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You smell that? A subtle aroma, tickling your nostrils like a velvet handkerchief? That, my friends, is the heady bouquet of excitement.
Time Out is on the streets. I repeat: your favourite magazine is out there, at large, in London. If you haven’t already picked one up I strongly urge you to get out there and track one down. Because this issue’s a doozy.
Long story short: London is reopening and this issue is all that stands between you and a punishing tidal wave of FOMO. We’ve included everything you need to get the most out of May. Honestly, if you read this issue, you will have a great May. It’s unavoidable. Outdoor restaurants, new openings, brilliant art, seaside towns. On top of that, we’ve got electrifying features about London’s post-pandemic future, and a profile of what we’re calling the Time Out Future Makers: individuals working to make the capital a more progressive, fairer and generally more creative and better place.
Check the bottom of this post for information on how to find this issue.
Why not enjoy my over-long, self-indulgent editor’s letter as a treat?
For some Londoners, this year has been about extremes. Our hospitals and schools have served as backdrops to innumerable tragedies and stories of heroism. For most of us, however, the pandemic will be associated with a quiet sadness. Yes, we joked about being bored. But in fact, we were sad. Sad that a year’s worth of life, of potential friendships, mistakes, memories and romance simply did not happen. It’s like we’ve been in bed for a year. Some of us literally have been in bed for a year.
So, this year was about all the things that didn’t happen, more than things that did. And do you know who wastes time dwelling on stuff that doesn’t happen? Jazz critics. And you’re not a jazz critic, so let’s just chalk it up as a loss and move on. The only takeaway for me was having it confirmed in my mind that Londoners are, 100 percent, without a doubt, social animals. Being around people is restorative. More than that, even; socialising is up there with air, water and sriracha hot sauce in terms of things my fellow citizens need to live.
As a result, we filled this issue’s features section with Londoners. Because it’s not the pubs you’ve missed, but the people in them. See you out there, friend. You made it.
Where to find this week's mag
📍 Tuesday April 27
7-10 am
Wimbledon
Brixton
Clapham Common
Walthamstow Central
Finsbury Park
Highbury & Islington
Camden Town
Kentish Town
Warren Street
Barons Court
12-3 pm
Waterloo
Camden Town
Covent Garden
Leicester Square
Victoria (Cardinal Place)
3.30-6.30 pm
Oxford Circus
Bond Street
Tottenham Court Road
Charing Cross/Embankment
Waterloo
Notting Hill Gate
Westfields Shepherds Bush
📍 Wednesday April 28
7-10 am
West Hampstead Station
Finchely Road ( outside waitrose)
St John Wood Station
Queens Park
11 am-3 pm
Ealing Broadway
Wimbledon
Brixton
Putney High Street
Shoreditch High Street
Hampstead High Street
Muswell Hill
Crouch End
11.30 am-3.30 pm
Hammersmith Broadway
Fulham Broadway
3.30-6.30 pm
Oxford Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Covent Garden
You'll also find it in selected Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and Asda stores. Plus, a lucky few will get a magazine straight to your door!