Annie McNamee

It’s that time again. Every year, we ask thousands of city-dwellers to tell us the coolest spots in their cities. What are the places locals love and visitors flock to? Where are the exciting new openings across food, drink and culture? Where are people going out, hanging out and having fun? For the sixth year running, the results are in. Over 12,000 people had their say in this year’s shortlist, naming the neighbourhoods in their hometowns where everyone wants to be right now. Then, we narrowed down the selection with the insight and expertise of city editors and local experts who know their cities better than anyone else. To create and rank the final list, we considered factors including community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. In 2023, our neighbourhoods are more global than ever before. The rise and rise in post-pandemic digital nomadism has led to an explosion of brand-new community spaces, multi-purpose culture centres and more cafés than we can count on two hands. But while most of these neighbourhoods have experienced a transformation over recent years, they remain resolutely local at heart. Slick new developments and cool cafés might bring in new crowds, but neighbourhood stalwarts – from old pubs to family greengrocers – keep it real.  The world’s coolest neighbourhoods this year are, therefore, places with big personalities. Each area’s diversity is reflected in its food, culture and festivals. Community is key: local

It only took about 70 years, but television is finally getting some respect. In the decades leading up to this point, TV was largely considered among the lowest forms of entertainment. It was smeared as ‘the idiot box’, ‘the boob tube’. Edward R Murrow referred to it as ‘the opiate of the masses’, and Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song about the malaise of fruitless channel surfing. Was its poor reputation deserved? Certainly, the ratio of garbage to gold was high, and though it’s hard to quantify if it was worse than any other artistic medium, the fact that it was all being beamed directly into your living room made the dreck much harder to avoid.  That’s all changed. Television is now the dominant medium in basically all of entertainment, to the degree that the only thing separating movies and TV is the screen you’re watching on. The shift in perception is widely credited to the arrival of The Sopranos, which completely reinvented the notion of what a TV show could do, and the advent of streaming has made it so that hundreds of new shows are now continually flipping the script every few years, if not months.  But that doesn’t mean everything before 1999 is pure dross. Far from it: television has been popular since World War II, after all. And while this list is dominated by 21st century programs, there are hundreds of shows that deserve credit for pushing TV forward into its current golden age. Chiselling them down to a neat hundred is tough, so we elected to leave off tal

Ever wanted to know what life as student is really like in 2023? We asked 20-year-old student-turned-amateur-anthropologist Annie to tell us her observations about the people, parties and juiciest secrets of the UK’s unis. Here’s her verdict. Universities. National institutions. Places of learning and research, incubators of intellect. Unfortunately, also the land of the ‘student’. Student is a varied species which feeds mainly on pasta and rice. British students can often be found at the nearest Wetherspoons, getting drunk on vanilla flavoured vodka because the regular one is 30p more expensive. They tend to be slightly nocturnal and the males are known for going to extraordinary lengths to attract mates that they will subsequently ‘leave on read’.   Subtypes of ‘student’ vary based on location and each British uni comes with its own set of defining characteristics. So, buckle up: this is an entirely imaginary but 100 percent accurate investigation into the private lives of students in the wild, in their most natural habitat – on what they like to call, ‘a night out’.  Newcastle Image: Genie Espinosa We start in Newcastle and encounter Georgia moments after arriving at Market Shaker, an underground bar. She promptly begins chatting about the time she almost jumped into the Tyne ‘just for laughs’, which seems common for the ‘Geordie’ student species. Other notable characteristics appear to include: studying Geography, being obsessed with the North/South divide, Nike Air Max

Enjoy an evening of modern classical music composed by Black artists whose work did not get the spotlight that it deserved in its time at this Southbank Centre concert. The night will involve three different pieces from three different composers, performed by up and coming American violinist Randall Goosby, who made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra at just nine, and award-winning Chinese pianist Zhu Wang. 

University College London (UCL) is currently ranked the ninth best uni in the entire world. It is an internationally recognised institution of academic excellence, and now it is seeking to redefine the whole concept of what a university campus is. So, appropriately, they’ve opened a massive, insanely futuristic new building.  UCL’s brand-new campus in East Marshgate opened its doors this week. Described as ‘innovative’, the project was welcomed by a flashy opening ceremony culminating in a robotic dog (accompanied by a dog made of flesh and bones) delivering an orange button to the stage. The button was pressed, ushering in a new era for the university. According to UCL, the new Marshgate building was ‘designed to accelerate breakthroughs in areas including robotics and AI, ecology, sustainable cities, green manufacturing, decarbonised transport, assistive technology, fair finance, and global health.’ The architects are Stanton Williams.  The new campus aims to tackle modern issues facing the world head on. It was developed to be a hub for learning and discovery, but also with an intense awareness of its environment, being open for the public and encouraging locals to come in and enjoy exhibitions and facilities. The scheme was backed by Sadiq Khan himself, who said: ‘The new campus at UCL East is an exciting milestone for East Bank.’ ‘[The campus] will cement East Bank’s place as a powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning. UCL East will attract scholars from acros

