Great Portland Street

Okay.

I was like, which one are you going to? Great Portland Street.

I was like, all right, well...

I'm going to walk it with you.

I was looking for a job in London and a friend of a friend I bumped into.

And he told me about his girlfriend was looking for someone to do new business, an account exec sort of role at an ad agency on Great Portland Street.

And I went in to see her the next day.

And this is my friend, Lily, that now lives over in Barcelona and we're still friends.

Fool of a toque.

Oh, I legged it down Great Portland Street and all.

You can still see the sweat coming out, can't you? You certainly can.

I can, mate, yeah.

The site that we took over used to be a fish store.

It was a fish store for about 20 years on Great Portland Street.

Fish stores, as it turns out, produce an incredible amount of humidity from all the tanks, so every imaginable surface that could be rot, mold, gunk, whatever, we had it all, the whole thing.

Rip out everything, put it away.

Be aware, for 2026, Oxford Street itself is undergoing a pedestrianization scheme.

The first phase covers Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, including Oxford Circus, first section expected to close to traffic during 2026.

Bus routes and traffic arrangements are changing.

Check Transport for London website shortly before your trip.