Maybe It's Because I'm a North Londoner

I've become a North Londoner for the first time. Still refusing to take part to the childish North-South feud, I'm exploring my new neighbourhood. With an autumn like this, it's pure awesomeness! 

Hampstead Heath is my new hood. My beautiful park is surrounded
by houses of the rich and unapproachable. 

After a truly horrid summer, we've been treated with a
lovely autumn. Still not too cold for picnic in late October!

South London is oh, so far away!

Maybe It's Because I'm a South Londoner

Last weekend my favourite SE London street celebrated its village fête in the form of Bermondsey Street Festival. 


Bermondsey Street is full of lovely little boutiques, design studios, bars, cafes and restaurants and it's a living proof that you don't have to (or shouldn't?) go to Shoreditch to find cool London. 


My favourites on the street include The Garrison Public House and the beer garden of The Woolpack. Kind words have also been said about the newcomers Jose Tapas Bar and Zucca, not to forget the independent cinema Shortwave. Enjoy! 

The Bermondsey Street Festival was all about dogs...

... the hog roast by The Garrison ....

... and of course about the people.

Save Your Pennies And See a Play for Less

London is a theatre capital at its best. We have the world famous West End, but there are also hundreds of plays running in the smaller theatres around the town. Here are my tips on how to catch a play in London without breaking the bank.

Buy tickets on the day. There are countless “half price tickets booths” around Leicester Square, but the official is the white one in the middle of the square called TKTS. They sell half price tickets for the same day shows. Do keep in mind though that the cheapest ticket gets you the cheapest seat in the often huge West End theatre. Get there early for as the best tickets sell out fast.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert is the funniest musical
in London but you don't have to break the bank to see it. 

See previews. You will quickly learn which theatres are your favourites. Sign up for their newsletters to find out about the new shows. The preview tickets are sold at reduced price as the play may still be tweaked. Or browse for a preview show in www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk. I've recently been to see the previews of Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales (easy & good fun) at Hammersmith Lyric and Vernon God Little (fantastic) at Young Vic. 

Book through lastminute.com. The famous website offers deals, but to be fair, the value & quality of the offers varies. They often sell tickets based on “best available seats” and that can really be anything from a top price seat to something on the balcony. It’s still worth checking what’s on offer. Shop around online for best deals.

National Theatre – the National Theatre in partnership with Travelex is offering £10 tickets to most of its shows. Book early.

Book as a group. Make a night out of it with a group of friends. Put together a group of 10+ and save up to 50%. The bigger the group, the lower the price and if not, negotiate.

Opt for a non-commercial and off West End theatres instead of the biggest productions in central London. Often with more demanding and / or edgy plays with an affordable ticket price, these are a good option for a West End production. 

Rainy Day Pleasures

It’s a common misconception that it always rains in London. Actually the rainfall in the capital is average compared to other European cities and smaller than for example in New York or Rome. We have, however been getting our fair share of wet and grey lately. But don’t let it get you down, make the most of the rainy day. This is how I would spend it.

Go shopping. Head to Shepherd’s Bush for Westfield shopping centre. Its 255 shops, cinema and countless bars and restaurants mean that you don’t have to get your feet wet all day. 

Watch the rain – Rain can actually be rather beautiful if you can watch it through a window. And watching poor people battling with their umbrellas adds extra amusement to it. The best place to watch the rain is in the Curzon cinema cafe on Shaftesbury Avenue. The cakes are a delight. Or buy a magazine and head to the downstairs bar to feel cultural, even if you’re really there just for the wine and not for the most recent arthouse releases. 

Spend a day in a bookstore – walk around, browse, pick up a pile of interesting books and find yourself a comfy chair. Foyles is a great bookstore in central London and they’ve got a nice little cafe as well. Or have a look at Guardian’s list of independent bookshops. 

Go umbrella shopping – Face the rain! Getting yourself a nice new umbrella will brighten your day.  UniGlo has got cute, little ones, that don’t break on the first day in several colours for about a fiver. If you want to splash out (pun not intended) on a luxury brolly, visit the charming James Smith & Sons Umbrellas on New Oxford Street. 

Eat too much sushi  - Rainy day is the perfect time to visit Hi Sushi in Soho. All you can eat sushi is made fresh to order and sets you back around £15. 

Or if all this just seems like a lot of hassle, go back to bed, close the curtains and watch a classic movie on DVD. May I suggest Singing in the Rain? 

