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Relocation to London – Art Attack

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Moving to London will change your life. It’s the opportunity to live and work in one of the world’s most culturally exciting cities. London has a long tradition of being home to art such as sculpture and painting. If you have the time and you’re in the mood, why not use the time to explore the galleries dotted around London and all that they have to offer.

An obvious first stop for those wishing to explore London’s art offerings is the Tate Modern. The Tate, which is situated in a former power station in Central London, holds the honour of being the most visited modern art gallery in the world. Don’t forget to visit the Turbine Hall, a space which is five stories tall and, contains the world’s largest collection of weird and wonderful artworks and installations.

Another gallery for you to meander through is the enormous National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Entry is free so you have absolutely no excuse for leaving it off your “Getting to Know London Itinerary” is. Besides being absolutely gratis, the National also has amongst its collection works from classic names like Da Vinci and Rembrandt.

Add The Somerset House Galleries to your list of must-visits as they have a fine collection of classic art on display as well as having something else to offer you. In the summer, the courtyard regularly features performances from bands (some major ones on occasion) as well as performance of classical music. Added to that, roundabout Christmas, the gallery’s courtyard is converted into an ice-rink, which has just openend so you’ll have the option of skating around the rink and then relaxing afterwards with a stroll around the exhibits, which sounds like a very ideal way of spending a chilly November day.

The art galleries and museums in the centre of London are a perfect way to get to grips with the transport system, the history of the city and everything that goes into making Britain Great after your relocation to London.

Tags: Art museum, London, Moving to London, National Gallery, relocation to london, Tate Modern
Posted in London Recreation, Moving to London: London Sightseeing, Relocation to London | No Comments »

Living In London – River Boat Queen

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Living In London – River Boat Queen- River Thames- Image via Wikipedia

You cannot ignore the River Thames if you are living in London. It is a part of the very fabric of life in London and has played such an important part in both the history and the development of the city. If you have just moved into your new London rental and want to get out and explore a little, then taking in the sights from a boat cruise on the River Thames is one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with the city itself.

The River Thames is the second longest river in the United Kingdom and the longest in England. It is a source of commerce, industry and of course tourist attractions. Many of the top London tourist attractions can be seen as you travel up or down the River Thames. Can there be anything more exciting than cruising under Tower Bridge and viewing the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London from the water? Being on the water gives you an entirely different perspective of life in London and the great city that grown up along the river.

Some of the most fun tours are the ‘hop-on, hop-off’ tours. The ticket allows getting on and off the boats at a myriad of docks along the way and you can choose your own tours and tourist attractions to visit while using your ticket. The ‘Tate to Tate’ river tours link Tate Britain to the Tate Modern and you can see both galleries in one day using the River Thames as your means of transport.

If lazy sailing on a river boat is a little tame for you, then you can go on one of the famous ‘duck tours’ or take a high speed boat ride all of the way up the river. The River Thames is one of London’s best kept secrets, but if you fancy a day out of your London apartment, then you should head down to the docks and get out on the water for the day. There are loads of activities and if you’re feeling terribly brave you can even try canoeing or kayaking on the River Thames.

Moving to London will give you the chance to try out a host of new activities and see a great many sights. Get out and enjoy London while you are here.

Tags: apartments in London, Craven Cottage, living in London, London, Moving to London, moving to London England, relocating to London, River Thames, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge
Posted in Moving to London: London Sightseeing | No Comments »

Living in London- Beat Budget Blues

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Living in London- Beat Budget Blues-Image via Wikipedia

Living in London has had a reputation of being a pricey place. You can become budget conscious and still enjoy all the wonderful attractions London has to offer. You can travel, eat, be entertained at all the right places without strangling your purse strings.

If you want to travel in London in the most cost effective way you can use either the Tube or start walking. Travelling with the tube, the Oyster card can be your companion as it will give you freedom of movement that normal rates of travel tend to constrain. The other alternative to getting around London is walking; it is a simple means of getting around and getting to know the city better. As always the case, you will often stumble across some wonderful little places that you might never have found in guidebooks.

Another cost effective way of enjoying London would be food; where to eat, what to eat, and when. The first thing would be do your shopping at the main supermarkets and buy your vegetables and fruits at the farmer’s markets. If you’d rather eat out then there are a lot of two for one offers at chain and local restaurants alike. There are also all you can eat buffets if you care to do your research properly. Every year, many restaurants join up under an “’eat for a fiver” scheme.

Pubs are also prime spots for filling meals that will only cost you about £5. If it’s a pint you fancy but want to watch your pocket, the Weatherspoon chain of pubs is your kind of place. There is also Guanabara which is a Brazilian Bar and have a happy hour with cocktails, you even get a free Samba lesson after that.

