What a bloody amazing spot! Any fan of graffiti, hip hop, or art in general must make a stop here…read moreto soak in the absolutely stunning pieces of work. Despite not having a single artistic bone in my body, I've been a lifelong graffiti fan ever since the heyday in the 90s when subways and freeway signs back home in the States were all bombed out. I just happened to stumble upon this magical place as I was exploring the area near where I am staying in Southwark. I originally noticed it through a gated fence, and assumed it was some abandoned, desolate spot that artists have taken over. Little did I know that upon further inspection, Leake Street Arches (Tunnel) is simply massive, and extends as far as the eye can see with some of the most stunning artwork you will ever come across, and it is all perfectly legal! It totally reminds me of one of my favorite spot back in the day, the eternal, legendary 5 Pointz in Long Island City, New York (check my profile photo)! That place will forever have a special place in my heart, and thankfully, I have found its heir apparent! This 100% legal wall was made famous by a nameless world famous artist you may have heard of, and has an agreed upon paint over policy. Every time you visit, you may see something new, and at any given time, you will likely find groups of artists working on their next big piece. Of course being publicly sanctioned, they don't tolerate any tomfoolery, so there is a mutual level of respect amongst the artists. You may also witness rap battles, poetry slams, and dance offs, as if you were in the middle of filming for You Got Served or Beat Street! Built into the tunnel itself is a plethora of bars and restaurants, so you can enjoy the art and entertainment while imbibing on your favorite lager and downing some munchies. Best of all, the environment is mostly family friendly. Graffiti may have a negative reputation amongst some uninformed individuals, but a quick visit down here with little Sally and Billy in tow can change your whole perspective of it. Travel guides will rarely if ever mention Leake Street Arches as a must see attraction, but in my book, it would be a big mistake if you miss out. It is unequivocably the highlight of my stay in London.

A great place to escape the sun. New views everyday. A place to get coffee and maybe souvenirs but…read moreit was a nice reprice for our teenagers as we waited for a ur ride out of the city. If you need a cute photo for your London experience this is it

Such a cool experience! I took the Uber boat from London, (which was super easy and a nice ride)…read moreand then came up here. I will say, it's a bit of a hike up the hill to the observatory, which was complicated by the fact that I was in a walking boot. Tip: they do have an easier path (marked as a handicapped path) that's less steep. It said it would take about 25 minutes to walk up it but I was able to do it in less time. You can see the Prime Meridian from outside a gate for free, but if you want to see all the memorabilia and actually stand on the line, you'll have to pay to go through the Observatory. Luckily I had the London Pass so I was able to scan that and essentially get in for free. Seeing some of the history was pretty cool, as was standing right on the meridian line. It was a pretty cool experience and despite it being a bit tricky for me with my boot, I'm really glad I did it!

The view from the Royal Observatory made it worth climbing the hill. The Prime Meridian is a brass…read moreband in the pavement showing the divider between the eastern and western hemispheres. To see the line up close requires paying an admission fee of about 20 pounds to get into the observatory. We didn't pay the 20 pounds and didn't get our photos taken with one foot in each hemisphere. But the view from just outside the observatory was amazing.

I love Camden Market so much. Every time I visit I come home with so much great stuff. Lots of…read morelocal vendors selling their wares. You can get everything from vintage clothing and jewelry to artwork and records. It's a funky, artistic, electric, bohemian market with a collection of local artisans and indie, small business entrepreneurs. It's an open air market that quite literally has something for everyone. I always seem to find the best selection of vintage Levi's.

This is an open market at northwest of London. You can take the Camden station northern line tube…read moreto get here. The market has a lot food vendors and restaurants nearby. It is great for the night. Within the Main Street of market, there is igloo's type building with dining table that you can share with fellow visitors. The Camden lock is great for the boat. The market is just like a maze. There is a lot to cover. The end of market is deep in the town. You need 2.5 hours to visit.

