Old Bond Street - Ain’t No Vagabond Street

Never knew walking down Old Bond Street in London, from Conduit Street junction towards Piccadilly, I’d get such a scare just window-shopping. Every entrance and corner were infested by security guards, keeping an eye on every thing that moved there. I didn’t hang around, rushed out.

I was on a lunch hour stroll, trying to empty my coffee-bloated tummy before I had my lunch. Having been all around Piccadilly, I decided to venture towards Old Bond Street, and see where I landed. I had time, and the mild breeze making the walk enjoyable.

After entering the street, I stopped at the first shop and looked at their window display. Rings and necklaces, carved in diamonds, were on display. The price ranged from five to ten thousand pounds. It certainly was worth the look. Then, I saw a silhouetted image of a security guard, behind the display, donning a black suit. His menacing stare made me move on.

Towards the entrance of the same shop, as I continued to walk, another imposing guard stood, keeping a watch full eye on people passing by.

I approached the next shop, and the display at the window was full of expensive watches. I stopped again, undaunted, and saw the price as well as the different models. They were from Rolex. The hands of the watches contained carved diamonds, some had them were sclupt in the middle, or on top, on the hour mark. After viewing them for about two minutes, another security guard come wandering my way. I moved on.

The shop after that contained even more impressive viewing. Pearl necklaces, bracelets and earring of gold and sparkling diamonds greeted my amazed eyes. This time though, I didn’t stop, but only passed a fleeting glance. And yes, I did notice a security guard.

I stopped at the next one, only to move on as soon as I saw a guard looking at me. My mood began to dampen. I didn’t want to appear suspicious, even though I’d done nothing but window-shop. Maybe such activity wasn’t allowed in this area. I passed Tiffany & Co, Bvlgari, all expensive, designer shops, and by now, the guards were outnumbering pedestrians. You could easily recognise them, from the dark suit they were wearing, their stern upper body, and earphones they had in one of their ears.

But this wasn’t the area to loiter around. The guards clearly were out in numbers to foil any robbery. The street contained expensive, fashionable shops. If you manage to rob all of them, you’d probably land more than hundred million pounds. That’s why they could afford to hire so many guards and keep them visible.

I walked on and made my way to lunch.