{"id":97171027,"date":"2015-03-20T10:00:34","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T10:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97171027"},"modified":"2015-08-11T18:07:13","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T18:07:13","slug":"drink-bitter-spot-gherkins-and-get-punk-rock-at-londons-coolest-outdoor-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/drink-bitter-spot-gherkins-and-get-punk-rock-at-londons-coolest-outdoor-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"Drink Bitter, Spot Gherkins, and Get Punk Rock at London\u2019s Coolest Outdoor Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

London<\/a> is bursting at its seams with landmarks and traditionally dressed regimental guards trying not to smile in your selfies\u2014but that\u2019s not all it has to offer. Beyond Big Ben, and past Piccadilly, lies an outdoor market scene that can\u2019t be beat. Who knew that some of the world\u2019s most fascinating markets were just across the pond!<\/p>\n

Not sure where to start? Never fear\u2014we\u2019ve rounded up three of the world\u2019s most fascinating markets, all easily accessible by the London \u201ctube.\u201d (Pronounced \u201cchoob,\u201d if you want to sound like a local.)<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Covent Garden<\/h3>\n
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IR Stone\/Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Present day Covent Garden is a magnet for tourists with its array of quirky shops, seemingly round-the-clock street theater performances, and countless outdoor cafes and restaurants. Its North Hall is home to the arcade-covered Apple Market, but you won\u2019t find apples for sale here. The name is a reference to the site\u2019s fruit and vegetable origins, with its fascinating collection of British crafts, jewelry, and leather goods. To the South is the ever changing Jubilee Market where you\u2019ll find antiques on Mondays, clothes through the week, and more crafts on the weekend.<\/p>\n

Allow some time to pause in the cobblestoned West piazza to marvel at jugglers, musicians, and dancers as they entertain the crowds in front of St. Paul\u2019s church (not St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral), or take in the view from the balcony of the Punch & Judy pub over a pint of \u201cbitter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suitably refreshed and energized, it\u2019s time to practice your market banter or, alternatively, meander through the shady South Hall Courtyard as you\u2019re soothed by its continuous soundtrack of classical music by request.<\/p>\n

The East Colonnade has a delightful variety of stalls offering up sweets, unique soaps, children\u2019s clothing, and even a magician! This whole area is alive with distractions and delights.<\/p>\n

On its outskirts, Covent Garden borders onto several fascinating independent shopping and dining venues such as Neal\u2019s Yard–a hidden gem with a healthy bakery, delicious ice-cream parlor and tearoom–and Neal Street, a must visit for all shoe junkies. You know who you are!<\/p>\n

From bric-a-brac to Beethoven, from pints to Pinot–Covent Garden has something for every traveler. When night falls, don\u2019t miss skipping through neighboring Trafalgar and Leicester Squares like so many UK-version Monopoly pieces before you!<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Old Spitalfield\u2019s Market<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Vasyl Chornyy\/Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

East in the London skyline, across the River Thames (the \u2018h\u2019 is silent as in gherkin) stands a big shiny gherkin (the \u2018h\u2019 is silent as in Thames). Not much farther beyond London\u2019s most famous vegetable-like skyscraper, lies the world-famous Old Spitalfields Market. Hop off at the Liverpool Street tube stop and take the five minute walk to this fully-restored, award winning, covered marketplace. The name derives from the word \u201chospital\u201d–rather than any saliva-related slang term–and dates back to before the 1666 Great Fire of London when thousands of displaced Londoners camped out on the \u201cSpital Fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, the site is an historic and vibrant reminder of Victorian era architecture encapsulated in a modern day market square. Old Spitalfields is open for business seven days a week, but it\u2019s busiest Thursdays through Sunday. The content of the stalls varies depending on the day of the week, with Thursdays dedicated to antiques, Saturdays dedicated to a theme, and Sundays dedicated to General Market stalls. Music buffs should time their visits for the first and third Fridays of the month, when Old Spitalfields turns into a haven of collectible vinyl. \u00a0The second and fourth Fridays of each month are dedicated to fashion and art. \u00a0Fabulous!<\/p>\n

Throughout the year, Old Spit also plays host to a series of pop-up events that have included Vintage Fairs, African Market Day, and Designers\/Makers Day. The latter has been such a favorite that it now pops up every third Saturday\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Sunday of the month. Designer\u2019s Market promotes fresh new talents and their innovative creations, encouraging local arts students to participate and contribute. This is stuff you won’t find anywhere else–assuming, of course, that the students can crawl out of their beds to market on a Sunday morning!<\/p>\n

3. Camden Lock Market<\/h3>\n
\"<\/a>

Will Rodrigues\/Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

Heading North to Camden Town, prepare for another amazing London scene!<\/p>\n

Set on top of the Regent\u2019s Canal at one of the city\u2019s last active twin-lock systems, Camden Lock is an expansive collection of markets offering arts and crafts, bric-a-brac, antiques, fashion, fun, and food.<\/p>\n

To ensure all the vendors are open, weekends are the prime time to visit but if you\u2019re willing to risk a few closed stalls, weekdays are much quieter and still worthwhile. Be aware–on Sundays, the Camden Town subway has an exit-only policy in deference to the area\u2019s popularity, so when it\u2019s time to head home, just pop along to nearby Mornington Crescent or Chalk Farm tube stations instead.<\/p>\n

The Camden Lock Market area is comprised of six main sections.To the East is Camden Lock Village<\/em>, the quintessential market offering a myriad of goods and plenty of places to plop down, snack, and people watch. Inverness Street<\/em>, formerly a local produce market, has now re-invented itself to cater more to visitors, and Camden High Street\u2019s Electric Ballroom<\/em>, nightclub by night (obviously), and indoor market by day is a must-see. Channel your inner rocker as you follow in the footsteps of Electric Ballroom alumni like punk rock\u2019s Sid Vicious, funk rock\u2019s Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Vegas rockers, The Killers, as you pour over the venue\u2019s great collection of vintage music and clothing.<\/p>\n

Next up, chat with artists in The Lock<\/em>, browse second-hand goods and antiques amidst the arches of the old horse hospital known as The Stables<\/em>, or try on vintage clothing on Buck Street<\/em>. Wherever you roam, you\u2019re sure to build up an appetite for the dizzying array of food served up in the Global Kitchen in the West Yard.This may well be the best selection of street food in London!<\/p>\n

Are you \u201cin the market\u201d to tell us about your favorite markets?<\/p>\n

Tell us in the comments about your favorite fairs, most bizarre bazaars, or secret street-side stalls from around the globe, and let us know where we should boldly blog next!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London is bursting at its seams with landmarks and traditionally dressed regimental guards trying not to smile in your selfies\u2014but that\u2019s not all it has to offer. Beyond Big Ben, and past Piccadilly, lies an outdoor market scene that can\u2019t be beat. Who knew that some of the world\u2019s most fascinating markets were just across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":97171032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,97],"tags":[304,303,302,305,301,300,306,299],"class_list":["post-97171027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interests","category-shopping","tag-lgw","tag-lhr","tag-lon","tag-london-attractions","tag-london-markets","tag-london-travel","tag-top-3","tag-uk-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97171027"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97172615,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171027\/revisions\/97172615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97171032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97171027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97171027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97171027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}