this is my city

And these are my top ten secret London places:

1.) The Arcola Theatre, Arcola Street, Stoke Newington; pay what you can on a tuesday. The quality is impecable, the style is varied and interesting spanning a range of theatrical genres, many of the plays here transfer.

2.) The Scooter Cafe, Waterloo, VHS nights, open mics, the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted in a shabby-chic set-up.

3.) First Thursday on Vyner Street, Cambridge Heath, all the trendy 'contemporary art to buy' galleries swing open their doors to the masses.

4.) The Pogo Cafe, Vegan cakes and lovely teas, films on a monday and a hangover breakfast with a twist http://pogocafe.wordpress.com/

5.) The Hummingbird Bakery, Wardour street, Soho, awesome american bakery

6.) Church Street, Stoke Newington N16, trendy boutique shopping in the up and coming Stokey, great for picking up unusual gifts, people watching, especially on a saturday morning, oh and don't miss the farmers market either. http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/regions/stoke-newington/stoke-newington-church-street.php

7.)Biddle Brothers, Lower Clapton Road, E5. A lovely littel bar/pub of the beaten track that hosts lovely live music and local art shows in its homely and warm surroundings. Great for intimate dates, so long as its not match day.

8.) Sunday(Up)Market, Brick Lane, Upstairs in the truman brewery, a brillian market with unique fashion, delicious food and striking designs on offer, and after you have warn yourself shopping be sure to head to...

9.)...the Pride of Spitalfields, a charming time warp of a pub just off brick lane which has a tasty selection of well conditioned ales and a very reasonable price.

10.) The Whitechapel Gallery, Whitechapel High Street, Tube: Aldgate East. A newly refurbished institution of a gallery that showcases some of the worlds greatest contemporary art as well hosting the british council collection, exhibitons are changes seasonally and are of top-notch quality.