Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ode to a laundromat

I don't know if anyone else feels the same way I do about laundromats. I find them immensely calming places. I love sitting in enforced relaxation, reading a book, knitting or listening to a podcast, whilst listening to the soothing hum of the dryers.


Today I discovered, by pure accident, a laundromat hidden under some shops up a side street. It was like stepping back in time about 40 years. There was absolutely no pretension about it - old travel posters on the wall, black and white TVs that didn't work, faded handwritten notes explaining which machines didn't work and one very comfy chair in which to read. On a wet Sunday afternoon I was the only one there.



And I am even more resolute to not buy a clothes dryer...





3 comments:

  1. That looks like my kind of laundromat! I have to admit, I haven't spent a lot of time in laundromats - in fact, the only time I've ever really used one was in Canterbury and I wasn't a fan - definitely no nice places to sit and read in that one!

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  2. I know exactly how you feel Rel. The last time my machine broke down I would escape to the launderette with my book or read the gossip magazines lying around there that I would never buy. At home I would never have done that whilst washing...

    I especially loved it when no-one else was around a little piece of quiet and calm...

    I loved the homely smell of washing and the gentle rumbling sound of the washers and dryers...no wonder babies fall to sleep with the sound...

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  3. That looks like a super cool laundromat ... I love those with a certain old-school charm. The ones that seem to be local to me, tend to be missing a lot of that.

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