The divide between East and West London has been a long standing one, and despite that 'new money' in the east is standing up to 'old money' in the west, and the bounds are blurring with the relentless change across London as a whole, many of the old barriers remain, but at the same time there are also many myths and misconceptions between both sides. The common perception is that East London is full of gangsters and easy barmaids, whilst in the west it's a constant cocktail party. Not really. Both sides are popular in their own right, but they do offer and provide for a totally different lifestyle and experience.
The West End of London is by all means rich and chic, full of up market fashion boutiques, classy bars, and expensive residential properties. Of course popular culture has also played a key role in popularising the region – that Notting Hill film, which still people think of even to this day, when the phrase West End is mentioned, is a good indication of how a single reel can leave people with starry eyed impressions, even if almost twenty years later. The other thing that makes the West End popular with wealthy (and cultured) people is the Notting Hill festival. Apparently the annual event is one of the main drives for high real estate prices in that part of the city. Portobello Market seems to be another key attraction as the experience and vibrancy of the two-mile gathering right in the heart of Notting Hill draws and fascinates quite a few individuals.
West End is the playground for fashion conscious individuals who need to have the up class 'Milan' fashion shopping experience. Indeed, there are many high end boutiques focused on the latest and greatest of either domestic or international fashion. These are mostly in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The borough is also home to London's rich and famous, traditionally million pound properties in the district have been occupied and are still occupied by celebrities of all sorts and shapes. Even the late Bob Marley himself lived there for a while. These days, many stars have (one of) their cribs in Kensington and Chelsea, including Kylie Minogue, Hugh Grant (of course) and a bunch more. In a nutshell, the West of London oozes style and sophistication, whilst at the same time retaining tradition and class.
London's East End is a different story. Traditionally, that has been the quarter of trendies and hipsters, photographers, and artists of all sorts and types, some quite alternative. The East End is all about vintage and pays homage to eras gone by, this is clearly evident by the fashion, the trends, the entire attitude and feel and look of the place. The East End has its uniqueness around every corner literally. One can lose track of time and spend hours if not days on end in the many retro music and book shops which also double as tea or coffee shops. There are quite a few former industrial estates like warehouses etc. now converted to trendy galleries, displaying some amazing works of modern and independent art. Many in-the-know describe the East End as an 'Alice in Wonderland Experience with No Clear Sense of Direction or Path' – making it a truly unique district of East London. This is most visible in places like Shoreditch and Brick Lane – both offering amazingly different experiences in day and at night.
The East End separates (willingly) itself from other regions of the city in many ways. Sparkling shop fronts are nowhere to be seen, instead decoration is by meaningful graffiti, commercialised designer brands have no place there, but alternative and independent designer stores are around every corner. The East End is all about getting off the beaten path in terms of lifestyle and culture. The scene there is highly popular with indie style bands and indie style entertainment, providing a vibe that is clearly lost in the city's mainstream areas where the tourist scene flocks for holiday commercialisation.
In the last few years East London also became the official home of the Olympics. The stadium now dominates much of that part of the city. Of course the Olympics also brought a lot of controversy and people and organisers disagreed on a host of issues, but it is undeniable that the games also brought a lot of good to East London. In large, East London is the capital's underground scene, for better or worse. People associated with that quarter of the city are proud to be such, and they do not wish to mix or get mixed up with the commercial, corporate conglomerate mass that has come to characterise much if not all of London. The one of a kind look and feel of East London is an experience in every sense of the word.
All of the above though is a generalised, funnelled resume of what the East and West are about. Both sides have their social, cultural and economic problems, like any other city in any other country. Both West and East have certain pockets of wealth, sharing borders with pockets of deprivation, fair enough – the east has more than the west. This is only natural and expect though as London is a large city in terms of population and wealth-spread, crammed into very relatively space compared to some of the metropolises of the New World. Much of what characterises London (and perhaps many of its issues) have formed and followed the city from the old days – its long standing history and tradition is a two edged sword in many respects. Nevertheless, the British capital will likely retain its high profile status, as it has for much of the last millennium. Changes will take place, the city will morph and change, evolve in some parts, degrade in others, like any other living organism.
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