365 Days Of Trying - Day 90
Everyday In London is a Trifecta - 3
So this is a round up of what I’ve experienced in London over the past Month of March 2025. As you know I aim to achieve at least three new experiences in my City everyday. Whether that’s a venue I’ve never visited before or one I have that has something new in it, like a play, exhibition, film etc. Often because of the rise of Cashless Venues, it means I can achieve this simply by walking past three stores that I’m unable to use because of their choice of payment.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Harris Academy Boys School - collaborating agreement - taking their students on cultural visits.
Organised my Birthday Party as a Garden Party in Soho - Sacred Grounds
Swimming in Serpentine Lake continues
Performing in You Me Bum Bum Train playing against favourite A-List celebrities continues
Women In STEM Podcast - Recorded last year but published 10th March 2025 - discussing female representation in the media with Kelly Shungu
Renaming my book “Why Don’t People Help?” To “You’re Being An Idiot. Stop It!: How To Live A Fruitful Life In The 21st Century” after research and reading and changes in the book market.
Submitted to the Orwell Prize for Homelessness with my piece - See It. Say It. Sorted (From 365 Days of Trying - Day 86)
Pitched story to The New Yorker
BARS & PUBS
Alessandro’s - Westow Hill - Crystal Palace
The Feathers -Broadway Greater - Westminster
Marylebone Theatre Main Store - Park Road - Regents Park
Garden Cinema Bar - Park Street - Covent Garden
The George - Great Portland Street - Fitzrovia
The Mug House - Tooley Street - London Bridge
The Skinners Arms - Judd Street - Kings Cross
The Marquis Of Cornwallis - Bethnall Green Road - Bethnal Green
Goldengrove - The Grove - Stratford
The Crown - Grove Road - Victoria Park
The Clapton Hart - Lower Clapton Road - Clapton
The Half Crown - Mare Street - Hackney
The Bow Bells - Bow Road - Bow
BOOKS
Finished - Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring Of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic Of Mental Illness.
Started - Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man Third Edition: 12 Explosive New Chapters - Chin’s EHM Strategy/Ways To Stop The Global Takeover - by John Perkins
Short Stories
My Mother Said my Name by Luiza Sauma (Read by Author)
Extract from Everything You Wanted by Luiza Sauma (Read by Author)
Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore translated by Mohammad A. Quayum
A Handful of Dates by Tayeb Salih (translated by Denys Johnson-Davies)
There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
Poems
Chicken by Shang Qin (translated by John Balcom)
Nothing Please Me by Mahmoud Darwish (translated by Jeffrey Sacks)
Litany by Billy Collins
CINEMA
I’m Still Here - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (Friend of The Cinema)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - with Live Music Performance - The Garden Cinema - Park Street - Covent Garden
Mickey 17 - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (Friend of The Cinema)
Black Bag - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (Friend of The Cinema)
Alto Knights - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (Friend Of The Cinema)
Snow White (2025) - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (Friend of the Cinema)
Mr. Burton - Genesis Cinema - Mile End Road - Stepney Green (this time as an invitation from the BFI - opens to the public on 4th April 2025).
COFFEE SHOPS
Fair Shot - St. Martin’s Court - Covent Garden
Sacred Grounds - Dean Street - Soho (Regular)
Royal Court Kitchen & Bar - Sloane Square - Chelsea (Regular)
Ana’s Deli Cafe - Grays Inn Road - Holborn
Roasted Bean - Westow Street - Crystal Palace
Cafe G - Peckham Rye - Peckham
Black Sheep Coffee - The Sidings - Waterloo Station
Angel Delicatessen - Cross Street - Islington
Corlairo’s - Westow Street - Crystal Palace
The Onion Garden - Seaforth Place - Victoria (Regular)
Nappa Dori - Monmouth Street - Seven Dials
Grindhouse Cafe - Genesis Cinema, Mile End Road - Whitechapel (Regular)
Wagon Cafe Queensway - Queensway - Bayswater
Farmer Cafe (London’ts 1st ever dairy) - Conway Street - Bloomsbury
Gossipers Cafe - Holloway Road - Highbury
Blanche Eatery - Beadon Street - Hammersmith
Caffe d’Arte - Moorfields - Moorgate
Etude Coffee - Church Street - Crystal Palace
Minori Pizzeria - Uxbridge Road - Hatch End
Garnier Bakery - Queensway - Bayswater
Unit Six Cafe - East Mall - Stratford Shopping Centre
L’Ulivo Italian - Irving Street - Leicester Square
Urban Social Coffee - Queensway - Bayswater
La Tazza Cafe - Praed Street - Paddington
Bagel On The Park - Grove Road - Victoria Park
Coopersale - Homerton High Street - Homerton
Oorja - Shaftesbury Avenue - West End (Opened 5 weeks sister of )
Errol Barrista - We Work, Great Chapel Street - Soho
On The Hoof Bistro - Sydenham Road - Sydenham
Gabu Chocolate - Gabriel’s Wharf - Southbank (run by friend Lisette so a regular)
Grand Rasoi Cafe - Mile End Road - Stepney Green
EVENTS
Serpentine Swimming Club AGM - A bun fight of the greatest order - say a fond farewell to our 4 year president Rob Olcott & welcome new one and friend Laure Latham.
