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Page 8 London Explorer Spring 2012

Travel London

New App rewards London WalkersBy Mark Halper

New billboards at London bus stops might make you think twice before climbing aboardand clogging up the transit sys-tem. They’ll read “re:route,”and they’re aimed at gettingyou to do just that: To get toyour destination through somehealthier or more environmen-tally friendly means, like walk-

ing or cycling.It’s part of a scheme fromAmerican company Recycle-

bank, which has developed a

mobile phone app that showsyou alternative means of pro-

pelling yourself from, say, Pica-dilly Circus to the Olympicstadium. Not only does it in-struct you, but it also rewardsyou: Use the system, and youcollect points redeemable atvarious health clubs.

It also shows you how manycalories you burned, and howmuch CO2 emissions you

saved by not using a bus.“It motivates people and re-wards them for walking and cy-cling in London,” Recyclebank

director of marketing RobCrumbie said.

The free app will give a youa number of options – every-thing from scrapping your jour-ney by “tube” in favor of walking, to how to walk the last

portion of a mile by disembark-ing a stop or two early.

Many people don’t realizethat it can be faster to walk thanto take the tube on many trips,

GPS alerts the system thatyou’ve completed the journeyand have earned points.

–The New York Times

By Elaine Glusac

Heathrow Airport in Londonoperates at 99 percent capacitydaily, with 13,070 takeoffs andlandings. Since it can't add ca-

pacity to ease demand duringthe Olympic Games in July andAugust, the airport authority isaiming to boost organization onthe ground.

It is building a temporary ter-minal for the 10,500 Olympicathletes and their delegations,

but spectators using Heathrowcan find shortcuts as well. Trav-elers with children should look for family-designated securityareas with wider, stroller-friendly lanes indicated bychild-oriented signage like arainbow over the metal detec-

tor.One-thousand volunteers

will be on hand–dressed in pink uniforms– to help navigate the

airport.Also, consider taking the

Heathrow Express train rather than the Underground, whichmay be subject to congestiondelays during the Games.


Surviving Heathrow at the Olympics

By Alex Lane

London Underground hasnamed the 80 tube stations

where free WiFi will go live be-fore the Olympic Games in July. The service will start at Ox-ford Circus, Stratford, Liver-

pool Street, Leicester Squareand King's Cross, with most of the 80 expected to be live by theend of July.

Virgin Media and Transportfor London have set up hots potscovering ticket halls platformsand other parts of the stations,which will be free throughout

the Olympic and ParalympicGames this summer.

Gareth Powell, London Un-derground's director of strategy

and service development, said:“Our customers will soon beable to connect to the internetfor live travel information whilethey are on the move throughstations.

“Bringing a next gener ationWiFi service to one of theworld's oldest undergroundtransport network s is progress-ing as planned and the forth-coming service is testing well.”

–Rocumbu

Wifi Hotspots come to Underground

Hotspot map /Rocumbu

Plan your next trip to London

Railways

ArchesHideShoppersParadiseSee, Page 3

Lewis Clark/Geograph.org

Looking for Tea ?See Page 3

Tips for

findingtickets tothe 2012OlympicGames

See, Page 4

London Explorer

By Holly Moody/ J333



Charlotte Player /The New York Times

The Sunday flower market draws visitors to Columbia Road.

By Oliver Strand

With its picnic tables andchipped folding chairs, Tow-

path feels as if it should be in ashack on the beach, not on theground floor of a converted fac-tory in East London. Wine isserved in juice glasses, andfood is limited to bar snackslike almonds or radishes.

This is London? Not exactly. This is East

London, a sprawling areaknown for its artists and immi-grants. Neighborhoods like

Bethnal Green have long been

where a creative class could af-ford to live. Now it’s also wherethey play, shop and eat.

The side streets of East Lon-don can be as tranquil and

pleasant as parks. The area feelslight years away from centralLondon, and self-sufficient,thanks to a host of restaurants,shops, markets and hotels.

As Clarise Faria, the curator of the Loft Project, a privateclub that invites chefs to cook meals in an apartment for se-lect guests, said: “There’s noreason to go to the rest of Lon-

don.”

On a recent visit, I was browsing the shelves of house-made jams with the cookbook author Anissa Helou, whosometimes holds cookingclasses in her nearby loft, andafter we stepped outside, asilent electric car whippedaround the corner. The driver and Ms. Helou knew eachother, and as they said their hel-los under a bank of trees, I feltthat I was looking into the fu-ture, to a time when cities aregentle and everybody isfriendly.


