London

As a Londoner, you’d think I’d have loads to tell you about the place. The truth is, it’s the city I’ve found it the hardest to write about so far.

This is because I’m so used to it, I don’t really notice all the tourist attractions. I walk past them on a daily basis without batting an eyelid.

I do, however, know my favourite places in the capital and I’m going to share them with you now.

The O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome)


Located in Greenwich, south-east London, this is my concert venue of choice. It holds 20,000 people and I’ve seen many shows there. But even when I don’t have tickets to an event I still like to go. Entertainment Avenue, inside the dome and surrounding the arena, has a fantastic array of shops, bars, restaurants, clubs and a Vue cinema, so it’s a great place to enjoy a meal, have a night out or just socialise with family or friends.

The West End


The entertainment centre of the capital and one of the busiest spots in London. Here are some of the best places to visit while you’re in the West End:

Leicester Square
Leicester Square boasts a wide variety of shops, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and restaurants – including my personal favourite, the Haagen-Dazs restaurant. The Trocadero shopping centre just west of the square is fantastic – visit Designer Sale Shop for fashionable designer clothing at knock-down prices. Leicester Square is a nice place to sit and have lunch while engaging in a spot of people-watching or even some celeb-spotting, as Capital Radio is broadcast from here.

Trafalgar Square
Just south of Leicester Square, this is where you’ll find Nelson’s Column. The square used to be full of pigeons but this is becoming less common as it’s now forbidden to feed them. In Trafalgar Square you can sit and eat by the fountains, take interesting photos or meet up with friends. The Café on the Square sells great food as well as hot and cold drinks at reasonable prices.

Covent Garden
Covent Garden is an Italian-style piazza packed with cafés, pubs, theatres, boutiques and the Royal Opera House. The only area of London licensed for street entertainment, it’s full of jugglers, mime artists and musicians. In the middle of the piazza is the famous Covent Garden Market where you can buy almost anything, from clothes to food to arts and crafts.

Oxford Street
Europe’s largest high street, and in my opinion, the best! It has over 300 shops and department stores including the world-famous Selfridges where you can buy absolutely anything. Just off Oxford Street you’ll find Bond Street, home to the most expensive shops in London – Gucci, Chanel, Versace, D&G, Armani and Tiffany’s, to name but a few. Even if you can’t afford the designer labels, go and have a browse.


While you’re in London, I suggest purchasing a ferry ride down the Thames. It’s a lot more scenic than getting the Tube. You get to see all the sights, such as Tower Bridge [above], Buckingham Palace, the London Eye [below], the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. I’ve done it before and I learnt a lot of stuff that I probably should have already known about the history of the city. And it’s beautiful at night.


Tip: If you’re planning a visit to London, bring enough money! London is more expensive than many other cities in the world.

Paris

Before my trip, I had high hopes for Paris. I even splashed out on a detailed guidebook to help me find my way around and to learn about the famous sights.

Unfortunately, while Paris is one of the most famous cities in the world, I also found it to be the most disappointing.

At the time I went, I was in the middle of reading The Da Vinci Code [NB. If you haven’t read it yet, you haven’t lived]. I wanted to visit the Louvre (where most of the novel is set) so that I could visualise it in my head properly as I read the book. This was, of course, before the film was released.


When I arrived, the first thing I noticed was the large glass pyramid outside. A lot of people, especially Parisians, think it’s ugly but I liked it. It enticed me into the museum. I didn’t stay in there for long, though. Granted, I’m not a fan of art so I’m probably not the best person to comment, but I didn’t find it particularly exciting. I paid eight euros, went and had a look at the Mona Lisa, muttered, “Oh, is that it?” and, satisfied that I’d had my culture fix for the year, left. However, if you want to go to the Louvre, then don’t let me put you off. I’m sure it’s incredibly interesting – fascinating, even – if you appreciate that type of thing.


The Champs-Elysees was more my cup of tea. Full of restaurants and designer shops, I spent a considerable amount of time on Avenue Montaigne. Some of the more well-known shops along the avenue include Christian Dior, Chanel, Prada, Calvin Klein and Valentino. There was a queue outside Louis Vuitton which was impressive, if not slightly annoying.


The Arc de Triomphe was a let down, because it was literally just an old arch at the end of the Champs-Elysees. It’s in the middle of a roundabout so you can’t even get near it without risking your life by walking into the crazy traffic with its even crazier drivers beeping and swearing at each other (I know they were swearing, because I can speak French). It’s somewhat terrifying.


I decided that a visit to Paris wouldn’t be complete without a trip up the Eiffel Tower, which I must admit I enjoyed. On each level as you ascend, there are museums, cafes and gift shops, and a viewing gallery on the third and final level (at 899 feet, or 274 metres) where you can see for 50 miles (80 km) on a clear day. However, I was there in the evening. It was still a great view though – the whole city was lit up and actually looked quite pretty. The tower illuminates at night too [see above pic] and looks extremely impressive.

But my verdict is: Unless you’re desperate to go, don’t bother with Paris. It’s overrated.

New York

Brits take note! A shopping trip to New York this summer could actually be a cost-effective way of getting your Christmas shopping done early. No, really.

With many electronics and designer items at half their UK price, as well as cheap air fares and the low exchange rate for the dollar, stocking up on designer goods in the Big Apple is a lot less expensive than buying the same items in London.

TOP FIVE NEW YORK SHOPPING EXPERIENCES

Macy’s – 151 West 34th Street (www.macys.com)


The largest department store in the world sells everything from high quality jewellery to discounted designer goods. The shop features seasonal window displays and every Christmas children can meet Santa Claus in a large grotto in-store.


