Shoreditch is one of my toddlers’ favourite places. I mean – they’ll chose a trip to the beach or to soft play over Shoreditch, without a doubt. But on quiet Saturday afternoons, they really like to visit Shoreditch. The lure is in part the transport. They really like to ride buses and trains, and the trip entails both a bus ride to the train station and a twenty-minute train ride into London Bridge. From there, we take a taxi, which they love, all the way to Brick Lane and stroll down the road together peering into the shops and admiring the extravagent and outlandish art on the walls. They love to swing around the lamp posts; they are care-free and innocent. They make me smile so hard that my jaw aches.
We have little competitions: to find new art, to find the best art. They always surprise me with how far they can walk. And at some point they always, always manage to wheedle me into a coffee shop for overpriced babyccinos and cake. They love the cake best of all.
There are times when I contemplate moving out of London. Every summer, we make pilgrimages to the seaside and I stand beside the water with my eyes closed, just listening to the lap of the water, just breathing it in, and I think, we could do this. We could live here. But there’s nothing quite like being able to hop on a bus and a quick train and be right in the centre of London. And my little ones love it so much.
Where do you like to visit with your children?
1 comment
They are such beautiful vibrant photos! I love them.