100 things

...to love about London

I returned to live in London in October last year after four years in regional cities - first Plymouth, then Manchester - and found myself with very mixed feelings about my home town. I grew up here and when I left I assumed it was temporary. However, having experienced life elsewhere, rent prices, public transport hell, and the inability to get a doctor's appointment within a reasonable time frame [I thought: I must admit I've now found this to be not entirely true] are just a few of the gripes I felt on my return. However, I know there is also much that is wonderful here, so I felt it was time to do some rediscovering.

When I left Plymouth, I felt I should make sure I'd really participated in the culture of the city and so - of course - went to an Argyle game. They won! When I knew I was leaving Manchester, heartened by this, I took things one step further and asked for suggestions on Facebook of things to do or places to visit. I also posted photos of 31 things I'd miss to match the 31 days I had left in the city. I really enjoyed finding places I'd probably never otherwise have been, and being on the look out for things to take pictures of all the time made me really think about things I appreciated. Oh and one of those things was to see City and they won too! So, now, I'm looking for 100 things to love about London.

Below, in no particular order, is the list so far, with credits to those who suggested things where relevant. I'm adding in links to blog posts and map locations as I do them - some I have been to before but I'm not counting it unless I've been since I've been back. Please feel free to make new suggestions: the more they are things which only locals would be likely to find and/or appreciate, the better. I'm also into things which are cheap and accessible to everyone.


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1. Claudia's house - Andy, 3/10/11
2. Sir John Soane's Museum - Simon
3. Eyebrow threading (or an alternative as I'm not sure I want to do this!) at Sajna's in Tooting - Agnes
4. Sunset over the Thames from Richmond Hill - Tim S
5. Regent's Park - Tim T
6. Hyde Park - Tim T, 14/9/11
7. Green Park - Tim T
8. St James's - Tim T, 21/11/11
9. Mirch Masala in Tooting or Norbury, or other Tooting curry house - Leah & Agnes, 26/10/11
10. Tate Modern - Leah, and the spider outside (is this still there?) - Maria
11. National Portrait Gallery - Leah, drink in the bar upstairs - Rose, and the BP Portrait Award - Lucy, 21/11/11
12. Richmond Park - Leah
13. Free music performances in the National Theatre foyer - Leah
14. V&A - Maria
15. Contemporary Gardens outside the British Museum and the Pizza Express nearby - Maria
16. Kebab from Lahore Kebab House in Umberston Road - Agnes
17. Walking around Westminster - Jennie
18. Covent Garden - Jennie
19. B@1 cocktail bar - Jennie
20. River Thames footpath (anywhere) 
21. Strand on the Green - Jennie, 27/9/11
22. Kew Bridge Steam Museum, 6/11/11
23. Brentford Bees football game
24. The Serpentine Gallery - 14/9/11
25. Sunset from Cattleshaw Castle pub on the Embankment - Gina?
26. Cocktails at the Royal Festival Hall bar - Leah
27. South Bank, eg cycle though, browse at book stalls, watch open air performances, sit on a meadow (QE2 Hall), play on the beach at low tide etc - Claudia, walking from Vauxhall to South Bank and browsing at the bookstalls - Kev
28. Kenwood Ladies Pond - Ella, 30/9/11
29. Walking into town from wherever you live - Camilla
30. Kew Gardens - Camilla - and the treetop walk - Claudia
31. Oxo Tower cocktails - Claudia
32. Sit on the side of Tower Bridge, dangling legs off the side, at 3am (or reluctantly accepted late at night) - Dee
33. The Hungerford Bridge at night - 28/9/11
34. Grand Union and Regent's Canals - Lucy
35. Ridley Road market, Dalston
36. Museum of London at the Barbican - Andy
37. Docklands Museum - Tam
38. Cecil Court - off Charing Cross Road (the original Diablo Alley - Emma)
39. Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe - Tam
40. Boris's bikes, anywhere
41. Horniman Museum - Pippa
42. Leighton House Museum and 18 Stafford Terrace in Holland Park - Lucy
43. Dennis Severs' House in the East End - Lucy
44. Sample 10 different local London beers
45. Hogarth House in Chiswick
46. Waterman's Arts Centre
47. One or two (at least!) of London's pub theatres
48. Battersea Power Station - 17/11/11
49. Rivoli Ballroom - 3/12/11 
50. Dinosaurs in Crystal Palace Park - Amber
51. Reformers' Tree monument - 29/12/11 
52. Baker Street tube station - 1/1/12 
53. Tooting (and area) cafes - 5/1/12 
54. Pump House Gallery - 31/1/12 
55. Wilton's Music Hall 
56. Richmond Deer Park 
57. Greenwich Foot Tunnel - 7/11/12