I can't pass without dropping in, Orcs Nest is a small independent boardgame, D&D etc store that's been around forever(1987)... and has the best logo. Good selection of games for younger kids too.

I go to the Heath every weekend (often via the wonderful Waterlow Park which skirts Highgate Cemetery) and during the week too if I’m working from home; it helps to put things in perspective when I’m thinking about my work. It’s great in the summer for obvious reasons but I love it the most in autumn and on those rare days it snows so much London grinds to a halt (which doesn’t take much). Everyone heads up there to make giant snowballs/cats/creatures and surf down Parliament Hill on anything they can get their hands on. Grown ups turn into kids for the day. My husband and I made this snow yeti last year, it was sad to leave him behind but he soon made friends and even made it into the Camden New Journal.

An independent cinema in the heart of Kensal rise.

Looking for books on Sound Art, Photography, Art or Cultural Theory? Then Conor Donlon's bookshop is the place to go. Supplying printed matter for a variety of tastes this delightful shop has a lot to offer. Ranging from fanzines and fashion magazines to books on underground culture, artists writings and sheer bizarre booklets on uncommon sexual practices, this engaging shop has something for everyone. Conor also deals in rare and out of print books and John Waters is a frequent customer. If you come soon you might just be in time to pick up one of John Waters signed copies of: 'Role Models'.

As preposterous as this sounds I think there are few ills that can’t be cured by sitting lazily on a stack of rugs in Liberty and allowing the patterns to wash over you in a warm, and slightly itchy, haze. If you don’t believe me try it. The second you step off the main shopping area the sound and lights dim, the rugs beg to be touched, and all your worries seem to disappear.