End of the affair with Blogger

It was a relationship not destined to last, This City Life has had a great time with Blogger but after a few weeks it has become clear that it isn't enough and it’s time to move on and commit to something more meaningful.

Blogger offered everything needed to get this blog off the ground, a lovely template, an easy to use dashboard and some great Google Analytic statistics. However, it doesn’t have the features needed in the long term, like a professional design or good mobile and iPad access.

WordPress was always there but in This City Life's early stages it looked like it might be too complicated, too much too soon.  The experience of Blogger has helped get over this fear and it’s time to get more serious and move on to something with better features and a future.

So This City Life will continue under its new home:

 http://thiscitylifelondon.wordpress.com

You’ll find all of the posts to date and there will be lots of new features and posts to look forward to! 

Thank you to everyone reading so far!

Snow day Sunday in the park

Snow is my second most favourite weekend weather, it will never beat those rare hot summer’s days, but it has the power to transform a city into a winter wonderland and make most of us Brits smile. 

Primrose Hill

As this weekend was the first snowfall of the winter I was pretty excited to get out for a nice long stroll.  One of the great things about London is its parks, for such a big city there are a surprising number of green spaces within easy reach.  I decided to venture out to Primrose Hill which is quite small park, well known for its view of the city and wealthy local residents. It was certainly a hot spot for sledges today and I was pretty tempted to ask someone for a go, but being on my own I thought better than releasing the inner child.

Regent's canal

I continued my stroll in the nearby Regent’s Park which I found much more enjoyable, peaceful and picturesque. One tip, DO NOT wear wellies for a long snowy walk, after a few hours I started to lose the feeling in my toes.

If you do want to stop for a hot drink and thaw out I would recommend Cachao Toy Cafe, quite cosy, nice food and always seems to attract a well-known face. 

For more photos visit my Flickr page, I got pretty camera happy thanks to yesterday’s visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum

I’m fascinated by the skill of wildlife photographers and the lengths they go to capture spectacular moments in the wild.  I was gripped by the BBC’s Frozen Planet series and so I couldn’t miss visiting the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum.

Similarly to Frozen Planet, the exhibition shows that skill and determination is definitely required to capture wildlife on the ground, underwater, in arctic conditions and the hot African plains.  The photos I liked the most varied from simply featuring my favourite animals, to being worthy of display in my imaginary warehouse apartment, to capturing a moment perfectly and, dare I say it, for being pretty cute (Tiny warm-up is a prime example).

Here are my top five photos:

·        Stack of suitors – Marcel Gubern (favourite animal)

·        Crane perfection – Stefano Unterthiner (display worthy)

·        Snow kings - Ole Jørgen Liodden (favourite animal)

·        Taking flight – Paul Goldstein (amazing moment)

·        Family tree – Paul Goldstein (amazing

       moment/cute)

The interactive kiosks were a clever way of encouraging comment and picking your favourites, but I can’t help think that a QR code and a less clunky online process would have been even better.

The exhibition closes on 11 March so get in quick and book tickets in advance.  The Natural History Museum attracts queues at the weekend but tickets provide queue jump (making the £9 even more worthwhile!).

If you’ve seen the exhibition already I’d be intrigued to know your favourite photos, so please comment below!

City eats: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel is one of those rare places which gracefully meets expectations.  I love places with history, character and an air of romance and, as a 19^th century building brought back to life after 26 years of neglect, I was not disappointed. 

For more pictures visit the hotel website gallery

Lunch in the Booking Office Restaurant provides a great opportunity to take in the building’s gothic architecture without paying the 5 star hotel bill.  Its former life as a ticket office is left open to inspection as the tables sit beneath high ceilings and the bar curves carefully around the old ticket counters.  Whilst your mind could wander about the possibility of getting on the Eurostar to Paris, you might get a bit distracted by the chill of sitting in such a large lofty room especially if it's below 10 degrees outside like it is at the moment. The food was good though and all six of us enjoyed our meals, being a fairly British menu it was perfect for a bitter winter afternoon.  For £25 per person, I thought it was pretty good value for money for the location and surroundings, although the service was a little slow for a week day lunchtime.

