East Village to East London: Whitechapel & Shoreditch (Part 2)

When most people think of the Lower East Side, they usually think of Jewish immigrants on Essex Street hawking pickles, elbowing Italian pushcart peddlers, Irish bartenders and Chinese laundry workers in that crowded grimy area of Manhattan where the other half lives.

Similarly, the East End is often equated with the Whitechapel and Shoreditch area, where the immigrant hordes of London settled their tempest tossed selves. I'm skipping my way through the history, but if you're interested in learning about it in greater detail, there's more here and here.

The Jewish history of Whitechapel is still really evident. Not sure what this building was, but it clearly was something Jewish once. This shop is where the Jack the Ripper tour begins. 

Looks almost heraldic. 

There supposedly were over 150 synagogues in the area once. Now it's mostly Muslim. 

Like the Lower East Side (and everywhere that poor people are gathered en masse), there's a radical past in this area too. The Freedom Press was founded by Peter Kropotkin in Whitechapel. Lenin, Trotsky, Rosa Luxembourg and Maxim Gorky are known to have attended meetings in this area. They also probably drank together here and pounded on tables while having heated discussions.

The area has gentrified greatly, particularly Shoreditch, which I'm sure is unrecognizable to people who've been there for twenty years. But its working-class roots are still really apparent, though Shoreditch can seem like the Meatpacking at night.

Alleyway to a few Bangladeshi shops.  

Love the hand-painted signs on some of the shops. "Serves you right." 

The alleyways in Whitechapel where Jack the Ripper skulked are still really evident. The sign says that one of the Jack the Ripper suspects worked at this pub.

Typical night in Shoreditch.

Typical night in Shoreditch for the other half. Well, at least they have each other. 

I didn't manage to get any pictures of the Shoreditch joints that I liked except this place. It's an art house cinema with a bar and you can bring your drinks and sink into an extremely comfy velvet armchair. Those lighted boxes? They have a deep well for you to put your drink so you don't knock it over in the dark. Genius. I also really liked The Book Club. 

And more than any other area in the East End, this is still clearly an immigrant neighborhood, though now the immigrants mostly hail from Bangladesh. I learned a little about the history of Bangladesh while there that makes me eager to learn more. Did you know, for example, that Bangladeshis fought to split from Pakistan so they could retain their language? Naturally, this deeply resonates with a girl who grew up speaking Taiwanese when it was considered a subversive language.

Entrance to Altab Ali Park on Whitechapel High Street. There was a church here since the 1300s and archeologists have even found remains dating from when the Romans were in London. The last church on this site was destroyed in the blitz. There's a memorial here for the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement and the park is named after a Bangladeshi guy who was killed in a racially motivated incident. 

Scene on Brick Lane. 

Treats at Tayyab's, a famous Indian restaurant in Whitechapel. 

Former Bangladeshi shop in a Victorian building that survived the blitz. 

One of the several mosques on Whitechapel Street. 

Bricks on Brick Lane. 

This is also the area known for street art in London. You can see my pics from the Shoreditch Street Art tour here. The tour starts and ends at the two biggest street markets in this neighborhood: Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane. I've already written about the Brick Lane market. Here are some pictures from Spitalfields Market, which is much more upscale.

Entrance to Spitalfields Market. There's been a market on this site for over 350 years. 

Bald twin lady heads. Some nice antique finds here, but prices are steeper than Brick Lane. On the other hand, you can't find a whole bin of silk top hats in great condition in Brick Lane. 

The spire of Spitalfields Church and I Goat by  Kenny Hunter. It stands on packing crates and it's the winner of a 2011 open competition. 

Some kinda demonstration in front of I Goat. 

Yeah, I did a double take too. 

Sci-Fi and I

A few weekends ago, I made a little money working a booth at the World Science Fiction Convention for Skyboat Media, an audiobook company based in Los Angeles. I kind of surprised myself at the exhibit. Wouldn't think of myself as a science fiction aficionado, but I actually have read quite a bit of that genre.

I didn't have my Lumix on me and the iPhone 3 that I borrowed after my phone went missing leaves a little to be desired when it comes to pictures. So I made a list of what I thought was interesting instead. The next day, I did bring my Lumix and took some pictures, but I still think the list is more interesting.

