Cultural mess in Cosmo London (Camden Town)

Member Name: DannoStanno

Product:	Camden Town
Date:	03/06/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Market and atmosphere

Disadvantages: Very touristy, lost meaning

Well I remember around the turn of the 1990s being allowed by my parents to accompany my (much) older brother to Camden Town. I was just a bright eyed eight year old and from what I had heard from both my siblings and any media influence my child's brain absorbed, was that Camden was the place to be.

When we got there, on that sunny Sunday morning nearly 20 years ago I remember all my senses being bombarded with the joy that Camden Town brought with it. The gangs of punks, goths, mods and allsorts, though slightly terrifying, were a world away from suburban life. The hustle and bustle of the streets and markets gave the area a carnival like feel, and vendors sold exciting goods ranging from juggling balls to bootlegged cassettes of bands I'd never heard of, to what seemed like funky (and mildly rude) t-shirts. Even the simplicities of food became a vivid experience, with cuisines relatively heard of back then (felafel, whatever that was back then!) wafting their aromas amidst another strange, slightly tobacco-ey aroma.

Throughout the 1990s, as I entered my teenage years Camden was still the most exciting place in London. I would frequent the area with friends at weekends, originally during the day and then as I got older at night. I stopped going by the millenium but have recently frequented the area as I have moved back to London, not far from Camden.

The general term Camden Town implies the High Street from Camden tube station up to Chalk Farm Tube with the side streets and market areas off it, though the area does also stretch down to Mornington Crescent tube too.

SHOPPING:

There are several major markets (varying opening days but all are open at the weekend) selling allsorts of goods, though generally these days of mass-consumerism and the internet, not a lot you couldn't get elsewhere. There are a myriad of clothing stools, however, that will cater for any youth culture you could imagine and more. There are many craft stools too, selling homemade products such as printed cultural t-shirts, bags made out of bits of rubbish, etc. The High St area, however, does seem to be becoming condensed with generic shops offering the same chinese made s**t, you know the sort of stuff. They offer mass appealed variations on hippy goods and stuff that was cool in the 80s: i.e. drug paraphenalia, fashion (mass produced and cheaply made), touristy gimmicks, herbal highs (we'll come onto that in a second) and sunglasses/hats etc. Theres also plenty of places offering tatoos and piercings, some better than others

DRINKING/NIGHTLIFE/MUSIC:

Always a hangout for the many youth cultures of the past, Camden now caters for all and more. The Electric Ballroom is famous though there are a lot more clubs hidden about the place. More so, there are pubs galore, ranging from the standard chain pubs (Lloyds on the Lock - avoid as it's charcacterless) to small cosy pubs, to those drinking venues offering cheap(ish) beer and vomit on the floors. More famously, however, is Camden's penchant for live music which fills even the less obvious pubs. However, I would like to point out the Dublin Castle up the road where the cinema is which has a great small backroom for intimate gigs and new bands. Then of course there are 'real' venues. The Camden Palais and the new Roundhouse allow international stars to play in reasonably intimate venues which, in my opinion, has allowed Camden to retain its 'cool' 'hip' vibe. Also Amy Winehouse's recentish sojourns out in Camden has allowed Camden to become slightly notorious yet trendy once more...

DANGERS

Yes, talking about Amy Winehouse leads me on to dangers and firstly DRUGS! The place has always served up drugs, being the centre of the couterculture for 30 years or so. Marijuana smoke pours over the market and high street relatively freely, though be wary of the large number of dealers who loiter around acting suspiciously especially around the lock. The shops all sell legal substances and before the loophole on magic mushrooms was closed you could hardly move from funghi vending people.

Rubbish - the streets can become very dirty and highly unappealing.

Crowds - less of a danger, more of a discomfort, especially around the tube station at the weekends. Still watch out for pickpockets etc. Also avoid drunken places as fights occur as regularly as any other UK street of drinking establishments.

FOOD:

Loads of food, yet a lot of low quality at high prices. The market has a lot of organic type homemade fare which is really good but is also littered with bad chinese joints etc. Restaurant wise, there are a load hidden mainly off the main street. Lots of late night grub available too but generally the ubiquitous dogmeat kebab, though go to Marathon's for good food and great entertainment (only Kebab shop I know that has variety going on including occasionally some very famous guests spontaneously)

TRANSPORT:

Served weel by several Northern line tube stations (Camden, Chalk Farm, Mornington Crescent). Overground by Camden Road. Lots of buses. However, avoid driving around here especially during the weekend as it's a huge headache of traffic and 1 way systems.

OVERALL:

I still have a soft spot for Camden though the level of consumerism annoys me greatly. Too much bad food, goods and establishments have flooded the area yet still it is a far more interesting place than 60% of London and 90% of England. If you know what and where to go in Camden, this place is great. Otherwise you can too easily fall into touristy/tacky/dodgy situations

Summary: Though saturated in tackiness, the area still has a cool vibe going on