Walking the pedestrian path of the Tower Bridge, which spans the River Thames and is open for tours of the upper tier and engine room.
Sunshine on the River Thames, as seen from London’s Tower Bridge
Eccleston Square Hotel is on a quiet side street a few blocks from the trains and buses at Victoria Station.
One room with a balcony view
Olivia Byrne, in 2011 dubbed the “UK’s youngest hotelier” at age 23, renovated and opened the property which continues to win awards for its design and tech-savvy amenities.
Flowers cascade in and around Elizabeth Street boutiques such as Les Senteurs perfumery....
...and Luna Mae, maker of custom-designed and tailored lingerie...
...as well as prestigious florist Moyses Stevens, with even more blooms on display during the spring Chelsea Flower Show
Outdoor seating at gastropub The Thomas Cubitt
Pan-fried trout with Charlotte potato, sauteed spinach, and cockles at The Thomas Cubitt
A dining room at The Jones Family Kitchen in Eccleston Yards
The pink Peggy Porschen cake parlor which attracts a stream of Instagram photo seekers
The Porcupine public house in Leicester Square dates to 1725.
There’s no art on the walls nor music in the background at St. John—the focus here is “proper British” food and drink, with plenty of wit and conversation, too.
“Nature writes your menu, and you should follow” is an adage of chef Fergus Henderson, the author of foodie classic The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Cooking (Ecco, March 2004) who founded the restaurant in a former smokehouse in 1994 with winemaker Trevor Gulliver
The day’s menu included chilled langoustines with lemon and aioli, lobster-like and salty-bright, with glasses of Petit Salé de Villeneuve, 2017.
Winemaker Trevor Gulliver
Buckingham Palace gates
Buckingham Palace guard
The scenery at Chelsea Physic Garden...
...including a statue of doctor and plant collector Sir Hans Sloane.
A pathway view of the gardens of Eccleston Square from the Eccleston Square Hotel
Centered mostly in the West End, the theater district stages dozens of productions from intimate shows to Broadway musicals.
The 27,788th performance of The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre
A retrospective of the works of Turkish photojournalist Ara Güler at Chelsea’s Saatchi Gallery last spring
The Tate Britain hosted a major Vincent Van Gogh exhibition through August...
...as well as “Stormy Sea,” a collection of works by English painter J. M. W. Turner.
Following the River Thames, travelers can get close-up views of some of London’s iconic buildings, including the Tower Bridge...
...and the cathedral-like Palace of Westminster (British Houses of Parliament)
Charleston’s namesake, King Charles II
