<ul fr-original-style="padding-inline-start: 20px;" style="padding-inline-start: 20px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; list-style-position: inside; box-sizing: border-box;"><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">I live in London but I am from Milan in my heart. I miss Italian architecture and dolce vita AKA easy living. Given my mixed background —my parents are Albanian and past cities I've lived in Milan, Istanbul, and now London— I feel that I still need to find the place where I want to settle. So far, NYC and Barcelona are on the top.</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">I have recently found inspiration at &nbsp;The Castel Cinema which is a beautifully crafted little cinema in Homerton. The bar makes you feel like you are in the 1920s (it opened in 1913!). Super retro cool vibe with a diverse movie selection, some of which are even played in 16mm format.</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">After living 6 years in London, I have just discovered: that I love coffee! I was never into coffee back in Italy as it was too strong, usually, they only drink espresso, and only here I started drinking coffee thanks to latté, flat white, dirty chai, etc.&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">I love walking around&nbsp;Victoria Park with Angela (my partner) and Cliff (our lovely dog). It's a wide and open space, with plenty of greenery, little ponds, and secret gardens.</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">I mostly shop vintage. A sustainable shop I like to cruise around: Paper Dress Vintage.&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">A Londoner you must meet is Lawrence from Hackney Bread Kitchen. He is a professor who bakes at the back of his house in Hackney out of passion. The best focaccia you'll ever eat in the whole UK (and I can say this because I'm Italian). Not only he's super friendly, and into movies (he reminds me of David Lynch), but the passion that he puts in what he bakes is truly inspiring and deserves all the credits for it!</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Only a true Londoner would know where to get good coffee on a rainy day and. One of my favourite local hangouts is: Dark Arts Coffee Shop.</li><li dir="ltr" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">In this erratic city, I complain the most about passive-aggressiveness.&nbsp;It's still something I can't understand and don't tolerate, but besides that, even the weather is not that bad, so I try not to complain too much.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">When I want to escape big city life:&nbsp;I go to Margate, a half plus one hour's train ride from London. Seems a bit like a copy of East London but more chilled and less busy. Lots of unique vintage shops, antiques, great food, and cute coffee and you get an amazing view of cliffs and sea.</li></ul>

Soli

Meet Nivi. 

Nivi Jasa

Stretching across 86 hectares in the middle of the city, it is green during spring. It is an oasis for those interested in dendrology. In summer, it is colourful with people spreading their gingham blankets on the grass. In autumn, it contains all shades of orange, yellow, and terracotta within itself. The winters are often windy, cold, and wet. Opened to the public in 1845, previously purchased by the Queen on the recommendation of the epidemiologist William Farr, Victoria Park was laid out by the city planner and architect Sir James Pennethorne in 1842 and is today a popular transit point for East Londoners.In spring: The sun's rays appear a little earlier. Morning joggers and dog walkers can be seen in the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://pavilionbakery.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Pavilion</a>, queuing for coffee and bread.In the summer: You cannot go to the festival. The festival has already come to the park, or the parks become festival grounds on the weekend. Home-made salads, wine, and beer from Victoria Village gather around the covers. Hammocks, frisbees, boombox skates, and skateboards. Climbing trees. These are the usual sights!In Autumn: The city's most beautiful colours come out. Tour around the park's water, feed the ducks, and when it starts to get a little chilly, take shelter at the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.peoplesparktavern.pub/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">People's Park Tavern</a>.In winter: Darkness falls early. So, hang out at the market on Sundays. At 17:00, the destination is clear: Panna cotta-like spicy tofu at <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/myneighboursthedumplings/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">My Neighbours The Dumplings</a>.

Where are East Londoners in all seasons?

Victoria Park

In the tenth AKA "Let's meet at N16" issueHopping (What’s going on in London: Hand-picked and unmissable events): This week Big Limbo Presents jazz &amp; afrobeat sounds at Stokey; M.K. Čiurlionis is in Between Worlds at Dulwich; Film Africa is on the screens all around London.Water Cooler Talk (Local news that you need to know to survive or just to speak of): Is London getting trams?An Arbitrary Guide (A subjective, opionated guide): to N16, AKA Stoke Newington, like East Londoners would call it Stokey.

