London Neighborhoods and Streets

From Oxford Street to the East End, different areas of London can be as dissimilar as night and day.

South Kensington:

This is the area where our hotel was located, and thus where we inevitably spent the most time. Due to the presence of hotels, the surrounding area consisted of a lot of restaurants and a couple of small shops. However, of all the areas we saw, it felt the most like a neighborhood one might expect to find in another city in the United States. There were some normal apartments in the area, and it felt less busy than many other parts of the city. I guess what also made it feel like a normal neighborhood was the fact that we went to the local grocery/convenience stores, Waitrose and Tesco. Shopping there for food and snacks, I was able to see normal couples and average citizens going about their day like they normally would. There were still some aspects of the city that you couldn't escape from, such as there were some unfortunately homeless people in the area, however, South Kensington was definitely a nicer area of London.

Oxford Street:

If South Kensington was nice, Oxford Street was amazing. Home for stores targeted for the upper classes, such as Topshop, the area had all the glitz and glam associated with money. The street was also decorated for Christmas, meaning the normally well lit with shop lights street was extra bright. Being such a tourist attraction, the streets were full of people. In a lot of ways, walking down Oxford Street felt like walking through Times Square. If one ever forgot that London was a city, Oxford Street made you remember. Even though it could feel overwhelming, the hustle and bustle is definitely worth visiting (although prepare to spend a lot of money).

Greenwich:

In contrast to the fast pace of Oxford Street, Greenwich felt much more relaxed. Marked most by its outdoor market, the area felt more an escapism from city life, without going out to the country. The shops around the area were a good mix of touristy, specialized, and quirky. The market housed a lot more artsy and handmade goods that you wouldn't necessarily expect to find in a city like London. Unlike other places in London, there is a lot more green area in Greenwich. It is definitely a great place to visit on a weekend or maybe even to live in.

Spitalfields/Brick Lane:

Both these areas are within the East End of London, but the contrast is striking. Spitalfields has housed several of the influxes of immigrants over the generations including the Huguenots, Jews, and most recently the Bangladeshi. However, the business sector of London has encroached into Spitalfields, resulting in large high-rise sky-scrappers and fancier shops one might expect in other parts of London. Some parts of the old Spitalfields, like the lovely homes of the French Huguenots still remain, but you could still see some other parts of London leaking into the area. Brick Lane contains a very much Bangladeshi population, and unlike much of Spitalfields, it shows. Many of the stores and restaurants in this area contain food native to Bangladesh. You can see stores that contain books, movies, and music in Bangladesh. Brick Lane shows just how ethnically diverse London is and maintains the culture of the people who live there.