Wine Tasting at Majestic Wine Store - Drury Lane - Covent Garden
Bulgarian Cultural Evening - Royal Geographical Society - Kensington Gore (Bumped into friends)
Date Bites 54: - Broadway House - Victoria
Royal Literary Fund Reading Circle x 4 - Norwood Library Hub - Crystal Palace
You Me Bum Bum Train x 4 - Secret Location - West End
Preview Film Research Screening - Vue Westfield Stratford/Vue Westfield White City (Confusion between locations meant 30 people including myself missed it).
Lunch with Hannah Knowles from Faber & Faber
International Women’s Day - Demonstration to stop Male Violence against Women - Trafalgar Square.
Tortoise Media - Newsroom Live - Ken Roth - Righting Human Wrongs - I got to ask the final question - Fora - Berners Street - Fitzrovia.
Friends of The Worshipful Company of Glaziers - Monthly Meetup
Lunch with Babs Lemon - RSA Receptionist
Human Rights ECSR with UN Special Raport - JustFair - Quaker House - Euston Road
Watching the London’s Model Yacht Club Races on the Round Pound in Kensington Gardens - been in existence since 1865
Walking in Victoria Park - spotted Burdett-Coutts Water Fountain memorial there, Learnt about her in the Lambeth Palace Museum Exhibition, Women & The Church Of England: 200 Years Of Women’s Ministry & Agency, last year (2024), she was instrumental in the inordination of female priests.
Michael Vincent’s An Evening Of Intimate Miracles - invited as his honorary guest - Temple Lodge Club - Hammersmith
Lindt Flagship Store - Opening - Piccadilly CIrcus
EXHIBITIONS/ART
Osipova: Photographs by Andrej Uspenski - Linbury Theatre - Royal Opera House, Drury Lane - Covent Garden
Making Egypt - Young V&A - Cambridge Heath Road - Bethnal Green
Gary James McQueen: Form & Flora (Castle Fine Art) - W1 Curates - Oxford Street - West End
Piccaso: Print Maker - British Museum - Great Russell Street - Bloomsbury
New Contemporaries 2025 - ICA (institute for Contemporary Art) - The Mall -Buckingham Palace
Animal Instinct: A Group Exhibition - Pangolin Sculpture Gallery - York Way - Kings Cross
Hannah Bennihoud:HighlightHer - Outside Benches, Granary Square - Kings Cross
Vogue: Inventing The Runway - Lightroom - Lewis Cubitt Square - Kings Cross
The Fitzrovia Mural (1980) - Wingfield Gardens - Fitzrovia
Hyangmok Baik: Home - Beers London Gallery - Little Britain
Alexis Walters: Untethered - Cristi Contini Contemporary Gallery - Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill (Opening Night)
London 2012 Mural - Side of Goldengrove Wetherspoons - Stratford
The Booker Library - Pop-Up - Waterstones - Piccadilly - West End
Peter Mitchell: Nothing Lasts Forever - The Photographers Gallery - Ramillies Street - Soho
Planetary Portals: I Am In Your Dreams But You Are Not In Mine - The Photographers Gallery - Ramillies Street - Soho
Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 - The Photographers Gallery - Ramillies Street - Soho
Sian Davey: The Garden - The Photographers Quarter - Ramillies Street - Soho
The Face Magazine:Culture Shift - National Portrait Gallery - Charing Cross Road
Edvard Munch Portraits - National Portrait Gallery - Charing Cross Road
FRIENDS SEEN
Richard Toy (Brother), Andrew Toy (Brother - on 1 hour video call) Paul Wiffen, Hannah Knowles, Bullringbash (If you know, you know), Jean Fernandes, Yvonne Adair, Marianna Cherry, Babs Lemon, Katie Irving, Amrit Chau- Singh & Nam Singh. Niklas Ahman, Will Johnson (after his play at the Bush theatre), Rod Abouharb, Kelly Shungu, Lisette Davis, Michael Connolly, Dr. Claire Malone, Martin Holt,
Birthday Attendees - Alex Smith, Amrit Chau & Nam Singh, Babs Lemon, Dr. Benjamin Barnard, Caroline Heatlie, Dr.Claire Malone & Esther, Chris Harvey, Elizabeth Jones, Jean Fernandes, Jess Turtle, Lainey Mclean, Marianna Cherry, Martin & Pamela Holt, Matt Turtle, Michael Vincent, Michael Connolly & Spiz (?), Michaelle Gooding, Paul Jeremy, Paul Wiffen & Aurelia, Peter Stanford, Reverend Simon Buckley, Ass. Professor Rod Abouharb, Tamara Thomas & Tim Baros
MUSEUMS/GALLERIES
National Portrait Gallery - Art, Science & Society Room - Trafalgar Square
National Portrait Gallery - Technological Transformation 1750 - 1850 Room - Trafalgar Square
RESTAURANTS/TAKE-AWAY/CAFES
Miznon London - Broadwick Street - Soho (Cashless - but their EPOS system went down when my brother went to pay- so FREE!)
