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The London Traveler

Archive for May 2008

May 29th, 2008

Routemaster revived

Whether or not you approve of Boris Johnson’s idea of reviving the Routemaster bus, it’s an icon of London in a way that the Bendy Bus can never be. From postwar films to London Transport posters, it’s stamped its image on our consciousness.
Now the London Transport Museum is commemorating the iconic bus in an exhibition […]

By Andrea -- 2 comments

May 29th, 2008

Dine with Sherlock Holmes

The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel on Baker Street is offering a two course lunchtime menu for £12.50 (plus service) - quite a nice deal.
Sherlock’s Bar & Grill has won the AA Red Rosette three times, and uses organic British ingredients in its cooking. However, this isn’t the stodgy ‘British food’ many of us dread […]

By Andrea -- 0 comments

May 28th, 2008

Teapots R Us

Since I’ve been blogging a few tea-related themes I had to post this one - a superb image from an exhibition by Mai-Thu Perret which will open in London later this year.

It’s a teapot, but not as we know it…. it doubles as a walk-in art gallery.
Now you might look at this as just a […]

By Andrea -- 2 comments

May 28th, 2008

Coming up: Trooping the Colour

I’ve always envied the Queen. She has two birthdays - a real one like the rest of us, and an official one.
The reason for the official birthday is that you can pick a time when the weather is less likely to be miserable for official occasions like garden parties. But I bet she gets two […]

By Andrea -- 0 comments

May 27th, 2008

More Turkish Baths - the Spa, Bethnal Green

I’ve already blogged the Ironmonger Row Turkish baths - a great place to unwind if you work in the City or Clerkenwell area.
Those of you living in the East End might prefer the Spa in Bethnal Green.  This was the old York Hall baths, and it’s undergone extensive refurbishment recently. Some people will miss the […]

By Andrea -- 0 comments

May 26th, 2008

Walthamstow greyhound stadium to close

When I lived in Stoke Newington I got to know the North Circular pretty well. One of the great sights just off that road was the Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium, with its illuminated facade redolent of the fairground.
A night at the greyhounds isn’t my preferred entertainment, to be honest. I’d rather see a play or an […]

By Andrea -- 9 comments

May 26th, 2008

Modern icon: Battersea Power Station

Bankside Power Station was lucky. It got refurbished, and made into Tate Modern.
Battersea Power Station is its unlucky cousin. If anything, it’s even more iconic - its four protruding chimneys dominate the south-west London skyline. But it’s been through many hands, a trading token in the hands of property developers, being sold on rather than […]

By Andrea -- 1 comment

May 25th, 2008

Shopping: Cecil Court

Cecil Court is one of my secret London shopping places. Only for the stagestruck and booklovers - but if you’re either of these (or perhaps both) it will quickly become one of your favourites.
David Drummond’s bookshop specialises in theatre and opera - including ephemera such as playbills and posters, as well as books on the […]

By Andrea -- 0 comments

May 25th, 2008

Book review: Movie London

Ever seen a view from the top of a London bus and thought ‘Wasn’t that in James Bond?” or “That’s in one of those Hitchcock films, isn’t it - but which one?”
If  so, Movie London (from Titan Books, £9.99 RRP - or £6.49 on Amazon.co.uk) can help you out.
If you’re touring London, a geographical section […]

By Andrea -- 3 comments

May 24th, 2008

Modern icon: the Lloyds Building

The Lloyds Building is one of those buildings that define an epoch. More than any other building in London, perhaps, it marks the shift from “we-know-what-a-building-is” architectural literalism (four walls and a roof) to imaginative deconstruction.
Like Richard Rogers’ other controversial “inside-out” building, the Beaubourg Centre in Paris, it wears its guts on the outside, with […]

By Andrea -- 0 comments