Aliette鈥檚 Picks
Favorite Landmark
Kings Cross-St. Pancras Tube Station鈥
Place for a Sunday Roast
Hidden Gem
Coffee Shop
Lockdown Activity
Walking
Aliette Fenton-Sharp 鈥95 tours London during lockdown.

Aliette Fenton-Sharp grew up in Spain, moved to Miami and graduated from 撸先生 before
settling
in London. Her career in fine art and cargo insurance kept her on the move, but when
the United Kingdom went into lockdown on March 26, 2020, Fenton-Sharp and her family
had to stay put.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Once restrictions eased, the family of four took to thoroughly exploring their own
city. By foot.

鈥淥ne day we went to Camden and found a Buffalo chicken wing burger that we ate beside
the canal before stopping at an ice cream shop we like called Ruby Violet,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e walked 10K the other day to find a coffee shop near the British Museum.鈥
Aliette and her husband, Nick, take full advantage of the restrictions鈥 exercise exception,
rambling with their children on Hampstead Heath and at Waterlow Park.
Nick also enjoys cycling through Regent鈥檚 Park, and, once a month, he rises at 5 a.m. to ride to Smithfield Market to stock up on fresh, high-end meat: mince, T-bone steak, chicken, sausage, even a
Thanksgiving turkey last November.
The family lives in North London, an area largely spared from World War II bombing
raids, which means much of their neighborhood鈥檚 Victorian architecture remains intact.
Nearby Highgate Hill boasts a panoramic view of downtown London and Fenton-Sharp鈥檚 favorite gin distillery,
Sacred.
Before the pandemic, Fenton-Sharp visited the British Museum and the Tate Modern on her lunch breaks.
鈥淚 used to be able to come downstairs and walk to the Tate. It鈥檚 nice because they
always have things going on. And museums here are free鈥攅xcept for special exhibitions.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a phrase, 鈥極nce you鈥檙e tired of London, you鈥檙e tired of life,鈥欌 she says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 true. My kids love Chinatown, and we go there to get their favorite cakes. If
we want Turkish food, we go to Green Lanes, an area full of Turkish restaurants and shops. You鈥檙e surrounded by neighborhoods
that give you a bit of everything from the world.鈥