So people may think I'm crazy but I booked a trip to Paris and Finland this June and made sure to…read morefly into London so I could visit pooh corner. I am a Huge EEYORE fan and last time I came to London I didn't have a chance to go and I promised myself I would come to the birthplace of my favorite character. I didn't realize how far out from the city it was but boy was it beautiful! The ride there and it's surroundings. The staff at pooh corner cafe was very sweet and helpful. My train from london to paris was a few short hours away.... So yes.....I literally flew into london for a few hours just to go to pooh corner and pooh bridge! The love for Eeyore and my best friends love for Pooh made this trip easy and fun! Best way to find it is if you visit pooh corner cage they will give you a map and tell you exactly how to get there. Once you see the sign you keep walking for a few minutes and you will find the iconic bridge. It's is BEAUTIFUL....so peaceful I could stay and relax there for a bit. Yes you are in the "100 acre woods" which is technically Ashdown forrest. It's the bridge that you see in the winnie the pooh cartoons ...the bridge that is said to be the one A.A. milne and his son a.k.a. Christopher Robin would play at. For a die hard fan this is a must do!! Happy yelping mis amigos!!

This is the ultimate gem for any Winnie the Pooh fan. - to come to Ashdown Forest and play…read morePoohsticks on Poohsticks Bridge Built in 1907 and originally called Posingford Bridge, it is considered to be the bridge on which Milne and his son first played the game. Its continued popularity led to a campaign to rebuild in the 1970s. The bridge was subsequently reopened by Christopher Robin Milne and officially renamed as Poohsticks Bridge However, continued tourist traffic necessitated a further rebuild in 1999 and Disney, who now own the rights to Winnie the Pooh and other donors funded the reconstruction to the bridge which stands there today. The walk from the nearest car park is however not the easiest with a fair slope and distance. However, for true fans, it is worth it. Visitors aiming to play Poohsticks on the bridge are requested to bring their own sticks to avoid damage to nearby trees There are now even a World Poohsticks Championships held annually in Dorchester but for true fans, Poohsticks Bridge is the only place to drop your stick into the water and rush over to the other side to see whose stick emerges first For those of you who would like to practise, here are the official rules for Poohsticks: http://www.poohsoc.org.uk/sticks/rules.html

Iconic landmark which continues to be maintained…read more Surprisingly the car drivers are super patient with the droves of religious fanatics coming to the shrine on pilgrimage. We came to worship and were pleased with our religious experience :)

Five stars! It was…read moreabsolutely brilliant to have walked in the footsteps of the legendary Beatles at this crossing in the UK! Just approaching the area I was already awestruck that I was going to see this historic place of interest. I didn't realize that there's a monument slightly offset from the crossing at almost the perfect location to film. However, I do feel for the residents having to endure numerous tourists affecting traffic in the area, but hey, coming from Hawai'i, I'm for certain they are somewhat used to it. Coming from me, I do appreciate their patience for allowing me to cross twice for a nice shot recreating the cover. Thank you very much!!

Here Banksy rather humorously juxtaposes the cliché artist, with moustache, beret and palette,…read moreworking on a decidedly less high brow art work depicting a scribble of a huge male member. The artist is also wearing a ball and chain, with a dollar sign on the ball. I'm not sure what conclusion I'd want to draw, but I guess the piece certainly summarises the debates about Banksy himself. Art or just daubs? Pretensions of grandeur? Destroyed by money, or elevated beyond his natural position by the hype? A couple of changes have been made. The council (apparently) have partially obscured the male member, though it's still pretty clear what it's meant to represent. As for the person who's added their opinion that Banksy is a **, I don't think they've given much thought to what they are doing. Their banal addition rather demonstrates they are the one with pretensions of grandeur if they think they can comment! This is on the side of a restaurant on the junction of Shafton Road and Victoria Park Road.

I've found this piece of art yesterday night (Feb 21st 2012) by accident as I was surfing Hackney…read moreby car in search of graffiti. When I saw it I almost had no doubt it was made by Banksy, and as it took me a good hour to find this first and only painting in Hackney, I interpreted it not only as the sign of the end of free art this would be no news! but also as the end of street art. All in all this classic looking artist is not trying to paint a beauty on a canvas, but a rebel sign on a public wall, while his leg is locked with this ball with the money sign. So when I associate all this with the fact that all Hackney walls are now purified from graffiti, I'm just left with the impression that art was finally killed, both indoor and in the streets. Ciao, Nicola Principato

Great little trendy neighborhood thats walkable from the British Museum. It also houses the Seven…read moreDials Market, which is a very trendy food hall in an open mezzanine, so be prepared for dense crowds at night! It's a fairly quick stroll though the area, the layout splits out into several different streets from the center, begging you to explore its streets and shops, specialty stores, and boutiques! It was fun to walk around and browse through all the shops: you could spend all the in the area as there are other markets very close by! Other points of interest include Neal's yard and Covent Garden, Jubilee Market, and the British Transport Museum!

