|
Post by mickthecactus on Mar 12, 2019 13:24:15 GMT
I had cause to go up to Covent Garden a couple of weeks ago as I had tickets for a show at the Adelphi on The Strand. For those who don't know Covent Garden was once the main fruit flower and vegetable market but it relocated some years ago. In my youth I had to go to the market when I worked briefly for a Nursery and my brother in law who was a greengrocer used to get up at 3 in the morning to go to market here. It is now a big tourist area and is rather disappointing now as many of the surrounding shops have become just retailers of highly expensive items and there is barely a nod to the old market's history. If you are visiting I can however recommend the London Transport which is in the corner of the market and one of the better London museums. The more ardent Anyporters should certainly know this shop - upload imageThe décor here caught my eye - Vertical gardening - The enormous Freemasons Hall (there were many identically dressed Freemasons wandering about) Looking down into the Covent Garden eateries - A market view - London Transport Museum entrance - Old Market entrance - All together now! Hare Krishna, hare Krishna.... This was a tranquil little area - And a couple of pictures of a grand building to conclude the tour ladies and gentlemen.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Mar 12, 2019 13:53:39 GMT
Yes, I visited the Covent Garden market buildings again on my last trip, and they just keep getting more and more disappointing every time. The architecture remains fine of course, but none of the shops or eating establishments appeal to me now although they still did a bit as recently as ten years ago.
I'm glad you showed us some of the other sights in the neighbourhood.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Mar 12, 2019 13:55:46 GMT
You summed it up perfectly K2.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Mar 12, 2019 15:51:47 GMT
I spent rather a lot of time walking about/through the Covent Garden area in December. I found it quite nice, the market was very much decorated for the Christmas season and I thought they made a nice job of it.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Mar 12, 2019 16:02:48 GMT
Actually, when I was there during the Christmas season a few years ago, I thought it looked quite nice, too -- just not offering anything I wanted to buy.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 12, 2019 16:55:48 GMT
Thanks for this look, Mick. It's one of the many examples of places around the world that were killed by their own fame. When I lived in Pacific Grove, California in the late 60s, Fishermen's Wharf in Monterey was a mostly empty and scruffy area, with maybe one bar and one restaurant. Now you can go there for all your fancy candle, chocolate, and t-shirt needs, admittedly in a charming setting. Ditto the French Market in New Orleans and I'm sure everyone here can name all kinds of other examples.
I can understand easing the burden of traffic in London by relocating the market, but you'd think that some of it could have been kept for the original purpose.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Mar 12, 2019 17:18:17 GMT
I spent rather a lot of time walking about/through the Covent Garden area in December. I found it quite nice, the market was very much decorated for the Christmas season and I thought they made a nice job of it. Ten years ago it would have been so much lovelier Fumo.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Mar 12, 2019 20:42:45 GMT
The neighborhood or just the market? Hard for me to imagine the whole district has changed much in ten years, I'd been there longer ago than that and it didn't seem hugely to me different now. December was the first time I'd gone into the market so I cannot compare that.
Thanks for the snaps, that's a very busy and interesting area of London.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Mar 12, 2019 20:44:42 GMT
Fishermen's Wharf in Monterey was a mostly empty and scruffy area, with maybe one bar and one restaurant. I remember the Monterey seafront then, even if I was just a child. It was pretty quiet, Santa Cruz had more going on.
|
|
|
Post by mickthecactus on Mar 12, 2019 21:06:36 GMT
The neighborhood or just the market? Hard for me to imagine the whole district has changed much in ten years, I'd been there longer ago than that and it didn't seem hugely to me different now. December was the first time I'd gone into the market so I cannot compare that. Thanks for the snaps, that's a very busy and interesting area of London. No the market Fumo. The neighbourhood has changed little I’m pleased to say.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Mar 12, 2019 22:18:35 GMT
Although there are too many top line luxury shops clustered between the underground station and the Covent Garden market buildings. That was never the point of this area. But I'm sure they are doing fantastic business, since all of the tourist groups are brought there. It's funny how certain names (Covent Garden) can become so mythical.
It's not really a big problem for locals in any of the big cities, because we just move on to other areas. But tourist get stuck in the "former" areas and don't understand what is wrong. And of course many of them don't think that anything is wrong at all, because the whole point of their trip is to buy things at the top name brand shops.
|
|
|
Post by patricklondon on Mar 13, 2019 12:16:56 GMT
Exactly the same thing has happened to parts (all?) of the Marais in Paris. Blandification is everywhere as rents go up. The next big question is, how will areas like this be affected by the online shopping revolution, which has visibly hollowed out so many "high streets" and ordinary shopping areas (in the UK at least). My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
|
|