Five stars! It was…read moreabsolutely brilliant to have walked in the footsteps of the legendary Beatles at this crossing in the UK! Just approaching the area I was already awestruck that I was going to see this historic place of interest. I didn't realize that there's a monument slightly offset from the crossing at almost the perfect location to film. However, I do feel for the residents having to endure numerous tourists affecting traffic in the area, but hey, coming from Hawai'i, I'm for certain they are somewhat used to it. Coming from me, I do appreciate their patience for allowing me to cross twice for a nice shot recreating the cover. Thank you very much!!

One of the top items on my bucket list when planning my trip to London was walking across the…read morefamous Beatles Abbey Road crossing. Abbey Road is home to the legendary Beatles recording studios and the location of the iconic photo featured on the cover of their 11th studio album. On August 8th, 1969, at exactly 11:35 a.m., John, Paul, George, and Ringo walked across the zebra crossing in St. John's Wood--creating one of the most recognizable album covers in music history. That single image sparked countless conspiracy theories, led to the renaming of a studio, and turned Abbey Road into a pilgrimage site for Beatles fans from around the world. Everyone from Jon Bon Jovi and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Woody Harrelson and Johnny Depp has recreated the famous walk. It even has its own live webcam! The Beatles' Abbey Road crossing is located in St. John's Wood, and it's almost always busy--especially on weekends. I could definitely sense the frustration of drivers and cyclists trying to dodge enthusiastic fans like us attempting to get that perfect recreation. Honestly, I don't blame them. And if you had no idea who The Beatles were or the story behind the album, you'd probably think everyone was just acting crazy.

I love the Parkland Walk...let me refer to Wikipedia to give you a quick overview: "The Parkland…read moreWalk is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) linear green walkway, in the London Boroughs of Haringey and Islington, which follows the course of the railway line which used to run between Finsbury Park through Stroud Green, Crouch End, Highgate and Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace." This local reserve is great for walking your dog, riding your bicycle, jogging or simply going for a stroll. Living in Archway, I oftentimes use it as a means to get to Crouch End in a more "natural" fashion...really, it's beautiful to walk along and you always run into smiling, chatting people...there's something about it that makes people happy! If you wanted to experience the entire walk, I suggest you start at Finsbury Park. It will take you approximately 40-45 minutes until you get to the backside of Highgate. You will emerge by a pub called the Boogalo. Right across from it is a café called "The Quarters Café" and I recommend you stop here for a nice cup of coffee, warm soup or a home-made piece of cake. The next part is a little tricky, but eventually you will reach Queens Wood, then Highgate Wood. Afterwards, you're back on the old railway track and you're circumventing Muswell Hill and you will be able to enjoy the stunning views over London. Eventually, you'll reach Alexandra Palace and the entire London will stretch in front of you. I recommend doing this walk on a Sunday, as you can then finish off with a visit to Ally Pally Farmers Market...

The Parkland Walk is a hidden gem of North London, running from Highgate, where you can see the…read moretunnels under the station that are he to bats who use the Walk as a fly-way at night, to the open spaces of Finsbury Park, where people gather for picnics exercise and dog walking (there's also another stretch that runs from the other side of Highgate station to Alexandra Palace, which has a delightful view). The walk is an excellent way to get away from the busy streets and immerse yourself in the tree-lined pathways, as well as take in sights like the famous Spriggan sculpture and the ever-changing graffiti on the bridges. There are Nature conservations spots as well, with a new garden at the Highgate end, acid grasses which are home to slow worms, and sites of burrowing bees along the way. If you want to see another side of London, hop on to the Parkland Walk, and you'll be amazed where it can take you.

I love Camden Market so much. Every time I visit I come home with so much great stuff. Lots of…read morelocal vendors selling their wares. You can get everything from vintage clothing and jewelry to artwork and records. It's a funky, artistic, electric, bohemian market with a collection of local artisans and indie, small business entrepreneurs. It's an open air market that quite literally has something for everyone. I always seem to find the best selection of vintage Levi's.

We were so excited to revisit Camden Market. But as a Brit making my return to the UK I found this…read moreplagued by the same issue I saw across London - the loss of the unique culture and lines blurred between this and any other similar place. Gone was the mix of locals and tourists, cool music playing, great shopping and tasty food! The place was full of shops loaded with cheap, generic junk! It makes Times Square or Pier 39 look eclectic! Want a cheaply printed tee or bag you can also buy on Amazon - check! Want a 'vintage' Amy Whitehouse vinyl for 80 pounds that you can buy on eBay for $5 - check! What about a 'French taco ' aka a tortilla filled with French fries ( seriously) check!! Want to walk shoulder to shoulder to shoulder with unsuspecting tourists buying all of the above - yep they have that too!! We ended up escaping the main drag and finding a local brewery - and even that was empty and devoid of culture! The cool market; with unique finds and great street food has been replaced with a generic experience that you could find at any tourist trap and it makes me sad that areas like this are losing the very identity that set them apart !

