You might think the Tate Britain is the less interesting of the two London outposts: full of crusty oil paintings and pensioners on day-trips, but you’d be wrong. Not only is the building a delicious warren of interconnecting rooms, each more beautiful than the last, but it also houses a collection of pre-Raphelite works that has me in tears of awe every time I swing by.

J+A is a hidden and unpretentious café/ bar just off busy Clerkenwell Road - with outdoor seating!

I’ve always been very fond of the ICA and its maverick spirit, less so in the latter part of this decade. These days the place is magnetic. To feel this incredible and unique place for arts and expression, breathing, breathing invigoratively, is rewarding to a London dweller or/and visitor. Its incredible transformation, revived from near death by Stefan Kalmár, is felt as soon as you enter the space, it feels open and alive, with vibrant and human energy in staff and visitors; risky, independent, engaging, resounding, and topical to our times programming, which is focused on breaking barriers in imagination an intellect rather than visitor record numbers. It is a breath of fresh air and an example what London art institutions are capable of if they open themselves to welcoming in an outsider and their passionate vision. And they have the best membership in town!   

In 1936 Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists attempted to march through East London in what was an attempt at an intimidating show of strength. Like today, this area was home to a large number of ethnic and religious minorities, particularly Jews. 300,000 people came out to oppose the march and blocked the route. The battle that followed was actually between the protesters and the police who tried to clear the route so that the march could take place. Seeing that they faced a losing battle and possibly a riot Mosley called off the march. The artist Dave Binnington began this mural in 1976 to commemorate that day, and it was eventually finished in 1982. The mural and the battle of Cable Street are both perfect examples of Britain at its very best.

As a keen runner, running through Greenwich Park and on to the river side I see the Thames Barrier, which is not only the worlds second-largest movable flood barrier (after the Oosterscheldekering in the Netherlands) but is also an iconic site on what is fast becoming a recognised stretch for developers including the 02 and Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication.