The area in London I call home is…Brixton. It’s got its own O2, okay? I lived on Lambeth Palace Road for the longest time and apart from having Big Ben in my backyard, it was a quiet area with good access to a midnight meal which can be quite a trouble in this city. London has been incredible so far – it’s got art galleries, it’s a creative powerhouse and attracts the best talent from all over the world. What’s not to love?

 I’ve got to have a meal at… Moolis on Frith Street in Soho. These guys make up for the lack of good street food in London, while of course ensuring that I don’t forget what Goan pork tastes like.

 I tend to get my threads from… Pop Boutique. No one does retro clothing better than them. It’s right next to Forbidden Planet, but that’s besides the point. I also pick up stuff from Topshop and Uniqlo, because being a tiny thing limits the number of stores you can go to.

 To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should… take a walk across Camden, settle in for a few drinks at Proud and then walk all over the city looking for a hot meal. OR go to Walkabout near Embankment where pints go cheaper than most places following which you can take a stroll around the Thames. Nothing like those things to really see a mix of university students, couples, people with odd shoes, and lack of food, all in one place.

 If I was mayor, I would… make telephonic conversations on buses a strictly emergency-led affair for commuters.

 My favourite spot to check out art is… apart from Tate Modern, you mean? All those tiny gorgeous galleries in Shoreditch or even Graffik Gallery, Portobello Road.

 I’d kindly tell a tourist to…keep the camera off my face. And spend an entire day at  ScooterCaffè (Lower Marsh). There really is nothing like that place. And tell the tourists to not leave London until they’ve tried everything at Borough Market.

 The things I miss when I leave London are… reading/writing at ScooterCaffè, hiding my face from the tourist cameras while walking down Southbank.

 My soundtrack to London would include…

 Sisters of Mercy by Leonard Cohen – Because the writing on this song describes the love affair a person has with London. Off and on, there are moments of all kinds. The people one meets and sees everyday, the stories, everything.

England by The National – “Famous angels never come through England/ England gets the ones you never need/ You must be somewhere in London/ You must be loving your life in the rain” Enough said!

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles – Essentially because the infrequent, twelve minutes of sunshine (okay, fourteen minutes at times) deserve a celebration.

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The area in London I call home is… Edmonton, North London and yes, I’m a Spurs supporter!

I’ve got to have a meal at…Scarlet Dot! I absolutely love Indian food and I have yet to find anywhere as good as this joint in Spitalfields!

I tend to get my threads from…Zara, Topshop, H&M. These my favourite high street stores, but I also tend to buy clothes from independent stores/markets…I love Portobello market!

To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…check out www.shoobs.com!

If I was mayor, I would…make the Tube a 24-hour service! Stop being a party pooper Boris, Londoners want to party all night long and know that they can get home afterwards!

My favourite spot to check out art is…The V&A, particularly their late evening’s specials on the last Friday of the month…Entry is free, so this is a must on the London itinerary.

I’d kindly tell a tourist to…stand on the right hand side of the escalator; the left is for us busy folks trying to fit in all there is to see and do!

The things I miss when I leave London are… the chaos of the city! From the hundreds of people trying to get through London’s narrow streets to the multiple of languages trying to be heard over the congested traffic…the busyness of London is what adds to his character!

My soundtrack to London would include…

“LDN” by Lily Allen
“Stand Up Tall” by Dizzee Rascal
“Oh no” by So Solid Crew – So Solid put London’s Underground Garage scene on the map! For that, we salute you!

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The area in London I call home is…Croydon. If you can call it London that is; my house actually falls under Surrey but whatever, I very much feel a part of London because I spend so much time here and I am totally and utterly in love with it.

 I’ve got to have a meal at…The Blue Elephant on Fulham Broadway. The setting is like some kind of tropical paradise and although the food is a tad expensive it’s soooo worth it. I’m dribbling thinking about it now actually. My second choice would be Song Que on Kingsland Road which does great Vietnamese food. It looks like a shithole but the food is fantastic (I’d recommend the summer rolls for a starter).

