Trip 46

April 27, 2024

When we’ve come to London over the last few years, we’ve stayed in the Marylebone area, but until our trip in late 2023 and today, not really explored the area much, more often going to visit some of the many sights of London. Last time we visited Baker Street, as others have, looking for 221B (don’t bother, it doesn’t exist). This afternoon we took a walk down Marylebone’s high street, and what a pleasant way to spend a few hours!

Marylebone is a residential area with a village feel, centred on the indie boutiques and smart restaurants of Marylebone High Street. The “high street” is full of interesting shops, restaurants, pubs and even a real bookstore (Daunt). Daunt was a real treat, a three level bookstore of a type that’s completely disappeared in the U.S.. On a Saturday afternoon, it was busy with lots of shoppers browsing the floor to ceiling stocks.

We probably spent an hour here, there’s so much to look through and now have a couple of books to carry back home.

Across the street, we entered the Diptyque boutique, where even before you actually enter the store, the fragrances greet you. Unlike other Diptyque boutiques we’ve visited, this one is “artful”.

Bayley & Sage, so many delicious looking things. It would be a “dangerous” and expensive place to be during the holidays.

The cheese room. Sealed, cool and humidified; no Velveeta in here. There’s serious cheese in here, including cheese made from 😳 unpasteurized milk (the cheese police must not know).

We took a side street down to see what looked like a garden and found Paddington Garden, tucked away between apartment buildings ; a small green oasis.

Likely because I decided not to bring an umbrella, it started to drizzle. Time to head back towards the hotel or somewhere to get a cup of coffee. But it seems almost all the Prêt a Manger close at 6pm and the one that doesn’t is a good walk away on Oxford Street. With a Prêt seemingly on every corner, why does this one need to be so far?

Away from Marylebone, many of the retail shops here are still open.

Leaving Prêt, we walked along Oxford and ducked through Selfridges, which was still buzzing at 7pm.