Grosvenor Square, in the heart of London’s exclusive Mayfair, has been home to the American Embassy since 1938. It has maintained a very significant and increasingly fortified presence in the square through some turbulent times, both for London and for the United States. Given that this square is the spiritual home of Americans in the […]
If you find yourself in London on a hot sunny Sunday there are few better places to while away the time than along the canal in Camden. Selling itself as the boho centre of London this area long ago opened its doors to the mainstream. Among its more traditional gothic clothing stores you’ll find plenty […]
Mention the north of England to many people (especially those who live in or around London) and the most likely first impression you’ll get is one of grim cities, long silent coal mines and the dark satanic mills immortalised in William Blake’s Jerusalem. ‘The North’ is a scary place, inhabited by primitive and savage people […]
London has developed a world famous reputation for the quality of its museums; and just as importantly for the fact that they are free. In fact throughout the UK you’ll find that most of the state-managed museums and galleries offer free admission to their visitors. This is a huge benefit to visitors who come to […]
Britain holds 60 million people on its relatively small landmass. For many visitors therefore it comes as something of a surprise that there are so many empty spaces in our country. Even the South East, where the population density is at its greatest, has many great parks and open spaces. We may not be home […]
Another crazy idea to cross off the list? It certainly was, and we took the opportunity last Wednesday and headed into London. It was a sunny day but cool; perfect for covering 15 miles along the city’s streets. We set off intent on visiting each street of the famous Monopoly board game, and photographing our […]
One of our favourite walks in New York was to wander down from our apartment on the Upper East Side and along Madison Avenue towards Midtown. If you’re after some serious people watching, Madison Avenue in the 60s (between 60th and 69th Streets) takes some beating. On these blocks you’ll find many of the top […]
“Phew, what a scorcher!” This clichéd headline is almost guaranteed to appear in a tabloid sometime during a British summer; usually on the first day that the thermometer hits 25c. Coupled with a picture of bikini-clad middle aged women eating ice cream by the beach, the story will describe how our country is experiencing the […]
I’ve already written about the excitement of flying into Barra. To many people, simply choosing a destination for the sake of the flight there might seem a bit pointless. So what is there to do once you arrive on this tiny Hebridean island? Well, the good news is that the isle of Barra and its […]
As one of life’s hopeless dreamers there are places, experiences and events that have long been on my wish list. Anyone who has a similar list will know that the list will never be empty. Each year another couple of places may be ticked off the list, while another dozen are added to the end, […]
Freelance travel writer and photographer. 501 Places is a personal collection of stories and photos from the road, along with random thoughts and opinions.
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