Mona Lisa - Kings Road - Chelsea
Catalyst - Grays End Road - Chancery Lane (Hannah Knowles’s favourite)
Millions Pizza - High Road - Chadwell Heath
Smoky Boys - Upper Street - Islington (Opened 2 days ago - 30% Off everything)
Feast & Mishti - Whitechapel Road - Whitechapel (Ramadan celebration food)
The Ballerina - Bow Street - Covent Garden (Legend been trading there since 1970s - 1st ever visit)
Dishoom - Stable Street, Granary Square - Kings Cross
Charlie's Kitchen - Queensway - Bayswater
Farmer Cafe (in London’s first ever dairy) - Conway Street - Fitzrovia
Padella - Borough Market - London Bridge
The White Swan Pub - Upper Street - Islington
The Brothers Fish Bar - Station Road - Chadwell Heath
Dr. Power - Queensway - Bayswater
Chopstix Noodles Bar - Stratford Shopping Centre - Stratford
Sofa - South Molton Street - Marylebone (?)
Alistair’s American Diner - Church Street - Crystal Palace
The Park - Bayswater Road - Bayswater (This is Jeremy King’s new place)
Galleria Restaurant - Porchester Terrace - Bayswater
The Crown Pub - Grove Road - Victoria Park (Sunday Roast)
Hash E8, Victoria Park - Grove Road (Top 100 Best Breakfasts in London according to Time Out)
Great Indian Food - Graham Road - Hackney Central
Bagel Factory - Long Acre - Covent Garden
Bankside Cafe -Hatfields (off The Cut) - Southwark
C&R Cafe & Restaurant - Rupert Court - Chinatown
The Swan in The Globe - Globe Theatre - Southbank
CREM Kitchen - Raphael Park - Gidea Park (1st time ever in the area)
THEATRE
The White Rose - Marylebone Theatre - Park Road, Marylebone
Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew - Bush Theatre - Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush. (Saw my friend and collaborator WIll Johnson as one of the four actors on fire in it).
The Women Of Llanrumney - Stratford East Theatre - Stratford (1st ever visit to the theatre)
Punch - Young Vic Theatre - The Cut - Waterloo (written by friend James Graham, bumped into friend Mark who played me in my play Fifty Years Of Trying - were just having a drink and who to my surprise had both appeared in Graham’s Sherwood Season 2).
Macbeth - The Globe Theatre - Southbank (Guest of Deutsche Bank through Tim Baros - they sponsor the collaboration to produce Shakespeare for School Students)
DISCOVERED VENUES THAT ARE CASHLESS THUS I’M PRVENTED FROM USING:
Damn Yankee Wine Bar - Drury Lane - Covent Garden
Stormzy’s House Party Club - Poland Street - Soho
Miznon Restaurant London - Broadwick Street - Soho
The Round Cafe (Colicci Restaurant Chain) - Peckham Park - Peckham
Bush Theatre Cafe & Bar - Uxbridge Cafe - Shepherds Bush (Reminded friend Wil Johnson is performing here until 22nd March 2025).
Zola Cafe - Church Road - Crystal Palace
Palazzo Pizzeria - Church Road - Crystal Palace
Alma Cafe - York Way - Kings Cross
Blank Street Cafe - Queensway - Bayswater
Oatis (Oat based cafe) - Queensway - Bayswater
Pali Indian Take-Away - Great Portland Street Underground Station - Marylebone Road
Green & Brown Cafe - Crystal Palace
Blowing Dandelion Coffee Shop - Crystal Palace
Pophams Cafe - Lauriston Road - Victoria Park
WatchHouse Coffee Shop - Southampton Street - Covent Garden
Root/25 Community Cafe - Bow Road - Bow
On The Hoof, Coffee Station - Sydenham Train Station - Sydenham
Pulse Bar London - New Globe Street - Southwark
DISCOVERED CLOSING OR CLOSED
Pix Pinto - Bateman Street - Soho (My favourite date venue in all of London because of their Cocktail Bar - Rooms by The Hour - time capsules of Soho Video Peep Shows, showing 70s porn - suddenly disappeared)
Smithfield Market - all traders are finally vanquished - ending the traditional Christmas of the Meat Auction - another institution gone - lets hope the London Museum lives up to its promise to protect the beauty of all this.
Leon Restaurant - Victoria Place - Victoria
Leon Restaurant - Tottenham Court Road - Fitzrovia
The Pavillion - Barbican - City of London
Wonderville - Haymarket - West End
TGI Fridays - Leicester Square - West End (another institution - gone unexpectedly).
Tommi’s Burger Joint - Berwick Street - Soho (another failsafe for well over a decade)
Chopstix - Oxford Street - West End
Roll on April 2025