This is a work in progress. I'm writing it in public and updating it as I continue writing.
\nI've been wanting to develop my boilerplate for a long while now. I'm at a point where I keep reinventing and trying to figure out the things and would rather work from a boilerplate to decrease the amount of decisions I make each project onset.
\nNaming is one of the most important things of a design system. It needs to be consistent, but flexible; declarative, but not prescriptive.
\nThese days, primitives is a relatively standard nomenclature for this group of tokens. I, personally, don't like that word to define them. There are too many definitions that can create ambiguity or mis-frame their import.
Collectively, I like to call it the foundation. These tokens are what everything's built on—adding meaning as compositions emerge by adding style to semantic structure. These also need to be the smallest, simplest variable names for ease of re-use and development (when getting much farther along the system creation, token names tend to get lengthy). I'm one for typographpical poetry of length, so if the foundations are the smallest units with the shortest names, they're quickly identifiable, understandable, and rememberable.
\nThese are ones that I'll always use, but are singular in words:
\n--paper for white, and developing tints;--ink for black, and developing shades;--ash for gray, and developing tones. A prefix is something at the beginning. In grammar, these are remixable, contextual preambles like re-, con-, or pre-.
\nThese are the first words of my boilerplate's token set:
\n--font- for font-family;--scale- for font-size;--stretch for font-width;--style- for font-style;--weight- for font-weight;--tracking- for letter-spacing;--stroke- for border-width;--leading- for line-height;--opacity- for...well, opacity values;--palette- for base colors;--duration- for transition and animation timings;--radii- for border-radius (and the fun of using two i's in a row);--space- for padding, margin, and gap;--measure- for max-width and typographic line-length;--layer- for z-index; --ratio- for aspect-ratio;--prominence- for box-shadow;For some of these, I use explicit values. For others, semantic gradients.
\nIt depends on how the token's purpose and relationship with it's property counterpart.
\nEach of these are the typical ones I come across in most settings.
\nThey're also grounded in generic font family naming, just a limited set. In total, there're 12 potential generic font families to use, but these four tend to cover most of my use cases (and identity systems).
\n:root{\n --font-sans: $stack, sans;\n --font-serif: $stack, serif;\n --font-mono: $stack, mono;\n --font-hand: $stack, cursive;Most of my design decisions boil down to typographic history and practical use.
\nThese are, generally, named for their typical weight naming scheme, respectively mapped to their default weights. Because variable fonts provide a plethora of potential values, having these as tokens rather than defaults enables depth of polish.
\n:root{\n --weight-thin: 100;\n --weight-extralight: 200;\n --weight-light: 300;\n --weight-regular: 400;\n --weight-medium: 500;\n --weight-semibold: 600;\n --weight-bold: 700;\n --weight-extrabold: 800;\n --weight-black: 900;Like weight, this has default values but can be set differently in variable font situations.
\nThese map to another typical font design for typeface widths, developed over the centuries to give semantic name to width.
\n:root{\n --stretch-ultra-con: ultra-condensed; /* 50% width */\n --stretch-extra-con: extra-condensed; /* 62.5% width */\n --stretch-con: condensed; /* 75% width */\n --stretch-semi-con: semi-condensed; /* 87.5% width */\n --stretch-reg: normal; /* 100% width */\n --stretch-semi-exp: semi-expanded; /* 112.5% width */\n --stretch-exp: expanded; /* 125% width */\n --stretch-extra-exp: extra-expanded; /* 150% width */\n --stretch-ultra-exp: ultra-expanded; /* 200% width */Measure is the fancy typography word for length of a line of text, specifically from the left to right edges of a text block. In terms of reading length, it's good to aim for 45–85 characters per line, inclusive of spaces.
\nThe primary aspects that influence measure are: size of the type and size of its container (be it block, like a section, or a unit, like a paragraph).