Boys and their toys
Small platoon of medieval Asian people
Steampunk fail
Pigeons & UFOs, fantasies of flight
No we are not associated with the L Ron Hubbard material on the next table
Atavistic reaction to things whizzing by
Geeks and freaks
A couple in camo
Batman with a bucket
     (oh he's collecting for Heritage Trust)
Random punk rocker with major mohawk
LUNCH MONEY!!!
Cute boy in a yellow tie who bites his nails
Long-haired dude with dangling earrings
Her friend in a big blue bustle and an ill-fitting corset
Piercing eyes, the kind I like
Trekkie sighting
DON'T PANIC says the tote-bag
Fellow with a limp swinging a shopping bag
Leia looking for Luke
Luke looking for something to jab with his light saber
Interesting hair
Mama's giant purple dress is too long
Word-os instead of typos for audiobooks
No no no we are not scientologists
Full chain mail armor and crown!
     (He goes swish clink when he walks)
Barefoot fairy hippie chick
It's in drag and it's purple, what is it?
     (It's identified itself as Ursula from The Little Mermaid)
Sweet geeky girl in horn-rimmed glasses
Dystopia dates from John Henry Mills
Martha Washington has a purple knapsack
Biker with a quiver full of arrows
The guy in a kilt has very shiny shoes
Sulky pre-teen with green hair
     (Her mom carries her plastic swords)
Eye-patch and underbite (arrr!)
Sikh science fiction geeks
I guess I should know something about Dr. Who?
Creative eyebrows
Bowler hats

My view from the audiobook table. 

We were selling downloads of audiobooks. Basically, someone would purchase these postcards with a link to download the book.

To the right was this table of L. Ron Hubbard material (scary) and just beyond it was Pigeon Sim, where people could simulate flight over London by standing in front of a device and flapping their arms. 

To the left was a company selling helicopter drone things. So basically we had flapping to the right, whizzing to the left. The dog couldn't get enough of the drone.  

He finally caught it and wouldn't let go. 

Two guys playing with their new drone. 

Tricky. 

Some people came in costume. 

Steampunk meets Disco Queen.  

I never saw an officer's outfit like this. 

The hat is authentic! 

Cavorting in Camden: London Markets (Part 1)

Being a Taiwanese girl, I naturally make a beeline to outdoor markets wherever I go. In London, I've hit three of the major outdoor markets so far. Took me until the second market for me to realize that it really is like Taiwan here: if you want to eat cheaply and well, skip the restaurants and head to a market. I'm staying in the West End so the first market I hit was Camden.

This is what you see after you exit the tube and make a right. I was disappointed at the chintz. 

Reminded me of that cheap tee-shirt area next to Tower Records. Or St. Marks Place. 

But I kept going, hoping to find something a little more interesting.
Lots ofshops had creative exteriors. 

After five minutes, I found myself on a little bridge over a
waterway. In the distance was this sign. 

To the right are kiosks of cheap fried food, which you can eat on motorbikes overlooking
the lock. It was kind of eh, so I crossed the street and went to the other side.  

This side was much more interesting. There were all these interesting little restaurants. 

The west side of Camden Lock. 

Duck confit for £6?! I wish I hadn't eaten already. 

Any place with a nice second-hand bookstore must be the place. 

Londoners getting their food on in Camden. 

I remembered this ice cream shop from the guidebook. 

See those grey urns behind that guy? That's liquid nitrogen, used
to instantly freeze the the ingredients.

Then they whisk the frozen concoction and turn it into ice-cream. 

Caramel white chocolate ice cream with pistachio and fleur de sel. Incredible. 

All the clothing at Camden seemed pretty cheesy but then I found The Arc. Well-made retro clothing and some vintage pieces. There was a sale rack of jackets for £5.  Also one of those paintings of the green Asian lady. Remember how ubiquitous this painting was?  Who was this woman???

I kept going and found myself in an old stables yard that had been turned
into a marketplace. This really reminded me of  Taiwan. Same chintzy clothing
and carnival atmosphere. It's probably full of teenagers on the weekend.  

Odd but interesting gazebos to eat under. 

Mixed in with all the cheap stalls, there were a few shops with genuine pieces.
Like this place, run by an Italian guy from Bologna.

I resisted a gorgeous merino wool cape for £50 but caved in on a 1940s hat for £20.

The stables yard had all these statues of horses. 

More horse sculptures and two shops of slightly chintzy retro clothing.