Besides working
and site-seeing
in London I used some of my other free time to get to know my neighborhood
. My address would say I lived in Hammersmith but I was within walking distance to the White City, Wood Lane, and Sheppards Bush tube stops.
White City is an interesting place. It’s got the BBC headquarters, an H M prison, and the United Kingdom’s largest mall called Westfield. Otherwise it’s a pretty residential area with not much going on.
Sheppards Bush on the other hand, had a much more city feel to it. It is also within nearly equal walking distance to the Westfield shopping mall.
But it is also an area with many independent shops, pubs and restaurants. Though, not the fancy sort. But the ethnic kind since many Somali, West Indian, Syrian, Lebanese, Iranian, Irish, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi make of the neighborhood demographics. Add hipsters to that list and its mostly complete.
Moving back to White City for a moment. I kind of lived opposite a huge, gated school. After a few months living next to it I still was not sure whether it was a private or public school since they play cricket. I thought outside of India and Bangladesh only private school kids played.
This billboard should give you an idea of the kin d of people who lived in my neighborhood. Think about who the advertisers are trying to target. Middle aged, lower class British men from the eighties apparently.