Visit
Evolutionary Arts Hackney, aka EartH, is a stunning new arts space from the team behind Village Underground. Once an ABC cinema the main building was left derelict for years only to be rediscovered, restored and relaunched in 2019 – both the theatre (with seating) and the concert hall (standing) now host gigs, poetry readings, DJ sets, talks and more.
With a collection that’s over 150 million strong, the British Library is one of the largest libraries in the world. That collection includes books, stamps, maps, newspapers and much, much more, so there is a serious amount of treasure to be found here (we’re talking the Magna Carta, a Leonardo da Vinci notebook, the Times first edition and Beatles manuscripts). You can work in the Reading Rooms or if you’ve got a day off, visit one of their regular exhibitions.
THE MEETING PLACE
Often referred to as The Lovers or even just the kissing statue, this nine-metre tall bronze sculpture by Paul Day is on the Grand Terrace inside St Pancras station and is one of the first things you see when you get off the Eurostar.
This floating bookshop on a 100-year-old Dutch barge actually used to make its way up and down the canal but now it’s moored by Granary Square (so at least you know where to find it). Go for the books – they have a range of second-hand tomes and new releases plus some quirky titles, as you’d expect from a bookshop on a boat – stay for the dog and one of the live music performances on the roof if you’re lucky.
Even if you haven’t physically walked through it, you’ll have seen this tunnel on the ‘gram as that LED art wall just begs to be snapped. And it’s also pretty handy in getting you from the tube and St Pancras outside to the fun stuff on the street.
Coal Drops Yard isn’t just about the bars and restaurants; the bulk of the units in the former Victorian coal store development are shops, including the likes of American Vintage, Cubitts, RAINS and Universal Works. Tom Dixon also calls the area home with a huge HQ functioning as a studio and a shop. Prepare to want everything.
Art, comedy, spoken word, music; you can enjoy it all at King’s Place. The art space hosts regular festivals and series (examples include Jewish Book Week and Venus Unwrapped on music by women) and it’s also home to both the Pangolin London and Piano Nobile galleries.
Even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, you’ll know about the luggage trolley sticking out the wall where the entrance to Platform 9 ¾ is thanks to the perennial queue. You don’t actually have to pay to take a snap there, so if you’re still desperate for one, go early (or really late) to avoid the line.
It’s pretty hard to miss the outline of Gasholder Park thanks to the wrought-iron structure of Gasholder No.8 (which was the largest of the gasholders that used to occupy King’s Cross). It’s actually been moved from its original location and now surrounds a small but perfectly formed patch of grass, perfect for catching a few rays.
There’s a two-acre nature reserve right in the middle of King’s Cross on the banks of Regent’s Canal. A whole host of bird and plant life, as well as a lot of butterflies, call the park home, and there’s a floating viewing platform actually on the canal so you can get right in there for a proper look.
We do love an Everyman – watching a film from a sofa with the drinks and snacks brought right to you never gets old – and the one in King’s Cross doesn’t disappoint. There are three screens (two with over 100 seats) in the main building, with what was the small Everyman On The Corner now functioning as screen four.
BILL VIOLA | MICHELANGELO
The Royal Academy is bringing together the works of Michelangelo and Bill Viola, who though born centuries both explore the themes of the cycle of life. A selection of Michelangelo’s drawings will be on display, as will the Virgin and Child with the Infant St John, his only marble sculpture in the UK. Twelve of Viola’s installations will feature in the show, including the five-metre high projection Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall), which depicts the ascent of the soul after death.
Outdoor swimming isn’t just for summer ya know. At the largest outdoor lido in the UK, you can enjoy swimming open-air at any time of year (although you’ll need to become a member to swim in the winter). There’s always plenty going on in the Lido Pavilion to keep you entertained post-dip too.
Back at the BBC’s old stomping ground of White City Place, you can catch all the tennis on giant screens. Just up the road at Television Centre, they’ll also be showing some of the matches with Bluebird adding the top-spin by serving Wimbledon-themed cocktails such as The Court.
WHITNEY MUSEUM
The Whitney Museum of American Art presents the full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists. Designed by architect Renzo Piano and situated between the High Line and the Hudson River, the Whitney’s new building is worth visitng for alone, but the collection of 23,000 works by 3,000 American artists and photographers such as Edward Hopper and Robert Frank ain’t half bad either.
INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. Now in a slick new building on Bowery since 2016, there’s always a great show on here covering everything from efrom early daguerreotypes, documentary images, and contemporary fashion
portraits to multimedia installations that employ both traditional and digital techniques. One of our favourite galleries in New York.
The Museum of Modern Art was founded in 1929 and today is one of the world’s largest museums devoted to modern and contemporary art. It’s got a seriously impressive collection of modern masterpieces from the likes of Picassco, Van Gough, Matisse, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol to name but a few. Not to be missed.
9/11 MEMORIAL MUSEUM
A harrowing but important experience, the 9/11 Memorial Museum provides an incredibly detailed look at the events, victims, and survivors of both 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. The Museum’s 110,000 square feet of exhibition space is located within the archaeological remains of the World Trade Centre site, telling the story of 9/11 through multimedia displays, archives, narratives and a collection of monumental and authentic artifacts. The lives of every victim of the 2001 and 1993 attacks will be commemorated as visitors have the opportunity to learn about the men, women, and children who died.
