Today I visited Canary Wharf for only the third time since I left there in 2007.
I love the Docklands in every way possible and it is the reason that I chose to live there for six years. From the hustle and bustle of the city workers to the wind swept breeze that greets you from the walk along the river.
In the seven years that I lived there I found that the one thing that was constant was that Canary Wharf was an ever changing part of London, probably the fastest changing area that London has seen since the war. Set amongst the vast new buildings that arise each time I go back lies the community that captivated my heart and made me stay for so long.
Yet as I walked around today I realised that Canary Wharf is one of those areas that has adapted and improved. The rough East End bars that I once frequented have been boarded up, the old parks have been replaced by office blocks but there are still those hidden gems that make East London what it is.
The East End captures a part of London that so many visitors miss out on, so many hidden gems and side streets that just do not exist on any tourist map. Bars with staff that still have cockney accents and serve old fashioned London food that I still enjoy to this very day.
If anybody visits London my main advice to you is get off the beaten track and go and do some exploring of your own. London is too big to visit in one trip but a trip is not complete without a visit to the Famous East End.
The true heart of London.
