Your Sunday morning best-of-Londonist weekly round-up.
London news
- The 2015 fares are out, with big changes for Oyster Pay As You Go users
- London has some of the worst A&E patient waiting times in the country
- You've just missed one free travel Friday but there's another coming up — so long as you have a particular contactless card
- Someone filming up a woman's skirt also keeps filming a Crossrail ID badge
- The Garden Bridge got planning permission from Lambeth Council this week
- Cycle hire is finally coming to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- After the closures, fire brigade response times are up — but some parts of London are doing better than before
- Find out what changes are planned for Old Street and Vauxhall gyratories
- Channel 4 News uncovers possible dodgy dealings between the Mayor's office and a Chinese property developer
- A memorial bench to Rik Mayall has been unveiled in Hammersmith
Must-read articles
- What would London look like if it was in Middle Earth? We got bored and played with Photoshop
- Pictures from last weekend's Lord Mayor's Show
- Fascinating facts about parts of the Isle of Dogs that have disappeared, or are about to
- Ever seen Mr Fortnum and Mr Mason bow to each other? Now you can, in our video
- See how the poppies installation at the Tower of London grew over the last few months
- Got a few pounds to spare? Some of these crowdfunding appeals might catch your eye
- Never mind Philae: here's how historical Londoners measured gravity
- Speaking of that comet — here's what it would look like if it was about to hit us
- 10 things we learned about the river at the recent Thames Forum
- If you have a love for all things shiny, did you know where London keeps its gold?
- How many titles can you identify in this periodic table of London film?
- This week's podcast visits an edible playground in Streatham
Top reviews
- Gold in art and Middle Eastern photographs: underwhelming pictures but striking artefacts at Queen's Gallery ★★★☆☆
- Curiosities from the Hanbury Collection is fun, cheeky and offers strange paraphernalia galore ★★★★☆
- Semi-sung, semi-spoken, semi-comic performances at Soho Theatre's Symphony ★★★☆☆
- Setting aside controversy of his work, Allen Jones's new exhibition still misses the mark ★★☆☆☆
- Plum + Spilt Milk's vegetarian offerings are limited, but full of earthy, autumnal goodness ★★★★☆
- English National Opera's latest edition of La bohème does the much-staged opera justice ★★★★☆
- More lols than lulls: La Soiree is one heck of a trip ★★★★★
- Cop drama Wildefire would be more at home on the small screen; this isn't why we go to the theatre ★★☆☆☆
- Have a heart-warming night out with White Christmas ★★★★☆
- Explore high Arctic adventure at the British Library ★★★★☆
- The Taylor Wessing prize at the National Portrait Gallery features some stunning images ★★★★☆
- Over-complicated staging mars Streaming, what should be a great play about sex workers ★★★☆☆
Things to do
- Two weeks of top notch independent and alternative comedy, next month at Heroes of Fringe
- Visual, physical and improvised theatre fills the Vaults under Waterloo Station for Mimetic Festival
- Winter has landed at South Bank London — festive markets, ice rinks and concerts aplenty
- Sherlock fans: 2-4-1 tickets to the Museum of London Sherlock Late are sure to fly, make haste!
- Get ready to party like it's 1894, at Bishopsgate Institute’s 120th Anniversary Ball
- We pick a range of super-duper activities for the kids to enjoy this Christmas
- Or go adult-only, at an after-hours party to celebrate the birthday of Winston Churchill
- Get cosy with an après ski vibe: it's wintry food and drink pop-up time
- Comedy, rituals and 'hellfire stew' as the 18th century Hellfire Club gets recreated in a secret location
- Simon Callow joins Spitalfields Music's Winter Festival line-up
Have You Tried …
…Wingit? Now available on Android as well as iPhone, Wingit is a smart little app that solves the problem of “I want to do something now, but what is going on nearby?” Using your location, Wingit scans social media to find cool stuff near where you are and brings it straight to your phone. From performances to pop-ups, screenings to street art, download the free app today on the App Store or Google Play to see what’s going on just round the corner.
This week’s Best of Londonist is sponsored by Wingit.
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