And if you have some free time during the day and really do not want to spend any money at all, I would go so far as to say London is an ideal place to be. With free entry to many art galleries (don’t miss the Tate Modern), museums (such as the Natural History Museum, the British Museum and the British Library). London’s multitude of beautiful parks (St James’ Park is home to some of the Queen’s own pelicans) and London‘s famous markets such as Portabello Road Market, you really can enjoy London on a shoestring. You may not remember what you buy, but the strangers you meet and adventures you experience will be hard to forget.

Tags: British Library, British Museum, Guanabara, London, natural history museum, Oyster card, St. James Park, Tate Modern
Posted in Living in London, Moving to London: Tips & Culture, Relocating to UK: Visas, Banking, & Other Logisitical Issues | No Comments »

Living In London – A Taste Of The Tate

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Living In London – A Taste Of The Tate- Image via Wikipedia

Author: Belinda

Moving to London means that you are living in the middle of one of the finest art centres in the world and you should spend some time exploring the art galleries that are found across London. Even if you are not that interested in art, you will be able to appreciate the scope and scale of these fine galleries and the history and the artistic endeavour that they represent.

Tate Britain

This is not only a gallery in London, but it has been one of the centres of the British art world for nearly 500 years. There are four Tate galleries across the country with the largest being in London. Situated in Milbank, this gallery is a ‘must-see’ on any tourist list and a ‘have-to’ if you are living in London. Tate Britain offers the visitor a fascinating insight into all facets of art and creative installations. If you want to make a day of it then take the ‘Tate to Tate’ which is a tour that covers both the Tate and the Tate Modern. The tow galleries are linked by a short cruise up the River Thames between the galleries. The Tate contains worlds of all of the most famous artists including the sculptor Auguste Rodin whose iconic sculpture, “The Kiss” is well worth seeing.

The Tate Modern is found in Bankside and is a riot of modern art. Exhibitions that will challenge you and enthral you. Housing art since 1900 there is everything to see and many of the exhibitions are interactive. There are important works by many of the world’s most famous modern artists including Picasso and Dali as well as Jackson Pollock and Joan Miro. The Tate Modern also supports the development of modern British artists and designers and is firmly entrenched in every Londoner’s life.

Tags: american expats in london, Americans moving to London, Art museum, Auguste Rodin, British art, canadians moving to london, fun facts about london england, Jackson Pollock, London, London Relocation Services, move to London, Moving to London, moving to London advice, moving to london from america, Tate, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, things to know about london, tips on living in london
Posted in Living in London, London Recreation, London, England History, Moving to London: London Sightseeing, Moving to London: Tips & Culture | No Comments »

London Bundle – The Thames Circuit

Friday, May 14th, 2010

I’ve decided to start a new mini-series on how to group your visits to various London sites into manageable portions. I’ve had several rounds of American guests come to visit and find that I’m consistently recommending the same tourism strategies, so let’s get started with a bigun’ that knocks out the bulk of the must-see quintessential London sites.

My suggested Thames Circuit can be picked up at any point and followed clockwise or counter-clockwise with different options along the way…doesn’t really matter to me; it’s your choice! For sake of illustration, however, I will start at Westminster Tube Station.

As you emerge from the Tube, you will be greeted by the most familiar London site ever—Big Ben (well, it’s actually the massive bell that’s inside the clock tower that’s nicknamed Big Ben). Extending beside and behind Big Ben are the houses of Parliament, and if you want to take this opportunity to duck over and see Westminster Abbey as well, by all means go for it. It charges admission, but surely provides a compelling atmosphere and history (and Jeremy Irons is downright delightful to listen to as your audioguide).

Crossing Westminster Bridge will take you to the South Bank, where you can visit the Aquarium, Movieum, or the unmissable London Eye. Continuing Westward along the South Bank will give you a pleasant vantage of the cityscape and river. Eventually, you’ll find yourself approaching the Tate Modern art museum and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre—if it’s the arts that take your fancy, wander through the Tate or take a tour to learn about the original Globe Theatre (or even catch an actual performance in the open-air there as Shakespeare would have intended).

You can continue on from here or perhaps dash across the Millenium Bridge to view St. Paul’s Cathedral up close if its striking image across the water has been tempting you up to this point—its dome continues to tower above the surrounding buildings. Otherwise, continuing on along the South Bank will ultimately bring into view the Tower Bridge (the one that many confuse with London Bridge), another renowned symbol of London. Crossing the bridge here will deliver you unto the gates of the Tower of London, in which you can view the Crown Jewels and medieval weaponry as well as follow a Beefeater tour of the grounds of this former site of imprisonment, torture, and execution, including where Ann Boleyn was beheaded. Just beyond the Tower is a small park atop Tower Hill itself, where the Tower’s prisoners were executed for all to see (and near which you can catch the Tube to your next destination of choice via the Tower Hill station). If you are in no particular rush at this point, you might want to pop into the Hung, Drawn, & Quartered pub if you’re feeling a bit peckish/thirsty or linger at the Tube station for the evening Jack the Ripper tour to explore more of East London and its sordid past.

