3 more great London bars!

Did you see my recent blog on '3 of the best rooftop bars in London'? Check it out here if not. It struck me while writing that post that London has so many other great bars you need to know about, so I'll be featuring them now and again in my blog. This week I'm taking you to a couple more rooftop ones with great view and my favourite old pub.

The Vista Bar is perched on top of the Trafalgar Hotel on Trafalgar Square and has a really great view right down into this famous square.  You can check out the new art work on the 4th Plinth or listen into the live streamed opera from the Royal Opera House or just chill out with a cocktail or too. They have pretty strong heaters so even on a chilly evening it's still ok to drink outside.  

What a view of Trafalgar Square

Roof tops through to the London Eye

Roof tops through to Houses of Parliament

Up close to the top of Nelson's column!

I love going to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, on a small alleyway off Fleet Street, as it feels so old and untouched. The sign outside tells us clearly it was 'rebuilt in 1667' as the previous building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London that devastated London the year before. The site has been the home to a pub since 1538. Charles Dickens was a frequent visitor and drinker  and there are claims that Dr Johnson was too and although he lived very close by, we have no real proof of that. Inside the is a wonderful small, dark room which is very atmospheric, especially when the fire is lit in the grate. Downstairs is more spacious with vast cellars thought to date from the 13th century and there is a dining room I'd love to try out sometime.

And still standing...

Down a little alleyway of Fleet Street

Atmospheric interior

The Sky Lounge at the DoubleTree Hilton near the Tower of London has a huge outdoor terrace.  You are right up close to the new high rise buildings going up in the City of London - the 'walkie talkie' and the 'cheese grater' - we do love giving names to new buildings! If you are interested in regeneration and  new buildings there are enough cranes to keep you very happy! You are also treated to great views across to some of the more familiar London landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.  When night falls, the views are even better as the historic sights leap out of the night sky.

Outdoor terrace nestling in front of the Walkie Talkie

Historic London

River Thames and City Hall

Regeneration and cranes....

Magical night views

 
So many great bars, so little time - still I do my best!  I'll be taking you to more over the next few months so keep an eye on this blog but there's lots going on in London this autumn so the blog will not just be bar based....

Bye for now

Sue
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk
@itsyourlondon

* In case you are wondering -  no financial inducements were offered for this post!

London's largest roof top bar!

This week's highlights were a massive bar opening, a black cab tour and nosing around some beautiful private gardens - the usual great mix!

The Trafalgar Hotel (on Trafalgar Square of course) have revamped their rooftop bar and it is now the largest in London so they threw a brilliant party to celebrate its opening. The weather was a worry as it had rained on and off during the day but we were lucky and the clouds held off raining but gave us dramatic skies. The views over Trafalgar Square and toward the London Eye and Houses of Parliament are exceptional and add to that a great bar, lots of heaters, big umbrellas, a covered area with a second bar, it all adds up to a great venue. We were treated to champagne all night and a special performance by the lovely Beverley Knight in the stage/DJ area. Ice sculptures, dancers and fire throwers all added to the party atmosphere. What a great night!
Photos are: the ice sculpture; Trafalgar Square view; the outside and mobile bar!; Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; the London Eye and a gathering storm; Nelson's column almost at eye level; sunset over London; and, the lovely Beverley Knight - yes I was in the front of the crowd!

As a special treat for a great group of London bloggers, John the Cabby (as he's known on twitter @Johnthecabby) took us round his tour of London for a couple of hours. It's always fun travelling in a cab and John has his own commentary as we pass by the great sights of London. Given the combined knowledge in the cab (the other 4 are masterminds - Laura, Ian, Tom and Matt), John's challenge was to find something new to us all. He really excelled and even found a doorway which he'd not seen before - the entrance to a 17th prison just by Parliament! Thanks John for a brilliant morning!

Photos: yours truly pretending to be a cabby; the real thing!; and, the plaque giving the details of our new find.

It was Open Garden Squares Weekend so we set off with our trusty Oyster card and a £7.50 ticket giving us entry to every garden and tried to work our way through a list of gardens not normally open to the public. We strolled around: the residents' gardens by Regents Park with a famous underpass formerly used by posh nannies looking to get their charges to sleep; a tiny garden at the Academy Hotel; a Japanese roof top garden at the University of London; a strip of garden along a side street trying to make the most of a precious piece of inner city green; a perfect garden square in Bloomsbury; a tranquil oasis just by the Mall; the palatial lawns at Marlborough House (with a royal pet cemetery!) and, the spacious private gardens of Cadogan Place. The last one was our favourite and not just because they had a jazz band and were serving freshly made Pimms! We bare touched the surface of the list of 200+ gardens but felt we'd poked our noses into some new areas and seen loads of wonderful plants and expertly cared for gardens.

Photos are: The Academy Hotel garden; the Carlton House gardens; Marlborough House lawn and royal pet cemetery; and, the jazz tent at Cadogan Place.

Bye for now , Sue

http://www.itsyourlondon.co.uk/

@ityourlondon