Come to the garden and play (Covent Garden)

Member Name: sympatic

Product:	Covent Garden
Date:	28/08/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The street performers

Disadvantages: Very crowded

I was struggling to come up with a topic to reflect my 1,500th review on Dooyoo, after all by the time you get to that number of reviews all the obvious stuff like reviews of Dooyoo or the crown system have probably been done so instead someone suggested doing a search on 1500 and picking from that, well nothing great came up excepet for some strange reason Covent Garden which is as good a place as any to review.

Located in central London Covent Garden is a big tourist attraction and a major meeting point for many people visiting London. It is easy to get to as it is on the Picadilly Line although do be aware that the tube station is serviced by lifts and sometimes has usage restrictions, personally I find it easier to get off at Leicester Square and walk up to Covent Garden, a short walk of about five minutes.

The name is a bit misleading as there is no greenery to be seen instead it is a large square the centre of which is taken up by a large stone and glass building which houses a market. Most of the market stalls are of the kind that sell things for tourists, lots of arts and crafts and London memorabilia, there are also some cafes in the centre with outside seating but under cover.

One of the big attractions in Covent Garden is to see the street performers who have to compete for the liscense slots by attending auditions and they are very skilled at working the crowds and entertaining people, most of the acts centre around circus style tricks with some crowd participation and lots of banter.

The area feels pretty safe even late at night and there are lots of fashion shops and placs to eat in the surrounding area. There are also lots of theatre in the area and the Royal Opera House as well so it is busy thoughout the day and night with large crowds of people from all over the world.

Summary: Tourist attraction