Sunday May 13th -- Back to Brick Lane Market

During the day we split up.  I went (again doing a repeat best-of) to Brick Lane Market and Spitalfields.  Maxine went to a walking tour of the Rothchilds' family.  Afterwards she took her ipad, sat in Hyde Park and read, enjoying some of our first good weather.

My impressions of Brick Lane:
0.  Couldn't be certain I was headed in the right direction when I exited the tube station.  Asked an older, grizzled guy, who insisted that he walk me over to make sure he was pointing me in the right direction.  Was waiting for a bus and I didn't want him to miss it.
1. The punker who moved his leg out of the way as I walked by.  Polite English
2. Sellers would pull their table cloth up over their product and just leave their table without worrying that they would be ripped off.
3. The barber chair just set out.  Haircuts.  Not in a "barber shop"
4. The subterranean shopping area.  The support posts painted colors.  I had a soda there.  Like Gibson's sprawl.
5. Street food.  Thai, Ethiopian, Mexican, Burmese, and Sri Lankan all without moving a step.  And most of it looked very good.  And that they'd prepared batched large enough for MANY people to buy from them.
6. Mostly junk to buy.  Very little in the way of original products for sale.  Lots of used stuff.
7. Side path off of side path.  Eventually guys selling used sneakers and used bicycle tires.
8. Edgy (despite that word almost sounding trite under the circumstances).
9. Using all space.  Spreading out into other spaces.  Oozing into even other spaces.
10. Spitalfields looked too cleaned up after 2 1/2 hours at Brick Lane.  The people there pay rent on their retail space, even as simply as stands and tables.  And the floors are clean.
11. Suspicious of (everywhere in London) things being from China.  Too much product looked identical.  How do all of these people make a living.
12. Older guy in a blazer, with a wife carrying their dog.  She was wearing St. John's Knit-type clothes.
13. Everyone shopping for clothes.  But they're already dressed.  What's the point?  What are they looking for?  A style. A  different look for themselves?  To look like everyone else?  For the next thing?  To replace something that's worn out???

Afterwards, I went over to the V&A.  It was overkill/overstimulation.  Stayed there 1 1/2 hours

Churchhill Arms and dinner at Scarsdale tavern.  Fuller's beers.  Their Porter was very good.  Honey Ale good.  Bitter.  A cider -- the ciders are a sleeper/a surprise/better than expected...