There’s a very specific moment after moving into your first City Bowl flat when the main-character energy wears off. The boxes are still stacked, the fridge may or may not have power, and suddenly you’re responsible for fibre lines, toilet brushes, and whether SARS knows where you live.
But after 4 parts of dreaming, searching, applying, and moving, I’m finally on the other side. Vredehoek is starting to feel like home, and I can finally compare the City Bowl life I imagined with the one I’m actually living.
So, for the final entry in my moving diary, here’s the post-move reality, what surprised me, and whether moving to town was actually worth it.
If you’d like to see how we got here, check out Parts 1–4 of my moving diary:
Our first little shock (pun intended) came when we plugged in the fridge and realised it wasn’t working. Neither were any of the kitchen sockets.
Thankfully, it was just a switch on the switchboard. Crisis averted. But it prompted us to test every plug, light, tap, window, blind, hinge, and key before completing our incoming inspection.
Ours worked like this:
And when the toilet was marked as “clean”, photographic evidence was submitted to dispute that claim. Cue dry heaving.
Lesson learnt: Photograph every mark, scratch, and fault. Future you wants that deposit back.
When we first viewed the place, a major plus was that there was already fibre. But the agent neglected to mention that it did not work. So when I went to set up on moving day (a Saturday), we encountered shock #2.
By the time support reopened on Monday, a technician came out, replaced the line, and the connection activated, we had to go a week without Wi-Fi.
Lesson learnt: Organise Wi-Fi before you move, preferably during the working week. Your mobile data will thank you.
Thankfully, we were able to bring with us many of the bits and bobs, like utensils, pots, mugs, throw cushions, hand towels, bath mats, and the works.
But moving out quickly reveals the strange little things you’ve spent your entire life taking for granted. So the first item on the agenda for Sunday morning after the move was to head to the Waterfront and Mambo’s in Greenpoint to get the essentials:
Some food essentials were also on the list:
And then the big stuff we still need to buy:
I obviously couldn’t forget one of the most important steps! With this being the first ever professional move that I booked, I never expected it to be so smooth, quick, and easy. I had to make sure the moving team knew how grateful I was (and to let others know this is a team you can trust).
I left a 5-star rating and glowing review:
I cannot thank this Wise Move supermover enough for such a seamless and easy move. Communicating clearly beforehand, they arrived early on moving day and were incredibly quick and efficient. Evidently pros at what they do, they were were quick to adapt when we needed to hoist the couch and bed base up to my second-floor flat. They handled everything with care and went the extra mile to make my entire move easier. Couldn’t recommend them more.
And in case I missed something, I checked out Wise Move’s guide to navigating an address change.
In Part 1, I laid out all the reasons I wanted to move to the City Bowl. Now that I actually live here, did reality live up to the sales pitch I gave myself?
| Shorter commute to work | After that 30-minute daily commute, my 10 minutes to work feels that much sweeter. |
| Proximity to friends | With 3 friends living within a 5-minute drive, and more within the Bowl, the social calendar is popping off. |
| City vibes | Vredehoek gives me the best of both worlds: quiet and residential at home, with the buzz of town about five minutes away. |
| Nearby amenities | The time I used to spend commuting can now go towards parks, the gym, cafés, restaurants, and actually having an evening. |
| Walkability | Vredehoek has been more walkable than I expected, from post-work Kwikspar trips to Saturday morning coffee walks. |
So far, the things I moved here for are exactly the things I’m enjoying most.
When I first started telling people that I was moving to Vredehoek, they all told me to brace myself for the wind.
Well, I did, and I’m still getting blown over (just like my neighbour's roof that got blown off).
I thought that every block of the City Bowl was a concrete jungle vibrating with hustle and bustle. I didn’t realise that these outer edges of the city are essentially normal, quiet suburbs with a metropolitan view.
There are dogs out for walks, children playing in parks, gorgeous homes with gardens, and a slowed-down pace that offers sweet relief after a long day at work.
All I have to do is walk up five streets, and I am at the base of Table Mountain – one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. That’s pretty crazy. How many people in the world can say that?
In my head, the City Bowl was its own isolated arena, far away from the Northern and Southern Suburbs. But thanks to a nifty invention called highways, you can basically get to either within 15-30 minutes (granted there’s no traffic).
My one pet peeve about City Bowl living is that narrow roads plus wall-to-wall street parking turn driving into a negotiation exercise. Vredehoek has introduced me to a local game I call Who Blinks First?
Two cars meet on a road that technically has two lanes but practically has one. Someone eventually admits defeat, finds a gap, squeezes in, and flashes their lights to confirm diplomatic relations remain intact. Bonus points if this happens halfway up a hill.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
The things I moved for are exactly the things I notice most now: I have more time in my mornings and evenings, friends are around the corner, post-work walks have replaced sitting in traffic, and so much of my life suddenly feels close by.
Would City Bowl living make sense for everyone? Probably not. But my work, friends, and everyday life already pulled me towards central Cape Town, so for me, it does.
Five parts ago, I was driving towards the City Bowl before sunrise, wondering whether one of those lights might eventually be mine. Now Vredehoek is where I buy milk, battle the southeaster, walk for coffee, see friends, and come home.
If you’re also looking towards the City Bowl and wondering whether it could become home, I can confirm: the jump is worth it when the lifestyle fits the life you already want to live.
And when your own Property24 tabs finally turn into a signed lease, Wise Move can help with the last step: getting you, your boxes, and all your furniture safely through the front door.
From one City Bowl-hopeful to another, I wish you all the best on your own Cape Town moving journey!
