Dear me at 15,Please let mum and dad take your photo outside Big Ben. You are prettier than you think, and you will regret those empty pages in your holiday albums when you are older. And please get out of Topshop on Oxford Street. You have spent the past three days swooning over the same camisoles and t-bar heels, when revolving outside the door is a city that will continue to define your life.You will spend this afternoon trawling behind your parents at the Tate Modern. Only when you get to Andy Warhol's canvas of Marilyn Monroe on level five, will you stop moping and become mesmerised. Why? Because of her fame. Because she seemed so happy in the spotlight, while you are still too scared to tiptoe away from the darkness. So this will please you, your next big trip to London will be in four years, interning at the fashion and beauty department of a celebrity magazine. Through the glass facade of your sky-scraping office, you will see the London skyline slip across the grey Thames, from the Gherkin to the Westminster. Just like you saw yesterday, trapped in a dome on the London Eye. But you ...

The Tate Modern broke the mould in many ways when it opened in 2000. Here, at the beginning of the new millennium, was a new landmark for London - a stunning piece of architecture converted from a disused power station on the banks of the Thames at Bankside - and the first British national gallery devoted entirely to modern art. Originally the Tate collection’s contemporary component was shown alongside British art from 1500 onwards in a much smaller gallery at Millbank (this has since become a national gallery of British art). After the Bankside site was secured, an international architectural competition was called and a project from the then little-known Swiss practice Herzog and de Meuron won, largely for proposing to alter the exterior of the edifice very little and retaining its 90-metre high chimney. A new bridge was built across the river adjacent to the building, giving the Tate Modern direct dialogue with another of London’s most famous landmarks, St. Paul’s cathedral. (Wren’s masterpiece can also be viewed from the glass-enclosed top floor, which was added by the architects). One of the Tate’s most stunning features is the Turbine Hall, a mammoth entrance-gallery that over the past ten ...

London, at least central London, may not be the place you associate with outdoor food markets. It wasn’t always this way. London has been an important trading centre since Roman times, but the Great Fire of 1666 destroyed a huge swathe of the city within the walls, and the subsequent rebuilding led to the relocation of many neighbourhood markets. Come the industrial age, urban space needed for increased traffic and public transport infrastructure caused them to disappear all togetherOne fantastic survivor from of the days of barrow boys and pearly queens is the Berwick Street market in Soho, one of the city’s most happening neighbourhoods. Surrounded by architect and design studios and cutting edge shops and restaurants, a group of about 40 costermongers (or street vendors) set up their pitches daily from around 8am. The Berwick street market is best known for its fruits and vegetables. It was the first market in Britain to sell tomatoes, which arrived from the New World in 1890, and today its merchandise reflects the multicultural character of the neighbourhood, with custard apples, figs, fresh herbs and kakis being sold beside ‘British’ peas, spring potatoes and strawberries. You will also find freshly cut flowers ...

Here at Holiday Velvet we often get asked about where you can leave your luggage whilst you are waiting to 'check in' to your apartment or after you have 'checked-out'. Whilst you can always ask the owner directly if they are able to look after your bags for a few hours, left luggage facilities still exist at many major train stations and other transport hubs. These days, most of these facilities run on an automated locker system (gone are the days when you checked in your bag in as you would a coat in a nightclub). Remember that they may fill up at peak periods. Rome When arriving at Termini Station on the Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino airport, you can leave your baggage in the ‘piazza’ on the lower-ground floor (follow the ‘Deposito bagagli’ signs). It’s open 6am-midnight, 7 days a week. Venice ‘Deposito bagagli’ is available at Santa Lucia Train Station (open 6am-midnight daily). Cooperative Trasbagagli is a private company that will not only store you luggage for you, but take it by boat to your place of accommodation, saving you schlepping bags over the bridges and canals. They have two offices in Venice; one at the Piazzale Roma (open 6am to ...

London has no less than five international airports and although three of them are quite far from the city centre, they all offer good transport links.HEATHROWHeathrow is London’s largest and most important airport and there are four ways of getting into London from the airport. The simplest way is to take a black taxi cab which has a priority route on the main arterial road, the M4. Black taxi cabs are spacious inside and offer plenty of room for luggage and will take you to the entrance of your hotel.The Heathrow Express is the quickest way into central London and starts operating at about 5am and stops at about midnight. The Heathrow Express will take you to Paddington Station from where you can easily get a taxi cab, a bus or go on the London Underground. A cheaper way of getting into London from Heathrow but not as convenient as going by taxi, is the Piccadilly Line on the London Underground which serves Terminals 1-3 and also Terminals 4 and 5. This is a fast and efficient way of getting into the heart of the city but, if carrying heavy bags, it can be a problem for some people.National ...

