While exploring Kensington Gardens a few weeks ago, my husband and I stopped in at the Serpentine…read moreSouth Gallery for the last day of their Cecily Brown exhibition. The Serpentine Galleries is a free contemporary art gallery (split into two different buildings) in Kensington Gardens. "Cecily Brown: Picture Making" was a treat. The South Gallery is beautiful, and Cecily Brown's work was displayed beautifully. The exhibit was the first major solo exhibition of her paintings in the UK since 2005, and the works, and it was well worth a visit. If you're exploring Kensington Gardens and are interested in contemporary art, check to see if the Serpentine Gallery has an exhibit! Our visit was a treat.

Free and interesting. The Serpentine Galleries are two small…read moregalleries located in Hyde Park, which are much closer together than I anticipated. They are easily both visited in the same stop in the park. On my visit, there was a contemporary landscape exhibit in one gallery, which unfortunately for me was also currently being visited by a large group of elementary aged school children (there was a lot of shouting, by the students and the teachers/minders trying to keep them in line). That encouraged me to...not linger long, though I liked the style of the art on display. In the other gallery was a large-scale digital work by David Hockney, along with paintings on display in the inner rooms. I happened to visit early in the day of the day he actually passed away. Just an interesting coincidence, and I assume it likely that the gallery may have been much busier in subsequent days following the news. Both galleries have gift shops, and one has a cafe and small garden. Certainly worth a stop in if you are in the park, and especially in the summer if you need a dose of climate control for a few minutes.

Great selection of sweatshirts. The possibilities are endless. Many sizes and styles.read more

I went to look around the shop and it was exactly as I would have imagined it. It is just like the…read morepages from National Geographic simply lept out and came to life! The clothing is top notch for extreme climates but they also have inespensive tourist t-shirts. The staff are excellent and when one gave us the wrong directions another corrected him and then he found us and corrected himself too and apologised! The stuff in here is fascinating and perfect for kids of 4 - 104! I went to the cafe for the extremely reasonably proced cocktails and they had a lovely summery strawberry something which was amazing! Who would have thought - cocktails at the National Geographic shop! I have been meaning to come for awhile and I'm pleased I finally did!

Got to peak into this gallery on a recent trip through London. Definitely recommend. A surprising…read moremix of styles, painting and installation pieces. The young staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. A great way to spend an hour in a beautiful part of London.

The Barbican is an area you can explore with a library, conservatory, rotating art installations,…read moreand miscellaneous events. You should check when the events are, because it could interfere with the areas being available for a visit. There was also a beautiful outdoor area that would have been amazing to sit at the café outdoors and admire the scenery, but unfortunately it was raining at the time of our visit and it would not have been as enjoyable to sit outdoors here. Would definitely come back to explore more, and hoping the weather will be better in the future.

Very disappointing experience. I'll start with the good. The front desk staff was incredible,…read morevery friendly and very helpful. Unfortunately, the concierge was probably the worst ever. I received a package via Amazon and showed him the details from the Amazon email. He condescendingly asked me where it was on his list, where it wasn't printed, and stressed that if it wasn't there they did not get a package. I cannot put into words how condescending he was. I left for dinner worried the package was lost or misdelivered. When I returned, he was no longer there so I asked the great front desk staff if they had received a package for me. They remembered getting something and checked a few places, long story short is they found the package. Again, kudos to the front desk who went the extra mile for me, but why was the concierge so negativistic and self assured. Another positive was the fitness Centre, which had some great equipment, including a nice rower and treadmill. Unfortunately, the smell in the hallway leading to the fitness centre almost made me sick every day. A couple other challenges from the property. The room is what I would have imagined a jail cell. A small mattress just thrown into a corner. Also, the door to the bathroom slammed every time I went in, I am sure not very pleasant for my neighbors. Also the fire alarm went off at 7 am my last night, the cherry on top.

We saw The Amazons here in October 2022. We got to the venue after they had already let a ton of…read morepeople in and lined them up on the stairs to enter the concert space. Once they opened the concert space, they let the rest of the people who were outside waiting, in the venue. We immediately went to the bar and ordered some wine. We hung out there a while while we waited for the show to start. It was comfortable and a nice place to wait. The show space is very unique and had amazing sound. Even though we went in to the show space later, we could still see the stage really well. The Amazons were awesome and I'd definitely return to this venue.

I went to the Roundhouse last night to see The National play the iTunes Festival. And I gotta say,…read morethis is my kind of venue! Why? FOOD We turned up to the venue hungry and there was food! And by food I don't mean dirty water hot dogs but rather, nachos, burgers, peri peri chicken sandwiches and even a portobello and goat cheese sandwich (all of which were grilled to order on a BBQ.) OUTDOOR TERRACE Better still, we were able to consume said food outside, with beer. A concert venue with a terrace? Two words: hell yes! SCREENS The camera work during the concert was excellent and beamed up on two large screens which helped me to feel almost as if I were on the stage. ACOUSTICS You'll definitely get awesome aural at Roundhouse! SEATING I know, I know, all the kids are on the floor spilling drinks all over one another, jumping up and down, swapping spit and whatnot, but at this point in my life it is terrific to be able to take in a show from a seat with an incredible view! Now, if only I knew someone with an extra VIP pass to: The xx on 12 July and Florence + The Machine on 13 July Le sigh, a girl can dream...