From Herry Lawford at Flickr

As we made a passing visit to The Gilbert Scott bar for a coffee, you definitely get a sense of the buildings restoration and atmosphere.  It would be a great option if you wanted an excuse to nose around or just a nice place to sit for a while.

I’d like to hope that my next visit will be for an overnight stay in the hotel, or a drink before setting off to Paris on a lovely weekend. We’ll see what 2012 brings...

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel website and The Observer review provide further insights if you're intrigued to know more.

Happy Chinese New Year from London

As a multi-cultural capital city, London celebrates most of the world’s great events, some of them brilliantly, some of them not so brilliantly.  I think Chinese New Year might be one of those which didn’t leave a great first impression but may be worth a second chance.

I've not written it off completely as I think we learnt a lesson in the need for more careful planning today.  Arriving after the parade from Chinatown and leaving before the fireworks in Trafalgar Square (blaming today’s arctic temperatures) might not have helped see the day’s highlights.

What we did manage was a seeing a dancing Chinese dragon, London Mayor Boris Johnson painting the dragon's eye, and a visit to Chinatown. I’m afraid the rest of the day involved hot chocolate, tea and cake, which were definitely enjoyed but not exactly planned. 

If you made a visit and there were some highlights worth visiting, please let me know.  There’s always next year!

Cocktail Hour at the London Cocktail Club

What better way to celebrate the last Friday of January and the end of pre-payday blues with a cocktail hour?  Our venue of choice, The London Cocktail Club, has a name which said there was no messing that cocktails would be their specialty.

from raymondblanc.com

There are two in town, the original on Goodge Street and the newly opened New Oxford Street.  Being a fan of trying out new things and a good rum cocktail, the “tattoo inspired British Navy Rum bar” on New Oxford Street was an easy choice.  You’ll actually find it on Shaftesbury Avenue and from the entrance you could mistake it for a basement tattoo parlour (fitting for the concept of course). 

The staff were friendly and welcoming, the bar is lively with classic tunes reminiscent of our university days.  As I hoped and expected the cocktail list was fairly extensive and not too complicated you couldn’t make a choice and worry about getting a strange concoction.  Between the four of us we tried a good few!  My favourite, the Mai Thai, is classic with a flame (the modern day cocktail umbrella), the Cup Tail with cream frosting was an interesting concoction. 

After a few cocktails the music is infectious and you definitely get into the atmosphere.  It’s a great second bar for a Friday night where you’re looking for a fun time with your friends. 

I might just have to try the original LCC for a few more well mixed cocktails...

Swing dancing and cocktails at The Candlelight Club.

The 1920s is in fashion, from this year’s spring/summer catwalks, to the much anticipated film adaptation of The Great Gatsby.  The Candlelight Club is the perfect place to relive the sophistication and glamour that’s got everyone hot under the collar. 

This clandestine pop-up cocktail bar opens up one weekend a month in a secret London location, revealed to ticket holders a few days before.  I believe it’s the same venue each time but in the spirit of the Prohibition era I’m not going to tell you...

They maintain this era’s spirit as you step through a small wooden door and around the corner a seemingly hidden candlelit room awaits.  The cocktail menu has a theme (ours resolution busting), offering six to choose from, at a reasonable £7 each.  If you’re not a cocktail fan, wine, beer and spirits are also available.  The atmosphere is set off nicely by a swing band and the glamorous outfits worn by everyone
in sight. 

If you’re intrigued about what we wore, my dress is by Rise and my sister’s is by ASOS Premium.  The accessories are by Beau Flutterby which we were really impressed with.  I’d recommend looking at their ebay store if you like feminine accessories or need something for a wedding.  They do bespoke items like my sister’s headband too.

This night is for anyone who likes a bit of glamour and the experience of another era.  Get in quick for tickets though as they sell out over a month in advance. 

For a few more pictures, visit my flickr page.