The Regent's Park

Regent’s Park:  I doubt many visitors ramble around Regent’s Park.  If they find a park at all, it is probably St. James Park, which is close to Buckingham Palace.  Regent’s Park offers manicured English gardens, soccer and cricket fields, an open air theatre, picnic spaces, walking paths (one along a canal), cafes, sun and shade, and lots of interesting people.  It is so big it contains a college campus and the London Zoo (perhaps an apology for its early use as a hunting preserve).  The big attraction for me is always the Avenue Gardens.  If the English Garden defines the English, then you must visit Avenue Gardens: winter pansies, spring tulips, summer roses, fall mums – and lots more variety than that.  If you are really ambitious, leave the Underground at Great Portland Street Station, walk across Regent Park, climb Primrose Hill, arrive in St. John’s Wood, and see the Beatles’ Abbey Road. 

Going to the Movies:  Since London is one of the film capitals of the world, I always like to attend a few flicks while I am there.  And, when you are traveling solo, it’s a good way to pass the evening hours.  The  Vue Cinemas at the O2 Centre on Finchley Road were running Thor, for which I had seen some previews back home.  I opted for the 3D version.   The 3D version wasn’t worth it, but I liked the movie.  They even drew a map of the universe to show the locations of the different civilizations, all of which seemed to live in complete isolation yet seemed to fear each other.  I think there were some lessons in the film for our world today, but I’d have to think too much to extract them.

Geographically yours,

D.J.Z.