The Ivy, for those not-in-the-know, was first founded in 1917 in the West End as a humble cafe. After the OG branch became a luxurious favourite for famous theatre-goers, The Ivy then grew into a chain spread across the entire UK, giving middle class mums with faux-fur coats everywhere a place to meet up for ‘drinkies’. And now, in a very bold move for the brand, The Ivy has launched a loyalty app. The app, which launched on September 20, allows users to claim points on their meals, which can then be used to pay part of their next bill. If you’re an Ivy regular, it could end up saving you quite a bit of cash.  There are tiers to their rewards system, starting at green, which entitles you to effectively five percent worth of your bill back in points. If you manage to get to the restaurant ten times in a single year, you will automatically be upgraded to gold level, which is the same but with a year-long Ivy Club membership on top as an extra treat. It’s kind of like that Pizza Express app, only a bit fancier.  To launch the app, The Ivy paired up with musician and general app enthusiast Rod Stewart. He said: ‘I’ve got the Ivy app, and I think it’s sexy!’ Because of course he did. The rockstar has also released a line of ‘personally curated’ cocktails for The Ivy using his very own whisky chain. If you’d like to find out more about The Ivy’s loyalty scheme, check out the official website here.  If it’s good enough for Rod, it’s good enough for any of us. Did you see that London

In an age of awkward Tinder dates and unsolicited images from randomers online, it would be easy to declare that romance is dead in 2023. But there’s no need for any of that! Travel experts over at Rough Guides have named the UK's most romantic destination, saying that a cute little hamlet nestled deep in the Gloucestershire countryside is the nation's most ideal couples' getaway. The village in question is Bourton-on-the-Water, which is in the heart of the Cotswolds. As the name suggests, a river runs through its centre and is considered to be its ‘most prized feature’. With around 4000 residents, the village is tiny but still a busy tourist spot. On warm days the waterside is bustling with visitors, the shallowest points of the river being ideal for paddling in to cool down. A short walk is like stepping into a picture book, full of gorgeous architecture and plenty of greenery. Summer may have passed, but Bourton’s still well worth a visit in other seasons. In autumn the village is cloaked in vibrant oranges and reds as the leaves turn, while local spooky stories of hauntings and witchcraft make it an ideal October destination. In winter when the fairy lights go up, Bourton makes for a fine place to enjoy hot chocolates by a log fire.  And that doesn’t even touch on Bourton’s attractions. From an accurate scale model of the town to the exotic birds of the Birdland Park & Gardens, the town certainly features attractions you won’t find anywhere else.  So next time you’ve got

Let me paint you a picture. You, your loved ones, a luxury travel pod, on your way to a warm country. It’s spacious, it’s comfortable, it’s sustainably made. No airport queues or delays. Doesn’t it sound delightful? Well, you won’t have to imagine all that for much longer. The Airlander 10 is coming to the UK, and all of that can be yours for just a few thousand pounds! The aircraft, which is similar to a zeppelin in style, sells itself as being a luxury travel experience like no other, with its interior taking inspiration from luxury yachts and private jets. The Airlander has been developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles, who are aiming to change the face of aviation forever. Modest goals.  The company is aiming to have the crafts available for commercial travel to a selection of exclusive locations, including Mediterranean sun spots Majorca and Malaga, by 2027. With only 100 passengers per flight, each aircraft is going to ‘[connect] the unconnected’, which sounds exactly like something someone with enough money to take one of these flights would be interested in.  Due to its sheer size, the Airlander will suffer from minimal turbulence and its design means that it can take off from and land on ‘virtually any flat surface, including water’ – thereby cutting out the need for airports entirely. It’s been certified by the Civil Aviation Authority, so don’t worry about safety either. It even produces 90 percent less CO2 than an average aircraft. Guilt free! Airlander 10 could be the n

