The Plaza

The Plaza is a funny shopping centre on Oxford Street. I pop into it as it’s on the stretch of Oxford St that I frequent and happens to have the shops I look in — WHSmiths (incidentally, this branch unusually has a Post Office inside), Clinton Cards, Cards Galore. However, it doesn’t really have many traditional shopping type shops.
There’s a big food court on the second floor serving everything from KFC to ice cream.
However, today there was an unusual special bonus. What’s better than a piano in the middle of Carnaby St and a professional leading everyone in a sing song? (see my review :
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Finding a piano on the ground floor that anyone can play! It’s part of a scheme in London to try and encourage more music in the city. There’s even sheet music on the music holder if you can’t remember your song off by heart. I couldn’t resist a tinkle!

For me, the Plaza in Oxford Street serves as a rest stop and an escape from busy crowds and tired legs. It has a smattering of shops, mainly clothes shops, a game station and a WH Smith but upstairs is a food court with plenty of choice. My own preference for food is the Spud-​U-​Like but if you fancy it there is a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC and Starbucks as well as a coffee stall and ice cream stall. The customers in the food court are spread out and as a result, queues are often short.
There are also public toilets here which are the 30p turnstile ones which you see in the stations. It’s a little irritating having to pay to go to the loo and there are shops in the street such as McDonalds or Waterstones which have facilities which you can use for free.
There are plenty of tables and chairs and finding a place to sit is never really an issue. It provides a complete escape from the hectic street outside. You might have to put up with groups of chavvy kids from time to time but you can always move to get away from them.