For those unfamiliar, Brick Lane is in the Whitechapel (E1) district of London. Whitechapel sits adjacent to what is referred to "The City" of London (the "square mile" financial services district) and is an easy 10 minute walk from Liverpool Street station. Whitechapel, generally, and the area to the east of Commercial Street, is in the process of "gentrification" as it has been regarded variously (dependent on taste and sensibilities) as anything from quaint / multi-cultural to a right dump. For history buffs, it's the area in which the infamous Jack the Ripper did most of his killing in 1888.
Brick Lane comes alive in the evenings and at the weekends as there are many Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants, supermarkets and clothing outlets. Walking down Brick Lane can feel a bit like running the gauntlet as the restaurants have staff out on the streets vying for your custom and trying to entice you into their eatery. To be fair, I've always found these guys to be polite and accept a simple "no thanks". They can provide an opportunity as some great deals can be negotiated - particularly if there's 4 or more of you wanting to find somewhere to eat. Don't be afraid to haggle....
Other than the Asian food and culture, there's also a great "Flea Market" near the old Truman's Brewery. This is where you'll find the "Film's Not Dead" market stall. (Check dates though as I think they're only there first and last weekends of the month). There's also "Rough Trade" a CD and Vinyl shop that has loads of stuff from the popular to things I guarantee you'll never have heard of.
Anyway, here's a handful of shots I took with my Olympus OM2n / Tri-X - just before I traded it. Hope they give you a feel for the area. It's well worth a visit and a lot more interesting, IMO, than traipsing, zombie-style, down Oxford Street / Regent street in the West End looking for post-Christmas bargains
