People look for old in the new. It may be ironic, but as our society modernizes and every aspect of our lives become more and more convenient, we wish to hold on to a piece of the past. Brick Lane was the getaway niche for Londoners, a small break away from the fast pace of the city.
Brick Lane is a long street in east London known for its vintage markets, bagel shops, and curry. It is also one of the streets I visited the most during my 3 months. As soon as you walk into this area, the vibe is different from other parts of London. It has an artsy vibe and attracts mostly young people who are interested in art and fashion. On the weekends, Brick Lane is packed with people enjoying the various food vendors, watching musical performances, and waiting in line to try the famous Brick Lane beigel.
The beigel is a traditional Jewish style bagel that Brick Lane is most well-known for, due to its history of a large Jewish immigrant community. There are two beigel shops right next to each other, and they sell exactly the same menu. Both shops are open 24/7 and you can tell where they are from far away, because they always have lines out the door with people waiting for the salt and beef beigel. Personally, I wasn't blown away by the salt beef beigel (a bagel sandwich with salt beef, mustard, pickles) but it was definitely worth a try.
I would walk through Brick Lane alone or go with my friend, who also likes vintage shopping and cute artsy stores. We visited a famous cocoa shop called Dark Sugars. Dark Sugars is a chocolate heaven you've never seen before. The shop is filled with truffles of all flavors, shapes and colors, and you can pick and choose any combination you want. However, the store is most famous for its hot chocolate, which is made fresh at the counter. The workers dance along to loud music while they cut off chocolate shavings from a huge chocolate bar. The freshly shaven chocolate makes for an amazing, rich texture. What makes this store is just the overall friendly, fun vibe, along with a great cup of hot chocolate.
Afterwards, we would go to the underground vintage market with endless racks of vintage clothing. We would have to constantly remind ourselves that we were broke study abroad students. Whenever I saw something I liked, I would check the price tag and mentally convert pounds to dollars, trying to tell myself that it wasn't that expensive.
Brick Lane really offers an endless day of things to do if you like eating, exploring, shopping, taking photos, and enjoying good vibes. There is a reason this street gets so crowded even with the modern shopping malls and areas all around London. People come to enjoy a break from the clean, glossy, modern image that London gives off. We need that, a small reminder that we can always lean back and slow down in a society that is constantly telling us to be perfect. Sometimes we need a place in which can be ourselves and enjoy life as it unravels at its own pace.