Tag Archives: London

April 4, 2018 · 10:00 am

A Queens’ Museum in Great Britain

QueenEngland

There is more than one Queen in England.

And soon their histories will find national representation.

Queer Britain is working to establish the UK’s first national LGBTQ+ museum.  With an anticipated opening in 2021, the brick- and-mortar museum will host permanent and temporary exhibits, with an innovative digital presence.  It will feature objects and records from the worlds of art, fashion, film, literature, TV, theatre, news, music, diaries, letters, photographs and legal records.

According to London Mayor Sadiq Kahn, “As Mayor, it’s so important to me that London is seen as a city where LGBTQ+ people feel valued, happy and safe – this sends a clear message to the world that London is a beacon of diversity.”

Queer Britain hopes its museum extends beyond celebrating  modern-day gay London and creates historical context.   As its website further explains, “Many young people now have a strong sense of freedom about identity, but not how these were formed or the lives of those who came before them. A healthy plant needs deep roots.”

For more information, visit QueerBritain.org.uk.

QueerBritainIMAGES COURTESY OF BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE / (CC) LSE / NAPOLEON SARONY / JANE MCCORMICK SMITH / BEX WADE / ROBERT TAYLOR (via Queer Britain)

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December 7, 2012 · 9:58 am

The Week in Travel (12/7/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

Mural of Prince Harry Shirtless in London’s Manbar gay club

*Royal babe, indeed!   Refusing to be overshadowed by his future niece or nephew, a mural of a shirtless Prince Harry now permanently hangs in the London gay club, Manbar  (via Evening Standard).

*Not without controversy, “Europe’s first gay-friendly mosque” opened in Paris this week–welcoming gay Muslims and allowing men and women to pray together (via France 24).

*Need a new place to lay your head?  Stay at the best new hotels to have opened in 2012 (via Fodor’s).

*In gay destination wedding news: on Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Mexico ruled unanimously for same-sex marriage to be recognized in the entire country (via Salon); and very early Thursday morning, Washington State began issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples (via Seattle Times).

*Luxury hotels want to serve you during daylight too, offering day-only rates for your business or pleasure (via CNN).

*Tall and tan and young and lovely, the boy from Ipanema goes walking; and when he passes, Grindr, Scruff and Manhunt go…ahhh!  Yes, in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games, Brazil is unveiling a new Wi-Fi network, offering internet access on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro (via Business Wire).

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

(Photo via Evening Standard)

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November 20, 2012 · 8:00 am

Let’s Get Visual: East London

The Traveling IQ vault is packed with travel photos that have never seen the light of day. They’re lonely and want to say hello.

Here’s a little photo tour of East London, from my November 2011 visit.

East London has undergone a dramatic change over the last decade. The once isolated area beyond the Tower of London, is now home to trendy shops, cafes, art galleries and open-air markets.

During my visit last year, I explored the area with my trusted “insider” Urban Gentry guide and stayed for the grand opening of the Aloft London Excel Hotel–all as the city was prepping to host the London 2012 Olympic Games.

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October 19, 2012 · 2:53 pm

The Week in Travel (10/19/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

*When the Skyfalls in the Thunderball will Dr. No employ his License to Kill on the Octopussy, or will his GoldenEye realize that The World is Not Enough?  Retrace the travels of James Bond, and explore the iconic locations of the 007 franchise.  (via CNN)

*Not to be eclipsed by Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who free-falled 24 miles from space, Sarah Brightman, the “Angel of Music” known for creating the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, intends to be the first professional musician to sing from space.  (via Playbill.com)

*The days of carrying luggage may be behind us.  Literally, in fact, with the self-driving, robotic bag that follows you to your gate.  (via The Telegraph)

*Hola.  Bounjour.  Buon giorno.  Ohaiyou Gozaimasu.  Learn a foreign language in a new cool place.  (via CNN)

*New York City hotel rooms can be exorbitantly priced, yet the Frugal Traveler finds seven Manhattan rooms for around $150.  (via NY Times)

*You thought New York City’s High Line was a cool way to traverse a city?  Put on your swimsuit because two London architects have proposed revamping the city’s Regent’s Canal into a swimming commute lane.  (via Atlantic Cities)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

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August 17, 2012 · 2:37 pm

The Week in Travel (8/17/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

Rio de Janeiro

*Ryan Lochte is peeing in a new pool; Posh, Sporty, Ginger, Scary and Baby are now a little less spicy; and Londoners are minding the gap in media coverage.  What happens next in post-Olympic London? (via Travel Agent Central)

*And as the focus shifts, Rio prepares for 2016. (via BBC)

*Knutstorp chairs, Nordli beds and lingonberry breakfast jam may be staples of your next vacation, as Ikea develops a line of “budget design” hotels, offering a boutique experience at an affordable price.  (via The Telegraph)

*Road trips are getting fancy with these stylish, new travel trailers.  (via NY Times)

*You can leave your hat on (and your shoes, and your belt) when traveling through America’s Northeast.  Air travel frustrations are boosting Amtrak bookings between Boston, New York and Washington D.C.  (via NY Times)

*San Francisco is the top, but Brooklyn is doubly tasty in claiming “America’s Best New Restaurants.”  (via Bon Appétit)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

(Photo via Rio 2016)

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July 20, 2012 · 10:23 am

The Week in Travel (7/20/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   This week, Traveling IQ curates recent travel stories on London, which you may have heard is hosting a sporting event of some kind, starting July 27.