\n:root{\n --measure-xxs: 25ch;\n --measure-xs: 35ch;\n --measure-sm: 45ch ;\n --measure-md:55ch ;\n --measure-lg: 65ch;\n --measure-xl: 75ch ;\n --measure-xxl: 85ch;--scale- for font-size;--style- for font-style;--tracking- for letter-spacing;--leading- for line-height;--opacity- for...well, opacity values;--palette- for base colors;--duration- for transition and animation timings;--radii- for border-radius (and the fun of using two i's in a row);--ratio- for aspect-ratio;--stroke- for border-width;--space- for padding, margin, and gap;--prominence- for box-shadow--layer- for z-index; I've written about semantic gradients before, making lists, and compiling them. They're these cool relational word ladders that transition from one end of a spectrum to another.
\nI prefer these over numbering systems—100,200,300,400,... or 10,20,30,40,...—because words. I find the lack of explicit and definite number scale provides room for play, interpretation, but also ways of individualizing the scale to act as a trap street—a maker's mark to detect copyright violations (and, as is the case these days, detecting content was used as fodder for scrapers and large language model training).
Each of the prefixes, above, come with default semantics—gradient or otherwise. I'm thematically grouping them for ease of reading.
", "date_published": "2026-03-04T00:00:00-05:00", "tags": [ "Boilerplate", "Design Tokens", "CSS" ] }, { "id": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/public-domain-resources", "url": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/public-domain-resources", "title": "Public Domain Resources", "content_html": "\n\nOur open data program is a natural extension of the National Gallery’s mission: to welcome all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.
\nWe aim to make as much data as possible available to as many people as possible, in support of research, teaching, and personal enrichment. We believe that increased access to factual data about works of art fuels knowledge, scholarship, and innovation, inspiring uses that transform the way we discover and understand the world of art.
\nYou can download the dataset of factual art object information for the 130,000+ artworks and artists in our collection from Github. We release this data under a Creative Commons 0 (CC0) license. This means that you can download the full dataset free of charge, and without seeking our permission.
\n
URL: nga.gov/artworks/free-images-and-open-access
\n\n\nWelcome to Smithsonian Open Access, where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—right now, without asking. With new platforms and tools, you have easier access to more than 5.1 million 2D and 3D digital items from our collections—with many more to come. This includes images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
\n
URL: si.edu/openaccess
\n\n\nThe Art Institute of Chicago is pleased to offer free, unrestricted use of over 50,000 images of works in the collection believed to be in the public domain or to which the museum otherwise waives any copyright it might have. Such images are made available under Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation and the Terms and Conditions of this website.
\n
URL: artic.edu/open-access/open-access-images
\n\n\nArtBee aggregates [public domain access collections from museums] into one searchable platform, making it easier to discover and download high-quality public domain artworks.
\n
URL: artbee.org
\n\n\nExplore our hand-picked collection of 10,919 out-of-copyright works, free for all to browse, download, and reuse. This is a living database with new images added every week.
\n
URL: pdimagearchive.org
\n\n\nThe links below provide access to images that are in the public domain or have been made available for reuse and can likely be used in for small run scholarly publications and theses free of charge. Always check the rights statement associated with each image to make sure that you are abiding by the terms of use, which may include a specific format for the credit line.
\n
URL: libguides.pratt.edu/c.php
\n\n\nA round-up of museums and archives that have released high resolution images into the public domain
\n
URL: apollo-magazine.com/open-access-image-libraries-a-handy-list
\n\n\nThe Digital Art History Directory (DAHD) is an open-access publication containing a database of digital art history projects and information on data sources, best practices in Digital Art History project construction, preservation, and web archiving. Intended to be the largest, most comprehensive, and inclusive collection of information on Digital Art History and to function as a tool and living resource, rather than a static publication, the DAHD provides a platform for discovery, sharing, and research of Digital Art History.
\n
URL: dahd.hcommons.org/open-image-collections
\n\n\nOn this site you’ll find links to my Public Domain Print Shop, as well as posts for DIY tutorials, thrifting tips, my favorite books I’m reading, updates on our most recent home renovations and a little bit of real life sprinkled in along the way. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet and I hope you enjoy your stay!
\n
\n\nAfter spending thousands of hours sourcing free public domain art for The Public Domain Print Shop, I’ve learned a thing or two about where to find the best public domain art online.
