music.

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