Legendary 24 h bagels_a life inspiration story

After our Roa walk we arrived in Bricklane, an area in London near Clerkenwell and Shoreditch. Bricklane is not a fancy hipster spot but a typical British brick road packed with Indian deli's, nightshops and unusual small but fun shops and bars. Always adventurous to step into some to check ot what's cooking. 

Passing by an old bakery with damph windows and older ladies serving a kind of meat dish on a bagel, a long row of (mostly) men queuing in & out store, we couldn't resist checking it out.

It seemed to be the famous Beigel Bake store! 

This legendary hotspot is a 24-hour bakery serving mainly bagels (spelled beigels on the facade)baked in  traditional Jewish style with fillings such as hot salt beef with mustard, chopped herring, and cream cheese and salmon. Beigel Bake is the oldest and best bagel shop in London, and produces 7,000 bagels every day!!

You can also order pastries and sweets such as Danish rolls, apple strudel, Eccles cakes and cheesecake, as well as white, rye and black bread. Beigel Bake is the oldest bagel shop in London and produces 7,000 bagels over night, every night. 

Open 24 hours a day with a melting pot of people, queuing like only the English can, for the most famous bagel of all: the one filled with brilliant moist salt beef, carved as you wait from a slab kept warm in the front window. The bagels are boiled before being baked here since 1977. A bagel is 25p and filled bagels with delicious kosher fillings range up to about £1.50. The Brick Lane's location makes this thé favorite snack stop (overnight but also during the day!)for clubbers, trendy kids, Jewish old-timers, back packers, imbibers and taxi drivers. 

Next time in Bricklane, give it a try and start queuing!

Beigel Bake

159 Brick Lane

London

E1 6SB

Open 24hrs daily

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/52/561462/restaurant/Shoreditch/Beigel-Bake-London

Nr°40_Image of the day

photo by will ragozzino

Ah! The lovely (because a little bit mad)Yayoi Kusama exhibits brain manipulating infinity rooms and twenty-seven new large-scale dotted paintings at her monumental 2013 solo exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery in NY. Once you saw or even better heard her in one of her video's, you'll never forget her. Her high but almost whispering monotone voice, sounds like she's in another dimension, as she probably is. Her work is, without any exception live even more hypnotizing than on picture. 

Video with the artist, produced on the occasion of the 2011-2012 traveling retrospective organized by Tate Modern, London.

Exhibit Yayoi Kusama,'I who have arrived in heaven'

at David Zwirner, NY

Hurry up: exhibition doesn't last long! November 8th – December 21st, 2013. Enjoy!

Roa love_a life inspiration story

It started with this drawing, on a wall just opposite our hotel The Hoxton in London.

As we are huge fans of Roa's work (see previous posts), we immediately recognized his hand. After posting this image on Instagram, the conversation manager of The Hoxton texted us that this was only one of many Roa murals in the neighbourhood.

Great.

Off we went, to look for all Roa work.

We had no plan, no tips, we just followed our instinct.

Just walking around was one option. Asking for tips in a nearby gallery was another one.

We stepped in at The Pure Evil Gallery, a street art specialized gallery with a most kind owner, who told us funny enough that he was Roa's first gallerist, and he had some work in his cellar. 

What a coincidence...

Check out what we found in the cellar, under the stairs…

... This big ROA piece, sprayed on some old cupboards and in excellent shape. A left-over from a previous exhibition. We found number 2! And Charlie draw us a map with some other Roa murals in the surrounding streets. Off we went! Thanks Charlie!

Charlie, owner of the Pure Evil Gallery and street artist himself, happy to help out and give some tips about Roa. We'll be back mate!

Two streets further, lost again, we entered a small agency, to ask for the road again. It seemed to be a PR agency, and you won't believe it: also they were early believers of Roa's art work. A beautifull 3D piece was installed in their client meeting room. Ah, if we could have bought this one, right here, right now.... Thank gou guys, for letting us in!

A real Roa piece in the meeting room....

We continued our Roa walk. On this huge parking lot, we think we spotted another one, behind some left-behind-cars. But, we couldn't enter the venue. A movie crew was working there. SHIT.

I'm sure it was one. Have a look.

And so, we walked and walked. And discovered one Roa after another. each time, a revelation. Admiring the boldness, the technique (scratching his cans very closely on the wall) and always one hell of an animal, placed so perfectly on the available spot. Taking over, without harming the others present. Just walking by.

Man, I love it.

This one, we had to look very carefully. This small piglet, hidden underneath a window of a small store. Fell a sleep, I guess.

And yes, we found the big bird. Magnificent. Strong. Looking over the neighbourhood.

Again, the bird next to other work, in perfect harmony, each for it's own audience, an inspiration for each other.

