On my next trip to London, which is basically now, I’m hitting The Sloane Square hotel for 123.00 pounds a night. It’s a great, great location, basically looks onto Kings Road with all its cool shops- you may even see Kate and Pippa there because this is where they shop. A it’s virtually over the Sloane Square station that will take you wherever you want to go.

the neighborhood

Which truthfully is not far. Neighborhoods in London are a it like neighborhoods in New York, they nestle you, draw you in with their long shady trees, their street cafes and near-small town appearance.  When you stay here all day it’s sometimes hard to believe how large and how varied London is.

But there is just too much going on here to stay stuck in Chelsea. First thing to do, dive into Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is both the office and London residence of Her Majesty The Queen. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today and most of us just get to stand at the black gates and gawk. But not during the months of August and September when the Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland.

Yes, the palace will open its doors from 23^rd. of July to the 3^rd. of October to allow you to get a glimpse of what life is like for the royal family. During August and September, the Palace’s nineteen staterooms are open to visitors.

The State Rooms are the heart of the working palace and are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection – paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto; sculpture by Canova, examples of Sèvres porcelain  and some of the finest English and French furniture.

The special exhibition Royal Fabergé and the display featuring The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress are included as part of a visit to the State Rooms. Apparently the queen hates that particular exhibition- not because she doesn’t like Kate, but the mannequin looks kinda creepy.

Here are just a few of the treasures on display:

Royal Fabergé
23 July – 3 October

faberge egg collection

The exhibition at the annual Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace brings together masterpieces by Carl Fabergé, from Imperial Easter Eggs and dazzling jewel-encrusted boxes to miniature carvings of favorite royal pets.  Royal Fabergé reveals the world’s finest collection of work by the great Russian goldsmith and jeweler as well as the meticulous care of the collection that has come to being from generations of Royal collectors.

Diamonds, Diamonds, Diamonds!!!
The exhibition includes an unprecedented display of a number of those inherited by Her Majesty or acquired by the Queen during her reign.  The exhibition shows how many of these extraordinary stones have undergone a number of changes, having been re-cut or incorporated into new settings during their long, royal history.

One of the finest working stables in existence, the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace provides a unique insight into the department of the Royal Household that provides transport by road for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

The Royal Mews

royal mews

The Royal Mews houses the State vehicles, both horse-drawn carriages and motor cars, used for coronations, State Visits, royal weddings, the State Opening of Parliament and official engagements.  Visitors can see the Gold State Coach which was last used during The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 to carry Her Majesty and Prince Philip to the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral.

For most of the year the stables are home to the working horses that play an important role in The Queen’s official and ceremonial duties.  They are mainly Cleveland Bays, the only British breed of carriage horse, and the Windsor greys, which by tradition always draw the carriage in which The Queen is traveling. As they may be on duty, undergoing training or having a well-deserved rest away from London, the horses are not always on view.

The Garden

buckingham palace garden tours

Every good monarch needs a garden to stroll during the good and the bad times, and this is no exception: Described as a ‘walled oasis in the middle of London’, the Palace’s garden is home to thirty different species of bird and more than 350 different wild flowers, some extremely rare. Visitors end their tour with a walk along the south side of the garden, with splendid views of the west front of the Palace and the famous lake.

If you haven’t already been, don’t miss the Victoria and Albert Museum. This is the crucible of popular culture, design, fashion, of all that we do as a global society,

The  collections spans over a thousand years of art in virtually every medium, from many parts of the world. Visitors to the museum encounter a treasure house of amazing and beautiful objects.

The Museum was established in 1852, following the enormous success of the Great Exhibition the previous year. The founding principle of the originator, Sir Henry Cole, was to make works of art available to all, to educate the working people and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Profits from the Exhibition were used to establish the Museum of Manufacturers, as it was initially known, and exhibits were purchased to form the basis of its collections.

The Museum moved to its present site in 1857 and was renamed the South Kensington Museum. Led by innovation, a high-tech gas lighting system enabled the museum to stay open until 10pm, three nights a week to attract the working man to the contemplation of art and design. In 1899, Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of the new façade and renamed the building the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the collection has continued to grow. Since 2000, the Future Plan Project has revitalized the galleries and increased access to the collections internationally and the V&A has been in a forerunner in the digitisation of the heritage sector.

Talk about a thriving, living, breathing, changing museum. Not only is the V&A the head quarters of London Design Festival, it also has exhibits as broad in range as the career of Annie Lennox and Yohji Yamamoto.

The Pub Crawl

pub crawl

Want to feel like an artist without the mental torture and writer’s cramp?  A great way to see London is the famous Pub Crawl. I mean, really, what better justification could there be to drink all day than a jaunt round ‘Fitzrovia’ following in the footsteps of the literary greats such as George Orwell, Dylan Thomas, George Bernard Shaw among others, who frequented these pubs:-
Grafton Arms: 72 Grafton Way W1
King & Queen: 1 Foley Street W1
The Hope: 15 Tottenham Street W1
One Tun, 58-60 Goodge Street W1
Northumberland Arms, 43 Goodge Street W1
Fitzroy Tavern, 16 Charlotte Street W1

All you do is buy a beer and check out this website. www.barcrawl.co.uk/pubcrawls.aspxprint and  off you go.

Finally, Nirvana’s in London.

nirvana

In Bloom: The Nirvana Nevermind Exhibition’ has been confirmed to run for two weeks from Tuesday 13th September to Sunday 25th September, and will be held at The Loading Bay Gallery, Unit 4-5, Dray Walk, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’, which is rereleased in multiple formats on 26th September, the exhibition will display an abundance of band memorabilia and other treasured artifacts.

And if you have time, there’s always Abbey Road. Or Clarence House. One is stuffy and old and was where the Queeen Mum put her stockings on and drank gin. The other, well, I wouldn’t want to be in Kurt Cobain’s head but man, of man, did he make great music. And what a place to see it.