East Finchley has been somewhat unfairly maligned here, I think.

[Ashberto]

Having walked across the sprawl of Greater Finchley on Saturday there are some very agreeable parts, as well as some highly affluent ones.

East Finchley definitely had some very nice bits, and a marvellous bit of Art Deco on the station.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

1987. Station Road.

It was a veritable ****house.

[Monty91]

Though there is a superb Turkish on the high road.

http://durumrestaurant.co.uk/

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Being Irish we were all over it when we could afford to.

[Ashberto]

and lots of Jewish Schools as well.

[Monty91]

I spent many years being massively sniffy about Subway, but then went to one in America and had an absolutely stunning pulled pork baguette.

[Monty91]

doctor's and dentist's surgeries. Or brothels, so I am told.

[Ashberto]

back then.

Of course Monty is prone to hysterical exaggeration. He'd doubtless describe my road as a veritable ****house.

[Pat Vegas]

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

The closest petrol station to my house also housing a Subway. While their product is perfectly acceptable in the right hands, I cannot but think the staff in Maxol will be highly motivated.

[Billy Goat Sverige]

I'm not Irish fwiw.

[Monty91]

I walked down Fortess Road last week - it really is the dictionary definition of 'mid-gentrification' down there, isn't it.

Speaking of which, a fantastic little family run French bistro called Patron has just opened at the Kentish Town end. Highly recommended.

[Pat Vegas]

always changing.

Stroud green used to be a right dump now it's all trendy.

Manor House upwards to North Circular road is ****. Then it gets nicer.

As for South London I have no comments as I avoid it all times.

I may have taken a wrong turning recently and can confirm Edmonton is 100% ****.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

To a degree we were those poor people.

My reference to the area being that I would be totally unfamiliar with more or less all of Finchley since then, we “moved” (ran away) to Turnpike Lane within 12 months. It was never an area we re-visited.

My abiding memories of Finchley being:

a) It was a ****house
b) A shop in North Finchley by the bus terminus where I bought my DMs
c) The night bus back from Ritzy on Tottenham High Road to North Finchley each Tuesday. Then the long walk back to the house.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

Ftr a nicely prepared baked potato can be and is a thing of beauty.

[Peter]

The notion of not being able to afford a potato is quite funny

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/the-jam-about-th e-young-idea (http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/the-jam-about-the-young-idea)

[Ashberto]

Fortess Road has transformed rapidly. Butcher, Fishmonger, mini feckin art gallery shop thingy, endless poncey cafes.
Junction Road is still holding out with its greasy spoons, off-licences and pound shops :cloud9: but the Costa has arrived, the fishmonger has arrived (will soon go unless they're playing the long game) and the old geezer Irish pub at the Archway end is turning into a Twee-rooms.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

You having a f**king laugh!!

There was 13 of us at one point, in a 3 bedroom house. You think we cooked?

[Ashberto]

http://booth.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/do.pl?sub=view_booth_and_bart h&m.l=1&m.d.l=2&m.p.x=8569&m.p.y=4864&m. p.w=500&m.p.h=309&m.p.l=3&m.t.w=128&m.t.h=80 &b.v.x=239&b.v.y=172&b.p.x=14545&b.p.y=5041& amp;b.p.w=500&b.p.h=309&b.p.l=4&b.p.p.l=5 (http://booth.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/do.pl?sub=view_booth_and_barth&m.l=1&m.d.l=2&m.p.x=8569&m.p.y=4864&m.p.w=500&m.p.h=309&m.p.l=3&m.t.w=128&m.t.h=80&b.v.x=239&b.v.y=172&b.p.x=14545&b.p.y=5041&b.p.w=500&b.p.h=309&b.p.l=4&b.p.p.l=5)

http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/4.html

Obviously Tottenham is still very grim but Green Lanes Harringay is ok. Some nice Edwardian residential streets inside the N.Circ around Bounds Green. It depends on the definition of ****, of course.

[Ashberto]

[Peter]

It is, after all, a potsto.

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

From memory most other meals revolved around breakfast cereal and/or a shared bag of chips and a sliced pan.

[redgunamo]

Pan, indeed :-|

[Steve Williams - gay for Mark Knopfler]

How rude.

[redgunamo]