When we were exploring London for a few days earlier this month, we happened upon Seven Dials by…read moreaccident. Seven Dials is an area of London where seven street converge at a circular roundabout. In the roundabout is a 40-foot stone column. On each of the seven streets are lovely shops and restaurants. We happened to be walking to a shop I wanted to visit but I hadn't heard of Seven Dials and was completely charmed by this little ... can we call it a neighborhood? It's unique and charming. I recommend exploring it if you're in the area!

I have a vague memory of seeing these as a kid. I remember it as overgrown, with the dinosaurs half…read morehidden in the undergrowth. If you found them you could go up and touch them. It was wonderful. These days what you have is a series of lakes, with the paths around them partitioned off with fences. The paths would be a good place to run, if you like that sort of hard gritty surface to run on! I just realised: in a way it's more like visiting animals in a zoo than a load of statues! It is sort of cool when you look at it like that, though sad that you can no longer go and touch them, though I suppose it has to be that way. Much of the vegetation has been cleared out, so you can easily see the 'animals', though it looks a little bare in patches as a result. There's actually not just dinosaurs. There's several giant ancient mammals, and the way I came you get to those first. The dinosaurs are gathered around one lake. There's many more than I remember (perhaps the others were unseen in the undergrowth), and too be honest to me it looks too crowded and spoils the magic a bit through that. The sculptures are pretty monotone in colour too. Of course, they are no longer believed to be accurate depictions but there are signs around with information on them, and modern drawings of what they would have looked like. I also like one place where they've got a waterfall (not running when I was there, which was a shame) overlooked by rock strata, which is educational too. Some of the plants are of sorts that would have been around at the time, though I think there's work to be done on that (if you spot grass, or anything with a flower, that's wrong for a start!) So sort of mixed feelings, but they are still pretty fabulous. It did make me appreciate just how good my 'local' serpent in Stonebridge Park is: less educational maybe, but more colourful and designed for kids to clamber all over it! Crystal Palace Dinosaurs as a whole win of course. More to look at and an educational aspect. I enjoyed visiting them, and I'm sure many kids would too.

Dino-tastic. Shouldn't this review be under landmarks? Well…read morethese arn't just giant misconstrued lizards to us here in the Palace.. Crystal Palace community is struggling with insular and regressive church groups who openly condemn homosexuality and evolution taking over our community spaces (eg: cinema). Its good to feel places like the dinosaurs can give our hub a point of solid history to use as a tool to point towards a future for our forward thinking progessive community who actually participate in local affairs. Now lets get that palace rebuilt.

Its a beautiful place, probably the most visually spectacular in the whole of Royal Holloway caste,…read moreapart from the castle as a whole. There are choirs singing inside and music graduates and students performing on a daily basis, sounding the place in an angelic, beautiful echo. The internal decoration of the place is simply magnificent. The roof is painted superbly, the detail upon the ornamentation of the windows is spectacular and superb. It is the place tourists at Royal Holloway visit and take pictures of the most.

We went to Kew on a £10 Tuesday recently. What a bargain! If you love horticultural gardens, this…read moreis a visit you cannot miss. The largest-ever outdoor presentation of works by Henry Moore was showing and it was really wonderful. The weather was very cooperative, too. Wish the food on offer was better and cheaper, but that's a pretty minor complaint. This place isn't nearly as planted as many horticultural gardens in the US (NY, Missouri Botanical, Longwood Garden...) but there is lots to see. Schedule a big chunk of time!

I wish I had planned a bit better because it took so long to get over to Kew Gardens and it's…read morereally beauty that needs about a half day to walk around in, so we ended up having to cancel our plans to see a second play to fully enjoy it. Don't buy your Kew Gardens tickets through Get Your Guide. You have to wait in the same line as purchasing regular tickets so it saves you no time and actually costs you more time than just buying them through their website. You're able to bring in food and water, which is fantastic if you're planning to stop by Ginger Pig and make a picnic out of it, which we did. The space is really pretty and their hot houses are delightful so make sure to bring your walking shoes and enjoy yourself!