NameDot
Area CoveredLondon, UK
InterestsLocal food & drink, Architecture, Team sports, Cultural traditions, Music, Walking, trekking & hiking, Markets & shopping

Introducing Dot - your Friend at the other End!

About Me

When I moved back to London after some years abroad, I promised myself that I would live in London like a local and explore it like a foreigner. I realized how complacent we can be when we live 'at home'. Travelling is as much about exploring the world on your doorstep as it is about jetting across the world to see the Top 10 must-see sites.

I love London as a city. It is a very busy and ambitious city which means that it can be stressful and frustrating at times. But there are all sorts of tricks to enjoying the best bits and avoiding the worst! For example, I think that going by bus, if you have the time, is much more enjoyable than stuffing yourself in to a Tube. You get to see unexpected areas of the city as you rumble through the streets.

There are so many parts to London that I sometimes feel that I have landed in a new world just by travelling across town for an afternoon. Greenwich, Richmond, Brixton, Dulwich, Shoreditch, Hampstead, London Bridge.... these are just a few of my favourite areas.

I always have an eye on what's happening in town, as if building a kind of library of activities and places to visit, to make the most of any spare moment. Sometimes I drop in to the Wellcome Trust to take another look at Napoleon's toothbrush, or go to the British Library to steal another glance at the Magna Carta. I also know where you can find the best Chelsea Bun in all of London.

In my free time, I like to walk or cycle around London, window shopping, popping in to second-hand bookshops and making the most of the free art and culture that is available. In the evenings I like to see live music and explore new 'concepts' in evening entertainment. There's always something fresh happening, breaking tradition, and it changes all the time.

My personal interests are cycling, yoga and dancing. I recently started Lindy Hop classes at the 100 Club on Oxford Street. These are some of my top hang outs in London:

My 5 top places to go for a fun evening in London

1) Black Gardinier. A fantastic underground jazz club in London. You step back in time to dance and get sweaty with some outrageously entertaining musicians. You'll loose your head dancing and emerge onto the streets of Soho feeling fantastic!

2) Regents Park. Lots of people love Regents Park but what they don't know is the best place to get a snack before you go. If you go via Marylebone High Street you will have to tear yourself from the lovely food shops before you flop on the grass in Regents Park nearby.

3) Outdoor summer events. Somerset House Film evenings, Secret Cinema, Opera in Trafalgar Square... the open air events are fantastic in summer and I try to go to as many as I can.

4) 100 Club on Monday for Swing Dance Club's Lindy Hop lessons. Making any sense? If you love dancing, you must try it.

5) Life Drawing at Candid Arts Centre. You can drop in any evening to partake in some life drawing with other arty Londoners. It's a great venue with a fantastic cafe next door for tea and sticky cake afterwards.

Get in touch with me to find out what's happening in London and to make the most of your time here. I'm here to help!

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