Jaunted - London

London's New Multi Bajillion Dollar Thames Estuary Airport Hits a Snag

kjb — 2012-01-25T08:22:29-05:00

Not too long ago we were going on and on about the possibility of London building a pretty darn huge airport within the Thames Estuary. Well this is certainly still a possibility, but now that accountants and financiers have started to run the numbers and sort the spreadsheets, the bottom line is getting out of han.

Someone must pay for all the construction costs, costs which would be passed on down to the planes and passengers arriving at the new airport. Landing fees could be as high as �100 per passenger for the new airport—oof—a fact which may make the new airport—despite all its bells and whistles—a pretty hard sell. The thought is that the new airport could cost anywhere between like �50 and �80 billion to build, which is way more than what London-Heathrow is even worth (around �12 billion).

Elizabeth Taylor's Art Collection Hits the Auction Block in London Next Month

cmb — 2012-01-24T19:22:58-05:00

Just weeks after Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry raised more than $150 million in a New York auction, part of the Hollywood icon's art collection is being put on the block in London.

More than 30 works belonging to the late actress, including van Gogh's "Vue de l'Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy," an Edgar Degas self-portrait, and works by Camille Pissarro, will go up for auction on February 7th and 8th, with proceeds going to the Elizabeth Taylor Trust.

Olympic Athletes to Get a 'Fast Pass' Lane at LHR for London 2012

Heidi Atwal — 2012-01-03T14:39:10-05:00

There are 206 days to go until the 2012 Olympics in London, so trust that our U.K.-based sources will be bringing you all the latest as we continue ground coverage leading up to the Games: the touristy swarms clogging up Westminster and the Southbank, the Cultural Olympiad, the general excuse for even more drunken revelry than usual, the works.

To kick off 2012, a word to the wise among summer travelers set to pass through Heathrow around the Games: you might have to face even more unbearable lines at airport immigration owing to a VIP passport lane being established strictly for athletes. The U.K. Border Agency will be taking and checking biometric data (translation: fingerprints) from visiting athletes, with lanes at immigration dedicated solely to the task of checking said data.

Three London Christmas Markets That Nod to the German Tradition

Heidi Atwal — 2011-12-20T15:32:04-05:00

Christmas markets are an advent of countries like Germany and Austria, but the honored holiday tradition has been adopted by cultures the world over.

In London, there's yuletide market merriment to be found stretching from the Thames to Columbia Road. Sprinkled throughout the city, these shopping fairs feature vendors hawking everything from fresh mulled wine to crafts to handmade jewels, offering ample opportunity to shop for presents and partake of seasonal cheer.

There are only a few days left to peruse the "chalet" stalls for last-minute gifts as you take in the sight of strung lights and sip on hot cocoa. We've highlighted three of the city's best Christmas markets:

In London's Soho, No-Reservations Restaurants are Where You Want to Be

Heidi Atwal — 2011-12-15T15:46:40-05:00

Spuntino's Peanut Butter and Jelly Dessert "Sandwich"

In London, our preference is for restaurant trawling, not pub crawling. The local culinary scene has undergone subtle yet significant changes over the past year: artisanal coffee is easier to come by, locals are every-so-slowly embracing the concept of brunch, there is an increased presence of street food, and a handful of strictly no-reservations outposts have made a splash among critics and discerning diners alike.

It's the latter trend with which we're most taken, as these democratic, "queue-with-the-rest-of-'em" restaurants are focusing more on putting out great food rather than trying to compete with their five-star contemporaries. Their websites are typically devoid of essential intel, save for the locale's address. If you're lucky you'll get a phone number, not that it will help in trying to wrangle a dining spot.

Pop-Up Brunch Club Tops London's Most Talked-About Restaurants

Heidi Atwal — 2011-12-08T16:20:04-05:00

If you've been following our London coverage, you're surely noticed two prominent trends:

1. The prevalence of pop-ups.
2. The decided lack of decent brunch options in the city.

But there is a contingent of culinarians looking to change the latter, among which you can count Bex and Nick, the masterminds and master chefs behind the aptly named Gourmet Lovers Club. The duo is fanatical about good food and adept at serving up a stellar brunch, as we can attest.

Here, There and Everywhere with The Beatles: Abbey Road Crossing

JetSetCD — 2011-12-05T17:24:16-05:00

This Thursday, December 8, marks the 31st anniversary of the day John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City. While fans of Lennon and The Beatles will come together at Central Park's Strawberry Fields to remember him, we'll spend this week focusing on other places to visit to dip into Beatles history.

Monday: The Abbey Road crossing in London, UK

In 1969, four guys crossed a street in London and the resulting photograph is one of the most iconic album covers in history. It's The Beatles' Abbey Road, named for the place where the picture was taken, which just happens to be right outside EMI Studios. It's a standard crossing which still exists today (as do the Studios).

The crossing itself received historical status just last year, and of course it's open and free for fans to see and walk. There's even a webcam, in case you need to prove your visit to people watching at home.