London Cheap Frills (part 2)

Gone are the times when London was one of the most expensive cities in the world. There are tons of cheap or even free things to do in our wonderful city. Below are my favourites (see part 1 for more cheap stuff to do in Ldn). 

Take a walk along the South Bank. One of the most beautiful places in London and scattered with things to see and do. Make a day out of it: take in the view over Thames, count the historic bridges, have a drink at the National Theatre bar, visit Tate Modern, have lunch at Borough market, stop to watch the street performers amaze the crowd, and if still feeling like it, catch a Shakespeare play at the Globe (£5 for standing tickets) or a film at the British Film Institute. The place to take your date.

See free films, music, theatre or some random activities at The Scoop. Open during summer months, it’s got seating for 800. Works on a first come first served basis. Film screenings are on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and last summer’s films included titles such as Up, Hurt Locker, Pretty Woman, Up in the Air, Invictus and Dirty Dancing.

See free comedy. There’s plenty of comedy clubs and pubs around town with free comedy nights. They can be a bit hit and miss at times but usually the sets are short and you are likely to enjoy at least some of the comedians. Check TimeOut for listings. 

Toilets. And I’m not talking cottaging here (or am I?). But having travelled in most of the European capitals, I can tell you, the free loos are a treat. The only toilets you have to pay for can be found from the railway stations.

Street Markets. This is controversial choice as even though taking a stroll on a Sunday market can be a cheap or indeed a free activity, it can also set you back several days' salary. To play it safe, take only small amount of cash that you’re willing to spend with you. The vendors rarely take cards and the cash points close by are often out of cash anyway. For real food bargains, head for the food stalls an hour before closing time. For best markets, try Spitalfields (every day, busiest on Sun), Portobello (Sat), Camden Markets (best on weekends), Borough (food only, Thu-Sat), Greenwich Market (best on weekends) and Columbia Road Market (flowers only, Sun) .

London Walks. Guided walking tours are good fun! The best guides love their work and can keep a group of 40 easily entertained for an hour and a half. A walk costs about £8 per person. Start with a London classic Jack the Ripper Walk. More info here http://www.walks.com/

Keep track of the local and ethnic festivals. They are usually free and good fun (although sometimes unintentionally). The ethnic festivals usually have cheap food and drinks stalls and various cultural activities. Local festivals often offer guided tours, talks, plays, music and you can normally visit weird little museums for free. Some of the best ones include Brick Lane Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, Bloomsbury Festival, Japanese Festival, Latin American Festival and Thai Festival. Check TimeOut for details. 

Cuban festival in London. Would you buy a mojito from these guys? I did.  

London Cheap Frills (part 1)

Gone are the days when London was one of the most expensive cities in the world. There are tons of cheap or even free things to do in London. Below are my favourites.

Catch a film. The old favourite Prince Charles Cinema is showing new films, recent releases and classics with prices starting from £1.50. It’s worth getting the yearly membership (£10) to save more in tickets.

Orange Wednesdays offer two for one cinema tickets in most of the cinemas across town. All you need is a friend with Orange. 

Museums. Almost all London museums are free of charge, apart from some temporary exhibitions. The labour scrapped the entrance fees from all national galleries and museums in 2001 and they have remained free from then on. Nobody knows  what the tories are planning but it doesn’t take much to make an educated guess.

Some of cultural gems include Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. 

See a play in a local theatre. London’s theatre world doesn’t end in West End. The local theatres often have great quality productions, even with some well known names, with a fraction of the price of a West End musical. Admittedly, it can be a bit of a hit and miss but during all my time in London I have only walked out once during the interval. Check Off West End for more information and tips.

People watching. Head to Bricklane on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds of people come there just to be seen. Who can spot the most pretentious creature?

Old Compton Street. Try to snatch a window seat / table on the street in one of the cafes of London’s number one gay street. Spot the latest trends, fittest bodies and the most flamboyant queens. You won’t find bad B.O here. 

Get tipsy. Samuel Smiths Brewery has got several pubs in London and they are famous for their independence. The beers are all produced by the Tadcaster brewery and no large-corporation spirits or soft-drinks are available. Prices are low, with a pint of lager only setting you back around £2. Try The John Snow in Soho, The Angel in Bermondsey, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Holborn, The Champion in Fitzrovia or The Earl of Lonsdale in Notting Hill. 

