annoyinghoney

Sunday, February 26, 2006

I’m ready to explore Hoxton, but I’ve never felt cool enough.
The forecast was for warmer than normal weather, but by the time I got to Broadway Market the air was pretty chilly. It may have been the frosty vibe I was getting from the yummy mummies and Hoxton twats pushing me out of the way to get to the tender disks of St Marcellin cheese. I hid under my hat (baker boy, of course) and tried to ignore them – it didn’t take long as I was soon mesmerised by the call of an organic latte, a fabulous red velvet jacket, some of that lovely cheese… It’s really pretty, this Saturday market which runs between Regents Canal and London Fields. And the journey to get there is just as interesting – the 394 bus pootles slowly through the council estates of Hackney, picking up young and old along the way. Now if only it was possible to warm up the locals a bit…

All that coolness finally got to me, so I made a side step to Hoxton Square. I would have enjoyed Gilbert and George’s new exhibition at White Cube a lot more if I hadn’t got myself locked in the bathroom beforehand… a nice girl rescued me using 10p, how embarrassing. Wobbly legs were overcome by Mexican hot chocolate at Macondo. Every surface is covered in this tiny space, whether by cakes, bowls of fruit, newspapers, arms and legs… you perch where you can. And yet 10 minutes after we arrived, the place was almost completely empty again. It’s super cute. Take the paper, be patient, and settle in.

Broadway Market, E8 (Saturday 9am to 5pm); White Cube, 48 Hoxton Square, N1 6PB (020 7930 5373, www.whitecube.com); Macondo, 8-9 Hoxton Square, N1 6NU (020 7729 1119)