Aposto London

<a fr-original-style="" href="https://paposbagels.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Papo’s Bagels</a> serve the most decadent bagels in Dalston, the kind that gives you hope of a better mood while on a massive hangover. The New York style bagel shop is tucked away in a small alley warehouse with an open industrial kitchen and dense, chewy bagels lined on wire racks soaking in the sunlight.This place is not like Brick Lane bagel shops. It doesn’t dish out 3000 circles a day nor stays open all day for Dalston Superstore clientele to line up at 3 a.m. Papo’s is not the nostalgic London bagel shop for the masse. The lack of salt beef and mustard bagels on the menu is indicative of its conceptual distinction. It brings the American style to East London: lox, schmear and Italian cold cuts.What to order:&nbsp;The ‘classic’ lox salmon is decadent and filled to the brim with all the necessary goodies. But if it’s your second time, or you are lucky enough to have someone with you, also get the bagel filled with cold cuts and cheese. &nbsp;Where?&nbsp;In the tiny alley next to Shacklewell Arms. 73 Shacklewell Lane, E82EBHeads up: If you go late on weekend mornings, your favourite bagel base (I’m guessing the everything bagel) might have sold out.Cool merch: Papo’s branded T-shirts also make a great purchase. There is something very East London about sporting a Tee with a bagel shop logo on it.

Papo's Bagels brings American style to East London.

A better mood on a massive hangover

After holding regular gatherings in her garden nicknamed ‘Skank &amp; Grills’, where she’d host enormous vegan buffets with reggae music as the soundtrack, she started Made In Hackney, an all vegan community cookery school and charity with a phenomenal team of women since 2012.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">ID</h2>I have recently found inspiration at:&nbsp;Hackney Marshes - It's a wild, scrubby, semi-countryside/semi-urban space full of interesting areas, history, bird-watching hides, the river Lea, old water towers, and a stone circle. I've seen snakes, kingfishers, and bats there.After living for 2 decades in London, I have just discovered: The best vegan milk tea place on earth! It is called <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/nuttea_uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">NUTTEA</a> and is located in the uninspiring Westfield Stratford shopping centre. They do an incredible variety of gourmet teas, no syrups, no chemicals, topped with rich, decadent nut cream made with macadamia, walnuts, cashews, and almonds. They also do bubble waffles with nut cream. Me and my son can't get enough.I live in:&nbsp;Leyton, East London but prior to that, I lived in Hackney for 18 years.In my heart, I am from:&nbsp;The ocean and the rolling surf of the Caribbean Sea. In reality,&nbsp;I was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, a small rural town in the East Midlands.My favorite hangout:&nbsp;All Nations Vegan House in Dalston, a stunning vegan Ital food Caribbean restaurant in Hackney, run by Sister Atreka and her gorgeous family. Her sons are often seen behind the counter.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/8/2/1664310371691.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" ratio="0.84" width="550" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Sarah BentleyPhoto: Casey Lazonick<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"> A Londoner you must meet:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/osunschild/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Deidre Woods</a> who is an amazing food justice activist and one of the founders of the Glenville Community Kitchen.Only a true Londoner would know:&nbsp;Where to find lunch here for under a fiver! The best falafel in the city, visit Ridley Road market in Dalston, Hackney, and look for the falafel's market stall run by the incredibly talented Chef Mustaf.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">SHOOT THE BREEZE</h2>London is described as a multicultural city, do you see indicators of that in food culture and politics?Absolutely, us Londoners often describe London as almost being like its own country - a place where its inhabitants seek out diversity and culture and the richness of the global community as each other's neighbours. And yes the cross currents of so many people and cultures influence everything here. Unlike in cities like New York, the neighbourhoods in London are very mixed - economically, socially, racially - and that inherently breeds exciting cross-pollination of food, culture, and businesses. It's what's kept me living here for so long - despite the expense and the pollution.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/8/1/1664220144783.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.52" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Made In Hackney, plant-based community cookery school<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">At the <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/madeinhackney/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Made In Hackney</a> community meal service, we represent such a wide variety of different cuisines and try to rotate dishes so everyone has a flavour of their heritage. The same for our vegan cookery classes - we do Caribbean, West African, Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian, Trinidadian - you name it, we have a class for it.As a vegan woman, person, inhabitant, is London gentrified in the right direction?Equal, collaborative, and just development of communities is a good thing - but sadly what we usually get instead is rampant gentrification instead with long-standing businesses and community members being pushed out of certain areas. There's always a certain magic when an area has just started to have a new surge of inhabitants, businesses and art - a time when it's more mixed and you discover a nice this or that, amongst normal shops and services like garages and pharmacies etc. Eventually, it tends to tip too far and all the useful but 'normal' businesses get pushed out.Can you name a few places that would make a non-vegan, vegan?Young Vegans, All Nations Vegan House, Club Mexicana, The Wave - and of course ALL the Made In Hackney cookery classes which people can participate either online or face to face. You can also try our wholefood plant-based burger in Fullers pubs across London. This burger is EPIC and def has the power to turn a carnivore more vegan.What do you complain about the most?The government, inequality, cognitive dissonance, institutional racism, hunger, air pollution - I complain about a lot of things.Where do you take your breathers, what do you do when you want to escape?I love to grow food, garden, visit beautiful beaches and surf. I love yoga. But most of all, hanging out with my magic spirit being, my son, playing and going on adventures.

