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London comes back to life. Heathrow Airport reports that March 2022 was the busiest month since the start of the pandemic, and passenger travel from North America, in particular, increased by more than 60 percent since January 2022.
The increase is linked to the recent removal of coronavirus restrictions by the British government, a welcome move for many travelers eager to be filled with British culture, including the events and experiences of the Platinum Jubilee once in a lifetime based on “Bridgerton”, the intoxicating success. Netflix program.
“We love‘ Bridgerton ’and all the real stuff,” said Tasha Gelling, a Chicago teacher who, with her 16-year-old daughter Ruth, booked an afternoon tea during her six-day trip to Britain. this month. The duo also toured the Tower of London and Hyde Park, and spent an afternoon in Bath.
Even with new coronavirus variants being developed and a war raging in Ukraine, many other American travelers are planning trips to the British capital.
“London has continued to be the second most popular international travel destination for Americans, just behind Cancun, in recent holiday travel periods,” said Jen Moyse, vice president of product for TripIt, an organization app. travel with 19 million users. The volume of flight bookings in London, he said, increased by 300 per cent when comparing TripIt’s booking data for the four-month period from April to July and December to March.
Some city hardliners closed their doors during the pandemic. Among them: Cafe de Paris, a cabaret venue in the West End since 1924; Le Caprice at St James’s, once a favorite place of Princess Diana; and the physical locations of Debenham’s, the 242-year-old department store. But all over London, other cafes and shops are buzzing, numerous new bars and restaurants and squares in the city have opened. boil with everyday life. Many of the royal parks are on fire in daffodils and full of picnics, while live theater returns to the West End. The return of the events in person lends itself to the revitalization of the “Central Weekend” of the platinum jubilee in June, when public celebrations will mark the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Here you can find out more about the latest news and highlights in London.
The latest in restaurants
It is a testament to the vitality of London that new restaurants managed to open and even thrive during the pandemic. One of the busiest places is the Clerkenwell Sessions Arts Club, a re-imagined 18th-century courthouse where the spectacular, sunken artwork and decor give a fantastic patina to chef Florence Knight’s kitchen. Dishes like sea bream with parsley and eel with fresh cream are deliciously British with notes from France and Italy (starters range from £ 10 to £ 25, or from $ 13 to $ 32).
Another new hit is KOL, the UK’s first Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant, where chef Santiago Lastra prepares dishes such as pork belly carnitas with cabbage puree. Downstairs is The Mezcaleria, which serves delicious mezcal-centered cocktails (six- or nine-course tasting menus cost £ 90 and £ 125, with no wine or mezcal pairing; Mezclaria cocktails cost £ 15).
Both vegans and meat eaters can be delighted with the pivot of the Gauthier Soho restaurant from classic French cuisine to herbal cuisine. One dish, rice with truffle “cream”, offers the richness of dairy through a combination of potato starch and lentils (the tasting menu starts at £ 50, with no wine pairing).
When Leroy in Shoreditch adopted pandemic chicken takeaway as a survival maneuver for a pandemic, perhaps the Michelin-starred restaurant would not have imagined that the secondary commotion would evolve into a stand-alone restaurant. Now, Royale sells whole or half Anjou chicken with corn, sides like leek vinaigrette and a hazelnut parfait dessert (whole chickens cost £ 30, sides about £ 10).
New cocktails
At his Lyaness-inspired bar in the 1970s, Thames-oriented waiter Ryan Chetiyawardana makes cocktails with unconventional ingredients. A spring drink called 21st Daisy combines vodka, passion fruit and crystalline verbena with a homemade “Green Sauce Liquor” (£ 14.5), but this South Bank venue also serves a “Cheerful Tea” head per week (£ 55 for full tea selection, paired cocktails, cakes and sandwiches).
Brown’s is the oldest hotel in London, which opened in 1837, but waiter Salvatore Calabrese devises new ways to revisit the history of the property through cocktails. The First Call honors Alexander Graham Bell (who made Brown’s first phone call) with Elephant gin, pistachio pesto, verjus, coconut syrup, egg white and white port (£ 23). Another drink, Churchill-like Winston, is made with whiskey and coriander, lime juice and a whirlpool of smoke (£ 25).
New hotels and accommodations
In Covent Garden, New York-based design firm Roman and Williams has transformed a 19th-century investigative court into Europe’s first nomadic hotel. Selected art and textured materials permeate the spaces with a contemporary twist and the restaurant is housed in a three-story glass atrium (from £ 409).
Two interconnected Georgian houses are now the 14-suite Beaverbrook Town House in Chelsea, where interiors designed by Nicola Harding feature vibrant color combinations, lively prints and tasseled tapestries inspired by London’s great theaters (from £ 495). Hotel guests can access Cadogan Gardens for residents only and enjoy “Bridgerton” themed experiences with the sister property Beaverbrook Estate in Surrey.
Kingsland Locke has 124 stylish apartment-style rooms in the East London borough of Dalston, with a café, microbrewery and kebab restaurant on the ground floor (from £ 123).
West End Deals
The lights come back on in the West End with hugely successful musicals such as “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and “Six,” a modern chronicle of the fate of Henry VIII’s women. For those looking for plays, there is “Much Ado About Nothing” at the Shakespeare Globe (until October 23) and West End premieres include “The Glass Menagerie” starring Amy Adams (May 23 at August 27) and “Prima Facie”. ”With Jodie Comer of Killing Eve fame (until June 18).
Ticket prices range from £ 5 (standing room only) to £ 90, and can be sold out for popular shows. Tickets on weekdays and mornings are cheaper and the TKTS booth in Leicester Square offers discounted tickets for the day. Please note that some cinemas have their own vaccine requirements, so check the documentation required to enter.
Museum exhibitions
At the Victoria & Albert Museum, the exhibition “Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear” brings together historical and contemporary ensembles to highlight the concept of gender fluidity. Expect to see 18th-century Levite-wearing Levites and costumes with the costumes of singer Harry Styles and drag performer Bimini Bon-Boulash (admission to the museum is free and no admission is scheduled; ‘extends until November). ).
“Surrealism Beyond Borders” at the Tate Modern explores the global reach of the Surrealist movement with works by lesser-known artists from Osaka, Japan, and Bogota, Colombia, juxtaposed with paintings by Dalí, Miro, and Magritte. al Reservations are recommended for the museum and in advance (“Surrealism Beyond Borders” lasts until August).
King’s Cross, the first British museum dedicated to LGBTQ people, Queer Britain, opens on May 5 with an exhibition of paintings, photographs and paintings brought together by Matthew Storey, the LGBTQ curator of art, design and history at the Royal Historic Palaces.
Platinum Jubilee and other live events
Britain celebrates platinum jubilee, marking Queen Elizabeth as the first British monarch to spend 70 years on the throne throughout the year. But from June 2 to 5, events such as “Trooping the Color” will be held, a ceremonial parade with 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians. The parade will march from Buckingham Palace through the mall with members of the royal family; Other festivities this weekend include a concert at Buckingham Palace and a series of street parties.
Hotels are also celebrating. The Jubilee edition of Berkeley’s “Prêt-à-Porta” includes Her Majesty’s most iconic aspects in small fours and other pastries (£ 79 per person, available May 30-June 12) and June 5 , the Connaught will celebrate a Jubilee. street party, with an English band, flags and family-style tables featuring tea sandwiches.
Other non-royal, high-profile events that welcome spectators once again are the Chelsea Flower Show, (May 24-28); the Royal Ascot (June 14-18) and Wimbledon (June 27-July 10) horse races.
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