 I tend to get my threads from…I do 90% of my shopping online. ASOS is my go-to spot, but I’ve also found a new website called Shopstyle which lets you put in a keyword and will scour hundreds of shops to give you the results so you can always find what you’re after. I buy lots of vintage bits, mainly band T shirts and strange jumpers from eBay and markets when I have time. I team your usual girly high street bits with vintage t-shirts and urban streetwear, such as Trainerspotter who have cool tees and accessories.

 To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…Make sure you have planned how to get home or saved money for a taxi!

 If I was mayor, I would…Put more money into youth music programmes. One of my other projects is that I teach young people how to produce music or I record them in the studio. It’s such a cliche but it totally keeps them out of trouble and they have a safe area to vent their frustration and ego without it getting them into bad situations.

 My favourite spot to check out art is…Funnily enough yet ANOTHER one of the projects I work at is a street art agency called Art Is The Cure. We manage a great bunch of street artists who do everything from Banksy-esque political stencil stuff to more intricate illustrations and photography pieces. One of our artists, Rich Simmons is currently showing work at Opera Gallery on Bond Street. They seem to be very ahead in finding new artists and bringing new talent to the forefront with cool shows and exhibitions, such as a pop up show in collaboration with The Rodnik Band for Vogue’s Fashion Night Out.

 I’d kindly tell a tourist to…Stop walking so slowly down Oxford Street please.

 The things I miss when I leave London are…The music, the endless amount of great cheap restaurants, the building, the street lights at night, the rain on the train window, the fashion….EVERYTHING. If my husband wasn’t with me then of course the only thing I would miss would be him.

 My soundtrack to London would include…

 Magnetic Man ft John Legend – Going Nowhere – The eery melodies and lyrics to this song say a lot about what is going on in the world today. I’d always had a connection to this song and when I saw the video set against the London skyline at night it cemented its place in my heart.

 MIA – Bucky Done Gun– She is one of the reasons I got into music. She represents our vibrant culture and again the mix of musical influences in this song is like an audio representation of the youth of London.

The Streets’s Has It Come To This – This song for me IS London. The accent, the heady mix of UK dance music influences, the melancholy rave sound… ahhh just amazing.

Sarah’s blog can be found at www.SarahAkwisombe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @sarahakwisombe

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 The area in London I call home is… anywhere that there are like-minded individuals. At the moment I’m living in Streatham, but I call the whole city home. Each borough is like a different member of the family. They all have their different personalities, and some get on your nerves sometimes, but you love them all because they have all contributed to you. So you could say at the moment I’m staying with aunty Streatham…

 I’ve got to have a meal at…Food For Thought near Neal’s Yard, just off Covent Garden – it serves beautiful vegetarian food. It’s healthy and organic but it’s small and I can’t afford to go all the time – but definitely worth it.

 I tend to get my threads from…I  keep clothes for years so I don’t often buy new attire. Most of my clothes tend to be from different places like the market, friends and guess the odd T-shirt from Topman, but, I try to keep away from chain stores – I think it’s good to promote independent businesses. Dalston Market is particularly good for some bits and bobs and you can generally find a few independent businesses around East London. Camden is also an experience, and although some of the clothes aren’t to everyone’s taste, you can get some great stuff in the market if you look hard enough.

 To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…Try to look for live music events as we have great bands in London. Live jazz nights on the weekend in Clapham North are always good. There’s also a great salsa bar in Streatham just opposite Streatham rail station. It just depends on what your flavour is. But, I think you would be silly to miss out on our talented live music scene. Brixton also has plenty to say on that front.

[quote]
If I was mayor I would set up weekly friendly football and
volleyball matches between the police and the community to
build stronger bonds and relationships
[/quote]

If I was mayor…I wouldn’t know where to start! London is a great place but I think if the right things were nurtured it would be out of this world. Transport is extortionate and the prices are set to rise again…so I would try to sort that out. I would also set up Pat-Ball walls all across London so the kids could get used to being constructive and active outside. I remember when I was younger all the kids spent hours playing pat-ball, we were having fun and getting exercise, so when we went home we had our dinner and went straight to bed…It’s a parents dream! Furthermore, I would set up weekly friendly football and volleyball matches between the police and the community to build stronger bonds and relationships.

