Stella Creasy's My London

The Labour MP for Walthamstow parties in Dalston and thinks London belongs to cats

Out and about: The MP wants a Science Museum lock in

19 September 2014

Home is …

Walthamstow. I’ve lived there for 15 years. Like ‘Hotel California’, you can check out but you’ll never leave…

Most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

One suitor gave me a unique framed William Morris poster when I was selected to stand as MP for Walthamstow [Morris lived in the borough]. It was the first time I realised he was as keen on me as I was on him.

Building you’d like to be locked in overnight?

Probably the Science Museum, so I could press all the buttons and play with the exhibits without interruption.

Building you’d most like to buy?

It’s got to be 221b Baker Street, purely for the moment you get asked to give your address on the phone.

At the moment you are?

Recataloguing my iTunes when I should be attacking my perpetually growing email inbox.

Best place for a first date?

The bar at Tate Modern. Good cocktails, great views, and if all goes well you can walk across the Millennium Bridge to seal the deal.

Where do you go to let your hair down?

It used to be the Arts Theatre Club in Soho because the music was of my generation. Now it’s the Moustache Bar in Dalston as it’s closer, and as I get older the journey home matters more.

Best thing a cabbie has said to you?

‘We can get you to Liverpool Street for the last train, no problem’ — a godsend.

First thing you do when you arrive back in E17?

Feed my cats. As Andrew Lloyd Webber taught us, London belongs to felines. Also, if you don’t feed them you have to sleep with one eye open.

Earliest London memory?

Going to London Zoo with my dad. His parents lived in Surbiton.

Best place for a nightcap?

The bars on Hanway Street.

Favourite shops?

The Beulah Road market in Walthamstow for chunky jewellery; Blackduke & Cashman for beautiful vintage furniture; Topshop Oxford Circus; and the Science Museum Shop for stuff to make with my nieces and nephews.

Best meals?

Give me a halloumi kebab from Istanbul in Walthamstow and I’m a happy woman. I’m also quite partial to Marine Ices in Camden and a vegetarian curry at Chutneys in Euston.

What do you collect?

3-D glasses from the cinema. I balance them on my door frames. It’s like a Two Ronnies tribute in my house.

What would you do as Mayor?

Give everyone a Ferris Bueller-style day off to enjoy the city. London moves pretty fast — if you don’t stop and look around you might miss it.

Last album you downloaded?

Sharon Van Etten’s Are We There, as Richard Osman told me to on Twitter. I’m aware of how pretentious that sounds but it’s the truth. And it was all right.

Best piece of advice?

My mum taught me to walk into any situation wearing a metaphorical top hat and high heels. It still works most of the time.

Who’s your hero?

Florrie Bedwell, a Walthamstow resident who does so much for local people. She can make even the hardest heart melt with her tea, cake and charm.

Stella Creasy's My London

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