What does London mean to you? Falling asleep on the nightbus home; whiling away hours in coffee shops and museums and holing up in cosy pubs; heading out with your camera on a crisp, clear day to Brick Lane, or the City, or Richmond Park. One minute you're stumbling home after an indie night in the Astoria or going to an 80s aerobics revival in Shoreditch; the next, you're wondering whether you can squeeze the double buggy on the bus and lugging nappies and boxes of raisins from kids craft lessons to baby ballet.
Yes. C.h.i.l.d.r.e.n. They are everywhere. In the park, in Pizza Express - hell, some of them were even sprinting around the art preview that we attended last week. It always sounds strange to us when people say 'oh, I'd never have a family in London.' Granted, little Harry is not going to spend his childhood wandering o'er moor and mead, quoting Hardy and collecting 12 different types of grass. But bringing up children in our beautiful, frenzied, multicultural city can offer them a world of benefits. It only takes a conversation with some of the incredibly savvy, streetwise kids that thrive in our city (when you actually take the chance to talk to them properly) to realise that raising children here provides them with unlimited opportunities. City farms, music workshops, endless sporting and craft activities and the backdrop of our striking, electric capital... it's not surprising that so many parents choose to stay.
We realised that parents are a group that Londonist hasn't talked to as much as we could. Additionally, Whitney Houston said 'Children are the future', and we'd hate to ignore the creed of any sagacious pop diva. Enter the Littlest Londonist. Over the coming months, we will bring you news and reviews for families in the capital - and it won't be patronising, or smug, or boring. And we won't mention poo. Not even once. Look out for our very first article on Friday.
Image of our Little Londonists Sadie and Tom Cohen, clearly blessed with impeccable taste already, if their choice of website is anything to go by.
