Super Sad Tiny Home Fetish
Micro-living is no longer just for the very poor and the very bohemian. But how much space do we really deserve? Tracking down the minimum square-footage below which no one should be forced to endure.
Letters From London
A collection of 25 issues
Home on the Thames
London's evolution is measured in centuries, not years. But when half of the city's new abodes go to foreign buyers—frequently as third or fourth homes—who's steering the design? Assessing Battersea's return from 30 years in the desert, just in time for a brand new American embassy.
Rhythm in Disguise
Musical therapists can improve patients’ cognitive functioning and motor skills. But sometimes the battle is to keep a mind intact. Avant-garde composition and EKG techno in a London care center.
The City Is Wilder and Kinder Than You Think
Situationist invades Hoxton... Street poems arouse Londoners... Public discourse colored by disfigured Futura... Robert Montgomery’s street poems have something to say to you.
A Little Off
Just when companionship is the last thing you want at the hair salon, in walks Barry—who frankly couldn’t give two licks what you want.
Stiff Upper Lip Meets Sword of Truth
David Cameron explained his plan yesterday to build a “big society” and no one understood a word of it. A translation, with help from droid Margaret Thatcher.
The Passing of the Commons Plate
The British electoral system can be confusing for outsiders. An explanation of its rituals and inner workings—e.g., the role of the Chief Whife—to make things clear.
Spite as Snow
Britons are weather-obsessed, but they can't manage flurries. Our man in London reports on why the U.K. won't handle the next blizzard any better.
The Present Sound of London
A big city creates a unique din and racket as recognizable as its skyline. Presenting a day in the sounds of London.
When the Going Was Good
British elites have been caught using public money to clean their moats, and a nation seethes. A primer on Parliament and the latest controversy sweeping Great Britain.
Attending the NME Awards With Pete Doherty and a Whole Bunch of Actual Musicians, Feeling Nostalgic
When you're young and you love music, you can't imagine losing touch with the new sound. And then it happens.
Dense Photography
Snapshots from a trip can seal a memory forever, yet boxes of vacation photos dilute what really happened. How to take a picture with a thousand meanings.
Hours Away
Even five time zones removed, last week’s election returns carried an electricity felt by locals and expats alike. An absentee voter watches an ocean shrink to a pond.
The Stratus Sphere
For a city that's constantly grey, why is London so obsessed with the weather? Our man in Britannia takes a look at the capital's skies, which are more colorful than you might think.
A Mystery of Violence
Terrorism fills the British papers this week, but over the winter a different sort of violence kept London on its toes. Our correspondent reports on the personal impact of a season of murders.
Live at the Isle of Wight
Home to past rock festivals, model villages, and other dinosaurs, this wedge in the English Channel makes for an inviting family vacation.
London Sprawling
The British capital is never empty, and only major television events can clear the streets. So why do movies and science fiction teem with vacant blocks? Does urbanism have room for emptiness anymore?
Days of Grind and Poses
The modern city anticipates our moods--start off jolly and you'll find a dozen happy sights. Start the day day rotten, though, and everything's squalid. How can you maintain sanity when the city changes as often as you do?
Vexed in the City
London is constantly changing--surviving bombs, rebuilding flats--so what's there to hold onto when even the subway map's an abstraction? Our longtime Londoner may notice only what's missing, but his son sees the city for the very first time.
Big Brother Nation
The London bombers were identified by the city's vast camera system, recording footage of them humping their deadly backpacks, so did Orwell get it wrong? Are these spies more helpful than sinister? Our man in the U.K. explains how the capital keeps tabs on its citizens.
London Underground
Terror strikes twice in as many weeks. A major city is disrupted, and discomfort is widespread. Our London correspondent sends us three days' dispatches about life on the tube.
New Fidelities
Our perceptions age with the cities around us--old thoughts are razed, new theories go up, the subway seems less confusing. But what about that band we loved as teenagers? What happened to them?
An Evening Out
Though New York now has its own Soho club, it's London where the eating club has its roots, though only in recent years for celebrities with hungry noses.
Raising the Game
As New York recovers from Sept. 11 with construction, it would do well to look abroad for ideas. Reporting on the history of London's skyline, and how architecture heals.
Royal Memories
As Britain prepares for the Golden Jubilee--the 50th anniversary of the Queen's throning--a reflection on the pomp, circumstance, and correctly colored ties in the monarch/subject relationship.