A Dog Travels to see the Street Art of London

March 21, 2018 Sasha

Staying in London for 4 months has given me a new appreciation for street art. When I was younger and heard the term “street art” I thought of questionable people holding spray cans and vandalizing bus stop and alley ways, like a lot of people still think today. The ever-changing street art in London went from this vandalism to appreciated art beginning in the early 90’s. What I love about it is how very creative, mysterious and unrestricted it is.

The best place to find street art is in east London (Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Hoxton, and Hackney) and to walk up and down the streets and alley ways during day to get the best view. We stayed in Shoreditch (known as the hipster part of London that has amazing restaurants, bars, and pup-ups) which has the most dense concentrations of street art in London. We found it on every corner and noticed it changed almost on a daily bases. Make sure you look up while walking around or you might miss the works higher up on buildings.

One of the most famous artists to date is Banksy, with his distinctive stencil art work. His work is so famous now that most of it is no longer visible in the streets of London because it was either removed for a museum or sold. What is so interesting about him is that even after 20 years of his art being seen in the streets his identity is completely anonymous. http://www.banksy.co.uk/

When we wanted to take a break from being all artsy there were many coffee shops and restaurants that would allow me to bring my dog. We usually could bring him into privately owned places but not chains like Nandos. Also, we never assumed he would be allowed, we always asked first.

The best thing about street art is that it is dog friendly and free for everyone. It’s definitely worth a day. If you don’t want to get lost in the streets finding the art there are plenty of step by step guides online for you to follow.