Saturday, April 27, 2013

TOP TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE LONDON...









                             Double-decker bus







The best theatre in the world
London's theatreland, between Piccadilly and Covent Garden features some of the best plays you can see anywhere. Plays like War Horse started in London before becoming a smash hit on Broadway - and even a Spielberg film.


                                                                   

London Fashion Week
New York is slicker, Milan is glossier, and Paris boasts fashion's heaviest hitters – but, when it comes to hunting out the Next Best Thing, no one does it like London. Initiatives like Fashion Fringe, Fashion East (god bless Lulu Kennedy), and Newgen ensure that students with stellar skills go the distance. Mary Katrantzou, Erdem, and JW Anderson are recent examples of designer newbies who have made the leap to international stardom in less than the blink of an eye. And long may it continue.


 

Market Trading
There is no better way to explore the eclecticism of our fine city than by spending some QT at the city’s markets. London has got a market for every mood and inclination. Whether you fancy Brixton Village market’s boutiques, Maltby Street’s serious foodie offering, or the flower-crammed Columbia Road, the capital has it covered. And for serious bargain hunting, we love a head-first rummage in Deptford market's bric-a-brac. 



Park Life
For a city that packs in eight million people, it’s not surprising that space is at a premium. That’s why it never fails to impress us that so much of the city is given over to parkland. London Fields is perfect for watching the posers on a hot day (recent spots include Alice Dellal and Pixie Geldof) and we love how you can get well and truly lost in the vastness of Richmond Park (and even befriend a deer or two). But Hampstead Heath is still tops our list – after all, what could be more quintessentially British than a dip in the swimming ponds on a December morning? 


The New Rock 'N' Roll
Once upon a time, London was the joker on Europe’s gastronomic map. But, over the last few years, the foodie revolution has taken hold, and suddenly it's cool to be a gastronaut (and we have the burger apps to prove it). Not a day goes past without whispers of a new secret dining society, pop-up or haute food truck, or another London restaurant landing a Michelin star (or three). From experimental to old school, haute French to Americana fast food, we’ve got it covered. Our current festive obsessions include The Pale Blue Door, Last Days of Pisco, and Snr. Ceviche. 



London Nights
From panoramic rooftop bars in a Peckham multi-storey car park to dingy basements and after-hours snooker-hall venues in Dalston, London's club scene is as diverse as it is experimental. And if the hipsterness of it all gets too much, you can always head to the Savoy's Beaufort Bar for a killer Martini.



Artfully Democratic
London is a famously – some might say reassuringly – expensive city, but one thing that does come cash-free is our culture. There are too many to list here – but from biggies like the V&A and Tate Modern to smaller venues such as White Cube Bermondsey, Whitechapel Art Gallery, and Haunch of Venison, visiting costs nada


We love alt and avant-garde boutiques like Dover Street Market and LN-CC store for ahem research (read: drooling over the likes of Comme, Margiela and Jil Sander), and we’ll never tire of bona fide fashion institutions like Liberty and Browns. There’s also the Great British High Street (Topshop, Primark we’re talking to you). And then there’s vintage. Remember life before Beyond Retro and Absolute Vintage? Nope, us neither. And our precarious bank balances prove it.



Epic Individual Style
That’s not a boast; it’s simply fact. From Lord Byron to the Mick ‘n’ Keith, right through to Kate Moss, La Chung, and Cara Delevingne, this city has a knack for producing individuals with game-changing style. Check out the Bowie exhibition .


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