Moved across from original Myspace blog (I know, I know) I will be revisiting most of these places in more detail later on.
27 August 2006
Brick Lane
I’m not that keen on the market itself, but there are some great places dotted around, so it’s good for a wander. Also if you get there early (before 11, say) then there are no huge crowds and all the godawful hordes of hipsters haven’t emerged yet. There’s a cavernous vintage clothing shop under the rail bridge which is good for rummaging, though everything feels slightly damp and cold. The owners (staff?) are a bit Kool and can be hostile, but there *is* a giant robot at the back of the shop, so I’m drawn back like a moth to a flame.
The best place for coffee is the smaller Coffee@, near the Bethnal Green Rd end, which is very relaxed and strewn with bits of the Guardian. Plus they don’t seem to mind if you literally stay there all day, I’ve seen people sleeping there. The furniture is a mixture of community centre and gentlemen’s club, with some big shiny leather armchairs. It’s not too expensive, and their banana frappucino makes me see angels.
Also round here I *love* the Sunday Upmarket in the old Truman Brewery. You can buy supertasty food (Spanish Caravan tortilla is very filling for virtually no money) and check all the crafty things that other people have bothered to make for you. The website misses out quite a few of my favourite stalls, like the lady who makes little leather skull badges and awesome patchwork elephant-shaped handbags. Also a shoutout to the woman dressed as an usherette selling pink woollen eyeballs from a tray - you saved my Christmas.
On the way from Brick Lane to Liverpool St station, or vice versa there’s Spitalfields Market. There’s some cool stuff here, but I think it’s mostly a bit overpriced, and unless you get there before 11 it gets really jam-packed. (There’s a lot of pushchairs around too, weirdly, as it must be pretty scary for a two year old at knee height.) If you like kitsch, make sure you visit Queens - it takes tacky tree decorations to a terrifying new level (lipstick-wearing fish dressed as babies, anyone?)
Here’s a shopping guide for the Spitalfields / Brick Lane area, if you’re really interested.
Hackney
Proceeding in a rather ramshackle, hop-skip-and-a-jump fashion to Hackney: I recommend Hackney City Farm. It’s not the biggest one (I think that’s in Beckton… expedition report coming soon…) but it seems very chilled and it has a really nice cafe. I have a thing about pigs, and there were 3 big ones doing their piggy thing of sleeping a lot and getting all covered with mud - magic! Sadly all the cows, goats, sheep and a lone donkey were all in one big pen, with access just on one side: the cows came up to the fence to say hi, but most of the others were lurking beyond reach. Lots of ducks and chickens wandering about, including some of those entertainly-feathered ones which look a bit like they’re wearing flares, and a load of cute furry things in cages. I’m from the countryside originally (honest to god my best friend in primary school lived on a farm) but I still get a kick from seeing animals up close, especially their eyes - sheep’s eyes make them look like some sort of freaky alien being in a “harmless livestock” disguise. And pig’s eyes… they’re just so human, it makes me think of Spirited Away *shudder*. God, and that bit in Pinocchio where the boy is on his knees and his hands turn into hooves. Argh!
Slightly offtopic - has anyone else seen the awful live action / animatronic film of Animal Farm released a couple of years ago? Here’s the trailer. It has this mighty mighty cast (Kelsey Grammer, Pete Postlethwaite, Peter Ustinov, Patrick Stewart…) but the pigs are so SO creepy and the tone so completely off that it’s just ridiculous. For example: Old Major doesn’t die in his sleep but plunges to his death from the platform in the barn. Sigh.
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