Majestic buildings

I realised that the cultural piece of this blog was lacking some content. I have to blame it on the weather as it's so nice to be outside and we have such long winters in this city, that it kind of hurts to get inside a building. However, this can't be put to a side, as The Royal Opera House has already sold out most of the tickets for the next season's programme - thanks to friend I'm going to see the Nutcracker this Christmas and I'm so thrilled!

Even if you're not a fan of the ballet or the opera - if I had to choose I'd go for the former - it's highly recommended that you try and get tickets to see something in the Royal Opera House. The building is stunning and you can feel a little like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman - maybe the comparison to a whore is not the best one. Anyways, there are tickets that are quite cheap, even if you they are standing; as one of my friends says, she prefers to pay less and stand, and be able to see more shows - especially if she doesn't know the opera (she's more of an opera fan than I am).



Thanks to its amazing patio, the Somerset House is worth the visit during summer time as well. From concerts, to open air cinema, and children running along the fountains trying to cool off. It also holds exhibits in the different wings that can be visited before or after having a drink in the deck overlooking the Thames - the rooms are not too big so it won't take long to see the exhibits anyways. Currently, there is an exhibit for Ferran Adria that I'm hoping to see soon and let you know how it goes.




DETAILS:
The Royal Opera House - www.roh.org.uk/ - Bow St, London WC2E 9DD
Somerset House - www.somersethouse.org.uk/‎ - Strand  London WC2R 1LA

Neal St

Anyone up for shoe shopping?

In the heart of London, close to Covent Garden, lays this semi-pedestrian street full of shoes shops - together with other shops that sell other things but I want to concentrate on the shoes this time. It is actually really convenient when you need to buy shoes, or just want to see what are the trends for the new season. Also if you're up for some specifics such as Havaianas, Dr Martens or Superga, they have dedicated stores in Neal St.

The stores are not especially big, except for Aldo, although you can get a sense of the styles and then find another branch close by - Oxford St is only 15 minutes away walking - in case your size is not available. But all and all you can spend quite some time zigzagging between the two sides of the streets, and in between the people that will be walking along.
 

DETAILS:
Neal St - www.allinlondon.co.uk/regions/covent-garden/neal-street.php

Camden Beach

The beach is back in Town and it will remain open for at least another month. Only if the sun would hang in for a bit longer the summer will actually be perfect. So to all beach lovers I recommend a visit to the top of the Roundhouse, between Camden Town and Chalk Farm, where they have created one more year an alternative urban beach.

Getting in is free and the beach is open every day of the week except for Mondays. There are 2 bars outside where pitchers and beers flow non-stop, a big bbq ongoing all day - although they stop getting orders between 2.30pm and 5pm - and an ice cream shop also selling candy floss. So you can actually feel that you are on the beach just walking distance from Camden Town. Even if there is no sea or pool, being in London you have a big chance that the sky will provide the water flow.

They also offer the possibility to rent a hut for the day - there are 3 -, which is cool if you have a reason for celebrating or just want to hung out with your friends. If you have booked a hut, you don't have to queue outside - it gets busy in the afternoon especially on weekends - you get bbq food, drinks - beers, prosecco and soft drinks - and a mixture of popcorn, candy floss and ice cream of your choice. It is not cheap but after a 2-day hen party, having a food and drinks ongoing, a roof to hide from the rain or intense sun was just priceless.

DETAILS:
Camden Beach - www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/productions/camden-beach-2013#.Ufa06KxtXpc - Roundhouse - Chalk Farm Rd, London NW1 8EH

Mile End & Bethnal Green

London is a city where you can come to find quite a few random places and meet quite a few random people; this post might have a little bit of both. Turns out that one of my class mates and friends from school, also basketball team mate, is now living in London as I am. We have been friends for a few years although we lost contact for some time - I went to the States, then she went to Jordan, then we both moved again a few times but never to the same city - but now since we have London as common residence we see each other quite frequently.

