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PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRIDOLIN FULL; EETU AHANEN; @EMIL_LEVY/COOKIESCREAMBERLIN/INSTAGRAM; @YESYES YESHELSINKI/INSTAGRAM; COURTESY OF LEMAN LOCKE; ORANIA HOTEL; ST GEORGE HOTEL; HOTEL DE LELIE.
LIFESTYLE
OLD TOWN, ANTWERP
HACKNEY, LONDON
Antwerp, the centre of Belgium’s fashion industry and home
to the famous ‘Antwerp Six’ designers, is packed full of start-
ups and business incubators, and is a base for more than
50,000 students, who crowd outside coffee houses and
food trucks. The palpable buzz of diversity and creativity
can be felt among the alleyways, converted warehouses and
Michelin-starred restaurants around shopping strip, Meir.
It is a city of youth: eclectic, dynamic and a breath of fresh air
on Western Europe’s popular tourist highways.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Share a drink with the regulars at
the retro Wasbar, a laundromat/
cafe/bar, or head to the hard-to-find
1920s-style Dogma where cocktails
are served in steaming teapots. To
try one of Belgium’s famed beers,
pull up a well-worn pew at the Art
Nouveau-style Paters Vaetje – a
cosy, traditional brewhouse in the
shadow of the cathedral. For an
out-of-body chocolate experience,
try the Chocolate Shooter from The
Chocolate Line, where a specially
designed mini-catapult sends a
cocoa-herb snuff mix directly into
your nose. Then, book a table at
Graanmarkt 13 and experience
locally harvested food, mixed with
their rooftop herbs and honey.
STAY
The luxe Hotel Rubens (hotelrubensantwerp.
be) couldn’t be more central, while Hotel
De Witte Lelie (dewittelelie.be) offers smiling
doormen, bellhops and a concierge. It’s
housed in three adjoining 17th-century
buildings and features the tiny Bronze Bar,
open until late. For more budget-friendly
options, Antwerp is one of the best cities
to use Airbnb; find yourself staying in a
7th-century building within walking
distance to nearly everything.
West London’s
prim polish has
nothing on East
London’s grit.
After a decade of
harbouring hipster
status, the tough-
girl attitude has
softened to the
artisans who are
making Dalston,
Hackney and the
stretch known as
“Murder Mile”
to Clapton
their home.
STAY
The hip hotel scene is still
catching up with the tribe
of breakout food stars and
pop-up purveyors defining
the area, which makes
Shoreditch the luxury
entryway to the wonders
of the east. New from
Soho House is Redchurch
Townhouse, a 37-room
den of pillowy beds and
refined va-va-voom.
For longer stays, Leman
Locke Aparthotel in
Aldgate is its own little
East London melting pot
aimed at bringing locals
and tourists together
through art and good food.
LIKE A LOCAL
The East Village London
kicks into gear on a
Saturday when Broadway
Market transforms into
street-food heaven. On
Sundays, the same crowd
of urbanites re-emerge
from hangovers at
Columbia Road Flower
Market. Throughout
the rest of the week,
pop-ups, food stalls
and collaborations rule.
Currently, chicken wings,
ramen and natural wine
are still cool in Hackney,
though the next big
thing is no doubt
bubbling away.
SHOP
Beneath the former
disused railway arches
on Morning Lane, you’ll
find Hackney Walk, a
luxury outlet for well-
heeled bargain hunters.
The precinct launched
in 2016, cementing the
area’s reputation as an
emerging fashion hub.
Outlet stores from
matchesfashion.com,
Anya Hindmarch and
Burberry are stayers
among the ever-changing
sea of pop-ups and
sample sales from the
likes of Henry Holland
and House of Sunny.
... strolling Regent’s Canal to Victoria Park. For the ultimate #grittypretty day out, follow the original Banksys lining
the canal to the edge of London’s East End, where Victoria Park’s West Boating Lake shines as a bucolic oasis.
NOD
T’
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..
sharon
(sharon)
#1