Regent's Park

The outer circle route makes it really easy for runners to stay in fit. I usually hate running in cities because of all the stopping at traffic lights and crosswalks, but Regent's Park is not like that! And if you get tired of running in circles, you can always switch up your route and go inside the park to the inner circle route or just get lost in the gardens. Who doesn't like being surrounded by beautiful fountains, trees, and flowers? Also, there are some really cool exhibitions that go on here, too. A couple weeks ago I snapped a picture of the LOVE sign that was a part of the Frieze Art Festival. It made me miss Philadelphia, but I loved that I could find a part of home in London!

I may be biased because I attended Regent's College in the direct middle of Regent's Park, but I believe it is the best park out of the many in London. It may not be as posh as Hyde or Kensington Park, but Regent's Park has a lot to offer. One thing is that it is much less crowded than the formerly mentioned parks. Regent's may not be smack dab in the middle of London, but I think the journey north is worth it. The park is gorgeous in the spring with all the flowers and trees in bloom. You can rent a lawn chair if you want to, but I found the grass quite comfortable myself. My friends and I rented a paddle boat for an hour and pushed our way through the Regent's Canal, which is probably one of the most unknown beautiful areas in London. It feels like you are in Venice while you paddle through. There's the London Zoo, which is historic and LOUD. You can hear those monkeys from across the park sometimes, which only adds to the excitement. Additionally, you can eat at the several cafes throughout the park or enjoy a Shakespeare show at the outdoor theater. One more key draw to Regent's Park is the amount of places it leads to. Go one way and you get to Camden Markets, another and you're at posh Primrose Hill. Down south there's Baker Street and the sophisticated Marylebone High Street. Beyond the beauty, there lies convenience (without the crowds).

Regent’s Park doesn’t get as much attention as its big brother, Hyde Park, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it has any less to offer. Its location, far from the madding crowds of Bond Street and Knightsbridge, makes it a calmer, more relaxing place to be – and one that’s there to be enjoyed at your own pace. Whether it’s strolling past the rose gardens and around the boating lake en route to the zoo, or raising your heart rate on one of the park’s many running routes, there really is something for everyone. The park’s close proximity to Camden and Primrose Hill (to the north), and Baker Street (to the south) also means that you’re never far away from excellent bars and restaurants where you can grab a perfect post-park pint.

I absolutely adore this park! I am from New York and love Central Park since it is so big and filled with beautiful landscape and I admire Regent's Park for the same reasons. It has this colorful beautiful flowerbed that is polished and groomed which you can stare at all day. There is also a map when you first enter so you can choose what exiting activities to do or if you want to navigate and spend a day alone. I saw a variety of people doing all types of things. From young school kids playing soccer to tourists groups walking around admiring the animals that occupy the space, to a man simply sleeping on the grass with his newspaper (this was during the Spring time.) If you want to get away form the crazy city life of London for just one day, I suggest this magical, mystery land!

I came here for Jimmy Carr's comedy performance at the open-air theatre and was sidetracked by the rose garden right next door. The flowers in this park are really spectacular, and the English Garden feel of the whole park is pleasant and calming. There are ponds, happy-looking birds, paths through horticultural mini-paradises and plenty of hideaways. Going from the tranquility of the gardens to Jimmy Carr’s acerbic and politically incorrect performance was quite a shock, but knowing I could escape into the park afterwards helped me make it through the show. The Park is also located close to Camden and the British Museum and is an ideal place to relax after hours in the museum or at the market.

Imagine a visitor planning a visit to the famous London Zoo, reaching Regent’s Park well in time but still not making it to the Zoo all because he came across the Queen Mary Rose Garden in the Park which captivated him so much that he forgot altogether about his original plan. This is what happened to me on 16th June, 2012 during my recent trip to London. The garden with it's rose & other flowers were so captivating that I just could not leave it till it was almost closing time. I spent the next 3 hours in the garden enjoying the vast array of flowers so artistically planned & meticulously maintained. Apart from the most beautiful roses, many varieties of which I had never set my eyes upon earlier, there were many other beautiful varieties of flowers adorning the Garden. I stopped photographing the flowers only when the battery of my camera finally drained out. I did make a promise at that time that I would come back to visit the garden again which I did the very next day itself combining it with the visit to the Zoo and ensuring I had my heart's fill of photographs...