I am settled in Camden Town, and I absolutely love it here! Camden is very famous for its street art and music scene. The old MTV headquarters is around the corner from my flat and the Round House, a famous concert venue where countless famous bands have played, is within walking distance. There’s a bar that Oasis and Blur fought in that I pass whenever I’m trying to find a new restaurant and Amy Winehouse grew up in the area. She went to this pub, Hawley Arms, that is also walking distance from me. She would sometimes break into song and have a mini personal, concerts there all the time. The owners really miss her and have random things throughout the three-story pub to commemorate her. There’s a lock market that has a statue of her and people decorate it with friendship bracelets and flowers.
In the lock market, there are a bunch of random cool stores and food stands. The way its constructed is the best part. It’s super compact and has all these ally ways that lead to a completely different section of the market. There’s an insane variety of stores that range from classic London tourist stores, to record stores, boho chic and even psychics. Each time I go exploring, I find a new section of the market that I didn’t know about. There are a few sit-down restaurants and most of them have live music at night.
There is a lot of pubs that surround my flat that has the same randomness feel to it. There are some classic ones like Camden Eye where they play good British music and sell fish and chips like every other pub in London. But there are some pubs that cater to the people that live in Camden which is always fun to explore. The people that live in Camden are very different from what I’m used to in Winter Park. They are either very obviously hipster or look like they are sponsoring Hot Topic. That being said, there is a biker pub that is literally right next to my building. It’s always fun to walk past with my bright yellow sweater and see all the heavy eyeliner looks I get.
I love Camden because it’s such a nice change of pace from Winter Park. It got me out of my comfort zone and made me appreciate a different side of London.