Local Expert
Lulu P.
At the tender age of 31, I decided to quit my cushy life in Toronto to see if I could move to London successfully. Much to my surprise, things worked out well and I'm looking forward to being a…
At the tender age of 31, I decided to quit my cushy life in Toronto to see if I could move to London successfully. Much to my surprise, things worked out well and I'm looking forward to being a long-term tourist in my adopted city.
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If there is one thing that the Germans know it’s Christmas. They are world-class when it comes to the classic Christmas market. Well a little piece of Germany has come to Hyde Park for the holidays.
Winter Wonderland is the perfect place to spend the day with your friends and family during the holiday season. Here’s what you have to look forward to:
• An ice skating rink.
• Mulled wine and hot toddies.
• Currywurst and a metre-long Bavarian sausage.
• A collection of rides for kids and adults, that includes a giant ferris wheel.
• A collection of stands for you to buy Christmas ornaments, gifts and of course a wooden tie.
• Sweet stands galore.
From November 22, 2008 to January 4, 2009.
http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/
While the over-indulgence of the Russian tsars eventually lead to revolution and their eventual downfall, it was a definitely a time of grandeur and opulence. The V&A has on display, 40 outfits from Russian royalty and Russian court.
Highlights of the show include:
• Ensembles made ornate with gold and silver from the closet of the 14-year-old Tsar Peter II.
• Coronation uniforms of seven subsequent tsars, ending with the last tsar, Nicholas II.
• A 5-metre-long ermine-trimmed Imperial coronation mantle, identical to the one worn by Nicholas II.
• Uniforms of officials, coachmen and postilions from the Russian court.
• Spectacular examples of fashionable 18th century Russian men's dress.
From December 10, 2008 to March 29, 2009.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/future_exhibs/tsars/index.html
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Liberty
Great Malborough Street, W1B 5AH
It’s so cheesy to admit to this, but here I go. I used to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s all the time and I tried to understand what Audrey Hepburn was talking about when she said she went to Tiffany’s to get over a case of the “mean reds.”
That all changed when I stepped into Liberty. I finally got it.
First opening its doors in 1875, Liberty began as a shop that sold selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. In the 1920’s the shop was re-built in the Tudor style using parts from the HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan.
Today, Liberty is one of London’s smaller department stores. While the bigger and more popular Selfridges packs them in day in and day out, Liberty’s vibe is much more low-key and relaxed, but just as luxurious. A mere four floors, it manages to pack in everything from designer goods that range from handbags and apparel to bedding and furniture. Overall, it’s just a more intimate and satisfying shopping experience.
So almost every Friday we go to the pub at lunchtime. We don’t just go for a quick one either; we’re there for a few hours at least. It took me a while to get used to it, but now that I’ve been here a year, I have learned to cherish pub Fridays.
Our beloved local spot for these pub lunches is the Old Crown on New Oxford Street. (Not to be mistaken for The Crown, which is also on New Oxford Street.) The décor is best described as designer rustic. Big, heavy wooden tables are offset by dark wooden chairs. There also isn’t a lot of space, so it’s perfect for intimate gatherings.
I’m not going to lie, The Old Crown is more of a gastro pub than a watering hole. The food is classic pub fare with a bit of foodie polish. It’s also consistently tasty and serving sizes are good. I love places that don’t ask you how you want your burger done and just bring it how it should be eaten — medium. There is a good selection of beer on tap, a wine list that would please your average wine snob and a fully loaded bar.
Come by next Friday. I’ll be there eating the fish and chips accompanied by a glass of pinot grigio.
So there’s this new trend in London. It’s all about BBQ here right now. These days, each time a new restaurant opens, it seems like there’s a slab of ribs or a basket of wings on the menu.
You would think that between the chip shops, pie shops, kebab shops and pubs, that London would have all its heart attack inducing food needs covered. Turns out that it all just wasn’t enough.
As a North American, I do love my BBQ. And although I’ve never been to the American South to experience the truly authentic BBQ, I think I’ve had some good stuff during my various trips to America and even in Canada.
Of course, I was very sceptical of what London had to offer. While I am not really convinced that London chefs know what to do with BBQ, there are three places that I go to when I just need to have some slow-roasted brisket or a slab of juicy ribs.
In 1831, when Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle to begin a five-year zoological expedition, he probably did not know that he’d embarked on a trip that would fundamentally change the course of history and religious belief. It was what he learned from his journeys on the Beagle that would provide the basis for his theory of evolution.
As of November 14, the general public can re-trace Darwin’s expedition on the HMS Beagle as well as other key moments in Darwin’s life. The Natural History Museum has put together a large collection of live exhibits, short films, letters and publications that are met to showcase Darwin's life while conveying the impact of his work on how we see the world today.
From November 14, 2008 to April 2009 at the Natural History Museum.