The Fitzroy Tavern

Early to meet a friend for a lunch I spent twenty minutes wondering around Fitzrovia. I have friends who once lived on the corner of Charlotte Street and Whitfield street and I spent many a pleasant summer evening listening to music, eating Japanese food and drinking take out beers whilst observing the scene across the road outside the Fitzroy Tavern. Once the drinkers here would have included many a great writer, their names now commonplace, but more recently it has been favored by people in the media. Whilst it's still the same Fitzroy Tavern that it always was in that it's still a pub and has the same name, the area, being central London, is constantly changing which makes it easy to spend twenty minutes noting what has changed about what I remember. Five years ago there was certainly no place here you could buy a burrito but now there are competing burrito outlets within minutes of each other.

After a brief period, a few years ago, when eager property developers seem bent on renaming this area north of Soho as 'Noho' it's original title has taken root again. Whilst walking passed the Fitzroy, wondering maybe I could have a quick half before my friend arrived, I recognized an acquaintance I hadn't seen for a couple of years. Normally this might have caused me to begin walking in the other direction but looking forward to meeting my friend for lunch I was feeling extravagant about having nothing to do whilst I waited and decided to call after my fellow writer wondering if she had completed writing her first novel yet.

"Skye" , I called. She looked like she had lost weight.

"Skye" I called again slightly louder but still no response.

Raising my voice slighter further but not shouting I tried again, "Skye!?"



I realized after taking a few steps that I was technically following her and what is more that if she didn't respond to her own name, she was either now deaf, as well as blessed to have lost weight, or someone else entirely which, by now, I had begun to suspect was the case.

That's when, in a panic as to what to do, I spotted the window of a military surplus shop a few doors along from the Fitzroy and feigned studying the window's contents to allow the person who I'd just mistaken for being someone else to carry on their way.

After thirty seconds I realised that I didn't have to feign looking in the window.

As well as anti UV gel which is something I didn't know about before the shop offers a wide range of catapults, camouflage netting, hydration packs, (rat) poison, camping equipment, flags, ration belts (which come fitted with a selection of rations), tools, binoculars' and one of the best selections of military (new and vintage) clothing I have seen for sale over the counter in London. Deciding to have a better look inside I was particular taken by their stock of US Navy pea coats. Whilst the shop isn't new to the area it used to be located around the corner.