The Big Smoke

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Going out
www.londonarchitecturediary.com
Listing the vast range of events related to our ever-changing built environment, the London Architecture Diary is run by a small team with exhibitions and debates run by the likes of RIBA.
Check out Each month a guest editor is invited to give his or her input on the recommendations – past editors have included Alain de Botton, Tom Dyckhoff and journalist Henrietta Thompson.

www.gingerbeer.co.uk
This vibrant guide to lesbian London lists everything from bars and clubs to committee events and book launches – as well as a smattering of explicit sex tips. And, to ease any fears that you’re ‘the only gay in the village’, there’s a map of the capital’s ‘Gaybourhoods’.
Check out Have a gander at ‘Cleavage Of The Month’. Just, you know, because.

www.untoldlondon.org.uk
This site seeks to ‘discover the history of London’s diverse communities’. What’s impressive is the level to which it delves into local archives and communities, away from the big institutions and exhibitions, to document the past of the capital’s ethnic and cultural groups – so you’ll find a multimedia record of the Greek Cypriot immigrant community next to a profile of Jimmy Peters, the black Greenwich orphan who went on to play rugby union for England.
Check out The huge, and unique, archives.
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www.scene-out.com
An online community of London’s gay clubbers, fronted by cute cartoon characters representing the city’s queer tribes (think Lego meets lumberjack). You’ll find news, listings, and photos of previous nights’ debauchery, plus users’ reviews that also cover music and theatre.
Check out If you’re looking for something going on in London that you can’t find anywhere else you’ll almost certainly be able to hunt it down through the scene-out.com forums.

www.walkit.com/london
With the aim of getting more of us to walk around London, this site boasts a nifty set of tools to encourage even the laziest city-dwellers. The key feature is bespoke maps – simply enter start and end points for your journey and the site will give you full directions and an estimate of how long the walk will take (depending on whether you’re shuffling slowly or power walking). You can even customise the route to avoid busy streets.
Check out Learn how many calories you’ll burn – a great motivation after a large lunch.

www.dirtydirtydancing.com
This slick site showcases the photography of Alistair Allen, who spends his nights on the tiles at some of London’s hippest club nights. Boombox, Trailer Trash, Smash and Grab, and others are all extensively documented.
Check out Thanks to the circles he mixes in, Allen is also on the list for plenty of fashion designers' parties, making this is the first place to come if you’re looking to find out what the extroverts are wearing after dark.

www.london-city-churches.org.uk
‘Going out’ in London doesn’t have to involve hedonistic excess – and perhaps this site can provide a welcome change of pace. As its name suggests, this is a guide to City churches – some of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in Europe. So rather than a trip to the obvious St Paul’s, you can hunt out St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe or St Sepulchre-without-Newgate.
Check out The location map of all 47 churches (and nine tours), which will help plan your day’s visits.

www.hidden-london.com
A website, with associated print book, dedicated to the little-known corners of London – from Abbey Wood to Yeading (so far there isn’t a listing under the letter Z).
Check out The ‘Recommended’ section, which includes south-west London’s ‘Korea Town’, Croydon’s beautiful residential gardens and the architectural follies of EG Trobridge up in the north-west.

www.londonisfree.com
A recent addition, possibly capitalising on the famous but now sadly departed www.LondonFreeList.com. There are listings of exhibitions, events and activities that cost nothing, and it’s strong on finding live radio and TV recordings.
Check out The family events section – particularly useful when holiday time comes round again.

www.run-riot.com
This blog-style guide is excellent for hunting out alternative events. It grew from an informal text-only bulletin and is popular with London’s creative types.
Check out The noticeboard has call-outs for everything from stewards and arts industry jobs, to invitations to compete in an alternative beauty pageant.

Blogs | History | Going out | Shopping and services | Communities