Product Description

The source book for anyone who lives in London or who thinks they might like to try life in the capital. Borough by borough, "Time Out" takes you through the London that tourists don't see. Each area is dissected, by way of facts and figures (council tax, transport, schools, house prices, rents and so on) and by amenities (parks, markets, sports facilities, arts venues, play areas). We reveal whether an area is good for families or singles, whether culture or sport takes precedence, if an area is safe or simply dull, and whether the area is on the way up or past its peak. The best restaurants, bars and shops will be featured, from local delis and cafes to buzzing restaurants and chi-chi boutiques; and crammed with recreational ideas: from Sunday afternoon walks to entertaining friends and relatives during their stay. With colour maps and photos, and pages of essential phone numbers and websites, this will be a must-have London resource.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #178155 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From the Publisher
An indispensable insider’s guide like no other, this guide contains everything you’ll ever need to know about your neighbourhood, your borough, your city.

About the Author
Written and researched by writers from Time Out Eating Guide, Time Out Shopping Guide, Time Out Pubs & Bars, Time Out London Guide & Time Out London for Children

Customer Reviews

interesting but not a helpful as I had hoped....
I feel a bit short changed from this book - it's great for getting a feel for all the boroughs and what they have to offer but I haven't found it useful as a novice Londoner in helping me discover the gems the capital has to offer.
All the important information is tied up with in prose rather than being displayed clearly and the lack of maps makes this a difficult book to use for exploring unless you have an a-z. All in all, not that impressed. Timeout has far better books on London which I have since purchased and found a lot more useful!

Essential for Flathunters
This book has been a brilliant help to me and my flatmate as we search for new accommodation! It's great to find lots of useful little details all collected in one volume: such as Council Tax amounts, average property prices, crime statistics, transport info and maps, local hospitals, essential local amenity contact details, and so on. This has been a good guide for us as we decide where we want to move to (and where we can afford!), and has saved us hours of internet browsing. Whatever you think of the opinions stated, or which boroughs they've picked to review, these bare facts are invaluable info.

PARTS of London for Londoners...
The areas which this book covers it covers very well. It recognises the 'village' feel of London neighbourhoods, tells you where to eat, shop, about housing, schools, entertainment, etc etc.

However, it does not cover 'London', it covers parts of London. Some outer boroughs are missed out completely - Kingston, Sutton, Bromley, Hillingdon etc. Others are covered in part - most of Richmond is included, but not the very south-west, only the southernmost part of Enfield, etc.

In principle that is not unreasonable to keep the size of the book manageable, although it does make the tile misleading. However, it is the effect of this on West London that has disastrous consequences. The borough of Hounslow is listed as covered, but in fact the book only covers the easternmost tip: Chiswick and Turnham Green. Ealing itself is covered but not the rest of the borough of Ealing. The effect of this, though I accept it was not the intention, is to halt coverage at just the point where the ethnicity of those boroughs changes from mainly white to mainly Asian.

The book says that the coverage is based on nearness to central London, but it simply isn't. Coverage in neighbouring Richmond goes much further out than Hounslow, and if the whole of Barnet is covered, which it is, the whole of Ealing should also be covered. Not doing so means that shopping and eating in the borough of Ealing does not mention Southall, the largest Asian shopping centre in London, and second (arguably) only to Brick Lane for its Asian cuisine.

I can't believe that this is deliberate from such a right-on (rather than right-wing) publisher as Time Out, but when I rang the editor and complained he insisted the selection was essentially geographical. It isn't, as I have explained above, though I am at a loss to understand what the basis actually was. I hope in the next edition they make clear that they are only covering some boroughs, and they use a more objective criterion for which areas they include.