Telegraph journalist not nice about Dalston in this review of The Line at the Arcola Theatre http://tinyurl.com/yls972o

It's just one opinion of Dalston. To be honest, I hated Dalston when my girlfriend (recently made fiancée!) lived here and I still lived in East Dulwich.

For me, it took forever to get to and felt threatening. Now that I live here in Dalston, though, I have a completely different and more positive view of it:

I think the transport is great because I freelance in creative industry so most of my work is done in Shoreditch or Farringdon. A lot of my friends also moved north of the river to Bethnal Green and the area around Hackney Central so I actually rarely have to leave E8 to be social.

There are still lots of streets I avoid at night (which is really, really long in Winter), Arcola Street being one of them, unless we're going for absurdly good Turkish food at you-know-where. But, that said, I can get from Kingsland Road to my house easily without going down any of the streets I don't like to go down. It becomes second nature so it's not like I walk around terrified or anything, though!

Everywhere has good bits and bad bits, I suppose, and that's one of the interesting things about the way London evolved into what it is today.

I agree, That is one person's opinion of the area.
Also , let's be honest. Dalston is not THE best area in london now is it?
London has it's good bits and bad bits, and i find it differs from road to road.
I am happy living in the area, although like Spencer above, i do avoid certain roads ( especially when it's dark and if i am on my own) but then again i'd probably do that anywhere in london! =) . But i think it's important to highlight the positive aspect of the area. It has a variety of people, shops and good access to surrounding areas. Also, E8/N1 has some of the best restaurants about! from Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian to British.

I'm thinking of starting a website called tinyurl.com/yhjwrsx

I can't quite believe what a thin skinned, weedy, unadventurous, narrow minded, prejudiced, pathetic, scared little man Charles Spencer is. I've lived in Dalston for 12 years and it is as if he is refering to the place I moved to all that time ago. Then it was certainly rough. Now it is more like Shoreditch was 12 years ago - full of skinny creative types and friendly locals who are only vicious in their fashion sense. In fact I only feel intimidated walking the pavements of Dalston because I don't wear a pie hat and skinny black jeans. But you know what? I deal with it. Unlike sissy SW London boy who is scared of a dark street and can't read a bus map.

What's really sad is that the Telegraph has employed this pitiful chap to be the eyes and ears of their readers. Now I have respect for the Telegraph - cf their expose of MPs' expenses - and yet this wimp has really blighted their reputation. Might I suggest that a journalist from the Hackney Gazette wanders down to this man's twee little corner of London, and then smears his streets with a similar type of crap to that which he besmirches ours,

What an idiot hole.

R