香港六合彩即时开奖鈥檚 鈥淕ive it a Try鈥 series makes a case for鈥ainstream travel experiences that most consider too touristy or unsophisticated. So we鈥檝e asked London-based writer Caroline O'Donoghue to explain why M&M鈥檚 London is the perfect supplement to the city鈥檚 cultural riches.
In the 11 years that I鈥檝e lived in London, I鈥檝e hosted all kinds of guests: parents, siblings, old school friends, friends-of-friends that just need somewhere to stay, nephews, nieces鈥 Unsurprisingly, all of them want different things from their London visit. Some want to shop. Some want to eat. Some have come to see me. Some have come to see Les Mis茅rables.
All of them think they are better than .
And all of them are wrong.
M&M鈥檚 London is an improbably large shop in the middle of Leicester Sq that sells鈥&M鈥檚 and M&M鈥檚-related goods. Across four brightly colored floors, you can buy M&M鈥檚 pajamas, M&M鈥檚 slot machines and M&M鈥檚 wedding favors. You can have your face printed onto M&M鈥檚. You can get M&M鈥檚 in Farrow & Ball鈥搒tyle colors, from lilac to polar blue to gray stone.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going in here,鈥 I say, tugging on my guest鈥檚 sleeve.
鈥Here?鈥 They ask, the scoff already implicit. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 even really like鈥︹
鈥淛ust trust me.鈥
M&M鈥檚 London has a great location
Let me walk you through a classic Saturday in London when you鈥檙e visiting me. We might start off in Borough Market in the morning, take in a few sights along the South Bank and stop off in Chinatown for a late lunch. Let鈥檚 say that takes us to 5pm 鈥 and we have theater tickets at 7. How will we fill the time? We could sit in the pub, but that would leave us in rough shape by the time the curtain goes up. A better bet: a little trip to M&M鈥檚 London.
M&M鈥檚 London offers a dose of excitement during a long day, and at just the moment you need it most. By now you鈥檒l have seen so many sights that you鈥檒l feel almost nauseated by culture 鈥 a feeling for which some high-concept capitalist nonsense provides the perfect antidote.
Immediately, you鈥檒l be asking questions. Who cares about M&M鈥檚 this much? They are not remotely of the moment. They are not even very tasty. I would never think to buy them, even at the movies. And yet鈥ere it is, 35,000 sq ft of M&M鈥檚. It鈥檚 baffling. It鈥檚 alluring.
And suddenly, you鈥檙e laughing. You are giggling, because you鈥檙e in a world of M&M鈥檚, and it鈥檚 strange.
M&M鈥檚 London is weird
鈥淚 assumed it would be some kind of museum,鈥 my friend Tom tells me. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not. It鈥檚 way weirder than that.鈥
You鈥檙e damn right it鈥檚 way weirder than that.
Everything about this place is inexplicable and uncanny. The walls and walls (and walls) of sweets dispensers, the photo booth at which you can print your face on M&Ms, the loud music. You feel giddy in here. You want to draw on the walls with a magic marker. You want to grab a fistful of sweets and push them in your mouth. It鈥檚 a strange place. And you feel strange when you鈥檙e in it.
M&M鈥檚 London is free
So the product itself isn鈥檛 free, and there are plenty of people loading up on candy and other merch. But not once in my many years of bringing people to M&M鈥檚 London have I felt the urge to purchase anything. Because to me, it鈥檚 not a shop 鈥 but rather something closer to a nightclub or (and?) theme-park ride. A 15-minute trip you鈥檒l be talking about for the rest of the evening. But how? You ask, 10 minutes after leaving Les Mis. How is it four floors of鈥ust鈥&M鈥檚?
Practical advice: Visit as the day turns to evening, as you are beginning to get bored of beautiful buildings, on a weekday. And ideally after you have had two beers.