Tags: Americans moving to London, London Relocation Services, Parliament, relocating to London, Shakespeare, South Bank, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, Thames, Westminster
Posted in London Recreation, London, England History, Miniseries: London Bundles, Moving to London: Tips & Culture | 9 Comments »

January Guest Post – Monthly Activities for After You Move to London

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

This January-in-review blog post is brought to us all by Sue Hillman of It’s Your London touring company. Providing custom tours of London tailored to your personal interests, It’s Your London will help you make the most of your time in this phenonemonal city. (For more information, see our previous blog on It’s Your London as well visit www.itsyourlondon.co.uk)

If you’d like to see the beautifully festive photos of London that Sue has included with this post, please view them in our Facebook photo album at the following public link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12914&id=100000078146572&l=40bf9298fd

Your London Relocation review of January 2010 in London comes a bit early as I’m off to Africa for a few weeks but didn’t want you to miss out and there seems to be plenty to tell you about even in a shortened month.

For those of you who live in places that have snowy, cold winters you’ll think we’ve been making a huge fuss in London about our snow and freezing temperatures. However, it’s the worst spell of wintry weather since 1963 so it’s been a bit of a shock for us all! Snow laying on the streets and pavements in London is an unusual sight and has made life difficult for many, but on the upside it has been beautiful at times. I’ve posted some photos for you to see Portobello Road empty of its famous market and one of Notting Hill’s beautiful little gardens for which it is well known and one of our local flower stalls.

London is a key city in the art world and at any one time has amazing exhibitions on. In January I got to see 2 contrasting but equally interesting shows on the South Bank of the river Thames which has a wonderful concentration of galleries, theatres, sights and is a great walk at any time of year. A short list of what you can find there includes: the London Eye, National Theatre, Hayward Gallery, British Film Institute, Royal Festival Hall, Tate Modern, Globe Theatre and Tower Bridge – phew! Up to about 10-15 years ago this area was very underdeveloped but local and Millennium funding has transformed it into a must see and must walk destination. It was first cleared as part of the 1951 Festival of Britain which aimed to lift post war spirits, an arts complex was then built in the 60/70s but this century has seen it find its proper place for locals and tourists alike.

The Hayward Gallery was hosting Ed Ruscha: 50 Years of Painting, a fascinating show of power of words and graphics in an American context. The Tate Modern was our second venue, an amazing ex power station which hosts changing exhibitions in the massive space of its turbine hall. Miroslaw Balka’s huge black box was an intriguing and disturbing experience. You walk into the gaping entrance to a 13 metre high steel box and ease your way to the back into the increasingly black interior. Hands were held and other hands put out in front in case of banging into the rear wall as you really can’t see anything. We eventually met the velvet end and turned round to see that from a different angle the box was flooded with light. The thinking behind it references Polish history of the ghettos and concentration camp trains, which is especially sobering as we saw it in the week that the last of Anne Frank’s helpers has died. I have attached a photo of the exterior of the Tate Modern as it’s a wonderful building.

Restaurants and pubs to mention this month are La Sauterelle and Langtry’s. La Sauterelle is in the Royal Exchange, which was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham as a centre of commerce for the city. This is the third building on the site and was completed in 1844. It is no longer used for the original form of trading but is now an upmarket shopping area and bar and restaurant. The photos show you the impressive exterior and interior of the building which make a wonderful setting for a meal. The restaurant’s name La Sauterelle is grasshopper in French and comes from the building’s weathervane which incorporates the Gresham family crest. The food is excellent and we took advantage of one of the many January special deals so didn’t have to break the bank (which would have been ironic as the Bank of England is just next door!).

One more restaurant to mention is Langtry’s which was more notable for its history than for its food. Lily Langtry, a well educated vicar’s daughter from the island of Jersey who rose to be a London socialite, Prince’s mistress and actress, lived on the site of the restaurant. It was during her stay here, when the building was the Cadogan Hotel that one night in 1895 in room 118 Oscar Wilde was arrested. History does not tell us whether she was in that night and whether she saw what was happening! Lily, of course, went on to tour America as an actress and eventually become an American citizen trading in horses and producing wine. Oscar sadly went to prison for 2 years of hard labour and died penniless but also abroad, in France. London is full of amazing history at every turn and even a restaurant visit can leave one full of new information as well as a meal!