London Explorer Spring 2012 Spring 2012 London Explorer Page 7

Railways Arches hide Shop Haven

SHOP LONDON

London Explorer

500 Somewhere Drive

740-555-7676

[email protected]

Contributers

The New York Times London Travel Guide

Rocumbu

Travel and Leisure MagazinePhotographers

Heathcliff O’Malley, Jason Ford, Hazel Thompson,Lewis Clark, Jon athan Player

Writers

Ravi Somaiya, Oliver Strand, Michelle Higgins,Mark Halper, Alex Lane, Elaine Glusac, Jennifer Collin

Discover london

By Alice Pfeiffer

A few years ago, if you wereto take a late-night walk downthe Gales Garden, a tiny alleyof arches under the railwayviaducts in the Bethnal Greenarea of London, you wouldhave come across Studio 10. Asleazy after-hours club.

Mr. Rousku is co-owner of 10 Gales (Railway Arch 10,Gales Garden Mews; 44-207-729-8416; www.10gales-lon-don.co.uk), a gallery, coffeeshop and vintage store that alsooffers haircuts for £5 ($7.80 at$1.56 to the pound). Earlier thisyear, 10 Gales took over the

space that formerly housed Stu-dio 10, one of a number of EastLondon businesses remakingthose railway arches into attrac-tive shopping destinations.

“We came across the arches purely by chance,” Mr. Rouskusaid. “We weren’t looking for something as big as what wehave now.”

Just down the road from 10Gales, in Shoreditch, is Hur-wundeki, a vintage store that inMay expanded to a second

branch under a large arch inBethnal Green (299 RailwayArches, Cambridge HeathRoad; 44-207-749-0638; hur-wundeki.com). The new space

sells vintage furniture, but alsofeatures a cafe serving organicfood. “We were looking for atotally new atmosphere,” saidKi Lee, the shop’s founder.“This is very rare in London.”

Hurwundeki isn’t the only place to move away fromShoreditch, now saturated withupscale businesses. Lisa Vandy,co-director of Arch 389 (Ment-more Terrace; 44-795-749-1644; arch389.co.uk), whichsells a mix of Victorian fire-

places e, cites a reaction againstchain stores. “People wantsmall artisans, something nottoo fancy,” she said.


Jonathan Player /The New York Times

Customers at the 10 Gales boutique in the Bethnal Green area, can get coffee or a haircut.

LondonHidesOasisoff MainRoads

By Ravi Somaiya

Nearly 10,000 Londonersgathered at Canary Wharf as

part of a movie-screening eventcalled Secret Cinema. Theywere herded onto buses, whereactors playing flight attendantstold them they would be start-ing a new life on a new planet.They were then taken to a ware-house that had been convertedto resemble the neon-lightedChinatown from the movie,

''Blade Runner.''Despite the size of these

gatherings, last month 15,000 people put on full Bedouin gear and took a train across Londonfor a screening of ''Lawrence of Arabia.'' The events appear to acult secret among Londoners.

Secret Cinema doesn't have amonopoly here on cultural

events in unexpected spaces. In2008, the theater director AdamSpreadbury-Maher was walk-ing past the Cock Tavern, a pub

nestled among shops in Kil- burn, and thought it would be agood space for drama. The nextyear, the Cock Tavern Theater was born.

Cock Tavern specializes off- beat operatic productions.Themost buzzed-about was Puc-cini's ''La Boheme.'' The opera,which became known as ''LaBoheme in a Pub,'' was so pop-ular that it was transferred tothe Soho Theatre.

– The New York Times

Secret Theatre lurks in West Side



Page 6 London Explorer Spring 2012 Spring 2012 London Explorer

By Oliver Strand

There’s a neon sign next to adingy staircase in the back cor-ner of the Ten Bells, a lively

pub opposite Spitalf ields Mar-ket in East London .

The sign won’t mean much if you’re at the Ten Bells to drink.But follow the sign and you’llfind a restaurant on the second

floor run by two talented youngchefs.

Isaac McHale (formerly of the Ledbury) and James Lowe

(formerly of St. John Bread andWine) are the star chefs. Itmight seem like an odd pair-ing – the Ledbury is a restau-rant with modernist tendencies,while St. John Bread and Wineis British cooking – but their food draws on both back-grounds.

