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  • 101 things to do before you leave London

  • By Time Out editors


  • SOMERSET HOUSE_crop.jpg
    Ice-skate at Somerset House

    86 Watch contemporary dance
    At the stunning Laban centre. Or just stand and admire this incredible Herzog & de Meuron-designed building from the outside.
    Laban, Creekside, SE8 (020 8691 8600/www.laban.org). Deptford rail/Deptford Bridge DLR.

    87 Get fitted for a Rigby & Peller bra
    Corsetières to the Queen, they claim that 80 per cent of women are wearing the wrong size.
    Rigby & Peller, 22a Conduit St, W1 (0845 076 5545/ www.rigbyandpeller.com). Oxford Circus tube.

    88 Order a superior kebab on Green Lanes
    Forget those post-pub nasties: kebabs from the Turkish cafés and restaurants on this Manor House-Turnpike Lane stretch are a class apart. Read more on London's best kebabs.
    Antepliler, 46 Grand Parade, Green Lanes, N4 (020 8802 5588). Manor House tube.
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    89 Do the seasons at Somerset House
    Go to a courtyard concert in the summer, skate on the ice rink in the winter.
    Somerset House, Strand, WC2 (020 7845 4600/ www.somerset-house.org.uk). Waterloo or Charing Cross tube/rail or Temple tube.

    90 Visit an eco-eatery
    London’s restaurateurs are busy jumping on the green bandwagon with everything from hydro electric power to in-house composting. Find out which eatery was voted 'Best Sustainable Restaurant' in our 'Eating & Drinking Awards'.

    91 Smash up cars
    No, we’re not talking about descending on the car park with a set of keys and a baseball bat. On Sundays, Wimbledon Stadium offers the chance to race bangers around its track. If you’re not keen on actually doing the driving, then you can just sit back and relax while the experts smash their vehicles to pieces.
    Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane, SW17 0BL, 01252 322 920/ www.spedeworth.net). Tooting Broadway tube/Earlsfield rail/44, 270, 272 bus.

    92 Dine in the dark
    Billed as a ‘sensory culinary experience’, this offbeat eatery requires diners to chow down in the dark. Modelled on the successful Paris venture of the same name, Dans le Noir has proved a hit with Londoners – just make sure you don’t forget your napkin!
    Dans le Noir, 3031 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU (020 7253 1100/ www.danslenoir.com/london). Farringdon tube/rail.

    93 Discover London’s city farms
    London has a whopping 17 city farms overseen by the Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens. Visit Bella the saddleback pig at Hackney or the riotous goats down on the Surrey Docks Farm. More info here

    94 Get a table at the Ivy
    If you’re not an A-lister don’t despair! Call the automated service and listen out for the option ‘for today’s lunch availability, dial 3’. As every luvvie knows, lunch is the only way to do the Ivy.
    The Ivy, 1 West Street, WC2 (020 7836 4751/www.the-ivy.co.uk). Leicester Square tube.

    95 Visit Hawksmoor’s six churches
    St George Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury Way, WC1A 2HR (020 7405 3044/ www.stgeorgesbloomsbury.org.uk). Tottenham Court Rd/Holborn/Russell Square tube.
    St Alfege Greenwich, Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9 BJ (www.stalfege.org). Cutty Sark DLR or Greenwich DLR/rail.
    St Anne Limehouse, 5 Newell Street, E14 7HP (020 7987 1502). Westferry/Limehouse DLR.
    St George in the East, Cannon Street Road, E1 0BH (020 7481 1345/ www.stgite.org.uk). Shadwell tube/DLR.
    St Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street, EC3 (020 7626 9701). Bank tube or Cannon St tube/rail.
    Christ Church Spitalfields, Commercial Street, E1 6LY (020 7247 7202/ www.christchurchspitalfields.org.uk). Liverpool St tube/rail.

    96 Be a nosy neighbour at Open House London
    An annual event held around mid September that gives architectural lovers free access to over 500 fascinating buildings all over the capital. An essential experience for the born snooper; see www.openhouselondon.org for exact dates and locations.

    97 Get a walk-in backrub
    For a quick stress-busting session, drop-in on one of the quick-stop massage stations run by Walk-In-Backrub (www.walkinbackrub.co.uk). The convenience factor is high: you don’t even need to take your clothes off or lie down, as the treatments take place on ergonomic leather chairs. You’ll find branches wherever serious shopping goes on such as Covent Garden (14 Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DP, 020 7836 9111) off Carnaby Street (second floor, Kingly Court, W1B 5PW, 020 7287 9326), and in Selfridges (fourth floor, 400 Oxford Street, W1 A 1AB, 0870 837 7377).

    98 Get up early for Dawn Chorus Day
    The first public Dawn Chorus Day was held in the UK in Birmingham in 1984, but London bird lovers have taken the celebration up keenly over the past two decades. If you know your tweet from your twitter, go it alone in your local park or back garden, then feed your findings back via the official website (www.idcd.info). Otherwise set the alarm early on the designated Sunday in early May (see the website for exact dates) and head for one of the organised London events. The London Wetland Centre is a prime location – and the gathering here normally includes a group breakfast. In the past, events have also taken place at Tower Hamlets Cemetery and Roundshaw Downs Local Nature Reserve. So grab your binoculars and head for the birds in the bushes – you can always go back to bed afterwards.

