Soho is a very interesting neighbourhood. Cute boutiques, trendy restaurants, cafes & bars by the dozens, as well as sex shops and cinemas. I skipped the sex shops and the boutiques (still hate shopping – all kinds) and headed to a restaurant that had a good reputation, Balans. Snagged a sidewalk table, and proceeded to spend the next couple of hours sipping rosé, eating corn ribs, chatting with my ‘neighbours’, and watching the world go by.
I really fell in love with Soho – multi-cultural, young, busy, friendly – just a touch different from Orkney. It did occur to me that there were two specific factors impacting my impression: 1) the weather was fanstastic (mid-twenties) and 2) it was the longest day of the year. It was still broad daylight at 9:00 p.m. and I felt perfectly safe walking the streets on my own. I would imagine on a drizzly evening in October, it could give off a very different vibe.
People watching in a city like London is interesting. This gentleman walked by me wearing a Farrah Fawcett t-shirt, carrying a wicker picnic hamper, and carrying a pair of thigh-high, 8″ heels, fire-engine red Kinky Boots. A while later, Dame Harriet Walter (Succession, Killing Eve, Sense & Sensibility) strolled by, t-shirt & jeans, carrying her groceries.
It’s not all sunshine and pleasantries: volunteers were handing out these cards reminding people to be vigilant, particularly with their mobile phones.