Here Banksy rather humorously juxtaposes the cliché artist, with moustache, beret and palette,…read moreworking on a decidedly less high brow art work depicting a scribble of a huge male member. The artist is also wearing a ball and chain, with a dollar sign on the ball. I'm not sure what conclusion I'd want to draw, but I guess the piece certainly summarises the debates about Banksy himself. Art or just daubs? Pretensions of grandeur? Destroyed by money, or elevated beyond his natural position by the hype? A couple of changes have been made. The council (apparently) have partially obscured the male member, though it's still pretty clear what it's meant to represent. As for the person who's added their opinion that Banksy is a **, I don't think they've given much thought to what they are doing. Their banal addition rather demonstrates they are the one with pretensions of grandeur if they think they can comment! This is on the side of a restaurant on the junction of Shafton Road and Victoria Park Road.

I've found this piece of art yesterday night (Feb 21st 2012) by accident as I was surfing Hackney…read moreby car in search of graffiti. When I saw it I almost had no doubt it was made by Banksy, and as it took me a good hour to find this first and only painting in Hackney, I interpreted it not only as the sign of the end of free art this would be no news! but also as the end of street art. All in all this classic looking artist is not trying to paint a beauty on a canvas, but a rebel sign on a public wall, while his leg is locked with this ball with the money sign. So when I associate all this with the fact that all Hackney walls are now purified from graffiti, I'm just left with the impression that art was finally killed, both indoor and in the streets. Ciao, Nicola Principato

During my last visit I was once again impressed by the personalised service that everyone receives…read morehere. I really feel at ease when I come here and also do I enjoy being somewhat part of my local community. Today, Fabrizio was not in (after all, everyone has to have a day off, right?) and I overheard how several customers were quite disappointed because they would not be greeted by him personally! Nevertheless, Fabrizio's replacement was doing a very good job in keeping the customers happy as well. I, myself was very happy, especially with the special: homemade bread with avocado mousse an topped with generous heaping of Parma ham. Yummy!

I had the Meat Lover's pizza and it was really good. The crust is thin, not too thin. I'd…read moredefinitely go back.

In a square off Brick Lane, around Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery is an old Triumph GT6 that's…read morebeen given the Banksy treatment - painted pink with a ghost driver at the wheel. Now covered in persplex, it's looking a bit tatty but worthwhile having a look over if you're in the area for the markets etc. Edit: Recently passed by this to notice unfortunately that the ghost driver seems to have vanished & a wooden board is in his place at the drivers window...shame it's come down to that :(

As purchaser said, it is covered in plastic and looking pretty tatty, nearly hidden behind a red…read moredouble decker "rootmaster" veggie bus. There is another red car on the ground nearby, that was on a recent qype does London newsletter http://www.qype.co.uk/newsletters/649 . Not much to write home about.

There isn't much you cannot find on Holloway Road. It may be deemed by many as the poorer cousin to…read morethe more popular areas of Islington, but if you are looking for a bargain you are sure to find one here. Stretching all the way from Highbury Corner to Archway, there are so many cafes and cheap eateries you'll never be without somewhere new to try. There are high street favourites such as Argos, Morrisons, Icelands and a number of mobile phone stores. Selbys department store is another big pull to this high street. For entertainment there is a cinema, plenty of traditional pubs and many inexpensive boutique clothing stores to get you in the right threads for your night out. If you want classy, Holloway Road isn't for you, but I fancy being a bit frugal your credit card will breathe a sigh of relief if you head to N7.

Holloway Road has such an undeservedly bad reputation, particularly in the minds of the older…read moregeneration. However, a Leon C. has pointed out, there is not really anything that cannot be found on Holloway Road - from kebabs and pubs to nicer department stores to pet shops - Holloway Road does it all. And does it well. Just stay away from the lower reaches of the road whenever there is a match at the Emirates. But you already knew that, didn't you?

I am a big fan of site-specific theatre and an even bigger fan of forgotten gothic sites around…read moreLondon, especially catacombs and prisons ... The House of Detention ticks all the right boxes and I was thrilled to find out about this amazing space via the Southwark Playhouse who currently host Belt Up Theatre's Macbeth here. Whether you are a fan of Shakespeare or not, the venue alone is worth the entry fee. And the acting is actually rather good, too, and felt in keeping with how the play would have been performed originally.

Banksy's latest bit of graffiti in London. Camden Lock near…read morethe Wetherspoons

A pretty much untouched Banksy: no careful painting around it, no Perspex covering it. Someone has…read moregraffitied across the bottom, but I don't think it's done too much damage. It shows a spoof version of the royal family, and is quite unusual for a Banksy. For one thing it uses a lot more colours: he usual restricts himself to red, black and white. I also can't think of another example where he's used cartoonish characters like in this one (aside from the odd teddy of course). It was used as record cover art for Blur's Crazy Beat single, and though I did look up the lyrics, I didn't find any royal references there! While taking a picture I was approached by a guy sitting outside a building nearby. Apparently I was the fourth person that day he'd seen taking pictures and he was curious! I don't think I enlightened him any though. He seemed to have got the idea from someone else that it had been painted by an organisation called Banksy rather than one person, and he was sticking to the idea.

Almost destroyed by stupid, stupid, STUPID Hackney Council. The royal family are still there but…read moremost of the border has gone. It's on private property but because the council hadn't had a reply to their letters, and they "have a policy..." or something, they just turned up with the rollers. Blundering, ignorant, jobs-worth cretins who should stick to clearing up dog do and bending over for big developers.