We arrived earlier today at Stansted, one of London’s four (!) international airports. Shortly after checking in to the aparthotel, we headed to Regent Park and then straight to Camden  Town, the birthplace of Charles Dickens and George Bernard Shaw.

I hadn’t been to the borough for more than 40 years and so I barely recognized myself. In 1983, I vividly remember walking aimlessly around Camden Market on a sunny afternoon in July and at some point buying a soave, suede jacket off a sidewalk rack in front of a local tailor.

The original market is no more and has been “replaced” with more or less the same lineup of uninteresting shops and chain stores as anywhere else in the city. Only a fraction, a mere hint of Camden’s edginess remains.

Fortunately, many of the beautiful old residential brick buildings and factory structures along the canal are still standing. So even if I sound a tad disheartened for the loss of the old Camden vibe, the visit was nonetheless worth it.