Neighborhood Spotlight - Kensington

Back to the West End we go as the gracious Thomas has decided to share with us his experience of living in Kensington.  It is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (yes, that's its official title!) which is also home to the famous area known as Notting Hill.  So what was it like living in this posh area?  Is it as pretentious as it's royal title suggests?

Name: Still Thomas
Age: 26
Kensington Resident for: The summer of 07
Last place you live before moving to London? Marquette, Michigan




Do you live in a flatshare or on your own?
Share, it was through the university.

What’s your nearest Tube station?
Gloucester Road/South Kensington

How would you describe your neighbourhood’s overall vibe?
It can feel pretty touristy at times...well, most of the time. But it is an insanely pretty part of London and for the fact that if I wanted to picnic and felt nostalgic for a backyard,
I was three blocks from Kensington Gardens, which is absolutely beautiful in the summer for laying out, reading a book, flying a kite (no, really, we bought kites because we were jealous of the little kids' kites), having a few drinks, there's really no end to the novelty of being next to a park that big. I was a few blocks from the museums as well, which is a nice short stroll if you're ever looking for inspiration. The main roads will house the absolute most touristy chain restaurants and bars but the locals know where it's at, there's always a pub hidden behind something or a pocket of high-end restaurants down a couple of side streets.

You're living in close proximity to celebs, ambassadors, people who make the front page of the news when they have a cold... so look your best when you leave the house because you never know who's going to be at Whole Foods (YES, there's an epic Whole Foods, grocery lovers rejoice!!). People in my program ran into Christian Bale at Starbucks, Dustin Hoffman lived around the corner, etc.

How safe is your neighbourhood?
Insanely safe. There were neighborhood police that walked the streets at night just to make sure there was nothing shady going on. You're close to Kensington Palace, and some embassies, so what do you expect.

What do you like most about where you live?
It's gorgeous. Between the stucco terraces and parklife, there's not much more you could ask for. There's cute cafes, great dining as long as you've got the budget and come on...you're going to pizza places that Princess Diana went to with the boys for a night out. And any shopping you need is on the well-stocked Kensington High St., they've got everything you'd ever want from Oxford street with half the foot traffic (well, except on weekends).

And if you're a cocktail snob, there's some high-profile joints to scope out. Not as much as in Mayfair, but there's Amika, Kensington Roof Gardens (which is an absolute must-do for the view alone), and a few others are dotted around the area. Check with some club promoters websites if you want to get on the guest lists, or find a friend who's in the know.

What do you like least?
It's a bit touristy....which manifests itself in many forms. You'll have to deal with the premium prices in the shops, slow-walkers with cameras, and the worst by far is not being able to mask your accent properly because the pub staff will know you're foreign and take the piss and shortchange you if you're not paying attention.

Seriously, Americans...read this bit!

They know that it's a tourist hot-spot so if they think that you're not going to know what all "the funny little coins mean" then they'll gladly keep a few for themselves. Easy way around that? Well, you can use your card...but if you're on cash-only just keep a keen eye about it. One place we went to, it was raining out and as soon as we walked in the door, the bartender spotted us as non-locals (it was a back alley pub that not many knew about) and said "I bet it doesn't rain like this where you're from!" clearly establishing that we weren't British before I even spoke, and I just said "ah...no it rains everywhere, but can I have a ..." and yeah, I was missing two pounds from my change. It happened again in an off-license, which we caught right away, and another pub tried to do it to a friend of mine. I hate to sound cryptic about it, but tourists and people with non-British accents, are easy targets for them. It just made me wonder how many times it had happened before I caught on! I didn't think to put my guard up because you're not in a dodgy/dirty part of town, so I was more trusting with staff than I should have been...but I guess it makes sense with the museums and all that close by that they get a lot of people used to other currencies or just not paying attention.. So watch out!

If you could live anywhere in London, where would you live?
I'm currently in Clerkenwell, which I also love...but I'd move back to Kensington if I could afford it! Someday...someday...