It’s been over a decade since we were living in North London, off the Green Lanes, in the Turkish neighborhood of Haringey.

It used to feel like a place you’d need a passport to get to – the antithesis of what outsiders think of traditional British – but it was an interesting place to hang a hat for a few years. Back then, it was “up-and-coming.” A little rough, yes. Colorful, certainly. But a great spot to get a kebab and homemade baklava at any time of the day or night.

I recently was Google searching to see what the neighborhood was like now. House prices have risen significantly since we were there – now a three-bedroom terraced house will sell for £380,000 (That’s $612,000!).

But I also found a little write-up on Time Out’s website, which completely captures the essence of that place when we were there.

Maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same. It was actually comforting to know it still really is “a place where you can buy offal, electrical equipment, exotic fruits and elaborate wedding cakes, often in the one shop.”