Your Friday morning essential read. Five local feel-good highlights, including exclusive special offers and events. Prepared with love by the team at Camdenist

 RELAX: all aboard The Zen Den 

On Thursday (14th) The Zen Project, a mind/body centre housed in an iconic yellow American school bus, will park up at 19-37 Highgate Road, 11am-4pm. Inside you can enjoy free breathwork, meditation, sound healing, vision board and other mindful sessions. You're guaranteed to feel more zen than you ever did on your way to school, even if you never took the bus. The project is the first of its kind in this country and began when Kentish Town-based founders Corinne and Kaye were searching for a remedy to the exhaustion they felt as a result of their corporate careers. With no easy 'route to zen', they decided to renovate this old bus and make the experience portable and accessible for everyone. Drop by to test out wellness on wheels for yourselves.

 CELEBRATE:  Black History Season  

It's

Black History Season

,

meaning lots of

exciting events

 across the borough. Some recommendations? Visit the

We Were Here

 exhibition, curated by Emily Momoh, featuring eight significant locals who contributed to Camden's history, (from Oct 18th at 

Swiss Cottage Library)

. An important play, 

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy

 is at

The New Diorama Theatre 

12th Oct - 6th Nov, while Lorraine Maher's

#IamIrish

 exhibition is being projected onto the London Irish Centre (16th) as part of

Amplify

, a celebration of diversity in the Irish community through art and spoken word. Expect performances on the steps of the Centre at 6pm that evening too. For under-5s,

Rhyme Time with Tyan

 takes place every few days at libraries around the borough, a jam-packed session with songs, dancing and stories. And a fantastic array of concerts are scheduled this season too, from IAMDDB, Ocean Wisdom and Digga D (all at the

Kentish Town Forum

this month), to Fela Kuti's Birthday celebration at the

Jazz Café.

 SHOP: Brick Sixty cleans up 

From an arch that was once part of the Victorian-era Goods Yard behind St Pancras Station, Brick Sixty make soap that celebrates London’s industrial heritage. The carbon wash (pictured) was inspired by the cleaning of the outside of 10 Downing St in the 1960s, revealing yellow brick beneath layers of pollution, only to be hastily painted back to their signature dark hue. All their products have a similar tale to be told. New to the range is a colourful box of mini soaps, ideal for guest rooms. 

 DRINK: Idris Elba's new bar in King's Cross 

Idris Elba might be better known for his film, TV or DJing work, but he's also the latest celeb to lend his name to some quality vino, as he prepares to open Porte Noire Wine Cellar & Bar in the Gasholder building at Coal Drops Yard. It promises glamorous and intimate vibes inspired by the wine bars of France, Italy and Spain. Co-founded with oenophile David Farber, it will be home to their carefully curated wine collection when it opens later this month. The good news is you can book a table already Cheers! 🍷 

 ART: Figurative and literal 

The Zabludowicz Collection's newly opened exhibition 

The Stand-Ins

, brings together 19 seminal figures and exciting new voices in an intergenerational display that reflects on the vulnerability of the body as we emerge after lockdown. Meanwhile, focusing more on our surroundings than our bodies, Rachael Weitzman's latest show,

The Heath in the Waves 

at

Highgate Gallery

pays

homage

to the Heath and the solace it has offered so many of us during the pandemic.  

CAMDENIST Presents...

Look out for the latest 32-page print guide, available now for free from over 200 locations in the borough, as well as central and East London too

 THIS WEEK'S ONE-CLICK POLL Now Camden’s bars and venues are getting busier, bladders are often emptied anti-socially in our back streets. So are you a fan of the pop-up urinals that emerge from the ground at night? 

LAST WEEK WE ASKED:

Strong disapproval from local voters this week suggests that e-scooters will have to shed their image of being driven illegally and fast, often on pavements and mostly by teenage boys. The vehicles could be vital to London's green transport ambitions though, so it will be interesting to see what it will it take to remedy the safety and image concerns over the coming weeks and months of the trial...

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