London - Day 3
We're a bit over the touristy stuff and we want a taste of "real" London; to try and get a feel for what it might be like to live in London. We consult ChatGPT and it lists some suburbs worth checking out.
But first... time to load up at the Barbican Cafe again.
Breakfast done, we jump on the bus and head North for about 25 minutes to Stoke (Stokey) Newington. The new rule is "Bus when you want to see stuff, Tube when you want to get somewhere quickly".
We step off at Clissold Park and wander through. We meet the resident deer (quite a novelty for us).
We get to the church in the corner of the park closest to town and meander up the main street. Its about 9:30 and the morning rush has been and gone and what's left are people slowly warming into their days in the many cafes and bakeries.
We reach the end of the main street. The village feel was much appreciated, and surprising considering how close to the centre of London it is. We hang a rightie onto a fairly main road that heads back to town. The shops become sparse, and then it livens up again as we enter Dalston. First impression is quite different to Stokey. It feels much more urban.
We buy some fruit so we can use the bathroom at Pret-a-Manger then jump on the Overland to get across the Thames as we aim for our next suburb, Peckham, described as "once undesirable but now up and coming".
When we exit the train on the middle of the main street it feels like we could be in a different country. Finally the shops are selling "real" stuff, and not just Dr. Martens. Lots of good produce stores; fresh meat and fish. The Caribbean influence is coming through. It feels more like a little community where everyone seems to know each other.
We walk up to one end of the main street and back the other way. The smell of cooking is already in the air and the jerk meats will be in demand later.
We jump on a bus to our next stop not too far away, Brixton. Instantly we note the buildings becoming a little less run down, but it still feels quite rough and ready around here.
The bus drops us off at the O2 Academy, a decent sized music venue. Next band scheduled is The Black Keys.
We wander around and through the main market section where things are slowly starting to get going. Its about 12:30pm but its still very quiet. Must be more of an afternoon/night time thing.
We head to a food court where there are lots of good looking options from different parts of the world. Mostly Latin American and Caribbean inspired though. We settle on a spot that looks like an institution "Fish, Wings & Tings". Jerk Chicken and Jerk Mutton, yes please! With a "local" Caribbean lager to wash it down.
The guy serving us picks up that we are Aussie and hits us with 100 questions about Koalas, which appears to be his spirit animal. "So, there are Koalas on the beaches, right?".
Time to head home to put our feet up. A small electric bus flies around the suburbs to North Clapham where its a tube back to Old Street.
Time to check out more of Shoreditch, which is a very trendy suburb that we haven't got to experience much of yet. We head towards the thick of it and spot an Olivia Rodrigo merch pop-up experience thing that has been setup for the fans in town for her show tonight. We go in and get a few snaps.
Next door at a bar there is a Canadian music artists meet-up/conference thing going on. Took us a while to figure it out, but a local artist manager gets chatting to us and explains it. He used to work for Sony, but now is independently managing some artists, including a Canadian who will be performing here later. If we didn't have plans, we would have stuck around. But we have a Jack the Ripper tour to get to.
We walk down to the meeting place at Altab Ali Park and the tour begins, run by Hannah. We head to the scene of the first murder near the old "Frying Pan" pub (now a noodle bar). Hannah does a good job painting a scene of the times, describing the concept and price (3p) of a doss house, or the alternative option where you can sleep on a strung up rope (1p). The East End is effectively one of the worst slums in Europe, despite the grandeur of London and the Commonwealth in general.
There was some interesting commentary about Jack the Ripper suggesting he was one of the most important social reformists of his time because the light he shone on the problems of the area and the change and improvements he brought about.
We visit the scenes of "the canonical five" and finish up at the Ten Bells pub, which would have certainly been frequented by all involved, including Jack.
We wanted to have a drink there, but its Tuesday night at 7pm and its too busy. We find an alternative option and have pint on the street with everyone else. Seems the done thing here. I like it. Except you have to stand up, or sit in the gutter.
Time for some food and we've heard good things about Box Park, which is a set of shipping containers with food stalls. Very Shoreditch. Its done really well though. The burgers are brilliant. And the EPL is on. Tottenham supporter with mixed allegiances tonight "If we win tonight, its a bloody disgrace" because they will keep Arsenal in the hunt for winning the league if they win.
A short walk home and off to bed.
