What a bloody amazing spot! Any fan of graffiti, hip hop, or art in general must make a stop here…read moreto soak in the absolutely stunning pieces of work. Despite not having a single artistic bone in my body, I've been a lifelong graffiti fan ever since the heyday in the 90s when subways and freeway signs back home in the States were all bombed out. I just happened to stumble upon this magical place as I was exploring the area near where I am staying in Southwark. I originally noticed it through a gated fence, and assumed it was some abandoned, desolate spot that artists have taken over. Little did I know that upon further inspection, Leake Street Arches (Tunnel) is simply massive, and extends as far as the eye can see with some of the most stunning artwork you will ever come across, and it is all perfectly legal! It totally reminds me of one of my favorite spot back in the day, the eternal, legendary 5 Pointz in Long Island City, New York (check my profile photo)! That place will forever have a special place in my heart, and thankfully, I have found its heir apparent! This 100% legal wall was made famous by a nameless world famous artist you may have heard of, and has an agreed upon paint over policy. Every time you visit, you may see something new, and at any given time, you will likely find groups of artists working on their next big piece. Of course being publicly sanctioned, they don't tolerate any tomfoolery, so there is a mutual level of respect amongst the artists. You may also witness rap battles, poetry slams, and dance offs, as if you were in the middle of filming for You Got Served or Beat Street! Built into the tunnel itself is a plethora of bars and restaurants, so you can enjoy the art and entertainment while imbibing on your favorite lager and downing some munchies. Best of all, the environment is mostly family friendly. Graffiti may have a negative reputation amongst some uninformed individuals, but a quick visit down here with little Sally and Billy in tow can change your whole perspective of it. Travel guides will rarely if ever mention Leake Street Arches as a must see attraction, but in my book, it would be a big mistake if you miss out. It is unequivocably the highlight of my stay in London.

A great place to escape the sun. New views everyday. A place to get coffee and maybe souvenirs but…read moreit was a nice reprice for our teenagers as we waited for a ur ride out of the city. If you need a cute photo for your London experience this is it

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 !

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.

Great little trendy neighborhood thats walkable from the British Museum. It also houses the Seven…read moreDials Market, which is a very trendy food hall in an open mezzanine, so be prepared for dense crowds at night! It's a fairly quick stroll though the area, the layout splits out into several different streets from the center, begging you to explore its streets and shops, specialty stores, and boutiques! It was fun to walk around and browse through all the shops: you could spend all the in the area as there are other markets very close by! Other points of interest include Neal's yard and Covent Garden, Jubilee Market, and the British Transport Museum!

Oh my goodness, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this place! We stumbled across it by…read moreaccident on our first night in London and fell in love immediately. We always fall in love with food markets, but this place has it's own really unique cool vibe. The food options are endless and incredible. It's always packed, but still easy to find a table. I love being able to order a little something from numerous vendors to complete your meal. We visited and ate here 3 times during our six days in London. We couldn't stop going back. Highly recommend it! I can't remember the names of the vendors we ordered food from, but I'm sharing pictures. It was all outstanding. Can't wait to go back!

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

Tip: I recommend riding the tube to get here. Piccadilly Circus tube station is conveniently…read moreunderground and it's affordable. Piccadilly Circus was an area that I frequented a lot during my visit to London in December 2013. It is a touristy place. I liked it for a number of reasons. Piccadilly Circus tub station is under Piccadilly Circus. I took the underground to get to this touristy site. It was a cheap, efficient means to get to and from the area. The area feels like Times Square (New York), or Yonge and Dundas (Toronto) with brightly lit screens and signs. You then realize that Piccadilly Circus established illuminated, giant advertisements since the early 20th century. What's special about Piccadilly Circus is that it's a junction where Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street, and Glasshouse Street meet. Circus in the name doesn't mean seeing clowns and acrobats. Rather, it means a circle or roundabout. It makes sense when you see the statue of Anteros, which is also known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It gives you a good look at how the streets comprise this junction. Piccadilly Circus is close to these touristy spots: - M&M's World - Chinatown - Soho - Theatre district - Oxford Street (shopping) - Hop-on, hop-off stops Gone are these places that I enjoyed visiting: - Ripley's Believe It or Not - Angus Steak House I'm an M&M's fan, so I visited this place three times. I loved it so much! Shopping was great. You can find everything from phone accessories (I still travel with a USB cable with three different charging tips that I bought in London) to weed edibles. I liked the eclectic variety that was eye-opening at the time. I remember that there was a small winter fair at a park that I had visited nearby. I don't remember the name of the park or the fair. What I do remember is enjoying banoffee fudge for the first time. So good! It was fun being in this area. I'd love to go back and see how things have changed. If you've never been to Piccadilly Circus before, I recommend going at least once. (44)

Right in the hub of the city where you're pretty much close to everything. There's a tub station…read morethat has a stop. Right when you walk up, it's like coming out to time square but instead you're in London. The lights and shops make the experiences more fun. You're pretty much near Chinatown, theatre district, Oxford Street, new bond street where amazing shopping is. Also the hop on hop off bus stop here. As it's one of the tourist spot, you have your usual tourist places for food and shopping. Loads of souvenirs stalls everywhere. It was nice to be here for the holidays as the places tends to be covered in holidays lights and decorations. When they say it gets busy, they were not lying. It was beautiful walking around and just taking it in. Compared to the last time I was here, the holidays just makes it more cozy but freezing for an Angeleno. Traffic is busy so be cautious when you're crossing the street. Cars were pretty much all over the place. We tended to just followed everyone whenever we crossed the road. You can't come to London and not check this place out. Even though I've been loads of times, it's still always a must stop for me.

