The London Round...
Took a walk today at lunchtime, did my usual round and then broadened it, did a few more bookshops, a few more specialist shops, got me all nostalgic...
I remember when coming to London was an adventure, something special, especially if I was on my own. I'd arrive at Paddington, down the Circle Line to Notting Hill Gate, along the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road and out. There was Forbidden Planet in New Oxford Street. I even visited it once in Denmark Street and it left there in 1978! Never got to Dark They Were, And Golden Eyed, that closed up in 1981, my boss once went there, but he's a few years older. Anyway, in that area was Gosh Comics, Playin' Games and Beatties model shop.
There was always a homeless woman near Forbidden Planet, close cropped hair and long brown overcoat, never begged, never asked for money and at some point she just wasn't there any more. Known a few other people who noticed her there. Wonder who she was, what her story told.
Anyway, then down to Charing Cross Road and the bookshops, Orc's Nest and Comics Showcase and lunch at the Pizza Hut at Cambridge Circus. Then down Shaftesbury Avenue. There was the Vintage Magazine Store nearby and a shop up a side street that specialised in soundtracks, then Tower Records at the end in Piccadilly. Then Victoria to catch a train to Croydon to meet my brother, a curry at the Sheesh Mahal and stay over at his flat for the night. The next day would be museums, always museums, the Science and Geology Museums at Kensington and, best of all, the Natural History Museum, my Cathedral, my spiritual home If I was ever to have one.
So much has changed...
Gosh is now over in Soho, Forbidden Planet is in Shaftesbury Avenue. Comics Showcase is gone, Beatties became Model-zone for a while and now that's gone. Playin' Games is gone (thank smeg for Orc's Nest and Leisure Games up in Finchley, nobody is shifting THEM). A lot of bookshops have gone, Tower Records have gone (the Virgin Megastore on the corner of Tottenham Court, Charing Cross and Oxford Street replaced it for a while but that's gone too, Fopp is pretty good though). The Vintage Magazine shop is still there but that soundtrack store is gone, Tower Records is gone. Cinema Store appeared and is now gone (owing a lot of people money I gather). Pity, liked that shop.
Even the Sheesh Mahal changed to the "Bharat Bhavan", and my Brother is now out near Oxford in Thame!
Times change. Things move on. Can't stop it, just gotta go with the flow.
Strange though to walk through those streets and think what was there 20, 30 years ago. What has gone, what has survived and what has replaced them. Fewer specialist shops now, suppose with the internet and all that was inevitable, but still a few diehards hanging on in there.
At least the museums are still there, went to the Nat Hist last weekend, took in the "Venom" exhibition and very good it was too. Got a Blue Whale in the central hall now instead of that plaster-cast Diplodocus, but it's still the Natural History Museum and I still love it.
Wonder what the next 20 to 30 years will bring.
We'll just have to wait and see.
I remember when coming to London was an adventure, something special, especially if I was on my own. I'd arrive at Paddington, down the Circle Line to Notting Hill Gate, along the Central Line to Tottenham Court Road and out. There was Forbidden Planet in New Oxford Street. I even visited it once in Denmark Street and it left there in 1978! Never got to Dark They Were, And Golden Eyed, that closed up in 1981, my boss once went there, but he's a few years older. Anyway, in that area was Gosh Comics, Playin' Games and Beatties model shop.
There was always a homeless woman near Forbidden Planet, close cropped hair and long brown overcoat, never begged, never asked for money and at some point she just wasn't there any more. Known a few other people who noticed her there. Wonder who she was, what her story told.
Anyway, then down to Charing Cross Road and the bookshops, Orc's Nest and Comics Showcase and lunch at the Pizza Hut at Cambridge Circus. Then down Shaftesbury Avenue. There was the Vintage Magazine Store nearby and a shop up a side street that specialised in soundtracks, then Tower Records at the end in Piccadilly. Then Victoria to catch a train to Croydon to meet my brother, a curry at the Sheesh Mahal and stay over at his flat for the night. The next day would be museums, always museums, the Science and Geology Museums at Kensington and, best of all, the Natural History Museum, my Cathedral, my spiritual home If I was ever to have one.
So much has changed...
Gosh is now over in Soho, Forbidden Planet is in Shaftesbury Avenue. Comics Showcase is gone, Beatties became Model-zone for a while and now that's gone. Playin' Games is gone (thank smeg for Orc's Nest and Leisure Games up in Finchley, nobody is shifting THEM). A lot of bookshops have gone, Tower Records have gone (the Virgin Megastore on the corner of Tottenham Court, Charing Cross and Oxford Street replaced it for a while but that's gone too, Fopp is pretty good though). The Vintage Magazine shop is still there but that soundtrack store is gone, Tower Records is gone. Cinema Store appeared and is now gone (owing a lot of people money I gather). Pity, liked that shop.
Even the Sheesh Mahal changed to the "Bharat Bhavan", and my Brother is now out near Oxford in Thame!
Times change. Things move on. Can't stop it, just gotta go with the flow.
Strange though to walk through those streets and think what was there 20, 30 years ago. What has gone, what has survived and what has replaced them. Fewer specialist shops now, suppose with the internet and all that was inevitable, but still a few diehards hanging on in there.
At least the museums are still there, went to the Nat Hist last weekend, took in the "Venom" exhibition and very good it was too. Got a Blue Whale in the central hall now instead of that plaster-cast Diplodocus, but it's still the Natural History Museum and I still love it.
Wonder what the next 20 to 30 years will bring.
We'll just have to wait and see.