Your Sunday morning best-of-Londonist weekly round-up.
London News
- Surprise, surprise. Not enough affordable homes are being built. We use the term "affordable" loosely.
- Travelling on the Northern Line on Monday? Beware, strikes lay ahead.
- From next year, TfL could be offering another means of transport; fancy trampolining to work? Yeah, us too.
- Did you know that a little London museum is home to the world's rarest skeleton? Grant Museum of Zoology is working to preserve its quagga skeleton and 38 other skeletons.
- Iconic Soho venue Madame JoJo's has closed. Could this be the end of Soho as we know it?
- Kebabs go classy: a posh kebab shop opens in Clerkenwell, and it's not just for the sloshed.
- TfL's road modernisation plan in Stockwell is good news for cyclists.
- A bill that aims to prevent revenge evictions by private sector landlords came to Parliament...
- ...Where it was filibustered out of time by two Tory MPs — one of whom's a landlord himself.
- Triggertrap are calling on photographers to join them on 6 December to create London's biggest timelapse.
Must-read articles
- More than just a Victoria Line stop: who were the seven sisters of Seven Sisters?
- Copywriters say the funniest things. Here are some gems from the luxury accommodation industry, including an "iconic bed". Eh?
- Vegetarians: fed up of Christmas being all about the turkey? Enjoy meat-free merriment with these veggie supperclubs, cooking classes, menus and more.
- We scoured London's life drawing classes and found the best, so get your pencil out.
- Travel the world without leaving London — and we're not talking Chinatown either.
- MTV's list of rising music stars is normally pretty accurate — and next year's features significant London talent.
- We spoke to Dick Taylor from London rock'n'roll band The Pretty Things.
- Fancy a pub crawl based around the 12 days of Christmas? Of course you do!
- Ever pondered the colours of Westminster and Lambeth bridges?
- Pipes and puffs: a history of tobacco in London.
Top reviews
- The French Tarte in Teddington is our new food shop of the week. Tasty French treats, and a bit of change in our pockets, too. Ooh la la.
- When we go to a bar, the one thing we expect is booze. So what did we make of Camden's new bring-your-own-booze bar?
- This season's most talked about London art exhibitions, in one handy round-up.
- Grimm Tales at Bargehouse is no ordinary storytelling experience ★★★★☆
- Serpentine Gallery has two very different exhibitions at its lakeside galleries ★★★★☆
- Tate Modern's new war photography exhibition is full of impact ★★★★☆
- Creative taxidermy on display in Mayfair ★★★☆☆
- "Exhilarating cooking, exemplary service and earnest prices" — we love The Manor in Clapham ★★★★☆
- Giacomo Bufarini, aka street artist RUN, has created a stunning exhibition at Howard Griffin Gallery ★★★★☆
Things to do
- Where do you end up if you walk through the back of a wardrobe? Nope, not Narnia, but Pop Up Screens's Christmas set-up.
- Stock up on the good stuff at Festival of Chocolate in Islington this month.
- Christmas has arrived at Kew Gardens in the form of dancing fountains, brilliant lighting and pyrotechnics.
- Fast forwarding a month or so, we've looked at what's open in London on Christmas Day, from pubs and restaurants to attractions. Places are booking up fast though.
- A whole season of films dedicated to the wonder that is Maggie Smith? What would the Dowager Countess say?
- Visit Christmases past at the Geffrye Museum.
- Check out the renovated cast courts at the V&A and see a replica David.
- See our Geoff Marshall do his one-man show, Tubespotting, at the Hen & Chickens. It is very good.
Get Your Hands On An Annual Travelcard
CommuterClub offers Londoners a simple loan for an Annual Travelcard, repaid over 11 months. It will save you money compared to buying monthly and delay fare increases by locking in this year’s prices for another 12 months. Users also get the benefits of the Gold Card and total flexibility — if your circumstances change, you can cancel any time with no penalty. Find out more at www.commuterclub.co.uk.
This week’s Things to do is sponsored by CommuterClub.
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