London 2012

*Fasten your seat belt, it’s going to be a taxing night.  One enterprising London cabbie has transformed his black cab into a hotel for one, with a “memory foam” mattress, pillow, duvet, bedside lamp and a Paddington teddy bear.  Available during the Olympics for £50 (about $78) a night. (via CNN)

*The London Olympics will travel to you.  For the first time fans will have live access to every event–at least every event with a camera on the scene–by streaming to their computers or mobile devices.  Here’s a guide to the joys and complications.  (via Consumer Search)

*London is busy on its slowest day.  With as many as 5.5 million day-trippers and 450,000 visitors expected for the Games, plan to cozy up with strangers and follow these tips for navigating  public transportation.  (via LA Times)

*Enjoy the stylish life with advice toward the shops, restaurants, hotels and sights that will fit you to a T. (via NY Times T Magazine)

*Coming to London for the Olympics but don’t want to stay in the city? Commute from villages and rural retreats, most within an hour by train, and skip the inflated prices and crazed city fever.  (via The Guardian)

*Take IQ’s suggestion and steer your own sightseeing course with Urban Gentry’s personalized tours of London’s art, fashion, design, food or architecture scenes. (via Traveling IQ)

*Celebrate the Olympic spirit and London’s new craft beer renaissance over a tasty pint. (via NY Times)

*And check out some of IQ’s recent articles on the Aloft London Excel Hotel, London cabbies, and the Soho neighborhood.

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

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June 29, 2012 · 10:24 am

The Week in Travel (6/29/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

Ca’D’oro in Istanbul (via CN Traveler)

*Traveling will make you thirsty.  Quench it stylishly at one of the best new bars in cities including Berlin, Beijing, Buenos Aires, and other non-B beginning destinations.  (via Conde Nast Traveler)

*Eating out(doors) in London.  With a gazillion (exact figure) visitors descending on London this summer, you may need some fresh air and much to drink.  Here’s an area-by-area guide to the best outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants. (via Time Out London)

*London to Sydney in 4 hours!  Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Gulfstream – with the help of NASA – are working toward creating the “Son of Concorde,”  the first supersonic commercial passenger airliner.  (via news.com.au)

*Air travel these days means longer and longer time in airports.  Don’t fret, now you can play golf, visit a museum, or watch a concert, all en-route to your gate.  (via CNN)

*Hmmmm… Fourteen women–all in their 80’s and 90’s–who lived through the horrors of World War II competed to be crowned Israel’s first “Miss Holocaust Survivor” (via MSNBC)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

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June 15, 2012 · 7:00 am

The Week in Travel (6/15/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

The Love Boat

*Money can’t buy you love, but it might buy you the Love Boat.  The Pacific Princess, the cruise ship which hosted countless celebrities on the famous television show from 1977 to 1986 was sold for scrap earlier this year.  But now the scrap company that bought it has defaulted on its payment, and the ship is up for sale once again.  (via USA Today)

*Who says art won’t take you places?   Inspired by New York’s Chelsea Hotel, that once gave artists a hotel room in exchange for their art, the Clarion Hotel in Stockholm is accepting payment in the form of  poetry, paintings or anything self-made that will fit on an A4 piece of paper. (via Passport Magazine)

*If you price gouge them, maybe they just won’t come.  Hotels in London–some of which have been charging four times the usual amount–are reporting that a third of their rooms are empty during the Olympics.  (via The Telegraph)

*Your cocktail will be more delicious when sipped from above at any of these 17 hotel terraces with amazing views.  (via Conde Nast Traveler)

*Want gayby.  Will travel.  Based on over 10 million surveyed responses, a dating website has put together a list of where the most traditional-minded (those who want to get married and raise children together) LGBT singles live.  (via Chemistry.com)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

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June 8, 2012 · 11:34 am

The Week in Travel (6/8/12)

The world of travel moves fast!   Let’s keep up–together.   On Fridays,  Traveling IQ curates the highlights from the past week:

The Berkeley in London

*Get in touch with your inner Esther Williams this summer.  The Berkeley hotel in London is offering 90-minute synchronized swimming classes through August 29. (via New York Times)

*Train with Russian cosmonauts.  A Seattle-based tour group is taking 20 travelers to Russia to view the manned launch of the Soyuz spacecraft en route to the International Space Station.  Add-ons include cosmonaut training sessions and zero-gravity flights. (via USA Today)

*This year you have more opportunities than ever to be gay and proud.  The International Gay Pride Calendar guides you toward the festivities all over the world.  (via Passport Magazine)

*Size Queen… or King… or Full.  A new crop of NYC hotels are offering tiny, but well-designed “affordable luxury.” (via New York Times)

*Are you having Downton Abbey withdrawal? Highclere Castle, where the critically acclaimed drama is filmed, is now open for tours Sunday through Thursday. (via MSNBC)

What did I miss?  Share your favorite travel news in the comments below or by posting on the Traveling IQ Facebook page.

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January 26, 2012 · 7:00 am

Tailor-Made London Tours

Urban Gentry

You’ve hopped on and hopped off.  Now, one London tour company is letting you steer your own sightseeing course.  Urban Gentry  matches your interests with an industry professional to provide in-depth, personalized tours of London’s art, fashion, design, food or architecture scenes.

All itineraries can be tailor-made to your specifications, or you can choose from one of their most popular tours.  Take the “East End: Hip Neighborhood Tour” to explore shops and galleries of London’s new creative hub, the “London Architecture Tour” to learn about the city’s iconic buildings from a London-based architect and professor, or the “London Fashion Tour” to visit both off-the beaten path boutiques and designer stores with your own fashion insider guide.

Learn about the different tours or start creating your own at www.urbangentry.com.

(Article originally published in Out Traveler)

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