British artist and illustrator Joey Yu is a born-and-bred Londoner whose brightly coloured works are often an ode to her hometown.
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Greenwich Market
Market
5B Greenwich Market, London SE10 9HZ, United Kingdom"Greenwich Park. It feels very historic; you have the [Royal] Observatory, the GMT line running, the marker of time. And you can see all the universities, the old buildings and all across London. I like to go and walk up to the top, stand there, and imagine I'm a traveler from hundreds of years ago. Then visit Greenwich Market — they also have a little vintage market. Getting a bite to eat after a long walk along the river, and finding a little trinket or gem."
Joey YU
Choosing Keeping
Stationery store
21 Tower St, London WC2H 9NS, United Kingdom"Choosing Keeping it's a stationery shop. They sell really specific items such as gorgeous paper, like marbled paper, pencils, pens, and tiny little things from Japan. They also have paints and watercolors, very precious things if you're interested in the arts or painting. It's just a delight. Go there to get a very special present for a friend or someone. It feels like you're giving them something they can't find elsewhere."
Joey YU
Covent Garden
District
London, UK"Covent Garden in an area called Seven Dials — there's this main dial and all the roads going off of it in this sort of clock formation, and all the shops are around there. You've got lots of vintage, little food shops and nice clothing places. It's quite a cool place to walk around and have a little mooch."
Joey YU
The Original Maids of Honour
Tea house
288 Kew Rd, Richmond TW9 3DU, United Kingdom"The Original Maids of Honour Tea House, this very old building. It looks amazing from the outside, with a hand-painted sign on the front. And inside, they have the most amazing pastries and little tarts, so beautifully crafted. They were made by a king to inspire a queen and profess his love. It's a royal, delicious, special treat — all of the things I do in London have a little sumptuous treat."
Joey YU
Richmond Park
Park
Richmond, United Kingdom"Richmond Park is a really old park in London, on the outskirts. I lived nearby when I was younger, so I'd go quite often, and it's a very ancient feeling. You feel like you're in a Tudor Kings garden, and you can see tons of deer — they're just walking around and lazing under the trees. You can get lost in the park, walk around for a few hours and feel like you're treading new ground. It feels very exploratory."
Joey YU
Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar
Chinese noodle restaurant
33 Cranbourn St, London WC2H 7AD, United Kingdom"It's so unassuming and it's in the middle of this touristy street slap-bang in the middle of Soho. They make their noodles there in the shop. Just find a tiny little corner to sit down in, get your bowl and add loads of chili sauce into it. Then, you're satisfied and you can go about your day."
Joey YU