You may already have worked out that this suburb was named due to its close proximity to an actual observatory - the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, founded in 1820.

Being so close to Cape Town itself makes this suburb one of the oldest in the province, and the reason for it looking old and worn out.

Similarly to Woodstock, Observatory (affectionately known as Obz) escaped segregation laws of the apartheid era, developing a interesting mixed culture of its own, and when I think of Observatory, for some reason I think of artists, musicians, hippies, crystals, dream catchers, incense, and hipsters. :P

This was the first time that I've seen Observatory's Lower Main Road so quiet. I've previously only visited in the late afternoon or evening when the whole road is teeming with activity. It was only just after 8am, but it seemed quite strange to be almost the only person walking along the sidewalk.