London in January
Exploring one of Europe’s busiest metropolises in search of local beers, history and authentic neighborhoods.
For my first visit to London, I decided to take a step back and enjoy the early days of 2018 regardless of all the recommendations and usual pressures of touristing a new destination. Staying in Candem Town with a close friend and with some insights from architectural history class, I was certain I could manage exploring the United Kingdom’s capital in four short days. So challenges were accepted.
If anything, the city proved to be full of distinct traditions in the midst of complex infrastructural layers, all while daylight felt short, clouds were grayer than usual and beer on tap was running in every pub. Through the days and nights between Camden Town, Southbank, City of, and South Kensington, it proved best to get to one place to another via bikes and embrace the winter weather and vistas; and just like San Francisco, each neighborhood truly changed our experience and impressions of the city at large.
Overall, north and south of the Thames, with it’s funky corners and underground spots, became a place to come back day after day. Walking south through the pedestrian Millennium Bridge (with contemporary hints of Harry Potter or Black Mirror classics) one finds Southbank a few steps away, home to anchor institutions like British Film Institute, the National Theatre and Tate Modern. Where the reuse and rebuild of old structures becomes more apparent, with glass skyscrapers surrounding the water’s edge, brutalist architectural warehouses all around and recent examples like Tate Modern’s Tower and underground expansion; where one walks through the lower level of the Turbine Hall and experience the old vaults and power plant foundations of the former Bankside Power Station. In a glimpse, you see the connection between repurposing and reprogramming, raw and polished and unique spaces coming together.
At last, it’s iconic elements like the British telephone booth and double decker red buses were everywhere you looked (acting as a reminder that such classic infrastructural elements are continually recognized icons after 90 years). It was during moments like this, where pausing and taking in the breath of sights and occurrences, that I continue to realize an ongoing fascination by places that are activated by it’s residents, neighborhood intricacies and particular communities. Likewise, the overwhelming realization that so much of what we know about England is literally steps away from one another - Westminster and St. James Park, Parliament and the surrounding Abbeys - and how so much history took place in such a small area.
Well between too many pints inside and outside historic pubs, the local markets and all the many outdoor parks, it proved hard to soak it all in and still have time for a nap. Besides it’s cold weather, windy dusks and gloomy skies, this city is a reminder that metropolitan life is precious, meaningful and full of mystery. So there it was, as I was leaving London with this sort of Jane Jacobs perspective, this good feeling and acceptance of the power of the individual, yet the importance of activation, civicness and public engagement in the cities we choose to live, play and work.
Sources:
Prynn, Jonathan. “Record Year as 19 Million Tourists Visit London.” Evening Standard, Standard.co.uk, 18 May 2017, www.standard.co.uk/news/london/record-year-as-19m-tourists-visit-london-a3542271.html.
Himelfarb, Ellen. “Exploring Switch House, Tate Modern's Ambitious Addition.” Azure Magazine, Azure Magazine, 16 June 2016, www.azuremagazine.com/article/tate-modern-switch-house/.
Tips:
Grab one of the city bikes, and make sure to bike on the correct lane.
Immerse yourself in London’s Underground, or experience the double decker.
Serpentine Gallery is a must.
The observatory of Tate Modern for vistas and beers.
Photographer & Author: Francesco Stumpo
Camera: Nikon D3100 & iPhone 5C & 8, Bell & Howell Auto 35/Reflex 35mm (Film)
Film: Fujifilm Superia 35mm ASA 200 Color
Processed: Photoshop CS6, Lightroom and VSCO.
