Thursday, June 10, 2010
Posted By:
Lee Mannion
Photo:
Lee Mannion
Brompton Cemetery
It's not unusual for a sense of guilt to settle on a person when walking through a cemetery. But why? The dead wouldn't want you to apologise for being alive. It's not like you're rubbing it in by wandering among them, alive alive oh. Neither are they likely to care if you put your feet on their oblong of remembrance; they're dead after all remember. Decorum would probably dictate that sunbathing was out, though it hadn't stopped the stripped down couple glorying in a rare blast of English summer amongst the crosses on my visit. Regular readers will know that my curiosity about the city often ends in finding peaceful spots. Brompton is a beautiful one. Elegant, almost. If you're feeling frivolous you could engage in a spot of corpse Bingo. Draw up a list of names you're likely to find and the first one to fill their card buys a cocktail on the Kings Road. Otherwise, abandon yourself to the zen-like serenity that should engulf you as you wander amongst the dead, pondering the point of an existence that the tombstones around you will prove is only temporary *emits Vincent Price at the end of Thriller type laugh*
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Posted By:
Lee Mannion
Photo:
Lee Mannion
The Troubadour
Starbucks and Mcdonalds are often a depressing feature of London's homogenous high streets, which makes the continued existence of The Troubadour somewhat heart-warming. Having only had 3 owners since opening in 1954, it seems resistant to change and long may that continue. Unlike the chains, it has its own distinctive style (a lot of dark wood, retro signs and posters, quirky hanging ephemera) and a cool atmosphere. Even the friendly waiter looked like he might have been an actor or a musician but with neither the ego nor the attitude to match. It feels a lot like the coffee shop it originally started out as but is now much more than that. Notable musicians such as Dylan, Paul Simon, and Jimmy Page have visited over the years and there's still a club downstairs with live music and poetry performed weekly. A wine shop next door and an upstairs apartment that you can stay in completes the portfolio. “Give the people what they want" was evidently the mantra when compiling the menu with Fish n Chips, Pie n Mash, and Apple Crumble all present. Comfort food in a unique environment: what more could you want?
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