Saturday May 3, 2025.
Today I was joined on my London trip by Erin, who wanted to visit Liberty London, to explore the entire shop.
So, we headed off by catching a taxi to Watford Underground station, where we boarded a train to Baker Street. I then gave Erin the choice of catching a Bakerloo line train to Oxford Circus, or we could walk there. Erin decided we should walk.
We crossed Marylebone Road and headed east to Park Crescent and onto Portland Place, Langham Place and then Regent Street. For a Saturday afternoon the pavements were quite empty, making our walk a little easier. At Oxford Circus we turned onto Argyll Street, where we stopped for lunch at Wok to Walk. Erin is fond of noodles.
Once we had eaten we continued along Argyll Street and entered Liberty London, with Erin heading straight for the makeup and perfume departments. Then it was down into the basement where more perfumes and scents could be found. Various testing strips were sprayed and then wafted beneath our noses, before we made our way up the stairs to the clothing departments.
Erin checked out some of the dresses and outfits, inspecting the designs and quality, obviously deciding which designs she could use in her own designs. Every floor was investigated. Books and stationery, housewares and linen, and everything in between. Then it was back to the ground floor and the small shop, where, even the sale items, had eye-watering prices.
We exited the shop onto Carnaby Street, where around thirty to forty mopeds, including Lambrettas and Vespas, were preparing to embark on a road trip. The Mods were all dressed in period clothing, from Parkas to Italian-cut suits, while the scooters were customised with foxtails and extra mirrors, with some supporting custom paint jobs. The noise was deafening, while the smell of petrol filled the small area. I decided it was best to move onto Great Marlborough Street, where the area was more spacious and would allow for a better vantage point. Sure enough all of the scooters made their way off Carnaby Street and, as soon as the traffic allowed, took off along the road. A short video of the scooters and their departure.
We then continued our walk along Great Marlborough Street, spotting a 1948 Cadillac, before continuing onto Noel Road, where we turned south along Berwick Street, spotting a street market ahead of us. One stall, in particular, that caught Erin's eye was 'Crochets by Amy', where hand-made crocheted items were for sale. After scanning the various items Erin decided that she wanted a small pink whale, which I purchased for her. After looking at a few more stalls, chatting with the friendly vendors, we ended up going back to 'Crochets by Amy', where Erin purchased a crochet duck.
We then turned along Peter Street and onto Meard Street, up Dean Street, along Bateman Street and onto Frith Street, finally reaching Soho Square, where we sat in the dappled shade to have drink and rest. This small square was filled with people enjoying the afternoon sun. Children were running around, while others were playing table tennis. Young people were lying on the grass, while others were sitting on the countless benches. It is a wonderful little oasis, with a faux Tudor building at its centre.
Suitably rested we made our way out of Soho Square along Sutton Row to Soho Place and across Charing Cross Road to Outernet Place. A massive screen affixed to the building advertised 'Kleenex x Mr Doodle!', so we headed inside, where we were confronted by a large glass box, made to look like a tissue box, with half a dozen people inside of it, busily cleaning the glass. Intriguing. After listening to some of the other visitors and talking with one of the security personnel we discovered that Mr Doodle had teamed up with Kleenex to promote their products, for one day only. Today!
While the crew cleaned the box Erin and I went to 'The Spaces In-Between', where visual videos were displayed on the walls and ceiling. The visuals changed every few minutes and showed landscapes, animals, butterflies and much more. It is an amazing space to just relax, with a few comfy seats to relax on. A short video of the visuals.
Soon, though, we noticed that the cleanup had been completed and made our way back to the Outernet to await the arrival of Mr Doodle. I had no idea that Erin was such a big fan of his, so she was particularly excited when he appeared and took to the box, coloured doodle pens in hand.
We watched him for a while as he began doodling with a blue marker, before switching to a pink one. We moved around the space, trying to make sure that we were in the background of the TikTok Live stream, grins splitting our faces as we appeared on the giant screens.
It was obviously going to take him a while, so Erin and I headed through St Giles Square to a shop to purchase an ice cream and some more drinks. Erin ate her ice cream in St Giles Square, while sitting on a large marble swivel chair, which she thought was cool.
We then headed back to The Outernet to see how far Mr Doodle had got. By now he had doodled with blue, orange and black and was now using pink. One of the security personnel, that I had spoken with earlier, came over to us and informed us that a maximum of 20 people are allowed to enter the box, when it was finished, to have photos taken inside. Erin's face lit up as we joined the queue, taking the third and fourth places.
We were in the perfect place to see Mr Doodle as he exited the box, where he was duly interviewed by Molly and Belinda, who had been hosting the TikTok Live stream of the event. A short video of the event.
We didn't have to wait long before Erin was ushered into the box, while one of the event staff took lots of photos of her. Then it was my turn. After handing my phone to the staff member I marvelled at the various doodles that now covered every inch of the glass, wondering at the skill while also feeling sorry for the cleaners who now had to wipe it all off.
After leaving the box Erin, who was still buzzing from meeting Mr Doodle, and I made our up Charing Cross Road to Oxford Street, making a move back towards Baker Street. Oxford Street was busier than ever as we fought against the flow of people who all seemed to be heading in the opposite direction, before we managed to reach Regent Street, retracing our earlier steps.
At Baker Street Erin purchased some snacks, while I brought a coffee, before we boarded a Watford-bound train for home. On arrival at Watford we finished the day by walking the short distance home.
It was a wonderful day out, which Erin truly enjoyed as much as I had, and I can't wait until our next trip together.
Distance travelled:
- Bus - 0.0 miles
- Cable Car - 0.0 miles
- Car - 0.0 miles
- DLR - 0.0 miles
- Ferry - 0.0 miles
- Overground - 0.0 miles
- River Boat - 0.0 miles
- Taxi - 1 mile
- Train - 0.0 miles
- Underground - 35 miles
- Walking - 4.3 miles
Must have made a lovely change to walk and explore with Erin instead of Keilyn. What are the chances of getting them both out together😁
ReplyDeleteIt was a great day for both of us. A lot more sedate than when with Keilyn. I could get them out together, but it would need to be to see, or do, something that they both want. But, as they are like chalk and cheese, that could prove difficult.
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