Is London the new New York?
For those New Yorkers who have ever had the dreadful thought - "what if I ever get sick of the city?" - the knowledge that London exists should be more than adequate consolation. London is basically an older, more refined New York. You'll get all the hustle and bustle of New York, except that the buildings are more beautiful and the people speak in fancy accents.
Just like New York, London can be broken down into neighborhoods with varying degrees of hipness, two of which are reassuringly named Soho and Chelsea. You'll need reservations at the best restaurants, you'll wait an hour to eat brunch on Saturday morning, and you'll need to weasel your way into Chiltern Firehouse (an Andre Balazs property) just like you would at Acme.
Truth be told, spending a weekend in London is a lot like spending a weekend in Manhattan, except everything is new since you're a tourist. Summer is a great time to visit because the weather is nice and the city is not very crowded, since everyone is away playing croquet at large, tangentially royal estates. If you should be invited out to the countryside, then you should stop reading here because you're obviously going to do that. If you'll be spending the weekend in the city amidst the British summer interns, then please consult my list below of city highlights. (Note: In London, neighborhoods are more spread out and cabs are quite expensive, so you'll want to minimize jumping around. I'm providing itineraries for what I consider to be the three best neighborhoods: Notting Hill, Chelsea and Mayfair).
Notting Hill: Have brunch at Granger & Co or 202 before an afternoon of shopping on Portobello Road Market. Relax afterwards with a pint at Mall Tavern, and for dinner try The Shed or current hot spot West Thirty Six. Afterwards, get drinks at Rum Kitchen.
Chelsea: Eat brunch or lunch at Bluebird (a neighborhood institution) or the Chelsea Farmer's Market, before shopping along Kings Road. Grab fish and chips at gastropub Admiral Codington and al fresco drinks at the Phene. Head to Jak's on Walton Street for dinner, and Raffles for nightlife.
Mayfair: Have lunch at Cecconi's and afternoon champagne tea at the iconic Wolseley. For dinner, go to Berner's Tavern (inside the Edition Hotel) or Pachamama. Go out to Chiltern Firehouse or, if you can find a member to take you, the Arts Club or Lulu's.
Other main attractions: Shopping at Harrods, V&A Museum, British Museum, Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, the National Gallery, Kensington Gardens & Hyde Park, Holland Park, Regent's Park.
A special thanks to Kat Kaplan for her tips and suggestions, which were instrumental to my weekend in London and this article.
