east london weekend

10 fun things to do:

1. Wander through Columbia Road Flower Market on a Sunday morning for people-watching and a rainbow of spring flowers - daffodils, crocuses, tulips and hyancinths. Also good should you wish to pretend you live in a Richard Curtis film, not that you would really.

   
   
2. Admire the Rob Ryan paper cuts in the Ryantown shop. This one is my favourite (so true).

   
   
3. Go to a late, late night movie at the Barbican as part of their Do Something Different Weekend for the East Festival. However, speaking from experience I wouldn’t really recommend late-night Watchmen to those with a sensitive disposition and/or stomach.

   
   
4. Walk down Brick Lane, stopping off for bagels and street art en route.

   
   
5. Go window shopping at the ever-gorgeous Tatty Devine. 

   
   
6. Admire the beautiful vintage-style bicycles and accessories at Bobbin Bikes. (I went a step further and took this beauty for a test drive.)

   
   
7. Eat Vietnamese.

   
   
8. Take a meander through Camden Passage in Islington for vintage clothes, antiques, bric-a-brac and general flea-markety ambiance.

   
   
9. Contemplate the sparkly cupcakes at Treacle Bakery (though actually I reckon these ones are much, much better)

   
   
10. Play a fun game of ‘I-Spy in Shoreditch and Hoxton’ scoring points for ‘Black Framed Glasses,’ ‘Ostentatious High-Top Trainers,’ ‘Trilby,’ ‘Asymmetric Fringe,’ ‘Wet-Look Leggings,’ Extreme Big Hair Situation,’ ‘Pet as Accessory,’ ‘Giant Sunglasses, Even Though it’s Not That Sunny’ and ‘Single Speed Bicycle’. Double points for any three or more in combination. (This one is the most fun.)