We’re going to move it on up a little North of our Shopping Spree bundle today to some charming residential neighborhoods of London.

Hop the Tube to Regent’s Park Underground station (Bakerloo line).  From here, we’re going to walk into, surprise, surprise…Regent’s Park!  Explore this vast park to your heart’s content—if you haven’t had breakfast yet, you can grab a bite at either the Boathouse or Garden Cafes, and do stroll through Queen Mary’s Rose Garden, the largest of its kind in London.  You will notice the Open Air Theatre as well, which runs performances from May through September, and in the Northern part of the park, you’ll find the zoo!

If you’ve had enough fresh air and are itching for a museum of sorts, just off the lower West corner of the park (near the Baker Street Tube) are the famous Madame Tussaud’s wax museum as well as the Sherlock Holmes museum.

From here, you can walk into Marylebone and acquaint yourself with this neighborhood and either go on foot or catch the Tube at Baker Street or Marylebone Underground stations to St. John’s Wood.  This upscale residential neighborhood is home to Paul McCartney and Abbey Road Studios (yes, you can even walk on the famous zebra stripe across Abbey Road as the Beatles did for the album cover of same name).  Sports enthusiasts will also find the Lord’s cricket pitch here where the Marylebone Cricket Club plays its matches.

If you follow St. John’s Road toward the West and hang a left onto Maida Vale, you will then gain exposure to yet another delightful and peaceful area—Maida Vale.  Here you’ll find the road made famous by Duffy’s song, “Warwick Avenue,” but of most aesthetic interest is Little Venice, so named because of its canals and boats.  This is such a fun spot for cafes and pubs, so this might be a good time to stop for lunch or even early dinner, depending on how your day’s been going.

Otherwise, if you hold out for dinner and are open to spicy international food, I absolutely recommend heading down the Maida Vale street, which will eventually become Edgware Road.  Here you will find a row of restaurants representing a range of Middle Eastern cuisine for very reasonable prices and can even treat yourself to a shisha and mint tea (hookah) after dinner out on the sidewalk.

The rest of the evening is up to you…if you’re a Paddington Bear fan, one little sidetrack you could make is to see Paddington Station where this little bear from Darkest Peru was discovered.  Otherwise, maybe go get some rest after this long, fun day!