Absolutely loved this museum. As a mass consumer myself, I really appreciated learning about the…read moredevelopment of brands throughout time. FOr instance, the first products were made to celebrate events such as the crowning of a Queen whereas now, there's strong brand associations with the products that are made. Also, they have a lot of childhood nostalgia items that anyone will appreciate, like groovy chick? I hadn't thought about that brand for a long long time before my visit! I also appreciate how easy the museum is to walk through. The exhibit is organized based on a timeline, also its a straight path so you'll definitely be able to see everything you want to. It's also kind of funny to see at the end of the exhibit there's just a giant case full of Frozen items. Definitely, a must-see when in London. Highly recommend it as the consumers that we have grown into today.

It's educational, fascinating, and very fun…read more Fans of print media, culture, and people that don't want to miss a beat will enjoy the history on display.

Venue for concerts and other such cultural activities. I came here for an Indian classical music…read moreevent. Very enjoyable 90 minutes Indian music. Seats not very comfortable. But it was only for 90 minutes. Clean bathrooms and drinks for sale. Near tube station.

Kings Place is a bright and shiny new office, conference and arts venue, situated on Battlebridge…read moreBasin on the Regents Canal, and accessed from York Way, 5 minutes' north of King's Cross railway station. Bright and shiny it literally is: the architecture is minimalist, with lots of straight, white walls, white marble polished floors, and seemingly acres of glass walls. The main façade on York Way consists of a wavy glass screen, and is decent enough of its type, although I don't think the frontage on the canal basin adds anything and, indeed, is rather less attractive than the nice brick warehouses across the way. Many of the rooms have lovely canal-side views. All this glitz is a bit of a shock after the grime of King's Cross, but an early indication of the gentrification already following the wake of the redevelopment of both St Pancras (now completed) and King's Cross (still under way). Unsurprisingly, security was subtle but clearly evident on my visit. Most of the centre is given over to offices, but the conference/art venue includes an impressive 420 seat auditorium and a smaller venue seating 200. As well as hosting conferences, there is an active season of concerts and recitals planned, including performances of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn, among less formal performances of jazz, folk and dance. There is also an art gallery here, and the walls of the centre itself are also used to host changing exhibitions. There's a cafe, two bars (one of which is open only for concert performances) and a restaurant, all fairly swish and pricey. The cafe is in the main atrium, but the Rotunda Bar offers rather better views over the canal basin. It all seemed fairly busy with lots of local workers from the nearby offices along York Way, and the odd conference going on (including the one I was attending). Conference organisation seemed OK, although with a few glitches over the audiovisual equipment. (Why is this always such a problem?) I have to say this feels like a slightly odd location for an arts venue, and I'm surprised (though impressed) at the range and detail of the programme currently planned to run until April. It'll be interesting to see how it develops.

Joining the RGS in Hong Kong is one of the best things I've ever done. And to visit the mother ship…read more& have lunch in the tea room. How cool is that?

There is always something interesting going on at the Royal Geographic Society. Most of their…read moreexhibitions also tend to be absolutely free. The current "Travel Photographer of the Year" will be on until early September. The other advantage is that their exhibitions are normally open until 7pm at least on Fridays and Saturdays, so you can nip in for a bit after being thrown out of the Science/Natural History/ V&A museums around 6. There's a tiny cafe on the premises which serves up some basic stuff. They often host some interesting travel related lectures - sign up to their newsletter to stay informed.

An unassuming community centre in a back street between Latimer Road station and the Westway, this…read moreplace hosts a wealth of events and classes, predominantly for young people. Check my separate entry for the best fitness class in London. Best accessed via a footpath opposite Latimer Road station; just follow the path and don't be put off by the garages and high rise block.

This is a tiny little bar where I go if I am in Portobello area, recommened to me by my dad's crazy…read morefriend on the premise that it is one of the only bars in the area that still retains its own little sense of character. And he is right! this place is really cool, it is a shame it is small. Although I do reckon the intimacy would be lost if it is any bigger, it is just hard to squeeze in there sometimes on a busy night. If you can, get on the big, squasy leather arm chairs- very comfy. They serve amazing cocktails including one called 'you mum'. Am planning to try that next. Suits the slightly er.. bohemian vibe. Drinks are not too badly priced, but it is not the sort of place where you would be buying too many, just one or too to have a nice chat with mates before you hit the town for bigger and glitzier places. Mau Mau is just chilled out with live music every now and then and all sorts of other events. Just go there and check out what is going on!

The Mau Mau is a Portobello institution and famous for its music connection with live performances…read moremost nights. Everyone seems to know one another, most regulars are local musicians. It's relatively small which is part of its charme. There are a few tables near the stage towards the back of the bar - with gents and ladies on either side of the stage. Or if you're lucky you may get a stool at the bar as you arrive. There's always a crowd of smokers hanging out on Portobello.