The East End...

Yesterday afternoon, I met my students under the 2012 Olympic countdown clock near the Stratford tube station. Only about half of the expected students arrived but the small group of us had a great time with our tour guide. Our guide led us around the 2012 Olympic building site and through the area of Stratford, east London (not to be confused with Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare is from). The area has a rich history primarily beginning with the exile of the Jews from the center of London. Jews were not allowed within a mile of the city center and thus could not pass the mark called "Mile End." Buildings in the area are up to 400 years old for the most part, though there is one church that is half Tudor and half 900 years old. It was quite impressive but despite its unique history, I cannot recall its name.

The students and I, after finishing the tour, took the tube to Liverpoole St. Station to meet up with some of my fellow members of staff. We walked the students through Spitalfields Market and over to Brick Lane for a Curry Dinner.

Brick Lane is actually one of my favorite spots in London despite its often rough residents. As long as the summons to come into restaurants are ignored it is a great place. I often go to Brick Lane in the evenings after work to meet up with friends at an amazing cafe called Cafe 1001. Cafe 1001 is unique because of it's organic sandwiches, cheap healthy food, outdoor grill, AMAZING CHEESECAKE, Live DJ, and lounge setting (think sofas, pillows, candlelight).

Other amazing places in Brick Lane include:

• For amazingly cheap and outstandingly good Bagels (think 20p for a bagel!!!!): Brick Lane Beigel Bakery
  
• For an edgy haircut (where I got my fringe/bangs cut): Pimps & Pinups
• For a fabulous independent record shop: Rough Trade
• For vegan food inside of a double decker bus: Rootmaster
• For cheap or expensive(£-£££) vintage clothing (i.e. scarves, bags, boots, ball gowns, bowler hats, cravats, capes, cardigans, etc.): Absolute Vintage

All in All East London is a pretty happening place.

Location: Stratford, Liverpoole St., & Brick Lane, London, England

That Café around the corner…

I must have walked down that street a hundred times without ever paying attention to the cafe. I had probably even looked into its reflective windows from time to time or jumped over the early morning water runoff trailing from the spot where the cafe's chairs would later sit. I am sure that I must have been listening to music or daydreaming or trying to avoid the cracks in the sidewalk. Whatever the case may be, I never saw the cafe; it wasn't there.

I never listened when anyone spoke about the cafe either. They would say it's name, "Cafe --" but I would never hear it. In the office people would come and go at noon or one or two each day, always returning from the invisible cafe. I didn't pay it any mind. I didn't give the place much thought at all really. I worked just around the corner for months and never went in.

When I finally did step into the cafe, I had the surreal feeling that I had fallen into an internet fan site or a quirky film about a neurotic collector. From floor to ceiling the walls were encrusted with framed photos of HRH, Diana, The Princess of Wales. The wrought iron outside was floral with gold leaf and pronounced the establishment: "Cafe Diana." These things should not have seemed anything more than passing quirks of a uniquely themed restaurant. Cafe Diana was, after all, only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Kensington Palace. The real strangeness of the cafe was not its stacks of photos, but instead its choice of food. Cafe Diana was a Mediterranean kebab shop.

The place smelled of the following ingredients: hummus, onions, steaming hot falafels, pickles, coffee, hot chocolate, lamb, chicken, and salt. Though not usually a pleasant combination, when combined with the wooden booths, framed photos of Lady Di, and the red trimmed windows, it really was impossible to do anything but sit down and wait for one of the staff members to hand me a menu.

Location: Notting Hill/Queensway, London, England