London

Shopping

London is a huge place, I'd need a whole new server to tell you all there is to do in shopping circles in town, so just be satisfied with this brief résumé.

Every area of London, from Hammersmith to Stoke Newington has its own high street with all the bog-standard high street shops, grocery stores and 24 hour garages for munchies and rizlas. So wherever you live, you'll be close to amenities. Some areas, like Ealing or Finsbury have their own big shopping malls with suit shops, discount stores and the like.

The best places to go are in the centre. If you want to buy Electrical Goods, forget Dixons and Comet, go to Tottenham Court Road. You'll have to barter a little bit, but if you want the latest MP3 player or Palm Pilot, you can get it at least £80 cheaper on TCR. Same with mobile phones and computers.

If you like to do your shopping in style you can go to one of two places - the Kings Road in Chelsea (yah) where you've got all the good shops and designer labels and nice bistros (very Sloaney), or Knightsbridge where you can find Harrods, Harvey Nichols and other big name boutiques.

If you just like clothes shopping or present shopping, go to Oxford Circus and chose between Regents St and Oxford St. Regents St has got the major department stores like Liberty's and Selfridges, as well as the Disney Store and Hamley's. Oxford St has John Lewis, Marks and Sparks and, my favourite, World of Football. Just keep an eye on your wallet - if a pickpocket doesn't get it, then the shopkeeper will get its contents very easily.

Word of caution - Never buy perfume from a street salesman, never buy a hot dog from a stand and never ever buy anything from a market stall.