Sometimes when I wake up it feels like I am at sea watching a big ocean liner pass by. It is the view from my home in one of the two stepped concrete apartment blocks that make up the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury. When you visit skip the chain stores of the shopping centre below (except for the excellent Renoir Cinema) and instead get an invitation to one of the small but gorgeous flats with their winter gardens or just wander through the spectacular concrete A frames and across the vast sun drenched terraces on podium level.

East London shop where you can find nice pieces from independent artists, nice presents or home decoration.

The second coffee shop has to be Kaffeine. Having only recently come across this one, I was certainly impressed and they may even have the best coffee I've had, since a short stay in Portland, Oregon.

Proper old school boozer in Rotherhithe with a deck overlooking the Thames

Bordering the west side of Victoria Park, Regent's Canal serves as a pleasant walking or riding track, particularly on weekends when it's at it's quietest.