The New York Post writes about my fave part of London!!
A weekend in East London
This spring, discover a whole new side of the city
Last Updated: 6:23 AM, March 10, 2011
Posted: 4:34 PM, March 7, 2011
Comments: 0 THERE are many reasons why London is one of the best cities in the world, but all of them come in second behind the fact that London never stops changing. And if you think a sluggish economy put a stop to that, think again; if anything, the pace is picking up, in no small part due to next summer’s Olympic Games.
Yet none of the changes coming to the city in the run-up to this momentous (and contentious) event — new rail links, a tarted up Leicester Square, what have you — merit quite as much attention to the grass-roots regeneration of East London that’s been gathering steam for some years now. From Brick Lane to Homerton, Spitalfields to Dalston and back again, it seems at times that everything Londoners are talking about is happening somewhere out here, east of Liverpool Street Station.
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Next time you come to town, set aside a day or two and get to know a whole new side of London. Here’s a handy little guide to an introductory (and rather leisurely) weekend in the new East End — go now, though; by this time next year, everything might well have changed all over again.
FRIDAY
Lunch Hop onboard a sleek new East London Overground train — transfer at multiple points from the Tube or Docklands Light Railway — and head for Shoreditch High Street; a few steps in any direction from this station and you’ll bump into some of the city’s most up-to-the-minute shopping, dining and nightlife. North of the station, on unobtrusive Arnold Circus, ring the bell at the old Rochelle School for access to Rochelle Canteen , an almost-secret little café in what’s now an artist-studio complex. The proprietor is Margot Henderson; her husband Fergus is renowned for his cooking at London’s famous St. John restaurant. Consequently, the brief lunch menu (served from noon until 3 p.m. only) goes far beyond the usual, with finds such as tiny smoked sprats, brown shrimp salad and foie gras terrine served with chutney, not to mention the likes of macaroon ice cream for dessert.
Afternoon What East London lacks in iconic museums, it more than makes up for with its gallery scene, a sprawling, shape-shifting beast of a thing, often involving trips to places where there are no tube stations (Hackney Wick, for instance). As a casual visitor, though, you should start at the Whitechapel Gallery , an East End institution that recently completed a $21 million expansion that nearly doubled the size of the 100-plus-year-old institution. The gallery has played a significant role in the careers of many modern greats, bringing their work before London audiences for the first time. Today, visitors come to view the Kahlo’s,
Yet none of the changes coming to the city in the run-up to this momentous (and contentious) event — new rail links, a tarted up Leicester Square, what have you — merit quite as much attention to the grass-roots regeneration of East London that’s been gathering steam for some years now. From Brick Lane to Homerton, Spitalfields to Dalston and back again, it seems at times that everything Londoners are talking about is happening somewhere out here, east of Liverpool Street Station.
FRIDAY
Lunch Hop onboard a sleek new East London Overground train — transfer at multiple points from the Tube or Docklands Light Railway — and head for Shoreditch High Street; a few steps in any direction from this station and you’ll bump into some of the city’s most up-to-the-minute shopping, dining and nightlife. North of the station, on unobtrusive Arnold Circus, ring the bell at the old Rochelle School for access to Rochelle Canteen , an almost-secret little café in what’s now an artist-studio complex. The proprietor is Margot Henderson; her husband Fergus is renowned for his cooking at London’s famous St. John restaurant. Consequently, the brief lunch menu (served from noon until 3 p.m. only) goes far beyond the usual, with finds such as tiny smoked sprats, brown shrimp salad and foie gras terrine served with chutney, not to mention the likes of macaroon ice cream for dessert.
Afternoon What East London lacks in iconic museums, it more than makes up for with its gallery scene, a sprawling, shape-shifting beast of a thing, often involving trips to places where there are no tube stations (Hackney Wick, for instance). As a casual visitor, though, you should start at the Whitechapel Gallery , an East End institution that recently completed a $21 million expansion that nearly doubled the size of the 100-plus-year-old institution. The gallery has played a significant role in the careers of many modern greats, bringing their work before London audiences for the first time. Today, visitors come to view the Kahlo’s,
posted by Farrah @ 5:55 PM
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