London calling
From bike tours and Tate Modern's 10th anniversary festival, to shopping, theatre-hopping or just chilling out, this vibrant city has much to offer all and sundry
London is big, it's cool, it rocks. Eccentric and mainstream, historic and modernistic, the ever vibrant city boggles the mind with countless choices. And with spring in the air and a favourable exchange rate, now is the time to explore some of city's fresh offerings.
See the city on wheels
This summer sees the launch of the London Cycle Hire Scheme where bicycles are available 24 hours a day throughout the year to help alleviate congestion in the Tube and on buses in London. Some 6,000 bicycles based in the nine London boroughs and several Royal Parks will be available for hire.
(www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/12444.aspx)
For a more focused experience, the Fat Tire Bike Tours London offers educational and entertaining cycling tours along the South Bank using popular cycle routes. Top London attractions are just a ride away. Highlights include St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe, Tower Bridge and Borough Market. (www.FatTireBikeToursLondon.com)
Markets and such
For shopping, food and entertainment rolled into one, the enclave of Covent Garden is always a good bet with its inviting piazza and multitude of street entertainers bolstered with diverse shops, bars and restaurants.
This year, it celebrates its 30th anniversary as a specialist shopping district so expect its trademark celebratory vibe to be several notches higher. (www.coventgardenlondonuk.com)
Gourmands will appreciate the Borough Market, which has up to 70 stalls selling fresh produce, ciders, pastries, coffees and cheeses, brought in from the countryside or imported from abroad. (www.boroughmarket.org.uk)
Modernity on show
The imposing Tate Modern, which oozes as much industrial chic as it does engaging contemporary art, turns 10 next month. Its visitor numbers attest to its immense popularity. In recent years, it has averaged about 5 million visitors annually, about half of the number that Singapore gets.
To celebrate its birthday, the museum will host a free festival, No Soul for Sale, from May 14 to May 16, when 50 international art groups will strut their avant garde works in performance, music and film. Go in September to catch the museum's much anticipated Gauguin exhibition. (www.tate.org.uk/modern)
To see art in the form of modern technology, visit the Galleries of Modern London at the Museum of London (www.museumoflondon.org.uk), which will open on May 28 after undergoing a £20 million ($42 million) renovation. A highlight will be the installation, LDN24, which will depict 24 hours of contemporary London in a 24-minute film using photography, film and statistics updated in real time. The canvas will be nine plasma screens and a suspended elliptical LED curtain.
Just for laughs
Take in a performance under the stars, no perspiration involved - it's not the tropics after all. The programme for Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park includes works from the canon of literature - The Crucible and Macbeth - but if the plays of Arthur Miller and Shakespeare are not your cup of tea, sit down for a pint of laughter instead. The line-up also covers comedy, musicals and gigs. This summer, visitors can expect laughs from improv group The Comedy Store Players and music by jazz singer Stacey Kent. (openairtheatre.org)
Finally, view the city in its glorious spring dress from the London Eye, which offers sweeping views of almost 60km of the city's most renowned landmarks in just 30 minutes. It is the UK's most popular paid attraction, visited by over 3.5 million people a year. (www.londoneye.com)
Taken from TODAY, Travel - Saturday, 17-April-2010
Source article is here: London calling
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