Soho By Night
Once upon a very long time, I used to go out partying every single night! Yep. I spent a lot of time after hours in London's party district - Soho. My friends and I used to frequent the "Latino" clubs back then. It was so much fun and always a happy atmosphere. Cuban, Colombian and Brazilian clubs are legendary for the great food, drinks and music.
The best part, actually, was the fact that we all ended up in some late night restaurant or bar after the club. It was usually in "China Town", since it was the only place we could all fit in and actually get food to eat. We were also friends with most of the restaurant owners so they tolerated our loud and mad behaviour.
We were banned from multiple establishments for being too boisterous, which is saying something since Soho is known for people being loud and extremely colourful. One establishment that had us physically thrown out was the legendary Bar Italia. Actually it was "Cafe Italia", right next door, that banished us. We once took over their sound system and played our own music and turned their cafe into a dance floor. They didn't have a dance license, so were at risk of losing their business because of us.
There was a guy from Argentina in our crew who was known for being especially passionate. He ended up getting into a fight with one of the security men at Bar Italia. We had to rescue him - it wasn't going too well for him. Happy days.
Anyhow, a few years ago when I still had a lot of time on my hands, I found myself in Soho at night after a long work meeting nearby. I decided to walk around my old party streets taking phots. These were some of the streets we'd troop through while seeking somewhere to pass the rest of the night while waiting for London Underground to open up in the morning. I had a car, but I never took it out for several reasons. Parking was always an issue in the West End. I often was also too tired to drive home after a night out. I don't drink, so I would have become the de-facto driver pressured to drop people home.
It was a bit of a nostalgic photo walk. Many of the spots we used to frequent had closed down. Some of the buildings were gone altogether to make way for the new Elizabeth line that ripped through the heart of London.
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Is It Safe?
Contrary to what many might believe, London is actually quite safe. Well, central London - the West End / Soho anyway. Yes, there are many incidents of violence and what have you, but they often happen between groups with pre-existing grievances, such as gangs, that bring their business to town. You also get the standard drunk and disorderly behaviour that is consistent with any large city's party district. In all my many years of walking around at night in London's West End, in the midst of all the drug addicts and petty criminals, I've never once had a problem. But then, I am 6'3", so I'm probably not their main target. Someone smaller, or female, might have a different experience.
The residential areas are where I think the problems lie. I have had a few altercations in the city, and they always tend to be around tower blocks where some people are under the impression that they own the streets. I was even physically attacked by two very large drug dealers once because I refused to back down from walking past a particular public space. In hindsight, it was dumb to stand up to them. They could have been armed. Some fights aren't worth the trouble.
Peace & Love,
Adé