Last week she was looking for a new room to rent, and I decided to accompany her with my camera to see if I could find some material for the blog, and we went East again. The first stop was somewhere close to Mile End - I'm going to spare the details of the house hunting for now. I had been around the area in order to get to Victoria Park - Lovebox festival 2012 - but not wandering around the area.

It was actually one of the first times that I saw the Gherkin's East face or from the East - I'm used to looking at it from the West - but what I really loved was to find a little place such as Mile End Place with beautiful small houses with front yards; especially considering that it's an area mainly filled with apartment blocks. 

London has hidden places with different architecture from the rest of the area, where you're suddenly transported to another era. They're not always easy to find but after some time you get used to looking into mews and alleys, to check as if by magic you are taken somewhere different even if it's just for a few moments.

From Mile End we were walking around the different streets and building blocks until we got to Bethnal Green, and saw some guys playing basketball and remembered our younger years... it was a random happy sunny afternoon.

St Christopher's Place

If you are around Oxford St either doing some shopping or just trying to fight your way through the people who are, there is some place where you can escape for a bit and recharge your batteries. Let me introduce you to St Christopher's Place - even if I've been here countless times and it's always busy, talking to one of my friends last week I realised that not everybody knows that it exists hence this post.

It could be considered like a little oasis; you can actually have a drink, or 2, or a coffee or some food. There are plenty of possibilities to choose from, although in a sunny day those possibilities will be reduced to wherever there is a free table - and there will be a line for the tables (this comment goes to all the non-Brits as cutting the queue seems the favourite sport outside the UK islands).

There are also a few shops and art galleries where you can shop, even if it's only through the window. I do so in Mulberry every time I get into the Square through the alley next to the H&M in Oxford St, as so far I'm not able to afford one of their bags - I'll get there.

DETAILS:
St Christopher's Place - www.stchristophersplace.com/‎ - 1 St Christopher's Pl, London W1U 1LT

Regent's Canal

I know I have already talked about the Canals in London, and how fun it is to hire a boat and sail through them. However, this post is about walking about the shore. It all came after a filling lunch under the sun and the prominent heat we're experiencing lately - not complaining - when a need for a walk was due and we needed somewhere cooler. Luckily enough, we were close to Regent's Park, and decide to wander about the canals.

The canal network in London it's quite extensive, so we decided to go around Regent's Canal - there is another branch around Paddington - from Regent's Park towards Islington, walking around Camden Town - you have to emerge around the market to actually be able to continue - underneath Camden Road, St. Pancras Way, York Way and we decided to emerge around Caledonian Road. It was a really good and pleasant walk, watching the buildings - one of my friends once decided that he wouldn't mind to live in one of the houses by the canal like the ones in the pictures above; I don't think I'd mind either - the boats, the people, the people in the boats... there were also a couple of hidden pubs in the way but we didn't stop so I don't have the details (yet).

You just need to beware about the bikes (bicycles), as there are good riders who go slow and will kindly ask you to move to one side but there are others that will have no issues if you end up in the water. And believe me, there are some areas where you definitely don't want to go for a swim even if it's boiling hot.

 

 

DETAILS:
UK Canals - www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canals_of_the_United_Kingdom
London Canals - www.londoncanals.co.uk/index.html

Hackney Wick

 

It seems that the further East you get into this city, the further you get into the 'alternative'.  Last night it was the turn of Hackney Wick that I had heard of plenty of times - bus #30 that runs by my house ends the route on the East there - but I had never been before. This is the place for the new artists and architects, a place full of old warehouses with endless possibilities to create something new. It is also growing as a place where you can rent office space if you'd like to venture.

However, one of the things that I appreciate the most in this city, and this is going to sound - actually read - really bad, is that no matter where you go there is always a pub; and in this case I have to say that it was a quite cool one. The White Building by the canal is the place; in this case the building is also "a centre for art, technology and sustainability" but over the weekend it seems that the only thing that is actually 'sustained' are the pints of beer - but I don't want to intrude in any of the hard work that probably takes place during the week.

