george orwell wuz here

You see commemorative plaques all over London but the ones dedicated to authors tend to excite me the most.

Vicky

Old Queen Vic outside Buckingham Palace.

baths

Roman Baths in--surprise surprise--Bath.

sand butterfly

Sunny days spawn creativity.

crests

Royal crests at Hampton Court Palace.

strawberries and cream

Wimbledon may be long over, but you can still enjoy strawberries and cream in this lovely summer weather.

Haggerston Park

After weeks of rain and depressing cold temperatures, we finally had a hot sunny day yesterday. And, lucky me, I was scheduled to help out at a neighborhood festival in Hackney. This is what summer (ought to) look like in London.

F&M

Shopping at the stylish Fortnum & Mason.

brooding skies

Sunset light and dark skies in Hampstead.

Queen Mum and Jockey

The Queen Mother and a jockey grace a monument to the former's memory near Buckingham palace.

Music and flowers in Camden.

meat on a stick

The Tudor kitchens were my favorite part of my trip to Hampton Court Palace.

prunin'

Perfectly pruned trees line the paths in the gardens at Hampton Court Palace.

chimneys

Take a day trip to Hampton Court Palace and marvel at how many chimneys they needed to heat the place.

hey, thanks, guys

This very odd monument in Regents Park was put there by some guy in India who was just so grateful that English troops protected him during the "Mutiny."

art deco

Every once in a while, be sure to look up.

side street by clerkenwell

Took an epic walk from Bloomsbury to Hoxton the other day. This is the only picture I took.

organics

Guess where....

St. Pancras Hotel

The St. Pancras Hotel just underwent an extensive renovation project (presumably in preparation for the 2012 Olympics, like everything else in this city). The scaffolding is finally gone and it's very impressive. Apparently, you can tour the inside for £20--yeah, that's not happening any time soon.

Blacksmith?

This gentleman can be find on the column in front of Buckingham Palace. Is he a blacksmith? I like trying to work out the symbolism of statues like these without actually knowing any of the history.

laptops

Need to get some work done on your laptop? Why not head to the British Library?

Film set

Film set in Bloomsbury. Wonder what they were filming with all those suitcases.

a capella

Spontaneous a capella performance in Hay's Galleria.

hand-drawn maps

Museum of London and Londonist blog collaborated to put on this exhibition of maps hand-drawn by Londoners. Each one reveals a different side of the city or a different way of understanding a neighborhood. The trendy academics call it "psychogeography." Definitely worth a visit.

Potterheads

Potterheads had taken over Trafalgar Square last night in preparation for the world premiere of the last Harry Potter movie this evening. I do not envy them that night's sleep.

Bath bridge

A sunny holiday break in Bath.

Roast Bone Marrow

For the adventurous foodie, order the roast bone marrow salad at St John in Smithfield.

Souvenirs

The tennis is over, but you can still buy souvenirs.

P.S. Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! Wimbledon and Fourth of July always go hand-in-hand in my mind.

Final!

 

Gentlemen's singles finals at Wimbledon today. I'm rooting for Nadal.

Nadal def. Murray

Made it in to Wimbledon last night. Watched Murray lose from this spot on Murray Mount. Ate strawberries and cream and drank Pimm's. A lovely Friday night.

Theme Day: Green

The theme is color green so I couldn't resist a re-posting of this shot of Smithfield market.

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