This 'little fella' was the last one we found that day.... Enormous, and at first we just walked by without noticing him. very weird. Looking and not seeing... And then there is that moment, when you look up, and this huge one is revealed to you. You don't understand why you missed him, and you know, you'll never will.

Fabulous.

Yeah, we know. We're huge fans. I don't mind admitting.

If one of my readers knows Roa in person, please pass this 'ode' to him.

I know, in my home town Ghent, there are also Roa murals, hidden in some deserted spots. We'll walk and find them too.

And please let Roa know, we live in an old factory building, and we have loads of room to host one of his (sleeping or awake) animals. I'm not kiddin'. Give us a call.

©ALL photos by Kate Stockman and Ivan Missinne_THE SQUID STORIES

LADY GAGA'S FLYING DRESS DEBUT_A LIFE INSPIRATION STORY

We know. Expect the most crazy, over-the-top stunts from La Gaga. So when we spotted this 'flying dress', we didn't even asked ourselves why.

Yes, she has to promote a new album 'Art Pop', which will be released worldwide today, november 11th, 2013. And yes she has a team ( Called TechHAUS as they are the technical division of Haus of Gaga, her creative team) that knows where to find or to make the latest high tech stuff.

How does it work? 

The 'flying dress' is a super high-tech transport prototype named ‘Volantis’ and is constructed out of six, rotund disks in a hexagonal formation and a body-suit like contraption that straps onto Miss Gaga. 

The video shows the first test demonstration in New York yesterday, hesitating, slowly hovering over the ground.  Not very spectacular, not very 'Gaga', but it's a start. It looks like a lot of machinery for such a small flight. But, as we know, she'll make it work, or at least her team will. 

Wanna know more? Follow her latest moves at gagafreshnews.

©ALL photos by gagafreshnews ©Video courtesy cedar

Nostalgic household goods_a life inspiration story

A shop with a name like 'Labour and wait', that needs some checking out.The emerald green facade suggests a typical English pub, but we were far from there.

No. 

Labour and wait is a cute store packed with all kind of cleaning stuff. They call it 'traditional products for the home'. 

No high tech nor toxic cleaning products or Swiffer-like gear. This store, established in 2000 got their 'nostalgic' inspiration at your grandma's kitchen. It's not about fun home gifts, but a real usable, carefully curated collection of new and vintage items for the new style men and woman. Everyday classics that become more precious and beautiful with use and age. 

Nice. 

© photo Labour and wait

Labour and wait

85 Redchurch Street, 
London, E2 7DJ

©ALL other photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES

London Shoreditch walk_a life inspiration story

Visiting a city is nice when you have time and no agenda, no city apps and no hip-guide. Just follow the scent, the vibe, the noise, the silence.

This post just a photo impression on our city walk in Shoreditch. (Next to come: our Roa walk that started also by accident and a walk trough Bricklane).

Enjoy!

Boxpark Shoreditch is a pop-up mall based in the heart of East London. Boxpark is constructed of stripped, and refitted shipping containers, creating unique, low cost, low risk pop-up stores.

Filled with a mix of fashion and lifestyle brands, galleries, cafés and restaurants – Boxpark places local and global brands side-by-side, creating a unique shopping and dining destination.

Boxpark is not some run-of-the-mall shopping centre. It’s a living, fertile community of brands packed with talent, innovation and attitude that puts creativity and fashion back where they belong: on the street.

© photo Boxpark

The EAT frenchise is everywhere in London. Nice window display with their coffee bekers.

Street art rules in Shoreditch. Everywhere you look, there are amazing pieces to spot. Some by known artists, others but anonymous designers, leaving their traces.

Work by Australian Jimmy C.

Commercial posters become 'paper street art', other artists reflect in another way and use the street walls as a canvas for their 3D work or other non-spray-can murals. (see below)

Mirrors in the square windows of this minimal dark grey box reflect the opposite street designs.

Established artists from UK and abroad together with numerous less known or unknown locals regularly contribute to this ever-changing art scene. Check out all kinds of graffiti, stencil, wheatpasting, sticker art, poster art, street sculpture and street installations. 

 Beach Blanket Babylon: A London bar and restaurant in Shoreditch. A club for the discerning without requiring a membership. Weird, 'Wunderkamer'-like decorations build a great atmosphere.

Franze and Evans, an eatery with modern food & quality with catering & deli service.

Work by Stik, a regular artist in the streets of Shoreditch.

Shop and bar 'Les Trois Garcons". 

At Purple Shop: collections of kids wear suitable for newborns, babies to 12 year olds. The collections of tee shirts, slouchy jersey pants, sweatshirts and beanie hats are produced from fair trade, organic and ethical fabrics, all of the silk screen printed designs are hand produced in their Brick lane studio. They also design, create and up-cycle denim pieces into re-worked mini jeans, skirts and dresses.

© photos by Kate Stockman_THE SQUID STORIES