If you\u2019d prefer to reflect on life over a pint instead, Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green<\/a> is just around the corner from the cemetery and highly recommended. (The name comes from a poem by GK Chesterton called \u201cThe Rolling English Road\u201d. The last line is \u201cFor there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen, Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green\u201d. It has tasty food, a roof terrace, a reading room and has welcomed the likes of Peaches Geldof, Sadie Frost, Daisy Lowe and Alice Temperley through its doors. Not too far away, in Notting Hill, you\u2019ll find the flower-covered Churchill Arms<\/a> pub with quirky d\u00e9cor and Thai restaurant in the back. (While you\u2019re in the area, walk down Portobello Road to the Spanish shop R. Garcia & Sons<\/a> and buy some delicious fuet. Then hit the Museum of Brands, Packaging & Advertising<\/a>, a quirky little place sure to amuse.)<\/p>\n Like music with your drinks? We\u2019d recommend an evening at The Troubadour<\/a> in Earl\u2019s Court \u2013 the first place Bob Dylan performed in London. The humble Troub also boasts appearances from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. It has a lovely courtyard garden too. Up north in Chalk Farm, duck into Marathon<\/a> to top off a boozy Friday night. It\u2019s a kebab shop on the outside but the real gem is the midnight jazz venue in the back room with a brilliantly lively atmosphere. For another quirky and unusual night out in the same area, Proud Camden<\/a> is a club\/photography gallery\/live music venue built in old horse stables, each of the stables a themed semi-private room to gather a group of friends. Some have stripper poles, some TVs, some games. Book a stable in advance.\u00a0 Most days and nights have live bands.<\/p>\n On a lazy Sunday morning, stroll down through the spray-paint fumes of graffiti-covered Leake Street, past the Old Vic Tunnels<\/a> (for another night of debauchery), and plant yourself in the basement of the quirky Scootercaffe<\/a> on Lower Marsh Street with a mug of thick hot chocolate. You\u2019ll see at least one or two resident cats strolling by. On your way home, slip into Radio Days<\/a> to browse the vintage clothes.<\/p>\n And where better to wear those vintage finds than one of London\u2019s most unusual places to party \u2013 the Blitz Parties<\/a> for big bands and swing dancing or Prohibition Parties<\/a> with DJs on gramophones, silent cinema and piano rooms. If you like your nights out to be a bit less innocent, dress in your best leather (and as little as possible) keep an open mind and join the fetish fun with Torture Garden<\/a> \u2013 certainly one of London\u2019s most unusual experiences. Too much? How about an evening on a boat, overlooking the London Eye? The Tattershall Castle<\/a> will make you feel tipsy before you\u2019ve had your first drink!<\/p>\n On the direct opposite scale of the unusual places to go in London, head up to Neasden to see the architectural masterpiece that is BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir<\/a>, Europe\u2019s first traditional Hindu temple. Look up and you could be in the middle of India when in fact you are in the middle of northwest London. If you enjoy that, watch the calendar for Diwali dates and take a stroll through the streets of Southall<\/a> for fireworks and candles during the Festival of Lights. Truly a surreal experience.<\/p>\n A different type of surreal experience, though not one for the vegetarians, is dinner at Archipelago<\/a>, a restaurant where tender elk, crocodile and kangaroo are served. Or try one of London\u2019s many supper clubs<\/a> for a different take on dining out. It\u2019s also worth keeping an eye on the wonderful London Pop Ups<\/a> blog which lists blink-and-you-miss-them places every week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you uncover yet another London layer while you\u2019re exploring, do stop by and let us know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" London is a city of layers. The tourist trail is the shiny surface – from Big Ben to Piccadilly Circus and beyond. Way beneath the obvious terrain are the more unusual places to go in London \u2013 strata of options … Continue reading ![\"Greenwich](\"http:\/\/www.townfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/greenwichecologicalpark-300x200.jpg\" "\\"Unusual")
<\/a>Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park<\/a> for a quiet picnic near the lakes amongst the dragonflies and wild flowers. Also southeast, you\u2019ll find Mudchute Farm<\/a> where sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas hang out against a backdrop of Canary Wharf skyscrapers. If you prefer a more central park, The Phoenix Garden<\/a> is a little oasis, a colourful square lovingly tended to be a group of dedicated gardeners. There\u2019s even a large piece of street art by Stik at the far end. To the west, the Chelsea Physic Garden<\/a>, with over 5,000 plants, many very unusual, is certainly worth a visit. The same can be said of Kensal Green Cemetery<\/a> on a crisp Autumn day. 250,000 people are buried there and many of the buildings and structures are listed.<\/p>\n![\"Exterior](\"http:\/\/www.townfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/ChurchillArmsPub-300x201.jpg\" "\\"Unusual")
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Love](\"http:\/\/www.townfish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/LoveLocks.jpg\" "\\"Unusual")
<\/a>love locks fence<\/a> in Shoreditch, the abandoned and graffiti-covered canvas of the Heygate Estate<\/a> in Elephant and Castle or head up to Muswell Hill to hunt for Ben Wilson\u2019s chewing gum art<\/a> where hundreds of pieces were painted on the pavements.<\/p>\n