These giant spectral cylinders are great at different times of the day but my favourite time is around dusk when the buildings in the city start to light up. The Gherkin and the new Shard building are framed in the lowest ring then the shifting colours of the sky are almost split in the following ellipses.

I worked at the Barbican for several years and during that time became very fond of its architecture. One of my favourite spaces within the centre is the conservatory, a giant tropical garden in the middle of a concrete city.

NFT1 Films are well selected but if by chance what is on screen does not suit your taste then the seats are very comfortable to nap in.

Morito is a few doors down from it's well know sister restaurant Moro. This not long open tapas restaurant feels like it could be in a little back street in Barcelona. The food is great, and it has a buzzy but relaxed atmosphere. You might need to wait a little while for the table, but I promise it's worth it.

Forget Selfridges or Liberty! Fenwicks Contemporary Womenswear department has the biggest selection of Sonia Rykiel this side of Paris, amongst other great labels such as Thomsen, Dagmar, Les-Prairies-de-Paris and See by Chloe. But the best thing about it – it's quiet!