The backyard by the canal was actually quite full and everyone seemed to be having a really good time. There was also a band playing although yesterday might not have been the best day for it as there was a techno/dance festival in the Olympic Park, so Guetta's tunes and basses were above anything and everything. 

The place also has a pizza oven, where the cook amazing thin-base pizzas, with rare toppings (like sweet potato) that keep on flowing out of the kitchen all night long - I even want to recall that they have pizzas with gluten-free base. The staff goes a bit crazy trying to find the owners of the pizza in the yard especially when the night falls.

You just need to remember to get cash before you get there, as the card payment is not accepted and there are not many ATMs in the area.

DETAILS:
The White Building - www.thewhitebuilding.org.uk/ - Unit 7, Queens Yard  White Post Lane, London E9 5EN

Pubbing in the sun

This past week a friend called me from the walk in clinic - eye infection - asking whether I would pick him up and we could go for lunch in the sun - we did have sun earlier in the week, and it's coming out again!!

Considering that I will never let down a friend in need, or turn down an offer to food or sun - both combined are just too good - I went to the clinic in Old St and waited patiently - I don't think I have the patience to talk about the NHS system now or that there is a point to it as I was going for food and sun.

We were about to try a place that neither of us knew just by the Old St Roundabout but as all the tables outside were full we decided to go to Curtain Rd and check the Strongroom - I already mentioned this place in the post about Shoreditch but now it's the time to get into the detail.

This pub/bar has a great outdoor area even if it's a parking - I gotta say that I've always seen the cars inside but I don't know what sort of arrangements they have as I have never seen a car get in or out; mysterious. The offer of beers they have is good, especially as they have a few of the American ones in bottle such as Brooklyn Lager or Sierra Nevada. They also set a bar outside in the summer time, where they also make cocktails. The food menu also has a good offer for sandwiches (including burgers), soups, salads and puddings.

So it's a great place to go for drinks, food and/or both. It's the kind of place where you can meet your friends for a drink and suddenly realise that you've spent there the whole night. If you arrive early afternoon, you will not have a problem to find a table outside. If you arrive later, it's only a matter of patience but there is enough space outside to get a spot, even if you end up sitting on the floor.

 DETAILS:
Strongroom - www.strongroombar.com/‎ - 120-124 Curtain Rd, London EC2A 3SQ

Dishoom

I had the chance to visit India a few years ago as I friend of mine moved there to work for a year. I fell in love with the country, their culture and, of course, their food. Living in London it's easy to keep being immersed in Indian food - many would say curry is the British national dish - as the offer of Idian food is endless. 

Dishoom is a place that everyone talks about since it opened a couple of years ago, or maybe more. Even if it might be more popular as a place to have drinks - given the constant queue there is to get to the bar area downstairs - the food is so rich that should be unmissable. The menu holds classics as the chicken tikka, but it has such a variety of different options that makes it hard to make a choice. We were well recommended by a friend for the starters that we share (samosas, bhel, okra fries, and paneer) but I don't think you can go wrong. Then I went for the special, some fish steamed with banana leaves and a sauce to die for, but everything else - I tried everyone else's dish - was simply brilliant.

We were a bit overwhelmed by the speed the dishes came into the table, so we got to eat quite quickly - also because we got extremely excited by the mixture of thrilling flavours - but then we had time to relax and make some room for dessert - look at the chocolate mousse; yummy! So it's a highly recommended place to go for dinner, especially in a group as you'll be able to taste more things :-)

Happy birthday Anjana!

 
DETAILS:
Dishoom -  www.dishoom.com/‎ - Covent Garden: 12 Upper St. Martin's Lane, London WC2H 9FB / Shoreditch: 7 Boundary Street, London E2 7JE