    99 Experience Matter’s ‘bodykinetic’ dancefloor
    Ravers across the capital breathed a sigh of relief when Matter opened its doors in autumn 2008. After a raft of closures, this ‘Son of Fabric’ venue is injecting new life into clubland with its state-of-the-art ‘bodykinetic’ dancefloor. Translated into plain English that means it’s got huge speakers under the floor which send waves of bass running up your spine. Hear it, see it, feel it.
    Matter, Peninsula Square, SE10 OAX (020 7549 6686/ www.matterlondon.com). North Greenwich tube.

    100 Get your mitts on the latest Apple gadget
    The Apple store is a glass-stained mecca to Mac design. All that shiny chrome and cool white looks so good that after a minute or two your palms will be sweating with the urge to reach into your pockets and drop a month’s salary on an iPhone or any other piece of Apple wizardry.
    Apple Store, 235 Regent Street, W1B 2EL (020 7153 9000/www.apple.com). Oxford Circus tube.

    101 Detox at London’s first raw food restaurant
    It might all sound a bit LA, but Saf is the capital’s first raw food hotspot. Not only, is most of the food uncooked (some items are heated to a mere 48 degrees), but it’s also meat-free. Chefs use flair and imagination to crafty original delights that taste much better than they sound, honestly. As the sign outside proclaims; ‘Let food be your medicine’. Quite.
    Saf 152-154 Curtain Rd, Shoreditch, EC2A 3AT (020 7613 0007/ www.safrestaurant.co.uk). Old St tube.

    Done everything? See 101 more things to do before you leave London, or check out Time Out's fantastic '1000 Things to do in London' guide for endless inspiration.






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34 comments

  1. Posted by Jon B on 29 Jun 2009 08:21

    Yes, 62 Buy Japanese food in Brent
    Oriental City, 399 Edgware Rd, NW9 (020 8200 0009). Colindale tube.
    It's been closed for ages. Flats are going to be built on the site. (The owners charged too much rent and so Oriental City said, "see ya!" and now the recession hit and the site is dead as a....site with no building going on)

  2. Posted by Myra on 15 Jun 2009 15:11

    #62 needs to be taken down, Oriental City has been boarded up as there are plans for the site to be developed into housing.

  3. Posted by Peter Tran on 22 May 2009 04:00

    Thank you Ryan for your recommendation:
    "Posted by Ryan on 11 Jan 2009 13:45"
    I would do the same when i be there

  4. Posted by Lisa on 14 May 2009 13:11

    Erm. Number 7 is a marathon, not a pleasant stroll around night-time London. It is a great event, i have participated twice, but tell it like it is.

  5. Posted by alfie on 08 Mar 2009 19:04

    i love my boots

  6. Posted by father jack hackett on 01 Mar 2009 20:18

    are those my feet?

  7. Posted by alfie on 01 Mar 2009 19:58

    take off them gloves

  8. Posted by seamus on 24 Feb 2009 16:09

    if you are ever in london you have go to clubbing in hevane nighclkub on monday night its the best thing if you are straight or gay.

  9. Posted by jake hoddy on 19 Feb 2009 11:12

    I'm a journalist, and this was extremely helpful. Thanks a bunch!!

  10. Posted by Ryan on 11 Jan 2009 13:45

    Here are some of my own:
    Star gazing at a movie premiere in Leceister square
    Tour the National gallery
    Eat in Chinatown
    Tour Buckingham palace
    Watch a game of tennis at Wimbledon
    Watch a game of rugby at twickenham
    Watch an event at wembley
    Watch a game of soccer
    Watch a game of cricket at lords
    Tour the tate britain
    Tour the tate modern
    Tour the british museum
    Sunbathe in Hyde Park
    Take photos of piccadilly circus
    Tour the london aquarium
    See a show at the theatre
    Buy tshirts and donuts from Camden markets
    Afternoon tea at the ritz
    Sherlock holmes museum
    Tour Westminster Abbey
    Check out spitalfield markets
    Take boat sightseeing tour
    Take bus sightseeing tour

  11. Posted by Julie on 17 Sep 2008 20:24

    Sir John Sloane Museum is an absolute must - compbined with sitting in Lincoln Inn Fields opposite and enjoying the island of peace in the middle of the city.

  12. Posted by Coachlydia on 11 Aug 2008 11:32

    Great tips and fun too! London is such a beautiful city and there is lots to do. Thanks.
    Lydia

  13. Posted by Remains Annominous on 01 Aug 2008 12:05

    I lived in london for 7 years, on the 11th im going back and i didnt know what to do there other than visit family=]. These tips we're a great help :)

  14. Posted by Amonamos on 19 Jul 2008 09:17

    i cant wait 2 come 2 london in the hoildays i am soooooooo excited ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !.....................

  15. Posted by taufik on 13 Jul 2008 15:28

    Have been away from london for long..too long really. Miss london more than any other place in the universe!!! So much, so much to do in london. London has every thing concievable!

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