There’s a set four-coursemenu that kicks off with a

cocktail and a round of snacks.Some entrees include

sautéed mackerel fillet with tar-ragon and shaved radish; sim-

mered potatoes and puréed lo-vage.

There’s some showing off here, but the combination of el-egant food in a relaxed settingwill win you over.

Upstairs at the Ten Bells, 84Commercial Street, Secondfloor; (44-75) 3049-2986;youngturks.co. The set dinner for two includes a cocktail and

is £39 a person without wine or tip. Open for dinner only, Tues-day to Saturday.


Ten Bells Pub recieves Five Stars

By Jennifer Conlin

With Queen Elizabeth’s Dia-mond Jubilee coming up what

better way to celebrate allthings English than to experi-

ence the most traditional of Britain’s rituals — afternoontea?

The Berkeley HotelTHE MENU Called the

Pret-A-Portea, this tea featurescookies and cakes designed toresemble that season’s “cat-walk” collection. Our menu,served the week of the springfashion collections, includedcookies in the shape of MiuMiu high heels, a Valentino

ginger clutch cake and a SoniaRykiel striped chestnut creamand almond sponge cake dress.

THE CROWD London’swealthiest come here.While

some tables were filled withfashionistas, plenty of well-dressed businessmen were vis-ible, talking between sips of tea.

THE PRICE Good value for the people-watching at £39 a

person. An extra £10 gets you aglass of Champagne.

The Berkeley Hotel, 32aWilton Place, Knightsbridge;(44-207) the-berkeley.co.uk.Tea from 1 to 6 p.m.

Blakes HotelTHE MENU Predictable

fare with all the classic sand-wiches. For tea, a rather dull se-lection of the most basic, herbal

to Earl Grey.

THE CROWD The restaurantwas hopping with a well-dressed Kensington crowd.

THE PRICE The cheapest of the group at £19 per person,£26 with a glass of Champagne,

but for good reason.Blakes Hotel, 33 Roland

Gardens; Knightsbridge; (44-207); Tea noon to 5:30 p.m.


EAt london

HotSpotsFor TeaTime Hazel Thompson/The New York Times

Customers enjoy tea at Sketch.

By Oliver Strand

BASICSThe St. Pancras Renaissance

Hotel brings majesty and styleto the fusstiest category of ac-commodations, the train stationhotel.

The hotel is really two hotelsthat share a lobby. In frontyou’ll find the Chambers, animposing edifice with arched

windows and cast-ironcolumns; it feels like a castle,with a sweeping staircase thatleads up to 38 rooms with highceilings and many architecturaldetails. In the back there is Bar-low House, a modern wing with207 bland rooms.

Rooms in the Chambers runfrom £325 to £10,000, while inBarlow House they are £199 to£285, plus tax. The division isas stark as that of a plane: FirstClass up front, Economy Plus

behind.Understandably, the photo-

genic hallways and rooms inthe Chambers get all the atten-

tion. But it’s jarring to be ledfrom the buzzing lobby with aVictorian-era glass roof into awing that has the bland feel of a high-end corporate hotel.

LOCATIONThe hotel and train station

are on the northern edge of Central London–the British Li-

brary is across the street, andBloomsbury is within walking

distance–but it’s a somewhatremote location in this sprawl-ing city.

If you plan to sight see, eator shop you will need publictransport.

THE ROOMMy £235 room was in the

monotonous beige wing thatruns along the side of the trainstation.The room itself wascomfortable if boxy, with aking-size bed facing a big flat-

screen TV.

AMENITIESThere’s tea in the lobby;

drinks and pub fare at theBooking Office (named for theticket office it once was); finedining at Gilbert Scott, and freecocktails at the Chambers Club,the private club is accessible toall guests in the Chambers andin the pricier rooms in BarlowHouse.

A spa and gym with a tiled pool are in the basement of thehistoric wing.

ROOM SERVICEThe Booking Office provides

room service. But who wants toeat in a sterile room? Especiallyif you can hop down to themagnificent restaurant itself.

BOTTOM LINERarely is a hotel so fashion-

able and so characterless at thesame time: spring for a room inthe Chambers and you couldonly be in glamorous London,

but stay in Barlow House andyou could be in any newly builthotel in the world.


Sleep LONDON

Heathcliff O’Mally/Travel and Leisure Magazine

Guest room at St Pancras Rennisance in London.

St Pancras offers Travelers Luxury

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