Free gigs. There’s always plenty of free gigs on offer in London, this is after all the promised town of wannabe rock stars. Be warned though, if you haven’t heard of the band, there might be a reason for it. The record shop gigs are also now part of the bands’ marketing strategy. Check Rough Trade East and TimeOut for listings. 

Westminster Abbey – where kings and queens are coronated, is really an impressive piece of British history. The Abbey usually charges for the entrance but it’s free during services. Get there for Evensong. The Abbey choir, educated at  Westminster Abbey Choir School is singing at 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, plus at 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Park yourself. London is filled with fantastic parks. Pick a sandwich and a bottle of wine from a nearby shop and enjoy the greenery and fresh air. If you like more excitement in your life, bring along a frizbee. The best parks for picnic are Greenwich (South East), St. James’s Park (Central), Hampstead Heath (North), Regent’s Park (North) and Holland Park (West). 

I've parked myself. 

More Cheap Frills coming soon!

  

London Belongs To Me

Sometimes you just don’t have the extra cash lying around for a holiday abroad. That’s when you need to remember what a wonderful place London can be. The London photos below by my talented friend John make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Like falling in love ♥  

See more of John’s pictures here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_quintero/sets/

http://www.johnquintero.com/

All photos copyright John Quintero. 

The National Gallery at dusk

Flooded London Bridge Station

The National History Museum

London Still by The Waifs is one of my favourite London songs ever. 

The Art of the Shoe

This is why I love London. Something so wonderful but at the same time so very dangerous has appeared on Oxford Street. Selfridges has opened its Shoe Galleries.

Shoe Galleries have been designed by an architect Jamie Fobert and the area is supposedly bigger than Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. It is the biggest shoe department in the world, stocking 55 000 shoes at any one time and 4000 shoes on display from over 150 brands. It will obviously offer you big brands like Jimmy Choo, Louboutin and Dior but the high street labels like Topshop, All Saints and Office are there too.

You think this is heaven? Imagine the sales. 

Soho Magic

I love Soho. I know many Londoners find it touristy and uncool, but I know you can pretty much find anything you need from the hedonistic hub of our dear old London. 

As we did last night with a good friend of mine. Sushi overdose at delicious Kulu Kulu on Brewer Street was unavoidable. The only thing you can do after that is to retire to the Friendly Society on Wardour Street for some more wine and get your feet up in their little snug. Good times.

He makes the most luscious prawn tempura hand rolls

At Kulu Kulu the sushi is prepared in front of you and delivered on a conveyor belt

12 plates later, that's us done!

Richard digesting at Friendly Society

In It for the Money

Last night I travelled to Canary Wharf, a weirdy business district of London. A friend of mine who’s got a weirdy business job I don’t quite understand, lives there and was celebrating his birthday with football and take away, as you would if you’re a straight man.

Canary Wharf was looking strangely beautiful, with its shiny skyscrapers glittering in the evening sun. It’s breathing business, with stock prices running on the walls of the buildings  and a dozen clocks reminding you that time is money. This is where the American Psycho lives. The devil wears Prada. 

Mind the Gap

So it’s that time again: London Underground staff is on strike. And man, are people moaning! You'd think something really bad has happened. 

Why don’t we stop and think for a moment? There is a reason democratic countries have trade unions. That is because there SHOULD be someone or something to protect the employee from the actions of companies, whose only objective is to make profit. A strike is the last resort, when everything else has been done. Like in this case, LU still threatening to sack over 800 employees.

Yes, it’s a nuisance. But so are fat people walking too slowly in the pavement in front of me. Get over it! Walk to work. Burn some calories. Get in late. Work from home. Or if you really think that working for the Tube is so cushy, well paid and easy, why don’t you go and get a job from there? 

Best Coffee in Town?

There are times, when you just want to meet  your friends for coffee rather than for cocktail. It doesn't happen often but as I've sworn off booze for the first two weeks of September, there was no better time than yesterday to check out what's claimed to be the best coffee in London. 


The Flat White, that is. Small, busy coffee shop with Australian / Kiwi origins on Berwick Street in Soho. The coffee was decent, as it should be with the price tag of £2.50 / cuppa. And what's fantastic is that they also serve fresh mint tea, something you can get pretty much everywhere in Amsterdam, but for some reason seems to be hard to find in the London cafes.


The Flat White
17 Berwick Street, W1F 0PT

The staff at Flat White know it's all about the presentation