Former music journalist who told stories that dispelled prejudice; now co-runner of Made In Hackney, an all-vegan community cookery school and charity.

Sarah Bentley

In the alley people are smoking, the maroon door is open, and it guides us inside a warehouse. Along the way, we can notice plants, four throw rugs, a couple of bikes, and longboards parked in the corridor. Music that is coming from the amplifiers proves we are at the right place. We step into an open space filled with records. Later we would learn there are about 30,000 on the shelves. Yes, the zeros are correct, 30K. Hon is closing a deal. This is the place he resides, has occasional parties, and operates <a fr-original-style="" href="https://instagram.com/vinylpimp?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Vinyl Pimp</a>. Hon: A record shop owner, amateur photographer, BBQ master, and music connoisseur. These are just a few of the adjectives we could combine to describe him. He is, what we would call a Hackney Wick dynasty.<h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">ID&nbsp;</h2>My nickname:&nbsp;Hon Gao (Big brother Hon in Chinese)I have recently biked to:&nbsp;Holborn for my haircutAfter living decades years in London, I have recently discovered:&nbsp;You can cook BBQ on the street without much interference from the authority&nbsp;I live in:&nbsp;Hackney Wick, East LondonI am from (in my heart):&nbsp;Hong KongA Londoner you must meet:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.instagram.com/topuptruck/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(9, 9, 9); text-decoration: none; background-color: transparent; outline: none; cursor: pointer; transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: auto; box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">Ella Shone</a>, she started the Top Up Truck to help us become sustainable.Only a true Londoner would know:&nbsp;To never swim in the Thames<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/3/1661358758357.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">These are just some of Vinyl Pimp's favorite records<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;"><h2 fr-original-style="" style="margin: 0px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-weight: 500; padding: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;">SHOOT THE BREEZE</h2>How long have you been living in London? What made you a Londoner?I first moved to London in 2005, straight after uni finished. I have always enjoyed my trips to London during my school breaks and decided to make it long-term.Where is your hood? How did it change since you moved in there? What are the side effects of gentrification?This is my 14th year as a resident of Hackney Wick in East London. It used to be full of young creatives living and working in warehouse spaces, but the property developers also got the memo, bought up a bunch of lands, and started building flats not too dissimilar to Ikea furniture. The main side effect of gentrification is the loss of character in the area, and it all looks and feels a bit same.What makes you keep going, holding on to London? What surprises you most about the city?My business and friends are what keep me here. I live in one of the remaining close-knit communities.<img src="https://images.aposto.com/2022/7/3/1661343596616.jpeg" style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px; border-style: none; position: relative; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box;" width="550" ratio="1.00" fr-original-style="display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; width: 100%; max-width: 550px;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Luk Man Hon or Hon Gao<hr fr-original-style="" style="height: 0px; overflow: visible; border-bottom: none; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page; box-sizing: border-box;">A place you are regular at on any given Sunday?The local farmer market is my go-to place on Sunday's, as I like to eat in season and chat face to face with the farmers and producers.Is London still a music capital? If so, in what way?London is still very much the cultural hub in the country. If we are speaking strictly in music, there are events of every style and genre just about any day of the week. Classical, metal, jazz, rock, or squat techno raves, we have got it covered.Any local gem you can share with us?Grow in Hackney Wick has a lovely view of the canal, and they are doing things right!A fast track for a fast-paced city?Goldie - Inner City Life

East London ile ilgili hikayeler