Rachella S.'s Profile
DateLondon N22 6BG
020 8881 6767
The Big Green Bookshop
Category:
Bookshops
Areas: Noel Park, Alexandra Palace
1 Previous Review:
-
14/2/2009 ROTD 26/5/2009 First to Review
This is the only independent bookshop in the Wood Green shopping district. That alone is good enough reason to shop there. Managed well, independent bookstores fill an important role in a community.
It seems the owners of Big Green Bookshop are invested in filling this role, not just selling books. They host local events, have readings by local authors and are active in the community. Hopefully this will help increase community pride around here.
The store sells all the books you'd expect to see, including travel, fiction, cooking, DIY, and, of course, things written by local authors. There's a nice selection of books about London and local areas of North London, including books on the history of Noel Park, Wood Green, Alexandra Palace and Hornsey. Today I bought a book of walks around Alexandra Palace.
Blah.
Listed in: Markets, Places to Avoid in London
1 Previous Review:
-
11/2/2009
Greenwich Market is a bit of a broad term that actually refers to four different markets, which makes things a bit confusing if you're trying to tell someone how to get their.
My favourite one is the open air Sunday Market--the one with all the junk. While handcrafted items and gourmet food are nice, junk is best. It's one of my top ten markets in London, and definitely my favourite place to spend Sunday morning. Good junk everywhere you look, the peel of church bells in the background, the smell of bacon butties wafting from the market cart, quirky English people selling and buying crap.... what's not to love?
London SW1X 7RJ
020 7201 8000
Wagamama
Categories:
Japanese,
Asian Fusion
Area: Chelsea
I'm not impressed, but sadly, so far it's the best Japanese-esque food I've had in London. Perhaps I need to try some more places.
There's a wide range of vegetarian options but the food is a bit bland. Also--and this is the reason I haven't been back-- the food made my dining companion ill.
Listed in: Places to Avoid in London
London WC2H 9
020 7497 0776
Hair by Fairy
Categories:
Hairdressers,
Nail Salons
Area: Covent Garden
I heard about Hair by Fairy from coworkers who always go there at lunch so I thought I'd try it. What could I lose for £13? After all, hair always grows back. I was in and out with time left over to eat lunch. That is the good news.
The bad news is my haircut looked like it had been attacked with the garden shears. My hair is difficult to cut, and it was a bargain basement cut so I thought: "Oh well, I should have known better." Six months passed and my hair became longer and flatter and uglier by the day.
I gave in and went back to Hair by Fairy. This time my hair turned out great--v. glamourous! No one at work noticed, though.
London W1K 7DA
020 7495 0420
Primark
Categories:
Men's Clothing,
Women's Clothing
Area: Marylebone
This huge Primark has no toilets. What's up with that? Isn't there some sort of law in the UK that states "Any retail establishment that takes up a city block, must provide facilities for its shoppers?" I guess not.
The problem is, there's no public toilets close by either. Shame on you London.
If you must buy the disposable clothes sold at Primark, don't do as I did and drink a Diet Coke before venturing in. The result will put an end to your shopping for the day.
Listed in: Places to Avoid in London
Listed in: Nachos
1 Previous Review:
-
23/2/2009
This is two doors down from my office so it's the watering hole of all the people I work with. In fact when I first joined, my department held a welcome lunch for me there. You'd think I'd be tired of it by now, but I'm not.
It still has many of the Victorian fittings left over from when it was a gin palace in the 1890's. The etched glass meant to lure people in, the carved wooden bar and fittings, meant to substitute for the living rooms many of its patrons didn't have. Those were the days when mothers gave their infants gin, when children were sent to the gin palace with a ceramic jug to collect the family's daily supply.
Now it's just a pretty pub. The food's not bad either, common pub fare of sausage and mash, burgers, jacket potatoes, and Sunday roasts.
It's a great little voyeuristic museum showing the living rooms of the middling classes. Starting in the 1600s, nearly every era is represented except the 40's--hmm, no surprise there.
Currently (until 31 August 2009), there's an exhibit called Ethelburgha Tower. Photographer Mark Cowper took a photo of the living room of every apartment in the Battersea tower block he lives in.
Forty six of the photos are on display. This is true voyeurism, and I love it. It's the same room over and over again, but completely different. Unlike the life-sized dioramas upstairs, we get to see real decour by real Londoners, not just the middling classes. Apparently, Cowper did not even allow the residents to clean their rooms before he took the photos.
Listed in: Museums Worth Visiting
I was debating whether to give this three or four stars. I gave it three with a nod to authenticity. The macaroons are lovely but they are made in London so they can't be 100 per cent like the ones made in Paris. That's like expecting Mexican food in London to be the same as it is in East LA, or in Mexico. The water is different, so the food is different. It's as simple as that.
It has a well-selected range of high-end fashion, from avant guarde Japanese designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, to conservative classics like Calvin Klein Collection. However, to compare it to Barney's is to do Barney's and Liberty a disservice. The main difference is that some things sold at Liberty are not available anywhere else, plus there's an intimacy that Barney's does not have.
Liberty was founded in the 1800s to sell objects from Japan and the Far East, then went on to design Art Nouveau fabrics and was a leading force in the Aesthetic movement. It hasn't strayed too far from those roots.
You can still buy Liberty print fabrics for clothing and upholstery, Liberty print dress shirts for men and women are gorgeous and difficult, if not impossible to buy anywhere else. Gift items are well-honed at all price ranges and antique furniture is well accessorised with Liberty prints.
I love Liberty prints. Hankies, tote bags, anything remotely naff with a Liberty print on it, I own it. I get lots of compliments from librarians and well-heeled Grans who happen to spot me blowing my nose or using a Liberty bag as a briefcase. Now I have a purse from the new collection, I get compliments from a whole new group of people.
The atmosphere is cosy, if a bit dark, and it's a good place to meet up with a group- did I mention jugs of sangria?
One thing I've noticed, though: Every time I go here that's a group of women with ironed hair and lots of makeup. Could this be a hairdresser bar?
4 Lists
|
"I'll sleep when I'm dead"
- 36 Friends
- 51 Reviews
- 4 Review Updates
- 14 Firsts
- 4 Fans
- 12 Local Photos
- 4 Lists
-
Rating Distribution
Loading...
- View more graphs »
Review votes:
174 Useful, 73 Funny, and 104 Cool
London
Yelping SinceFebruary 2009
Things I LoveLiberty, Free Museum Late Nights, Victorian London, magazines, Wonder Woman, David Bowie, Jumbles, Fringe Fashion Week, British Fashion Week, Apartmento, Madge, nachos, Edinburgh, my Mac, Chip forks, Battersea Boot Fair
Find Me InNorf London
My HometownBrentwood, Essex
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...I'm taking pictures of strange things I see around town.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI might know something.
My Second Favourite Website The Last Great Book I ReadHomecoming
My First ConcertDavid Bowie
My Favourite MovieMagnolia
My Last Meal On Earthnachos
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I Tivo cosy mysteries
Most Recent DiscoveryA great burrito stand in Camden Town