OMG Shoreditch was heaving!

I have worked in or around the City of London for over 30 years but it still has the capacity to surprise me. Last night was a case in point.

I was invited to a "summer party" in the roof top bar of what I guess is a new boutique hotel. It was just north of the City in Shoreditch, a short walk from Liverpool Street Station.

This is an area I cannot say I have visited much. I think that the last time I ventured that way was during general rail strikes of the 90's when I drove into town and found a place to park in the side streets there. It was pretty run down and there was always a risk that your care, or at least its wheels, would not be there when you returned.

What a contrast. To be fair last night was a) Thursday night - the night when many/most people go out and b) was rather mediterranean in its feel. Not only had the day been warm the breeze that was blowing was warm, reminding me of an evening on the Algarve or similar.

So last night we had a trendy bar, with entry via a doorman and elevator. It seemed OK when I walked up at around 6, but when I walked back at almost 9pm the area was heaving, crowds of young, fashionable people, queues to get into packed bars and outside areas, music on the street and spilling out or windows and restaurants and food on most corners. Oh yes and some rather Parisian sets of bistro tables on the pavements.

It was still warm and that must have helped - it might not have been so up tempo had the temperatures been more down beat, but it was what it was and I was surprised.

It is certainly up and coming (or maybe it has alread come?) and I suspect that I will go back there again. It felt a little like Spitalfields did after it was redeveloped and before it became as "corporate" as it currently is.

I can recommend a visit and I have no doubt that I will be back.