Surprise me, Hackney

Abolition 07 exhibit

"Once the very definition of poverty", Lonely Planet calls the East End. Bethnal Green & Hackney especially is "one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the capital". Ethnically diverse? True. Vietnamese, Bangladeshi, mixed African, Caribbean and Kurdish businesses side by side. It's the United Nations without the G8.

The Hackney Technology and Learning Centre, home of Hackney Library and Hackney Museum, impressed me. The building is new and sleek, a contrast to the adjacent town hall. I found the library straightforward and user-friendly. The museum, while small, is informative and fun for kids. "I Love Hackney" which started in the museum as an exhibit, became a popular campaign in the borough.

Yes, I've seen groups of cops stopping cars for inspections. And the tube doesn't serve the area well. But if it is true that, as Channel 4 claimed last year, Hackney is the worst place in Britain to live in, a look at Ten Things You May Not Know About Hackney shows that the worst in Britain couldn't be so bad.

Then again, when you hear two looooong monologues being shouted from the street on the same day and you can occasionally smell Amsterdam, you know there's trouble. So surprise me, Hackney. I honestly can't stand you because you stress me out (I can't imagine coming home here when it's dark early), but you have a few more weeks to prove to me that you're better than what people say you are.