For over a decade, the Last Night of the Proms has been broadcast to a vast audience in Hyde Park in what is the most wonderful open air concert imaginable. It is an event that is loved by people of all ages and nationalities and enjoys a massive global TV audience. Proms in the Park is a chance for families and friends to get together for a picnic, for Pimms, and to share a unique experience. For one great night of the year, the nation is united in music and song in one of London’s most gracious and iconic parks sharing in the creative joy with thousands of people within the Royal Albert Hall.In 2009, Proms in the Park was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan supported by some of the UK’s top singing talent such as Lesley Garrett, Will Young, and the amazing Juan Diego Florez from Peru. Also in attendance is the Young Musician of the Year, Mark Simpson, and the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by the composer Carl Davis which will fill Hyde Park with ravishingly beautiful music. Towards the end of the evening, there is a big-screen live link-up with the Royal Albert Hall and the chance ...

If you choose a holiday rental in London Chelsea area, it is perfectly possible to enjoy eating out at home as a number of restaurants will deliver directly to your London accommodation. Food is generally paid for by credit card in advance and not at the point of delivery as it is with pizzas. The choice of home-delivery foods is much as you would expect, for example:• Gourmet Oriental in Fulham Road, Chelsea, offers Chinese, Dim Sum, Japanese, Malaysian and Thai foods and considers itself to be the premier home-delivery address in Chelsea. http://www.gourmetoriental.com, 290 fulham road, chelsea - +44 (0)800 975 9761• Koi is a Japanese and Sushi restaurant in Palace Gate and it operates a home-delivery service from 6pm until 10:30pm. 1E Palace Gate, London, W8 5LS - +44 (0) 871 0758968.• Itsu is a Japanese and Sushi restaurant in Draycott Avenue, Chelsea, and it delivers “health and happiness” to your door. http://www.itsu.co.uk/, 118 Draycott Avenue, +44 (0)20 7590 2400• Firezza is a specialist pizza restaurant in Finborough Road, Chelsea, and a typical dine-out-at-home-delivery menu is a half-metre pizza, marinated olives, a side order of salad, ice cream, and either a bottle of red or white wine. Alternatively, ...

There are a number of gastro pubs in Kensington, and one of the most popular is The Cumberland Arms in West Kensington which offers superb food and a great atmosphere. The food is of such a quality that the Cumberland Arms does not stoop to serving chips! Other gastro pubs in Kensington include:• The Builders’ Arms in South Kensington offers a superb atmosphere that is matched by equally superb food. Service can be a bit slow so make sure that you have plenty of time because the food is well worth the wait.• The Prince Regent is a gastro pub in Gloucester Road and is a quality purveyor of freshly cooked food complemented by good services and a great bar.• The Duke of Clarence is in Old Brompton Road and has a mixed clientele and a choice of food to suit its customers’ eclectic tastes. The Duke of Clarence is particularly busy early Sunday evenings.• The Hereford Arms is in Gloucester Road and together with great food there is a large-screen TV for watching big matches, a special room for smokers, and quiz machines.• The Hoop and Toy in South Kensington offers real ale with good quality food, complemented by ...

London's West End houses some of the major theaters of London, so much so that the term ‘West End’ has now became synonymous with the London theatre scene. There is not only a wide variety of theatres in the West End but also many cinemas, clubs, shops and restaurants.London's West End has been a popular place of residence among the rich and famous and most of the area comes under the City of Westminster. The West End developed through the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries where Royal palaces, expensive town houses, fashionable shops and places of entertainment sprung up all over the area.Oxford Street, Regent Street, Charing Cross Road, Bond Street, The Strand are some the most famous streets linking to Trafalgar Square, Berkeley Square, Grosvenor Square, Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus. The main shopping areas are Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Bond Street and around Knightsbridge. Liberty's, Selfridges, Harrods, John Lewis and Debenham's are the five biggest department stores. Since it opened in 1875, Liberty’s has captured the hearts of shoppers around the world and it’s housed in two magnificent buildings. At Liberty's you can shop till you drop for cutting-edge style; from cosmetics and jewellery through to home ...