What’s Doing in London: Art, Theatre, Food & The Saint James Club

Here are the Top 10 Things To Do In London

London’s St. James neighborhood is uniquely situated amidst greenery, with St. James’s Park, Green Park and Hyde Park nearby, as well as Buckingham Palace, the hustle, bustle of Piccadilly, the elegance of Mayfair and West End theaters a short stroll away.

If, like me, you like to shop, you can walk to Fortnum and Mason and all the luxury shops on Bond Street and in the Burlington Arcade, including Vuitton, Prada and Ralph Lauren. For the gentlemen, Turnbull and Asser on swanky Jermyn Street still has the best shirts, ties and pocket squares on the planet. They also have some whimsical smoking jackets for the sartorially adventurous.

The art world is at your fingertips in this area, with Sotheby’s, Christie’s, White Cube and other galleries as well as major museums within walking distance.

It is time for the top 10 things to do in London.

Royal Academy of Arts

Given today’s fractious political landscape, it is perhaps apropos that an exhibit at London’s Royal Academy featuring American art from the Great Depression reminds us that things have been worse. The great Wall Street crash of 1929 resulted in changes in urbanization, industrialization and immigration, all issues that still resonate today in both the U.K. and the U.S., as well as around the globe. This show runs through June 4 and is a must-see. Highlights of “America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s,” include works by masters like Jackson Pollock, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alice Neel and Edward Hopper, although the centerpiece may be “American Gothic,” the famous painting of the pitchfork-wielding farm couple by Grant Wood, which has never been shown outside of North America. Visiting the Royal Academy of Arts should definitely be in the list of top 10 things to do in London.

If you’re going to be in London in late summer or fall, the Royal Academy in Piccadilly has exhibits on Matisse, Jasper Johns, and Dali/Duchamps on the docket.

London’s St. James neighborhood is uniquely situated amidst greenery, with St. James’s Park, Green Park and Hyde Park nearby, as well as Buckingham Palace, the hustle, bustle of Piccadilly, the elegance of Mayfair and West End theaters a short stroll away.

If, like me, you like to shop, you can walk to Fortnum and Mason and all the luxury shops on Bond Street and in the Burlington Arcade, including Vuitton, Prada and Ralph Lauren. For the gentlemen, Turnbull and Asser on swanky Jermyn Street still has the best shirts, ties and pocket squares on the planet. They also have some whimsical smoking jackets for the sartorially adventurous.

The art world is at your fingertips in this area, with Sotheby’s, Christie’s, White Cube and other galleries as well as major museums within walking distance.

The National Gallery

The National Gallery’s current big ticket is a group of works by Michelangelo and his collaborator Sebastiano, a rarity outside of Italy. This show, which runs through June 25, is the closest you’ll get to actually being in the Sistine Chapel.

Your list of top 10 things to do in London is incomplete without a visit to The National Gallery.

Also at the National this summer, Chris Ofili will unveil a tapestry he created in collaboration with the renowned Dovecoat Tapestry Studio. The Turner Prize winner is known for using elephant dung in his paintings; you may recall that this practice led to a controversial lawsuit during Ofili’s 1999 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic at the National Gallery, April 26 – Aug. 28, 2017

Harry Potter on in The West End

If you like theatre, don’t miss J. K. Rowling’s two-part epic Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Palace Theatre in the West End. Although this pair of mesmerizing theatrical events can be seen individually, they are best seen back-to-back and do bring the kids. These magical shows (which will arrive on Broadway in 2018) offer up some new, drop-dead special effects that I won’t spoil for you. No doubt they’ll be sold out for eons on the Great White Way so get a jump and see them now.

Hands down the funniest show in town might well be The Comedy About a Bank Robbery playing at the Criterion Theatre. This is a non-stop riot of laughs about a bunch of bungling burglars who are trying to steal a diamond as big as the Ritz.

Tea at William’s Bar & Bistro

Next on the list of top 10 things to do in London is the Tea at William’s Bar & Bistro. After a few hours of shopping or taking in art, afternoon tea is the perfect way to restore your energy before pre-theater cocktails. One unusual and fun choice is “It’s All in the Game” tea at the St. James’s Hotel & Club, where actual board games are available; think chess, backgammon, or Monopoly. Served in the intimate Art Deco-style William’s Bar & Bistro, accompanying delectable sweets are shaped like game pieces – chocolate Scrabble letters, cheesecake dominoes, and a sugary confection à la, er, Snakes & Ladders (use your imagination.) Everything is a winner here.

St. James’ Hotel & Club

And while I’m on the subject of the St. James Hotel & Club, let me remind everyone headed over the pond of its provenance. This is one of London’s chicest boutique hotels located literally in the middle of everything at 7-8 Park Place. The tiny street is a cul-de-sac so there’s little traffic and all the rooms are quiet, a definite plus in this busy metropolis. The Queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, uses the Royal Entrance to come and go when he wants a nip or two in their bar. A secret tunnel leads directly from the hotel to the Queens Walk in Green Park. Take a left as you exit and you’re five minutes to Buckingham Palace, take a right and you are a shilling’s toss from the best in shopping, culture, theater and art. This one of the popular places in the list of top 10 things to do in London.

A Private Club

The exclusive spot was originally a private club for visiting diplomats, founded in 1857 by English aristocrat Earl Granville and Italian noble d’Azeglio Marchese. Over the years, illustrious folks like Sir Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming, Dudley Moore, Michael Caine, Sean Connery and Elton John have frequented the St. James’s Club.

While it’s primarily run as a hotel today, that private club element still exists – but it’s open to everyone. For an initiation fee of $380 plus annual dues of $680 you can call the St. James home.

Membership gets you VIP status, preferential room rates and access to over 600 reciprocal clubs around the world, including the St. James Club in Paris, the Hong Kong Bankers Club, the Players Club in New York City, and the Beverly Hills Country Club in Los Angeles. This exciting place should be in your list of the top 10 things to do in London.

The Penthouse

The hotel was recently refurbished at a cost of ($75 million). Berlin based designer Anne Maria Jagdfeld did a splendid job of doing up the interiors primarily in shades of beige and black, with plump yellow pillows punching up the color scheme, the perfect contrast to London’s perennially grey skies. Rooms are different in every hotel and here there are just 60 so unless you’re traveling alone, I highly recommend a suite so you have plenty of room to muck about. I prefer the Westminster Suite, which has a 500+ square-foot lushly planted private roof terrace with spectacular views over London, a spacious living room and a cozy bedroom (at $2,126 a night). Across the hall is the St James’s suite, which boasts a glamorous living room suitable for entertaining ($1,626.) If you’re traveling with friends or family, you can put both suites together and it becomes the Penthouse (for $3,752). This floor is strictly private, and you need a key to access it from the elevator, which is why it’s a favorite of celebs like Robert Redford, Liza Minnelli and Dita Von Teese. This is another exciting place to add to the list of top 10 things to do in London.

The Rosenstein Collection

The cognoscenti call this intimate property the “best kept secret in Mayfair.” Housed in a stunning Victorian town house decorated luxuriously with wallpaper of Loro Piana cashmere and lacquer furniture, the hotel also houses a fabulous collection of original 20th Century artworks comprising more than 400 paintings and sculptures known as the “Rosenstein Collection.”

Royals, aristocrats and celebrities all love this quiet Club tucked away from the hustle, bustle and noise of London, so don’t whip out your iPhone to take selfies with Cher, Halle Berry or the Duke, as that wouldn’t be considered cricket here. Should you bring along the little ones, they’ll never be bored since the St. James has its own kids’ concierge who can recommend the right activities for this demanding age group.

Michelin Starred Chef William Drabble

Whether you’re staying at the St James Hotel & Club or not, don’t miss dinner at Seven Park Place, their Michelin starred restaurant. Chef William Drabble’s French-influenced, locally sourced cuisine has retained its one Michelin star status for seven consecutive years. Standout dishes include the Lune Valley lamb and the poached lobster tail, but you can’t really go wrong with anything on this menu. The food is simply excellent across the board. With thick carpets and drapery, linen-covered tables and warm lighting, this intimate, elegant space offers something truly rare in restaurants today – quiet. You can actually converse with your dining companions.

These are some of the most amazing places that should be on the top 10 things to do in London list.