Ken sent a welcome email upon accepting my reservation to stay at his flat and I got the sense that he is a caring and hospitable man who has a strong attachment to the urban history of Bethnal Green and the Shoreditch area. It definitely helped in my decision to stay in this area of London. Peter, his friend, promptly responded to any questions we had and we felt taken cared of. Ken's flat was a good base for my husband and me to discover the diversity of East London, having lived in San Francisco, and now New York. We enjoyed walking the neighborhood side streets and experiencing the street offerings on Broadway Market on Saturdays and Columbia Road and Brick Lane on Sundays. Even as gentrification has altered the landscape, pockets of authenticity remain for those who discover it... most especially in the raucous family-style restaurant E. Pellici's, celebrating its 100 years in the same location on Bethnal Green Road, now run by the 3rd generation siblings, Nevio and Anna. The proximity to Brick Lane, Whitechapel and Spitalfields, accessible from either the Shoreditch High Street overground or Bethnal Green tube gave my husband and me an urban spectrum only visible in this part of London. In a surprising coincidence and as an extension of the "6 degrees of separation" phenomenon, I discovered that I have 4 friends and acquaintances who live within a 15-minute walking radius of Ken's flat, and that alone is reason enough to return at another time in the future. Thank you, Ken and Peter for making our visit a welcoming one.