I'm in London


moxie

The voice of reason, sense and exasperation
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...well, as the subject says. I'm in London, which I haven't been for almost a decade now. So I'm a bit rusty. Now, back when I used to visit a bit more frequently, there was this place up off Notting Hill Gate called "Computer and Video Games exchange", part of the general "Exchange"-sort-of-franchise-series of second hand shops for most any sort of goods on the planet, which was a mecca for retro nerds of my kind - I.e. the kind who won't care about mint packaging or street value, but will jump at the chance to snag a godawful piece of weird crap just because it is weird. The perfect place if you want to get your mitts on a Commodore 16 or a homebuilt half-functioning kit computer from the seventies, or...


ANYWAYS...For those of you who are a little more local - Is it still there? Or is there any other place of similar ilk that I, being a cross between a hamster, a nerd and a retro fanatic, ought to visit?


Those Exchange stores, by the way, are/were very close to my ideal of the "crap shop". This is not in any way derogatory - They were fantastic! Room after room full of the most surprising mixture of crap, crud and gold. You went into one of them, say the Musical Instruments Exchange, went up stairs and through rooms and across piles, and suddenly you found yourself getting out of the Music and Video exchange instead, carrying a snare drum stand and a scratched vinyl copy of "Welcome to the pleasure dome". Excellent.
 
Well you do a mean write up on nostalgic factors of London and its nerdware stores but as I left that area pre 10 yrs old and only returned for a glimpse of an imported Sega Megadrive, (running Thunderforce III I believe at the time), upon some Tottenham Court Road emporium that at that time, seemed to be the place to be for new gadgets, then I have little to offer. Except....


If you can by accident find it, there is the greatest Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant on earth, down the back streets, off of one of the Tottenham Court Road junctions (which are legion). Its past an antique bookstore on the left, which will still be there, obviously, a left turn thereafter, facing a parks railings and then a u-turn into the street beyond, to see the lights and enjoy the finest foods you can imagine.


Bear in mind by that time I had dined in plenty of capitol cities, so the food really does rock!


Plus It was my Brother who scratched my sisters "Welcome to the PleasureDome" :) Though I did melt his "War of The Worlds", which I regret!
 
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Ooohh! Although last time I took off on a back street off Tottenham Court road, I ended up in a scam auction con thingie. I and my then girlfriend figured out the game rather quickly and left quietly, but there where other who were taken for a lot of cash...anyways, so I didn't find the restaurant. Didn't find the Computer and Video Games exchange, either - I have today experienced the horrors of gentrification. Notting hill has turned into effing hipster heaven! I feel personaly offended!


Although at least a few of the exchange shops were still there, and I managed to placate myself a bit by finding a wooden piccola flute for only 3 quid. But still...Eat, Pret a manger, Starbucks and that bloody fancy bakery place in a row, where my crap shops used to be??!? Damn...


Noone who knows any other place?
 
Game Focus off tottenham court rd, this ain't my clip but shows some of the items on shelf


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGCY3DC_Dpk&feature=youtube_gdata_player


CeX and Gamestation are popular high road shops and some can have a decent stock of old games and consoles


I've not seen a Games Exchange around for a while that I remember


My old fav haunts have looong shut down, shops like shikana, adams world, arcade machines at play world and even trocadero arcades got cleared, think they just got a little collection of machined to play


If you around Southbank sides you might want to check Namco place near the Eye


http://www.namcofunscape.com/#/london/
 
I can't wait for the London Olympics. Will be awesome and epic!


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I remember back when I lived in England, there were so many shops that had awesome retro junk, I didn't appreciate it as much as I would now though. There is nothing like it here in Australia (As far as I know).
 
Yeah, but they are up north, nothing down here in Frankston, I usually settle for Cash Converters and eBay for my retro pleasure
 
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