The London Traveler

London has a multitude of hidden alleyways and small streets that are unique and very quaint. One of the larger “hidden” spots is just off of Oxford Street, and is called St. Christopher’s Place.

St. Christopher’s Place is an “H” shaped area, two long streets that are perpendicular to Oxford Street, and a short connecting street in the middle. The entire area is filled with restaurants that feature outdoor seating. You can have italian, french, pizza, turkish, burgers, and much more. There is also a lot of great shopping, though it does tend to be a bit …read more

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London is still one of the best places in the world to see Shakespeare. From the reconstructed Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames to the Royal Shakespeare Company to the sheer number of venues in London, there is always a high-quality production on somewhere in the city.
From now (actually a couple of weeks ago) through December 1st, Patrick Stewart is playing Macbeth at the Gielgud Theatre. This particular production is set in the 1950s, with Soviet-style costumes. It has received some very good reviews, with some saying it’s Stewart’s best performance ever!

If you’re interested, …read more

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This has been a bit of a sport-focused week here at the London Traveler. Don’t worry, it won’t be like this all the time, but there are simply some exciting events in British sport this week!

This Sunday will be the final race in the Formula 1 2007 series. After an amazing series of performances, Lewis Hamilton, a British 22-year-old in his rookie Formula 1 series, is poised to win the championship!
Lewis has finished on the podium (top 3) in the first nine races of the year, and has won four races thus far. He’s currently leading the …read more

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Sports that are popular in the United Kingdom and Europe are very different from those sports that are popular in North America. It can be a strange feeling being in London as the country goes crazy about winning or losing the “Ashes.” (Hint: it’s a cricket trophy)
I’d like to provide a translation guide between British and North American sports.
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Football (Premiership) = American Football (NFL)
Football in the UK (aka soccer) is similar in prominence to American Football. While different in rules, the culture of Football in the UK is very similar to the culture of American Football. …read more

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After covering one of the more traditional London market’s last week, I wanted to cover a market that’s a little more off the beaten path.
The Marylebone Farmer’s Market was started just a few years ago, in 2003. It takes place just off of Marylebone High Street, a very nice shopping area just a few blocks north of Oxford Street. It’s website with a full list of vendors can be found here.
Though new, it is awfully large and you can occasionally encounter rather famous people there. (Many celebrities live in the neighborhood, and it is also frequented by …read more

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One of the very best things about the Tate Modern is the Turbine Hall. The art gallery is located in a former power station, and the giant Turbine Hall (literally where the Turbines used to be located) is reserved each year for a unique, large-scale piece of modern art. Each exhibition lasts generally from the fall through the spring. This years exhibition, “Shibboleth” just opened to the public.

The first time I ever went to the Tate Modern was for the “Weather Project,” an archive of which can be found online here. It was absolutely AMAZING. …read more

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I should have made a bit of a friendly wager with Lynn of The Paris Traveler! England played France in tonight’s Rugby World Cup match, and despite being underdogs on the French’s home turf, England won!
This puts England in the Rugby World Cup final next Sunday in Paris. (They will play either Argentina or South Africa.) Since the World Cup is only ever contested every four years, this will be a massive game. You can count on sports fan (and many non-sports fans) being glued to the television next Sunday watching the fate of their team.

If …read more

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Yet another fantastic aspect of London is the fantastic art you can find all across the city. An interesting new sculpture has recently been put on display at the Royal Academy of Arts: a three-legged metal Buddha sculpture!

This interesting piece of sculpture can be found at the Royal Academy of Arts, on Piccadilly Street. It stands nearly 9 meters (28 feet) tall, so you can walk around and underneath it.
More details on the exhibition and the artist can be found at the Royal Academy website.
When: Now until December 2007
Times: Friday, 10am – 10pm
All other days, 10am – 6pm
Where: …read more

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England and France have a long rivalry, stretching back to ancient times. With just the narrow English Channel to separate the two, it’s always been easy for one country to invade and plunder the other.
This weekend will see another battle between England and France. This battle will be in France, on the rugby pitch as both countries battle to go to the final of the Rugby World Cup 2007.
France will be on their home turf, but both teams are coming off nearly improbable wins against heavy favourites, so anything can happen. Just like the last match, this …read more

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This month’s theme of the b5media Travel and Culture channel is Time. I thought it would be appropriate to write about the most famous timepiece in all of London!
It’s a bit of a misconception that the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster (aka Parliament) is called Big Ben. Big Ben is actually the name of the bell inside the tower, behind the clock.
The Palace’s Clock Tower is one of the iconic images of London, and you can see it featured in this blog’s logo and in the photo above. The gothic clock faces are 23 feet …read more

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