Speed cameras are in place to keep us safe. But while they are instrumental in ensuring safety on our roads, it’s ok to admit that speed cameras can be, at times, incredibly annoying. And – apologies to anyone with points on their licence – they’re about to get a whole lot worse.  Worse might be the wrong word. In an effort to stop people from slowing down for approximately ten seconds as they approach the speed camera then immediately accelerating away, new cameras with ‘anti-braking measures’ are set to be introduced to UK roads after a successful trial in northern Spain. The system, developed by Road Angel, uses multiple cameras and sensors to assess whether or not a driver has harshly braked as they approach the speed camera, including a sensor almost 1km after the initial camera to catch anyone who sped back up. If caught, you could face a £100 fine, or points on your licence.  Founder of Road Angel, Gary Digva, emphasised the safety benefits to the new technology, saying, ‘If introduced, these devices will catch and penalise more speeding motorists, encouraging more drivers to stick to legal limits and improve road safety.’ ‘Although the fight goes on to reduce incidents of speeding on UK roads and accidents resulting from excess speed we believe introducing this new technology to the UK will help keep roads safer.’ Someone is injured on UK roads on average every 16 minutes, and experts hope that these new cameras will help reduce that number.  So, speed awareness cours

Making plans with friends as an adult is hard. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible unless you do it months in advance, follow-up three times and pick an incredibly neutral location that no one can complain about. Sometimes, you just want a nice meal without all the faff. Eating by yourself can solve all of these issues – and the foodies over at Michelin know this, having just released their top picks for the best places for eating alone in London. If you’re missing the sun and want a taste of the Med, head to Wild by Tart in Belgravia. With a varied but expertly crafted menu that ranges from pasta dishes to veggie flatbreads, Michelin describe it as ‘bright and spacious with counter seating plus tables set amongst verdant trailing house plants’. Plenty of wines are by the glass (which is a must for a solo journey), plus they’re even dog friendly – so you needn’t dine alone after all. For world-class pub grub, try out Pig and Butcher. Aside from the fact that the pub atmosphere will make you feel like you’re not even on your own at all, the menu is always changing and the food is delish. Add to that an excellent selection of cocktails, and you’re onto a winner. Michelin sings its praises, saying: ‘While it looks every inch the ‘proper London pub’, it could just as easily be transported to the countryside and feel right at home.’ Maybe you’re looking for a real treat, or to hear your friends say, ‘Oh I heard about that place! I’m so jealous, and you are by far my coolest acqua

Britain is divided. Politics are polarised, industries are falling to their knees. Only one thing still unites the country, bringing joy to students, pensioners, families, and Stella-drinking baldies alike: we all love a good pub. Each year the Great British Pub Awards (GBPA) recognise the best of the best, and this year London pubs have won three categories. Yep, three!  The Turk’s Head in Twickenham, situated moments away from the National Rugby Stadium, was crowned Best Urban Pub. Judges commended it for its ability to be ‘a great all-round local community hub with an energetically welcoming [atmosphere].’ The booze experts noted the Turk’s commitment to providing a thriving community space whilst still being a bustling, busy spot for rugby fans on match days, while also commending its recent investment in an outdoor ‘secret garden’ ideal for events and functions. Meanwhile, in the southeast of the city, The Kings Arms in Bexleyheath won Best Pub for Entertainment, thanks to hosting frequent comedy nights, live music from local musicians and themed quizzes.  Speaking of their win on Facebook, the pub said: ‘Thank you to everyone who has followed our journey this year and in previous years, this award is as a result of lots of people… the singers, DJs, comedians, hosts and suppliers – and of course you, for supporting what we do.’ Finally, Stonegate Group Pub of the Year went to Woodman in Ruislip. The team at GPBA gave several seasons for its success in the category, fro

Money can’t buy you love, but it can buy you happiness. Sort of. In an only slightly dystopian study, researchers have calculated the exact amount of cash you need to be making to be happy while living in London and other UK cities. In a shock to absolutely no one, London living comes with the highest price tag.  To find the cost of joy in each city, S Money borrowed information from Purdue University’s popular study on the relationship between money and happiness, which finds that a greater income generally improves people’s moods – but only to a certain point, which they refer to as the ‘happiness premium’. Past this critical point, the correlation between increased satisfaction and increased salary massively dwindles. With this in mind, they calculated what that tipping point is across the country.  Alright, time to crunch some numbers. To enjoy your life in London with carefree abandon you need to be making a grand total of £79,524 a year, which is roughly the top 10 percent of earners in the capital. Sorry to anyone making £79,523, you’re out of luck. Enjoy being miserable.  S Money referenced the disparity between the amount required to remain in high-spirits and the average annual income, only £37,000, noting that, ‘happiness (or the peace of mind required to achieve it) is permanently out of the grasp for most Londoners’. The cheapest happiness premium in the UK is in Leicester, where a salary of only £61,117 will keep you content. Pennies, really. Other pricey places

