Residents of this part of the city may say ‘West is Best’, so we’re picking out some favourites. Regeneration and the arrival of Westfield shopping centre has made the Shepherd’s Bush area a much busier place, but the nearby K West Hotel often pops up on SpaBreak deals for a moment of calm. Down the road in Hammersmith, the river offers a picturesque escape from King Street. The Lyric Hammersmith theatre offers ‘Free First Night’, which is a pair of free tickets to the first night of any performance to residents or people who work in the area.
Notting Hill may be crushingly expensive to live in, but it’s actually a cheapo hub of independent and secondhand shopping, from Music & Video Exchange to the old Portobello Market round the corner. And, of course, this neighbourhood is home to London’s biggest street party, Notting Hill Carnival, which is on every year on the August Bank Holiday weekend.