 My favorite spot to check out art is…Wherever there is a good exhibition. East London has an open gallery night each month, which is a great opportunity to check out loads of galleries.

 I’d kindly tell a tourist to…buy an umbrella

 The things I miss when I leave London are…the people I leave behind.

 My soundtrack to London would include…

Smiley Culture’s Cockney Translation – it’s a great reflection of the humour and racial diversity of London.

 Vindaloo (the World Cup anthem) – because it’s so London…good old days.

And any Corrine Bailey Rae song – for a day chilling in the park with the missus or close friends.

Check out Amartey’s artwork at: www.amarteygolding.com (Interview: Monique Todd) 

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The area in London I call home is…Forest Hill, South London. I love the forest and the peace and quiet.

I’ve got to have a meal at…Mildreds in Soho. It’s the vegetarian restaurant where I met my girlfriend Romany; she was serving me whilst I was out there on a date.

I tend to get my threads from…my sister Elena Dawson who has a label and is now selling her threads at Dover Street Market. Keep it in the family I say.

To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…head on down to The Hideout in Soho. It’s the only place I’d recommend after closing hours. All the photo frames of 60s celebs win me over every time.

If I was mayor, I would…change the Barclays Bikes to Barclays Boards and make all of London travel to work by skateboard.

My favourite spot to check out art is…The National Gallery. Like they say, ‘the old ones are the best ones’.

I’d kindly tell a tourist to…check out Les Trois Garcons.

The things I miss when I leave London are…the noise.

My soundtrack to London would include…

Carly Simon’s ‘You’re so Vain’, America’s ‘A Horse With No Name’ and Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars?’.Who would have thought all three of them were recorded in a little studio right smack in the middle of Soho? Carly’s sounds like it was recorded in California, America’s song from Nashville and Bowie’s from er, Mars.

Jonathan Jeremiah will be at Radio 2’s Live In Hyde Park on September 11th.  His album A Solitary Man is out now on Island Records. Follow him on Twitter: @jjeremiahmusic

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The area in London I call home is…Brixton, I’ve lived there for over 15 years. I know the shops, the streets, the love and energy of the people. Sometimes it’s my favourite place to be and other times I can’t stand it. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, some positive and some quite negative. However for now, it’s still home.

I’ve got to have a meal at…Ace Fusion in Clapham Junction. They do some tasty African, Caribbean and English dishes. Also Jerk City in the West End and my local Thai restaurant – I usually take my out-of-town friends there.

I tend to get my threads from…Mash, Zara or my new favourite place called Ohema Ohene on Atlantic Road in Brixton. They do African wear with a British twist. I wanted to start something like that but now I just go there instead.

[quote]
London is a place with so much potential 
but so many glass ceilings and I’m drawn to 
the prospect of shattering some of them.
[/quote]

To enjoy London’s nightlife, you should…check out Jazz Re:freshed, every Thursday at Mau Mau on Portobello Road. They have the most amazing bands that play jazz, soul, hip hop, Latino music. It’s intimate, friendly and full of awesomeness. I performed there a few years ago and can’t wait to play there again.

If I was mayor, I would…hustle the government for more money to be spent on grassroots organisations working with young people. I’d introduce parenting schools for everyone and introduce a license to anyone who wanted to be an MC. I’d take a whole load of inner-city children and stick them in the sticks and bring some upper class folk into estates and balance out their lifestyles for a bit. When we all see the different ways of living, we might appreciate each other more and act a little nicer.

 My favourite spot to check out art is…I do visit the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A museum from time to time. Ooh and [pullquote]I love the Southbank, for absolutely everything – art, music, scenery and creative energy.[/pullquote]

I’d kindly tell a tourist to…stand to the right when you’re on the escalators and walk if you’re on the left.

Finally, my soundtrack to London would be:

Sean Escoffery’s Days Like This. London can be gloomy at times because of the weather and this song brightens it up. Any song from Coldplay (especially their second album), I’m a big fan. And lastly it would be either a track called Identity by a rapper called BREIS (moi) or Witness the Fitness by Roots Manuva. Both tracks give me a sense of what it is to be an African/Caribbean man in London.

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