London: Sep 6: Smithfields and Vicinity

I spent Sunday, September 6, 2009, doing walks from my walking guidebook. Though overcast, it cleared up for brief periods in the afternoon.

For lunch, I bought another sandwich from my local French deli, Chanteroy, in Southfields, carrying it with me until I was ready to eat.

I first did a walk that took me through Clerkenwell, a neighborhood north of Smithfields. I call it a neighborhood for a reason: it feels like a place people live who want to live in a city but don't want all the city action. This isn't a tourist destination. In fact, it's not listed in my regular guidebook. The buildings are functional, ordinary, though there are a few historic ones scattered around. The whole area was very quiet; I'm not sure whether it's because it was a Sunday or, as I'd like to ascribe, because it's a quiet type of community, not on any regular trail that brings visitors to the area.

The next walk brought me through Smithfields into the area south of it. The following walks comprehensively criss-crossed the part of London's financial district ("The City") around St. Paul's Cathedral (which I held off on visiting, saving for a later day). Except for tourists around the cathedral, this area was similarly quiet as Clerkenwell, but had a different feel: this district felt quiet not because the residents are quiet but because the district's primarily a business one. Not many people live there; hence, it's relatively depopulated on a Sunday and everything was closed.

From these pictures I took this day, it may seem as if I went out of my way to visit churches. I did not--it's just that there are an astounding number of churches in the areas I walked through this day.

In the evening, I met Di Yin for dinner in Tooting, an Indian neighborhood south of London. We've been to Tooting before, but didn't get a chance to explore due to the rain. This day, we walked up and down its largest street, examining its markets, glancing at its mosque, and inspecting its restaurants. The neighborhood felt urban. I don't think I'd feel comfortable there at night. In contrast, the town where I'm staying, Southfields, is suburban. Incidentally, they're an equal distance from London. Nor does Tooting have a (non-cemetery) open green area nearby, like Southfield's nearby Wimbledon Commons.