covent garden, portobello market

covent garden: possibly my favourite place in all of london (all that i've managed to visit anyway). unbelievably charming, aesthetically pleasing. it has a feeling of isolation, feels like everyone there has stepped into a different world. nicest of shops, littlest of cafés. crowded, sometimes, but overall i think it has a special appeal to every different person. a marked difference from oxford st, piccadilly or sloane st, i think it's a little like walking into a bubble right in the heart of london. the colourful building mashed together: neal's yard. a tiny triangle lodged somewhere in covent garden, organic restaurants and herbal medicine shops. i also love the shop selling all things west end. on both visits i picked up piano scores for musicals i watched prior to the visit (wicked & les miz respectively).

Dress Circle
57/59 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DG
020 7240 2227

portobello market: no mushrooms. there are tons of famous markets in london, among which lots of them are food markets. portobello on the other hand is a antiques/vintage market! they sell old maps, old trinkets, old knick-knacks, old cutlery and kitchenware, old sports gear, old cameras, old jewellery, old books, old posters, old bags. anything old they sell it, or they'll reproduce it, but i find most of the sellers are always honest about the product's authenticity. they also sell random things. that's where Gus picked up his manchester united sign and had to lug it all day long. also there are several buskers! who doesn't love buskers. a wicked charlie chaplin lookalike who shot me a cheeky smile. the double bass of a 3 man jazz band. it was cold and the wind was biting quite badly that day, but you also have some food stalls selling fresh vegetables, piping hot burgers and franks. i had a nutella crepe! the famous hummingbird bakery also has a stall there.

288 Portobello Road
London W10, United Kingdom
020 7229 8354

combined all the videos i took into one. might be boring. there's a lot of soccer in it.



london from siyichen on Vimeo.