'huge, queer and tawdry' but 'much admired by the public'

You know that thing when you hear that a famous person has died and you are sure that they had already died? My friend Shira and I have come to the conclusion that this is a symptom of that very thing that you just said. As is Covent Garden, which is never the same twice (and I am pretty good at finding my way around places etc).