“Seen one, you’ve seen ’em all.” Ask any American who has spent an “extended” period of time in Europe, and I’m sure they will be freshly cathedral-ed out. Something about these structures draws us in, but over time we get spit back out just as quickly. Cathedrals are always picked as city highlights in any guidebook, a tourist mecca for the religious and non-religious alike. But for Westminster Cathedral, where I …
Grab a satisfying scoop at Gelateria Danieli when the London summer is in full swing (that means rain or shine). This is authentic Italian gelato, but quirky quintessential British flavours will make you praise everything European. Every American remembers her first. Mine was in Freiburg, Germany. I always went for the English-speaking types — I wouldn’t dare to make a fool of myself so early on. It was already going to be …
There’s something magic about King’s Cross. Maybe it goes all the way back to the first century AD when legendary leader Boudica led the native Britons in a revolt against the invading Romans. It’s said that her body is buried between Platforms 8 and 10 under what’s now King’s Cross station. Maybe it goes all the way back to 1997 when Harry Potter caught a train from Platform 9 3/4 on …
So many of these 1,000 London Things involve slowing down to look at the view. Sometimes there’s nothing you need more in a pulsing city like this than to stop in the middle of everything (no matter how much it annoys everyone who has to walk around you) and remember that you are part of this system. You are this place, and this place is you. #403: Dangle on the …
It’s not often that you get to go under water without getting wet, so perhaps it’s no surprise that this Victorian-era curiosity ended up in the 1,000 Things guide. Construction started in 1899, and the tunnel opened three years later to replace the expensive and unreliable ferry service that took workers from the south side of the River Thames to London’s docklands. (No, I’m not talking about today’s River Boat …
I thought I was safe. How could I have ever seen this coming? It was the first one she crossed off the list, damning it to the heap of the Not-Worth-Doings. #16: Get your hands on the latest Apple gadget. “Why on earth would this be included in London’s 1,000 best things?” she said, frowning. “Especially in the top 20…” I breathed a sigh of relief, though then she just …
Even if you don’t have anything on the to-read list, stop at Daunt Books in Marylebone to browse the books and ogle the gorgeous Edwardian architecture. It’s quiet just inside the dark wooden doors, away the from the midday phone conversations and the cafe-bound lunchers on Marylebone High Street. Here, all you can hear are fingers quietly flicking through the pages and the occasional scratch of another potential taken off the …
You could say that Greenwich and I are polar opposites. I come from a place that’s 650 miles from the nearest sea, a place where the most famous watersport is antique bathtub racing in our local river (well, until everyone stopped doing that). I come from a place where sushi should never set foot because it’s probably grown feet by the time it’s gotten there. Greenwich, on the other hand, …
“I hope you have a good birthday, but it’s time for you to come home now.” It’s been 960 days since I moved away, and it was only supposed to be 365. My family’s thoughts about this time difference have gotten significantly less subtle in the last 100. It was only supposed to be one country, one visa. Then it was two countries. And it will be four visas by the …