Photo Diary: London

So I’ve been traveling to London every month since the new year just to be inspired by the fashion scene. All 3 times that I’ve been there, I never make it past Oxford St. – which is the mecca shopping area in Central London. Or there has been some kind of crazy snow storm or rainy weekend which prevents me from really enjoying what London has to offer. I have yet to venture outside and do the tourist thing and visit the countryside.

But Oxford St. is dope! The busy-filled streets remind me of Manhatten, the buildings make me feel like I’ve been time warped to the 18th century, and the amount of people shopping can be compared to Black Friday times 10!!!! You would never think that there was a recession going on.

If you are ever out in London, Oxford St. is the place to be! You got River Island, Bershka, Dorothy Perkins, Selfridge & Co., Miss Selfridge, the infamous Topshop, and surprisingly amazing Primark. All this and then some, located on one street. Then of course you got Carnaby Street (mostly American brand stores like Fornarina, East Pak, Diesel), Liberty (which is like a Barney’s, and smaller boutique/vintage like stores in SoHo.

The nightlife is pretty fresh! I’ve been attending Livin’ Proof’s hip hop parties and they can draw a crowd. First time I went to one of their parties, it was a 90s hip hop night at a bar called Marketplace. The venue when you walk in is like a normal pub but then you go downstairs and it’s literally an underground party. Londoners LOVE hip hop. I’m so shocked to see that almost everyone in attendance knew all the lyrics to the songs, they were shouting out the words at the top of their lungs, dudes were dancing with other dudes – no homo, and ladies can dance/walk/talk freely without having some sweaty dude grind up on them. There were only a handful of wall flowers. The 2nd time was for a tribute for the great late J Dilla. It was nothing but 5 hours of straight Dilla beats, songs, samples, and positive energy. And the 3rd time was like the 1st but Phife Dawg was in town and made an appearance – but no one knew who he was until the dj announced his presence.

Oh and here’s a tip, DO NOT hail a black cab from the street – they will charge an arm and a leg. There are so many private car companies, set up like kiosks that will gladly take you where you want to go for waaaaay cheaper!

I can’t really say much about the food – it’s true what they say, English food tends to be bland and flavorless. When I ask where I can get good food, I am always referred to a Lebanese or Indian restaurant. I tried Indian food for the FIRST time in London – and I don’t think you can count it as REAL Indian food because it was a fusion/tapas restaurant. I tried street vendor’s fish n chips (you have to) which is good but nothing to brag about.

My goal next trip is to definitely try to find a good, local food restaurant and see Big Ben up close.

AngelaFresh | Mar 31, 2010 | Categories: Freshly Delivered, Photography, SexyFresh, Travel | Leave A Comment »