The rebuilt (mostly, work still on-going) Camden Market seems pretty good to me, post-fire. Fewer places selling ‘I love London’ tat, and more selling interesting clothes and stuff – as well as some trendy boutiques for those who wish to spend sixty pounds on a t-shirt. It still has the rabbit-warren feeling, but not in quite such a scary way – the cobbles, intersections and brickwork have been cleaned up, there’s fewer broken drainpipes or cables draped from hooks, and the place seems marginally more navigable. On the food side, there’s better seating areas, and less grease (or so it appeared). Opinions will no doubt vary, but I’d say it’s a good trade-off between making the area safer and friendlier and retaining its character.
The new Cyberdog store is huge, nestling in a giant underground bunker, and heaving with tourists, most of them wilting under the UV and high-volume dance music. Sadly it’s not the week for me to buy overpriced clubbing gear – and it would only get destroyed at Global Gathering in a few weeks anyway.
