I HEART Camden Town

When Ralph and I study abroad in law school (um 10-ish years ago) we lived one tube stop north of our current location at Camden Town.  Well we lived north of the Chalk Farm tube stop, and south of Belsize Park, but Chalk Farm was the tube stop we regularly used.  Not too far from Hampstead Heath, which I believe to be another fairly posh area of London.  Ricky Gervais lives in that general area now, probably not then; he was a struggling artist then.  Also, one of the Gallagher brothers, of Oasis fame, lived on the same street at Wake Forest's Worrell House.  Then Oasis were quite popular.  There was a picture of liam/noel (sorry to liam/noel and you oasis fans) with a group of wake students in an album at the Worrell House.

I was young and naive and sheltered (mostly in a good way I think), but still naive and sheltered.  Camden Town and the Camden market, thought quite close, was not on my to do list.  Two super strong bows, more recently known as Strongbow blacks, (which by the way, have actually be "delisted" on social responsibility grounds.  Apparently, they were like heroine for alcoholics with their high alcohol content (~7.5%) and sweet apple flavor.) is a wild night for me.  I'm not into punk music, I don't like to listen to any music too loud, and I've never smoked pot.  Camden Town held no interest for me.  Yes, it is also fair to say I am boring.  I am, I do not deny it or pretend otherwise.  I think we went to Camden Town twice.  Once to eat at Wagamamas, and once to catch the tube (not sure why it's the same line as Chalk Farm) and Ralph and I got a bit of an eyeful right outside the tube station, but this is a family blog so it would not be appropriate to write about the person we saw drop trow and take care of all their business right on the sidewalk.  I had a very negative impression of Camden Town.  So, undeserved!!!

Perhaps in 2001 this reputation was deserved, or at least more deserved, but in 2012 not really at all.  Though I will be honest I was a bit worried about bringing our children to live in Camden Town.  Camden Town is pretty great.  There are definitely some pockets of weird,

and both on the small "bohemian" section of the high street and in the market I saw some "pipes," and you can probably find some "other stuff" if you were really looking for it.  But, Camden Town is great.  The market is quite organized and adorable back behind the locks.

A good deal of there merchandise in the market stalls could also be found on a lot of high streets.  Actually, there was a very cute wooden city of London train set that is actually cheaper in the Transport museum in Covent Garden.  (Exact. Same. Item.)  One shop even handed us a full color brochure that referred us to their website, and said they deliver.  This is not the punk/alternative flea market I expected.  It is a regular tourist destination complete with it's own starbucks tucked right in, a bit hipster perhaps, but not at all the scary ridiculously pierced, drug frenzied area I'd worked it up to be in my head. :)