Well, well, well... London's Chinatown was just a six minute walk from our hotel, and it ended up…read morebeing one of the most visually dramatic and densely packed Chinatowns we've ever visited. The streets were incredibly lively, filled with people, and lined with restaurant after restaurant. Everywhere we looked, the food looked so tempting and delicious that it was hard to decide where to eat. We ended up having dinner here one night and loved the vibrant atmosphere. By the time we arrived, we had been eating our way around London from early morning until late at night, so we were already completely full. Otherwise, we definitely would have tried even more of the restaurants. If you're visiting London, I highly recommend taking a stroll through Chinatown. Even if you're not hungry, it's worth experiencing the energy, sights, and incredible selection of restaurants, you won't regret it. ^^,

I love going to Chinatown whether it's in Singapore or New York. First time in London and there's…read moreso much to see. I do enjoy seeing the Chinese decor as well as all the shops and restaurants.

The view from the Royal Observatory made it worth climbing the hill. The Prime Meridian is a brass…read moreband in the pavement showing the divider between the eastern and western hemispheres. To see the line up close requires paying an admission fee of about 20 pounds to get into the observatory. We didn't pay the 20 pounds and didn't get our photos taken with one foot in each hemisphere. But the view from just outside the observatory was amazing.

This is where the world gets the correct time from, everywhere sets their time from this post!…read moreThe prime meridian is a line of longitude defined a 0 . You can literally be standing in two different hemispheres, East and west. Definitely a tourist stop, great for photos. It was so much fun,

Visiting from Portland, OR where craft beer is embedded in our culture, this is a great place to go…read morefor a pint or two and see what else the world has to offer.

Really great service in this beer Tardis, the staff are knowledgeable and very accommodating. There…read moreis plenty of room for standing (outside) and some additional seating upstairs. With a great selection of beers it's a popular spot for fans of hops and such, but for the non beer drinkers like myself there isn't a whole lot. I will say though, that I was given lots of advice and suggestions, and the barman went and dug something or from the cellar especially for me, amazing! The only downside here is that the bathroom is down a tricky staircase, and when it's cold outside you might not want to stay for long. But definitely come for one, and try it out because it's super cute :)

Love it. The Tower Bridge experience is great. The ticket can be bought close to the tower bottom…read more To get to the top of the tower, you have a chance to take the elevator or climb to the top of tower. We took the elevator to the mid tower for some of the displays. Then took another elevator to the top of cross bridge. The cross bridge is the cross over to the other tower. The cross bridge has the glass bottom deck that able you to look down to the traffic bridge below. The ticket also includes the engine room visit for the bascule bridge. The entire visit last an hour to 1.5 hours. We love the experience.

London has some famous bridges, and while you might guess that London Bridge is the one to visit,…read moreTower Bridge is the actual crown jewel of the Thames (bridgewise, anyway). It's a beautiful bridge, built near the Tower of London in the late 19th Century, with storybook towers trimmed in storybook blue. A pair of bascules in the middle opens up to let tall boats pass through, a wonderful sight. The bridge is easily admired from afar, but you can also go inside and explore the towers and traverse the upper walkway between them. We took our kids on a hot day last month when we wanted a short excursion, and despite the sweltering July heat, we all had a great time. Tickets were reasonably priced and readily available for same-day booking. The entrance was close to Tower Hill station, and there was no wait or any kind of hassle to get in. It was very hot in the towers, but there were enormous fans that kept things tolerable and also entertained my fan-obsessed three-year-old. The place was set up like a little museum, with a lot of interesting information on display. The main attraction was that elevated walkway, high above the cars and other pedestrians, connecting the tops of the two towers. There was a glass floor in the middle of the walkway, and we got lucky and caught the bascules in action, opening for a big boat. My boys kneeled on the floor and more or less planted their faces on the glass. They were absolutely thrilled. We crossed the bridge again the usual way and took a look around the engine rooms and the gift shop, the latter of which is open to the public. The engine rooms were cool, and my kids loved the gift shop, where my six-year-old got a Christmas ornament and a magnet and my three-year-old got a giant Tower Bridge lollipop. We finished our outing with a walk to London Bridge, where we hopped on a double-decker bus back to our hotel. (Our kids couldn't believe the front row of the top level was empty when the bus was otherwise full. Such luck seeing the bascules open, then the best seats on the bus! My husband and I were the only ones who noticed that we were being baked alive.) Everything about this afternoon was exciting for our boys, and even I, a low-energy 40-year-old mom, really enjoyed Tower Bridge.