With summer in its death throes (or, if you rather, with autumn firmly set in), opportunities to get out and enjoy the, um, nice, weather are waning. But opportunities to show off your bicycle are plentiful. London's second annual Freewheel is later this month, and looming fare hikes on the buses and tube are as good a reason as any to start pedaling. But if you just want to look good while rolling around......

There's finally been a nice stretch of weather, but if you still need that final push to get out on your bicycle then this weekend is the end of your excuses: Bike Week 2008 kicks off Saturday 14 June until the 22nd with lots of fun for two-wheelers. Events span bike inspections for those of you that have let your rides get a little rusty, workshops for those adjusting to cycling around London, as......

With 2008 racing from winter to summer with nary a hint of spring to be scented, mid-May finds us enjoying glorious weather and turning our thoughts to happy days at the local lido. Despite dozens of closures over the years since the lido's post-war heyday - inspiring such evocative imagery of lost sites in books like Paul Talling's Derelict London - many of London's lidos are still going strong, and some, like London Fields,......

Rejoice or recoil: It looks as though the long-rumoured film adaptation of Martin Amis’ London Fields is viable again. Originally announced in 2001 with David Cronenberg directing, the project had been shelved as of 2006. But now, with Hallam Foe’s David Mackenzie slated as the new director, the possibility of the film seeing the light of day is once again alive. The script for the film has long since been completed by Amis and......

Even on its quietest weeks, London is something of a happy haven for bibliophiles such as ourselves, though we may be doing nothing more than perusing one of the city’s many lovely bookshops. This week, however, we’re in a veritable book geek heaven, as the London literary scene goes all glittery, playing host to some major names and fantastic events, leaving us tongue-tied and weak at the knees. Do we gush? Very well then,......

Four years, countless consultancy fees, umpteen broken promises and many millions of pounds later, Clissold Leisure Centre in Stoke Newington is finally re-opening this weekend. For those who've not followed the saga, here's the story in brief. In 2000 the Centre opened amidst a brass band's worth of pomp and publicity, the very model of a modern, major, New Labour endorsed Lottery-funded Millennium project. Come early 2004, the facility was closed, having accumulated a......

If Londonist had to list a few of its favourite things, maps and street art would feature prominently. Thanks to Street Blitz, we're in our own personal happy hunting grounds... Over the past couple of weeks, tagging, graffiti and all manner of murals and street art have been popping up all over the place. The likes of Banksy and Space Hijackers have been taking part. It's on until Sunday July 15th, when there's an......

London's literary hotspots are Bloomsbury, London Fields and... Battersea. Just how literary this particular part of town tucked away in the shadows of Clapham Junction is shown off to full effect in the SW11 Literary Festival. Starting on 11 September and ending 2 October, big names will flood the area for readings, book signings, workshops, literary lunches, quizzes and... stuff. This festival is described as an "opportunity to meet people who write books, who......

We've already told you about the whole Get London Reading thing, but we just wanted to remind you as because even though many of the events have been and gone you can still vote for your favourite London book. Up until March 1st you can visit LondonBooks.co.uk and choose from a shortlist of nine classic London novels: Absolute Beginners - Colin Macinnes End of the Affair - Graham Greene Great Expectations - Charles Dickens......

If the results of the Time Out 'best loved London books' poll have taught us anything it's that you have to be really specific when asking the public to vote for things. As the Guardian reports today the A-Z Street Atlas took fifth place in the poll, beating the likes of Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, Joseph Conrad, Zadie Smith and Peter Ackroyd. Time Out's books editor John O'Connell is quoted as saying that that......