Hi S - hope life is treating you well and you’ve been up to many a fun thing! I’ve been feeling my London life becoming a bit flat recently, what would you suggest to liven it up (aka cool exhibits, parks, cafes - not a drinker)! Thanks so much 💗
Great question! So this year I tried to go to a new museum every month and that has been such a fun project, I really recommend. There are so many weird and wonderful places in London, I've still got loads more on my list. A few favorites: John Soane museum (ideally by their monthly candlelit tours), Eltham Palace (if I get married in London, this will be where), V&A East Storehouse (request some objects or just look around! Contemplate what a museum can and should be!), Leighton House (what is good taste anyway?), Handel and Hendrix museum (experiment in what should be a museum), and many more! Start keeping an eye out for these and you'll find London has a museum in every neighborhood, and most are well worth a visit. And get a national art pass! They're really reasonable and generally offer free or very reduced entry to these weirder museums.
I've got to plug my favorite again: World of interiors is really useful for finding out about lesser known exhibitions and museums in London. They also tell you about all kinds of art and design things going on that you might not otherwise know about. Pick up the latest issue and see what they recommend. Some things on my radar: Theater Picasso at the Tate Modern, the Garden Museum generally, Pitzhanger Manor, Dorich House.
Other museum ideas: Pick an area of a major museum that you haven't spent a lot of time in and explore. I recommend the basement of the BM, the Raphael Cartoons in the V&A, and if you haven't been in a while, the rehung National Gallery is full of interesting corners.
I'm not a park expert by any means (I don't love being outside) but going to Russel Square on a crisp, fall day and having a tea or coffee outside at Cafe Tropea while reading a book is truly a perfect day in my book. Also in that neck of the woods: the London Review cafe has reopened as a St John and I've been meaning to try it out (pairs perfectly with a trip to the BM). I also love Katsute, the Japanese cafe in my neighborhood that has now opened a few other outposts and apparently gone viral on tiktok? The crepe cakes are great, try a hojicha latte. If you haven't been to Monocle that's a good one, pair with a stop at Shreeji Newsagents for some unusual magazines.
Oh this isn't a cafe but a walk along the canals in Little Venice is really nice on a good day, there are some spectacular houses. Lamb's Conduit is a great street with interesting shops and cafes. The Inns of Court are beautiful, if you haven't wandered around there before I highly recommend.
Okay that's a random and rambling set of things, hope some of that is interesting to you!
