30 Before 30

LONDON Quick Hits

London Calling! Share your favorite London travel moment in the comments below for a chance to win a free signed copy of 30 Before 30.

CHRIS HARRISON  |  HOST,  “THE  BACHELOR”

…My favorite part of London is High Street Kensington. We found this wonderful little jewelry store tucked away just a block above Kensington St. Her name is Kirsten Goss and she’s very talented…

AMY ELMER  |   DREAMWORKS

…You have to do like the Brits and go to a pub right after work gets out (4-5, 6ish). Hordes of people hang out and usually everyone is really friendly. Try the Westbourne Tavern in Notting Hill…

ROMANY MALCO  |   ACTOR,  “WEEDS”

…I went to the projects in London around midnight with a girl I was dating and we smoked a joint on the roof of London’s tallest project building. All you could hear was the wind, gunshots and sirens. It’s a fond memory that I would not want you to experience under any circumstances…

CHARLEY WALTERS

…I went on this crazy tour called the Jack the Ripper walk. It is so interesting and kind of creepy, too—not in a fear-for-your-life kind of way, but in a makes-you-think  way…. 

LYDIA HEARST

…Do tea time at the Wallace Collection…

DAVID ARQUETTE  |  ACTOR

...Aspinall’s is a private gambling club. Classic spot. A member has to introduce you... 

JASON REITMAN  |  DIRECTOR,  “UP  IN  THE  AIR”,  “JUNO”

…When I was 25, I landed in London on the way to Prague. I was going for a film festival and only realized during my stopover in Heathrow that the Czechs had a visa requirement for Canadians. Thus began a 24-hour journey, pin- balling back and forth as I picked up documents, took photos, secured a new passport and applied for a visa. Towards the end of all this madness, I found myself outside the Canada House in Trafalgar Square waiting for my passport to dry. Next to me was the National Gallery, housing hundreds of years of the most important art in the world. While done briskly, my 45-minute tour of art history is one of my fondest traveling memories. Particularly Ruben’s “Sam- son and Delilah”–one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful paintings I’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes…

JAMES VALENTINE | SINGER, MAROON 5

…Most of my favorite memories are linked to the music venues we have played. Go try and see a show. Music is such a big part of the culture there, I think it would be appropriate. My favorite venues are The Astoria, Brixton Academy, and Shepard’s Bush Empire. There is a little dingy club called Barfly in Camden where we played our first London show…I jog everywhere and love doing it in London in Hyde Park…

TAYLOR MOMSEN  |  “GOSSIP GIRL”

…The most memorable person I met was the Queen of England. i got to present her with flowers at the premier of the Grinch. idk, maybe you have some hookup and can meet her, cus it was really cool… 

CAMILLE GUATY  |  “THE  NINE”

…I’m challenging you to go to the palace and seek out the palace guard who mysteriously stuck his tongue out at me. I’m hoping you have a similar experience, so you can share it with others as I have. Just a hint...I think the key is not to try and make sure no one is around…

AJ DIPERSIA  |  ACTOR

…London is all about booze…

JJ BANICKI  |  BROTHER

…Let the Brits do all the talking, they sound so charming. Anything bright red is worth taking a picture next to. Take a stroll through Kensington Park. Oh, and mind the gap….

BEN LYONS |  CORRESPONDENT, “EXTRA”

….A great London memory I had was watching the sunrise from the Thames bridge right by the London eye and parliament and Big Ben. Take a lap around the river, across the big new fancy bridge, and the old historic one. I did that with a chick and it was incredibly romantic…. 

MILO VENTIMIGLIA  |  ACTOR,  HEROES

…When I was 22 and in London, I knew nothing. I let myself get caught

up with the streets that were flooded with people and just kinda moved to and fro with them. At night I’d go to the clubs I’d hear about during the day. And during the day I’d go to the cultural places I’d hear about at night…. 

ALI PULITI  | US WEEKLY

…You have to take the bus tour, that way you can see the entire city in the shortest time possible and then decide where you want to go…Take the tube to Abbey Road where you have to walk across the path like a Beatle and have someone take your picture….

KRIS CAMPBELL

...Visit the Tower of London. One of my favorite travel moments was when as a kid, I posed for a picture with the taller-than-me teddy bear in a Beef- eater uniform that guarded the entrance...