Went across to Hoxton the other evening for an opening (sixties photos by a friend). As always these days the Marylebone Road was hideously congested. I believe these days there's a sort of mini inverted rush hour as people queue to get into the West End after Congestion Charge time. Beyond Tottenham Court Rd/Hampstead Road underpass though everything was fine, light traffic flowing at a good clip all the way to Hoxton.
Hoxton is like a mixture of St Ives and the Latin Quarter in Paris these days. Tiny cobbled alleys in a confusing whirl of one-ways, crowded with dubious looking arty types. Parkers few and far between and very expensive; residents' bays banned till midnight; no friendly single yellow lines, they're all quadruple with exclamation marks every two feet. But there are business slots you can get into after 7 if you're lucky.
After a couple of agreeable hours yawping away with other doddring old hip London trash, made the mistake of going to nearby Brick Lane for a curry. Never again I think. It was great ten or fifteen years ago but now there must be 100 restaurants there, and touts line the pavements hustling you noisily to go into theirs. Reminded me of Lagos airport on a rough night. My curry was carp too when we eventually chose a place at random. It's back to Drummond Street next time, or maybe Southall or just round here.
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Brick Lane used to be 'the' place for a curry didn't it.... sadly it hasn't been like that for a while.
Bagels in the mornings used to be the 'in' thing as well. Haven't done that for years.
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That place - the Beigel Bake is it? - is still there Wp, I made a point of going right up to the top end to see. But there weren't at 10 pm the half-dozen taxis that would have been there at 3 or 4 am... just more of the sort of international-looking quasi-youth that floods the whole area. I'm not really complaining about this you understand. Change happens (like other things...).
Edited by Lud on 20/06/2009 at 18:51
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Lud,
When you used to go for a bagle in the early hours, do you ever recall seeing a swaggering, handsome young chap, (some say used to look like George Clooney) get out of a police SD1 Rover...and nip in for the team bagels?
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........and who after a few years on the bagels began to look more like Robbie Coltrane ? That the chap ?........I might have seen him too....
;-)
My coat is already fastened and the ignition on....sharp exit mode.....
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........and who after a few years on the bagels began to look more like Robbie Coltrane ? That the chap ?........I might have seen him too....
Humph...if only you knew how close to the truth you are!...the joys of getting older
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Only teasing Wp ! Sorry !
Clooney will deteriorate soon anyway I trust......
;-)
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swaggering, handsome young chap... nip in for the team bagels?
Heh heh... quite possibly Wp. I've been there a good few times from earlyish sixties on. Modesty prevents me from describing my own physical and sartorial splendour or the zigzag succession of slightly foxed vehicles in which I used to arrive. I do seem to remember old bill there as well as cabbies and the odd civilian.
Those abroad in the small hours tend to congregate in these places, secret to most Londoners even. There was a pie stall near Waterloo Station that South London minicabbers used. Not nearly as classy as the Beigel Bake though. Very wholesome, new-baked bread with nice trimmings. There was rather a good kebab joint on the other side of Brixton, Camberwell more or less, that the cops used in South London as well as us.
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Stop it .......I'm 200 miles up the road and you're making me slaver with desire.
Ted!
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Another bagel place in, I think, Clapton market.
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Brick Lane? ... is that anywhere near Petticoat Lane by any chance!
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A little under a mile.
Or is there something that went straight over my head?
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A little under a mile. <<
I thought Brick La. was Petticoat La. drbe
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Petticoat Lane is Middlesex Street. :-)
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I'm with ya now drbe, where was Club Row then - where I used to buy my puppies & pet mice in the 50's & 60's ?
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 21/06/2009 at 19:25
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Am I sure this is not a wind up? No.
Club Row is/was Brick Lane
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Club Row is/was Brick Lane
Almost drbe, but not quite... two small blocks away. The blocks are very short round there though.
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>>Am I sure this is not a wind up? No. <<
ok friend, I'm with you now - the 1950's were a long time ago!
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ladbrook grove to hoxton early evening..
maida vale, johns wood, bit of wiggle through camden, agar grove, over the cally and drop down into hoxton...
marylebone road, 2 hopes, no hope and bob hope....
ex mini cab, courier, chauffeur.
22 years driving in central london, i must have been mad.
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I had one of the best curries ever in Brick Lane and in recent years too. Perhaps those who took me knew where they were going.
One of our party gazed longingly at the glass and chrome establishments and turned up their nose at the formica table-topped, unlicensed place we went to (his cousin next door gave discount for alcohol with the appropriate bit of paper).
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how boring...talking about london
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That sounds like the Nazrul when it was good bt.
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Oddly enough that's my usual route sr. Just thought I'd try the pfd's route for a change...
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