My London by Vanessa, BozAround.com

I love London! It's taken me a long time to be able to say so (we've been here for 5 years) but I can finally feel at home here. For the background, I am originally from Paris and my husband is from istanbul. We've lived for 10 years in New York after a stint in Boston, Sao Paulo and Madrid. And I feel that London is the city that has the most to give and please our family. It's a great hub for the rest of the world as we can get to Paris, Istanbul or many other places in relatively short trips and with plenty of los cost options. We are surrounded by beautiful parks making outdoor life in the city very pleasant for the children. London is green, quite clean (especially compared to NY and Paris!) and people are, in general, quite respectful of one another. Culturally, there are plenty of reasons to go out. And culinary, well, it's probably more exciting to live in London today than in Paris! That's how well we can eat in London!

2. What is it like a typical day in London with your children?

On a typical week -end day, we'll go together to the Marylebone farmers market, take our son to his football class in Primrose Hill park, get a nice family lunch of dim sum at Royal China.

Or we would go for a delicious pizza at Il baretto and then check out an exhibition together at one of the big museums, or take walks in Regent's Park.

    3. What is your favorite area in the city and why?

We live in and love Primrose Hill, our neighbourhood just north of Regents park. It's very quaint and charming, feels like a village, an enclave in the big city yet we are not far at all from the craze of the center of London. It's also a good thing to live just around the corner from the Zoo!

4. Where do you like to go for lunch or dinner? 

I love having lunch at La Fromagerie in Marylebone, everything is delicious and their cheese selection is better than many cheese stores in France!  I love having dinner of fusion Asian food at E&O in Notting Hill.

 

5. What kind of public transport do you use getting around in the city with your family?

We usually drive around, but otherwise we'll take the tube or the bus, although the tube is a pain with a stroller as it's deep and there are always lots of escalators.

    6. Your favorite shops for yourself and for your child/children? 

If I could always shop at Couverture, I would! And Aime / Petit Aime on Ledbury road. They are both in Notting Hill. In our neighbourhood, Elias&Grace is the place to go for children's clothing.

7. The best play ground in the city? 

The best and most famous is the Princess Diana Playground in Kensington Gardens, right in Hyde Park, although it gets crowded in the week end. We love the one in Paddington gardens in Marylebone. It's hidden away in the little park, minutes from the farmers market on Sundays and well thought.

8. If you have a little diaper incident or need a toilet where do you go? 

The toilets inside Paddington gardens have consistently been voted amongst the cleanest public toilets in the city!

9. Your child's/childrens' favorite cultural activity?

Going for a puppet show at Little Angel Theater in Islington, visiting again and again the Science Museum in South Kensington.

10. Your own favorite cultural activity? 

I love walking around Shoreditch, checking out the many galleries, checking out the hip and young crowd, and feeling like I'm still one of them. Even though I am not!