Flightster

London’s Best Lived-In Locales

• by Jools Stone
• on October 7th, 2010
• 5 Comments

Egyptian Avenue, Highgate Cemetery

Big Ben, Schmig Ben, once you’ve visited London a  few times you’ll know your way round a policeman’s helmet, how to curtsy for the Queen and have mastered those remaining red Routemaster buses.

In the city centre, Covent Garden, Soho and Bloomsbury remain firm favourties, but it’s well worth straying further afield too. Think you’ve seen it all? Not on your Nelly!  Venture a little further from the tourist toy town and live it up a bit with the locals.

Northern Lights

The north/south divide forever defines most Londoners, just ask a cabbie if he’ll cross Tower Hill for you,  and although I’m a Southpaw myself I have to take my top hat off to the North.

Islington

Islington Dispensary, Upper Street

Easily one of the buzziest bijou areas, the rejuvenation of Tony Blair’s manor is a relatively recent thing. Go back 20 years or so and it was a pretty grimy, undesired place. These days trendy Upper Street is so up itself that it’s almost beyond parody.  None the less, when it comes to its killer combo of barlife, markets, a fantastic range and quality of eateries and independent shops, few places in capital can touch it with an Alessi cappuccino whisk.

Crouch End

Crouch End finds itself off the tube map, being  a short bus ride north of Finsbury Park. Because of this, it’s retained its villagey atmosphere very well. Organic cafes and bistros, scenester bars, record shops and upscale boutiques, plying everything from stationery to baby clothes, busy up its manageable 3 or 4 streets. The Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart has his studio in a  converted church here while Bob Dylan once called it home, as the large mural on Park Street testifies.

Highgate & Hampstead Heath

Highgate could almost be suburbia, were it not for its  proximity to Inner London and the much grubbier Archway down the road. It’s a quaint place reminiscent of England of Old, with cosy, traditional pubs like the Cricketers, a large wood and of course its big draw: Highgate Cemetry. Our answer to Pere Lechaise, here lies Karl Marx, George Eliot, Michael Faraday and others.

A few miles west, on the other branch of the Northern Line, is Hampstead.  One of the capital’s most coveted post codes, it somehow manages to feel both intimate and metropolitan. It’s hilly streets serve up some of London’s best boozers (some with impressive beer gardens) alongside many posh nosh spots and designer house and home shops. The locals here kicked up an almighty stink when McDonalds rolled into town.  Among its other charms are a wonderful arts cinema and the even cuter New End Theatre.  Then there’s Hampstead Heath, a relatively untamed expanse, perfect for picnicking and Sunday afternoon strolls.

The City Limits

There’s more to London’s Square Mile than the likes of Lord Sugar and his stockbroker belt stuffed full of giant Gherkins.  Parts can seem deserted at the weekend when the city finally sleeps, but there’s plenty of life if you know where to look.

Spittalfields Market & Brick Lane

Greenwhich, Camden, Portobello: London has a fair few markets selling much more than a bunch of apples n pears. Spittalfields, near Liverpool Street Station, is one of the best offering a wealth of quirky art, vintage clothes, antiques and truly original  bric-a-brac.

Just a short stagger away is Whitechapel, where you can follow in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper and his victims on one of the legendary walking tours. Brick Lane is nearby too.  Besides its increasingly popular market, it’s famous for its parade of Indian restaurants, one of the few places in London where you’ll find yourself touted for your curry custom.

Farringdon & Barbican

Pompidou-like Barbican structure

A little less thronged, but equally hip, is the nebulous area of Farringdon, Smithfields and Barbican. (London is so tightly packed that areas tend to blur into each other.) It’s a good bar and club zone, with other highlights including Smithfield’s Meat Market which opens (to trade customers and spectators only) at an ungodly hour, Kiwi Masterchef John Torode’s four storied Smiths of Smithfiled restaurant, the architecturally controversial Barbican Complex itself (an optimistic fusion of arts buildings, a library, colleges and social housing) and the unfailingly brilliant Museum of London.

Within easy walking distance is the city’s architectural jewel in the crown St Paul’s Cathedral, plus historic Fleet Street, once the centre of Britain’s newspaper industry. Look out for some priceless street names in this area too: Pudding Lane (where the Great Fire of London started) Mincing Lane, Crooked Usage, Ha Ha Road and even Little Britain.

If you’re thinking of booking  a stay in London you could do a  lot worse than settle on One Fine Stay. It’s a chain of 25  pretty swanky serviced abodes (branded somewhat oddly as  ’unhotels’) , including two in Islington and one in Highgate. You can learn more about their ‘live like a local’ philosophy on Weblog Travels.

I’ll leave you with  a few pics to give you a taste of how the other half of London lives, in case you care to join them one fine day.

Islington Crash Pad

One fine Westminster view

What other areas would you recommend? Share your favourite spots below.

Jools Stone

Jools Stone's blog, He Thought of Trains, chronicles the highs - and occasional lows - of traveling by train in an age of budget flights.