Saks Fifth Avenue – 611 Fifth Avenue (www.saksfifthavenue.com)


One of the easiest shops in New York to find as the many entrances are all decorated with colourful flags. If you buy too much to carry, the store will deliver your purchases to any hotel in Manhattan free of charge.


Bloomingdale’s – 1000 Third Avenue (www.bloomingdales.com)


Friends fans will recognise this as the place Rachel worked as a personal shopper early on in her fashion career. With nine floors featuring everything from high couture to classics, Bloomingdale's has it all.


Tiffany & Co. – Fifth Avenue at 57th Street (www.tiffany.com)


Imagine you’re Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s as you waltz through the revolving door and prepare to be dazzled by the sparkling treasures inside. The breathtaking jewellery makes this one of the most popular stores in the world.


Manhattan Mall – Sixth Avenue at 33rd Street (www.manhattanmallny.com)


Situated right in the centre of New York City, the mall is one of the cheapest places to shop in Manhattan. There are a number of designer outlets located throughout the complex, providing the chance to pick up many bargains.


So get booking your flight now!

Memphis

Known as the Home of the Blues, birthplace of Rock n Roll, Memphis certainly lives up to its reputation. Other cities show off their skylines; this one shows off its sounds.

As an avid Elvis fan, it has always been a dream of mine to visit the King's home, the one and only Graceland. This was the main (okay, I admit, the only) reason I decided to go to Memphis, but once I was there I fell in love with the whole city.


Visiting Graceland is an experience unlike any other (surreal, I remember calling it) and thousands of people make the pilgrimage there every year. If you've ever, even for a second, entertained the idea of visiting - do it. Feel the magic of Elvis for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed.

I paid for the Elvis Entourage VIP Tour so as well as all-day entry to the second most famous house in America (beaten by the White House), I was able to enjoy the benefit of jumping the queues and an enhanced tour including the grounds, Elvis’s two aeroplanes – Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II – and three museums: Elvis After Dark, Sincerely Elvis and Elvis’s Automobile Museum, home to 33 vehicles owned by the King including his pink Cadillac and the red MG from the 1961 film Blue Hawaii.

As well as all that, I was given a ‘backstage pass’ to wear so I could be identified as a VIP and to take home at the end of the day as a keepsake.

Shopping at Graceland is extremely easy due to the large volume of Elvis-themed stores. Good Rockin’ Tonight, Elvis Threads and Gallery Elvis are a few of the best but with such a wide variety of merchandise to choose from you may end up needing to buy an extra suitcase to carry it all home!

After Graceland, the next place on my checklist was - naturally - Sam Phillips' Sun Studio at 706 Union Avenue. It’s a small, plain building and would be largely unnoticeable if it wasn’t for the bright orange and yellow ‘SUN’ sign on the outside wall.


They say "The tour gives you goosebumps"; now I don't know who ‘they’ are but, well, they’re definitely not wrong! Standing on the very spot where Elvis recorded his earliest songs (an X is marked on the floor), listening to outtakes of recordings from the likes of The Million Dollar Quartet - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash together - and seeing priceless memorabilia from the fifties is, quite frankly, breathtaking and not an experience you'll forget in a hurry.

You are allowed to touch the exact microphone that Elvis used – it’s still in the studio and the guide recommends having your photo taken with it, an opportunity most people don’t miss (except me, who had used up two whole rolls of film at Graceland and had no more left).

After the tour, I took advantage of the free shuttle service which runs every day from Graceland (and the Heartbreak Hotel, which is right next door) to Sun Studio and on to Downtown Memphis, the latter being where I ended my ‘Elvis journey’ at the world famous Beale Street. The street boasts three blocks of more than 30 nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shops and museums, including the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum (situated by the Fed-Ex Forum, which was hosting a WWE wrestling championship while I was there). The Rock n Soul Museum provides a two-hour tour back in time to the birth of Rock n Roll and Soul music, and entry cost me just nine dollars.


Another fantastic method of transport (and a great tourist attraction) I noticed while in Memphis was a thing called ‘Ride the Ducks’. You get picked up Downtown by a vehicle which looks like a perfectly normal sightseeing tour, but which then drives to the banks of the Mississippi and plunges in, where it turns into a boat and takes you on a 70-minute cruise down the river! An entertaining captain narrates the interesting and fun adventure.

All you shopaholics, be sure to go to Peabody Place Entertainment & Retail Center – the most famous shopping centre in Memphis, which features a wide variety of department stores, gift shops, restaurants and a 22-screen cinema.

For those with children, exciting attractions include Memphis Zoo (kids will love the zoo tram and the farm train just as much as they’ll love the animals), Mud Island River Park, Laser Quest and The Children's Museum of Memphis, where children get to learn through experience.

So, whether or not you’re a Rock n Roll fan, you are certain to find something to keep you entertained in Memphis, Tennessee.

Diary Dates
Unsurprisingly, most events in Memphis feature a music or Elvis theme, and whichever time of year you go, there should be something happening. Here are some of the most popular annual events:

Elvis Birthday Week, held each January to celebrate the King’s birthday on the 8th.
Memphis International Film Festival, held in March and April.
Memphis May Festival, a famous music festival held throughout the month of May.
Arts in the Park Festival, featuring fine arts and performing arts displays, every June.
Choctaw Heritage Festival, with traditional Native American music and crafts, held each August.
Christmas at Graceland - Elvis's mansion is spectacularly decorated and lit up every December.