British artist and illustrator Joey Yu is a born-and-bred Londoner whose brightly coloured works are often an ode to her hometown.

London

"Greenwich Park. It feels very historic; you have the [Royal] Observatory, the GMT line running, the marker of time. And you can see all the universities, the old buildings and all across London. I like to go and walk up to the top, stand there, and imagine I'm a traveler from hundreds of years ago. Then visit Greenwich Market — they also have a little vintage market. Getting a bite to eat after a long walk along the river, and finding a little trinket or gem."

Greenwich Market

"Choosing Keeping it's a stationery shop. They sell really specific items such as gorgeous paper, like marbled paper, pencils, pens, and tiny little things from Japan. They also have paints and watercolors, very precious things if you're interested in the arts or painting. It's just a delight. Go there to get a very special present for a friend or someone. It feels like you're giving them something they can't find elsewhere."

Choosing Keeping

"Covent Garden in an area called Seven Dials — there's this main dial and all the roads going off of it in this sort of clock formation, and all the shops are around there. You've got lots of vintage, little food shops and nice clothing places. It's quite a cool place to walk around and have a little mooch."

Covent Garden

"The Original Maids of Honour Tea House, this very old building. It looks amazing from the outside, with a hand-painted sign on the front. And inside, they have the most amazing pastries and little tarts, so beautifully crafted. They were made by a king to inspire a queen and profess his love. It's a royal, delicious, special treat — all of the things I do in London have a little sumptuous treat."

The Original Maids of Honour

"Richmond Park is a really old park in London, on the outskirts. I lived nearby when I was younger, so I'd go quite often, and it's a very ancient feeling. You feel like you're in a Tudor Kings garden, and you can see tons of deer — they're just walking around and lazing under the trees. You can get lost in the park, walk around for a few hours and feel like you're treading new ground. It feels very exploratory."

Richmond Park

"It's so unassuming and it's in the middle of this touristy street slap-bang in the middle of Soho. They make their noodles there in the shop. Just find a tiny little corner to sit down in, get your bowl and add loads of chili sauce into it. Then, you're satisfied and you can go about your day."

Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar

"It's near the river so you can go get a drink and then chill by the river. It's really traditional and old-style — like, a little bit small and cramped."

The Dog and Bell

"I've fallen in love with this park. It's just so vast and beautiful and sprawling. And the views are great, especially when you go to the Crystal Palace Triangle — you can see all the way into central London."

Crystal Palace Park

"When I was younger, I would catch a lot of films here on weekdays just by myself. You can go and make a full day of it if you go a few hours before the film and then just chill out for a bit and have a coffee by the water."

Barbican Cinema

"With all of the nice, established shops I feel like it's such a treat to walk around here."

Brewer Street

"It's this insane, tiny gallery space filled with these old seaside-style, coin-operated machines."

Novelty Automation

London with Joey Yu

Discover exceptional places with exceptional people

Joey YU

London with Joey Yu

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