London Street Art

Yesterday was our first bright, sunny day in about a week. So I set out for London's east end to photograph some street art around Brick Lane and the Spitalfields market.

I knew about these areas from my friend Sally's now-dormant blog and her Flickr photography, but I wasn't quite sure what I'd find when I got there. Turns out Spitalfields is a vibrant marketplace with lots of shops, cafes and outdoor entertainment, and Brick Lane is thriving with vintage stores and all sorts of food stalls. (At least on weekends.)


I had a terrific day wandering around the neighborhood, and returned with more than 100 pictures, which I am slowly uploading to Flickr. I recognized the work of many artists who can also be found on the streets of New York. I felt very much at home!


For lunch I stopped at a vegan food stall and had a cassava leaf stew with rice, which was fabulous. I will definitely find those folks again the next time I'm in that area!


I also had fun browsing the vintage stores. I was amused to find they're full of American t-shirts, from random roadside destinations like a tiny general store in Michigan. Sports teams and those tacky shirts with intricately painted wolves, deer and other wildlife are also popular. Basically, the stores look just like second-hand shops in the states.

The only thing I actually bought was a cool mid-century china creamer from Staffordshire, in excellent condition but in bad need of a cleaning -- for just £2! (About $3)


All in all, it was a terrific day. I hadn't been able to wander much during the past week, with all the rain, so it felt great to get outside and see what's what. The temperatures, by the way, were perfect -- low 70s, low humidity, lots of sunshine. I couldn't ask for better.