London Things to Do

The Olympic Torch’s arrival in and journey around the UK leading up to the 2012 Olympics is not only symbolic of peace, unity, and friendship but is a way for millions to be involved in the Games, especially those of us not lucky enough to get tickets or talented enough to actually be competing.

The first weekend in June promises to be a very special one as the country celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Harrods Department Store, in Knightsbridge, opened in 1849 when Charles Harrod had a grocery store here on Brompton Road. Harrods has grown to have 330 departments selling luxury goods over seven floors. Its motto is “All Things for All People” which sums up the store pretty well: you can get anything you want at Harrods and carry it away in one of their famous green shopping bags, or buy one of their long-lasting branded totes.

Londoners love a curry, and the place to go for a really good curry is Brick Lane in the East End. This narrow street is lined by curry houses serving traditional foods from Bangladesh and India. On any normal night of the week it’s impossible to walk down the street without being offered free drinks and specials by the hosts standing outside restaurants as they vie for customers. It gives the place quite a carnival feel all year, but for one week in May the festivities really unleash for the Brick Lane Curry Festival.

With such wonderful parks dotted all over this huge city, one of the best things to do on a sunny day in London is pack a picnic basket and head onto that green grass with the squirrels and pigeons as company. Many of London’s original food markets have now become more about antiques, bric-a-brac and cheap clothes, DVDs and souvenirs but some continue to thrive and farmers’ markets have sprung up to fill the gaps.

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Just beyond the financial center of London lies the East End. Once home to all sorts of criminal shenanigans, these days the area is full of artists, cafes, galleries and very interesting little streets and markets. One of these is Columbia Road.

London is so bursting with history it’s impossible to get a grip on it all. What this means is that new old things come to light all the time (if you know what I mean). One of these is Strawberry Hill House.

In 2002, a charitable trust was established to restore this at risk 18th century Gothic Revival house. Since then, the house has been undergoing a £9 million repair and restoration programme and recently reopened to visitors. The house is not huge but it is eccentric and fascinating.

On February 6, 1952 King George VI died (the king featured in the film The King’s Speech) and his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, became Queen. 60 years later we are celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.

On June 3rd there will be a flotilla of a thousand boats sailing along the River Thames. A new state barge, the Gloriana, will transport the Royal Family and will be rowed by former Olympic rower, Sir Steve Redgrave who will join 17 of the Queen’s oarsmen. It will be decorated with £4,000 of gold leaf and its design is based on a Viking craft and resembles the boat used by the Lord Mayor in the early 1800s. The Lord Mayor’s Show used to take place on the river which is why we have “floats” in processions!

Every traveler knows that the best places to get answers about anything is a local! We’ve invited some of our local expert guides to give us their insider information on what to do in their city. Who better to get advice about London from than a true Londoner!