CITY SAFARI - London & Partners

SightseeingWith Hermione CrawfordWhat’s hotSIGHTSEEINGloris image © zsl london zoo; bma garden courtesy open garden squares weekend; workers on tower bridge courtesy tower bridge exhibition;fanny brawne’s room courtesy keats house courtesyafter the gates have closed for the day, ZSL London Zoo (p. 49) opensfor a different crowd on 3,10,17,24 Jun. over-18s will get the chance toparty at zoo lates while admiring the animals, including the magnificentnew penguin pool. as well as an elegant cocktail bar and a restaurantoffering food from around the world, enjoy the silent disco, where you canrock out listening to the music of your choice, and the twisted cabaret,bursting with naughty glitz and glamour. 18.00-22.00, unless you buy aVip ticket which offers fast-track entry, champagne, canapés and ‘latesafter dark’ club night from 22.00-01.00. tickets from £18.45.Gardener’s world11-12 Jun one of the highlights of the year forhorticulturalists, the Open Garden SquaresWeekend gives you the opportunity to visit some200 gardens and squares in london normallyclosed to the public, from the private gardens atwestminster abbey to the tiny exquisite spacebelonging to chocolatiers rococo in motcombstreet, sw1 (map d4), via little community spaces,private garden squares and many more.pictured is the british medical association gardenin tavistock square, w1, designed by lutyens (mapa5). highlights this year include the royal hospitalchelsea, sw1 (off map), plus tours of the prisonhmp wormwood scrubs and apartment 1a atkensington palace (p. 34, book in advance).many gardens have music, drinks and food tocelebrate this annual charitable weekend, nowin its 13th year.: opensquares.orgA loris at ZSL London ZooBridging the gapfollowingon from thefantastic fact thattower bridge’sthree-year-longrefurbishment iscomplete (andlooks marvellous),those cleverpeople at theTower BridgeExhibition (p. 46)have also opened it up to art. in the Victorian enginerooms and level 2 of the south tower, find work fromartists simona piantiera and Jo hutton, nash francis,rewati shahani and martin cottis. it’s themed aroundthe river thames, tower bridge and its surroundings,and reflects the character, values and dynamics of thecommunities that live there. the artists on display willchange every three months.Poetic licenceKeats House(p. 31) doesn’tjust keep thememory ofJohn keatsalive, it activelypromotes newpoetry andcreativity in thecity. and until5 Jun you canjoin the award-winning poet-in-residence benjamin zephaniahat the annual keats house festival. this outstanding annualevent offers a series of readings, writers’ workshops, plenty ofmusic, plus spoken word and family events.and from 14 Jun check out a new exhibition about keats’beloved fiancée, fanny brawne. the needle is always athand explores how brawne and other women of her age usedneedlework and fashion as a form of creative expression.June 2011 | LONDON PLANNER | visitlondon.com |25