London Markets and Clubs for Beginners

9 of 12 roommates! All lovely [at the Blues Room]

The 12th! Arrived late, but was quickly forgiven :)

All right, so the title is slightly misleading - I can’t recall any of the clubs I visited on Thursday or Saturday night as vividly as the markets today. So instead of telling you about the Zoo or the Blues Room in Leicester Square, or others in Soho near Oxford Circus, I want to tell you about the various markets I explored today with my roommate Amy.

Primrose Hill, located just north of Regent’s Park, was the starting point for our CAPA tour towards the Camden Town Market. The walk from Swiss Cottage tube station to the park took our group past rows of bright, neatly kept houses.  I made new friends along the way from Mizzou and Michigan State.The first thing that struck me about Primrose Hill was the number of dogs in the park; I hadn’t realized before, but I haven’t seen more than one or two dogs in the city since my arrival. [Quick kisses to my pug and my two English springer spaniels back home.] Connecting the park and the market was Regent's Park Road: It was very picturesque and I felt drawn towards every inviting café (though, sadly, did not enter). Surprisingly, just across a bridge at the end of the road lay funky Camden Town (a distinctive neighborhood within Camden Borough, where Primrose Hill is also located).

At the top or Primrose Hill, experiencing our first London rain!

The stalls at the Camden Town Market were hit or miss, but although there were several generic punky booths, there were also plenty of truly original vendors offering idiosyncratic and unexpected treasures. The smell of fragrant Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and Italian food… the sight of burlesque, goth, 50s style, punk, and hippy/ethnic clothing… the pierced and tattooed youth. That's Camden Town. Several things caught my eye, and yet I couldn’t commit to buying anything in the drizzle and with limited funds. After three hours of weaving through crowds, being beckoned to by vendors, alternately enthused and puzzled by their wares, we found Chalk Road tube station and left for Shoreditch.

 Which one is my roommate, Amy?

 So many colors... (or should I say, colours...)

With my trusty London Fog umbrella 

Old Spitalfields Sunday Market is amazing. We exited Liverpool Station in the heart of the City and followed the streams of people headed towards the Victorian market hall. I still have a natural high from my delicious lunch and the amazing jewelry and clothing I saw this afternoon. I have five new Spitalfield Market obsessions:

1. My new bracelet by Gia London 
2. The Hungover Cookbook by Milton Crawford 
3. Crepeaffaire 
4. Traffic People 
5. A leather bracelet/necklace with a gold flying pig charm

In the late afternoon, I felt genuinely British when I began to crave afternoon tea. Too fatigued to even consider brewing the tea myself, but too poor to seriously consider afternoon tea at a café, I decided to buy my first box of Earl Grey at a Marks & Spencer in Liverpool Station. Now, lounging in my bed with my computer and a cuppa (cup of tea), I need to research the company where I will be an intern. I need to be brilliant at my interview tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

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Oh! And before I sign off, a quick shout out to Cirque Nova, who performed a piece called "Finding Epiphany" outside the National Theater on the South Bank at the Liberty Festival: London's annual disability arts festival. They were inspiring!