Life is short. Sometimes. Other times, life can be long – like really, really long. If you’re wondering where to move to maximise your chances of living a really, really long time, you’re in luck. A new study has investigated the counties in the UK where you're most likely to stick around a while. In order to find the ‘luckiest’ county, the team (which was from gambling site Fabulous Bingo) first had to discover as many supercentenarians as they could. Sadly, that’s not the alias of a crime fighting comic-book hero, it’s just someone who lived to 110 (which is arguably just as cool). They then cross-referenced supercentenarian data with the average age of each county.  And so the results are in. With an average supercentenarian age of 113, West Glamorgan, home to Welsh city of Swansea, is officially the best place to grow very old. South Yorkshire and Derbyshire came second and third. Unsurprisingly, Greater London had the highest number of people who surpassed 110 (with 17 recorded on the survey) but its size also means that it is still lower per capita than the southern Welsh county. Essentially, if you want an extended life, stay away from the south. And definitely don’t be a man, as only 15 male supercentenarians were listed against the 219 women. Sorry, guys.  So go forth and prosper! Hopefully we’ll all reach an age where we can one day be a data speck in a Fabulous Bingo study. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and t

After a tumultuous year of strikes and pay disputes, there have frankly been much better times to be a rail enthusiast in the UK. But now here’s something for trainspotters and transport museum annual-pass holders to get excited about: the 2023 ‘Railway Oscars’ have finally arrived. You heard that right. The National Rail Awards, the UK’s biggest celebration of train-related success stories, were dished out last week. Categories ranged from Freight and Logistics Achievement of the Year (well done to the Highland Spring Group!) to station of the year.  The award is split based on stations’ sizes, including ‘small station of the year’, with each hub assessed on a number of criteria, including customer service, disabled access and special features such as flower beds or community links. The competition is surprisingly intense, with hundreds of stations nominating themselves each year. This year, Okehampton station in Devon bagged the trophy. The station was commended for its successful reopening in 2021 after a history of closures and disrupted services. Mid-Devon’s station manager Mel Harvey said: ‘Winning this award is testament to our amazing team who look after Okehampton, ensuring it looks just as good today as it did the day it reopened two years ago.’ ‘In that time, it has become a focal point for our community, a transport hub with buses connecting to our services, and of course a thriving railway station linking Okehampton and West Devon with Exeter and beyond.’ Littl

We’re sure by now you know the old truism: ‘Stockport is basically the Cairo of the UK.’ Just us? Huh.  So maybe it’s not exactly like Egypt, but Stockport does have a pyramid of its very own. Sadly, this one only dates back to the ’90s and we know exactly how it was created, but it’s still pretty cool-looking. The Stockport Pyramid housed the Co-op Banking group, who worked there until they moved to Manchester in 2018. The structure has sat empty ever since, leaving many to wonder what would become of it. Luckily, this north-west English gem is set to become even more beloved, as it is being turned into one of the nation’s favourite things – an Indian restaurant. A banquet hall, to be exact.  Mahboob Hussain, the owner of the restaurant chain Royal Nawaab, has said he looks forward to creating an ‘unforgettable dining experience’ in the building. He explained: ‘We are hoping to breathe much needed life into this iconic building and bring with it a significant investment and job creation into the Stockport and Greater Manchester region.’ The restaurant is slated to open in summer 2024.  So next summer there’s no need to go all the way to Egypt to see a pyramid. Stockport’s one is probably even better: after all, you can’t chow down a curry next to Tutankahmun’s sarcophagus. Did you see that the UK is officially one of the freest places on Earth? Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country

If there’s one thing that everyone loves, it’s a brand new 35-storey skyscraper being built in their community. For residents of Old Street, this dream will soon be reality, as planning permission has been awarded to architects who want to add a 152-metre-tall ’scraper to London’s iconic (and already pretty tall) skyline. Called 99 City Road, the project will involve building on top of an existing, much smaller structure that is currently home to a satellite communications company. Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates is responsible for the new designs, which are for developers Endurance Land and intend to create nearly 65,000 square metres of office space. That’s a lot of office space.  The new designs are described as ‘rooted in the distinct history of the local areas’. Endurance Land says it wants to create ‘high-quality flexible office space’ and ‘dedicated spaces for free community use, cultural programming, and curated events’. Which sure sounds nice enough, doesn’t it? Islington councillors approved the planning request last week, which means that the project will move into its next stage of development. Developers expect it to generate up to 3600 jobs, and have promised at least 10 percent of its office spaces will be affordable for small and local businesses. There isn’t yet an official completion date for the project, but you can follow updates on the official project website here.  Did you know that two of the best pizza restaurants in the world are in London? Find out m