Before I continue yammering on about Americans relocating to London, allow me to bid our fine Canadian expats a happy Canada Day!  Festivities in London are underway:  http://www.canadadaylondon.com/

And now, to conclude my brief series on where Americans like to live in London:

(This excerpt is adapted from my 17 May guest post on Anglotopia.net, a brilliant, comprehensive resource on all things UK that I highly recommend to all Anglophiles!)

St. John’s Wood

Perhaps the most blatant draw to St. John’s Wood for Americans is the American School in London (ASL).  The only American school located within the city of London itself, ASL’s American curriculum automatically attracts families relocating from the United States to provide children with continuity in their education.

Regardless if one’s child is not enrolled in ASL or one does not have children at all, the neighborhood has a ready network of Americans (the St. John’s Wood Women’s Club being one resource) and meets a high standard of living.  It is certainly one of the more expensive areas to live (Paul McCartney lives there), with a gorgeous brass-fixtured Tube station and darling cafes and shops to wander around in a safe, quiet, and family-friendly environment.

Perhaps one of the more fun features of SJW is Lord’s cricket ground, the “Home of Cricket.”  American sports enthusiasts can attend a match there and figure out first-hand whether cricket moves more slowly than baseball

(And since this post first published on Anglotopia.net, a helpful commenter added that Panzers Deli is a big draw to the neighborhood for its American foods!)

Islington

Now, this is not one of the more obvious choices for Americans, but I would be remiss not to mention Islington as a neighborhood of growing attraction.  It has an edgy, artsy feel mixed with increasing gentrification (think Chicago’s Bucktown/Wicker Park or New York’s Greenwich/West Villages), so its great social scene (commencing immediately along Upper Street just outside of Angel Tube station) ranges from super-casual pub to super-swank club.

In addition to the nightlife, this North London neighborhood’s closer proximity to the city center renders it desirable by expats wanting a shorter commute to work.

Moving to London

Regardless of where you decide to live in London, opportunities to network with other Americans abound.  The expat community is spirited and open-minded, so you’ll be deeply enriched by the global experiences of others who have relocated like yourself.

While this empathy is great (and vital for some), a major part of the expat experience is also to cast off a bit of what you knew at home to take on the new challenges and joys of a different cultural environment.  In this case, don’t worry that living in a popular American neighborhood will mean sheltering yourself from the international community—such couldn’t possibly happen in a city as diverse as London!

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!

Continuing with our series drawing from the Londonista discussion board on our London Living social network, Ann writes:

“A place I discovered on my last trip was Little Venice in St. John’s Wood.  Probably not so “hidden” to the average Londoner, but a nice spot nonetheless. It’s a nice walk from the Edgware Road tube stop, and you’ll find a lovely little pub there that’s worth stopping at for a leisurely pint in the sun (if you can find a free table outside!), Warwick Castle.

Another nod goes to the Mayflower Pub on the south bank of the Thames, east of Tower Bridge.  It can be a bit tricky to find (we actually stumped a black cab driver trying to get us there, which is nearly impossible to do!), but there are a lot of little interesting nooks and crannies in the vicinity, so it makes for a nice afternoon outing.  It has the distinction of being one of the places the Mayflower stopped at along its journey out of England.  The pub itself is a typical quaint, dark olde-tyme kind of place, but if the weather is hospitable there’s a seating area outside right on the river, with great views of the city.  We found it on a whim years ago and make it a point to stop back whenever we visit.”

What hidden treasures will YOU discover in your new neighborhood once London Relocation Ltd. places you there?