Sometimes in a city, it’s the things you pay least notice to that turn out to have the most character. Take, for example, London’s launderettes (known as laundromats in the U.S.).
Present on the main streets of most of the city’s low and middle income neighborhoods, these workaday establishments are the sort of place you might walk past daily without really looking at. Give them a second look, however, and you’ll often see something fascinating: not just a bright and slightly battered late 20th century appearance, but also places that are community hubs where people linger and make connections.