\n
URL: ahomeisannounced.com/2025/04/17/best-public-domain-art-online
", "date_published": "2026-02-01T00:00:00-05:00", "tags": [ "Resource", "Public Domain", "Inspiration", "Free", "Creative Commons" ] }, { "id": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/logical-borders", "url": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/logical-borders", "title": "Logical Borders", "content_html": "One of my favorite new things in CSS has been the logical properties rather than physical mappings.
\nIt helps so much to be writing CSS in a way that'll be more localization friendly, and more resilient to whatever sort of circumstances, with fewer workarounds because it's more inclusively designed.
\nThroughout my site, I've been using *-inline-* and *-block-* for margins and paddings:
| Function | \nPhysical Mapping | \nLogical Property | \n
|---|---|---|
| Margin start of inline | \nmargin-left | \nmargin-inline-start | \n
| Margin start of block | \nmargin-top | \nmargin-block-start | \n
| Padding end of inline | \npadding-right | \npadding-inline-end | \n
| Padding end of block | \npadding-bottom | \npadding-block-end | \n
They're so much better!
\nBut, I came up with a challenge that I didn't know how to address: borders.
\nI don't like using border-top or border-left if I'm using logical properties elsewhere. The inconsistency bugs me, but it's also part of learning and building a more resilient website.
So, I took a look to figure out what to use instead.
\n| Physical Mapping | \nLogical Property | \n
|---|---|
border-top-left-radius | \nborder-start-start-radius | \n
border-top-right-radius | \nborder-start-end-radius | \n
border-bottom-left-radius | \nborder-end-start-radius | \n
border-bottom-right-radius | \nborder-end-end-radius | \n
That's cool, that answers my question.
\nBut, borders have more to them than margin or padding. They have edges. Can I style specific lines too, using logical properties?
Yep!
\n| Physical Mapping | \nLogical Property | \n
|---|---|
border-top | \nborder-block-start | \n
border-bottom | \nborder-block-end | \n
border-left | \nborder-inline-start | \n
border-right | \nborder-inline-end | \n
Cool! So that means, that I can even do things a bit cleaner for styling just the top and bottom borders, or the left and right borders, using border-block and border-inline respectively.
Then, we can go into the specifics of each:
\nborder-*-*-widthborder-*-*-styleborder-*-*-colorWoohoo!
\nFor more on this, and lots of more logical properties, Sitepoint has a logical properties guide—very helpful referencing and figuring this out! They've also created & shared a logical properties .pdf cheat sheet, too!
If you're wanting or needing to create a website, but are overwhelmed with all the things that come from making it a reality, this is for you.
\nA website can be a very simple thing to make. Technically, all that's required is an .html file—you don't even have to host the file anywhere, it can be on your computer and you have a website! But, that requires some coding work that is likely out of scope, and most people tend to want more than that.
To ground this more in reality, a website can be broken down into a few different parts.
\nThis is what people type into the browser to navigate to your website. It should align with whatever thing you're trying to build, or be near it. If you're building a personal website, loads of people use their names—myself included. If you're building personal brand, your name may not be the path you want to take. Rather, some sort of company name. Whatever you choose, try to make it: short, memorable, and to the point.
\nThis is where the code of your website lives. For most of us, that means we purchase shared disk space on a computer somewhere, because we don't need full dedicated servers. If we want full ownership of a server, there's also options of purchasing a dedicated server hosting package—meaning no one else is sharing the disk space with you. That tends to be more expensive but you get better service from the hosting provider.
\nIf you're working with an agency, or a comrade that's helping you build your website, sometimes they can offer hosting space as part of working with them. It makes things easier if you want longer-term support—sometimes with additional hour-budgets baked in for incremental improvements throughout the year. Some humans even have at-home servers—computers dedicated for web hosting—for more control.
\nWhatever your situation, it comes down to how much you want to learn, budget, and desired scope of control.
\nThis is a biggie that'll be it's own section below—there's a lot of parts to this—but basically: you need to have stuff to put on the site. The content's built using layers of HTML, CSS, and Javascript—the web page's structure, style, and interaction; respectively.
\nThis is where lots of the website-builders come in. Services like Squarespace, Wordpress, Wix, GoDaddy, and others come in. Their goal is to make it as simple as possible for anyone to make a website. You don't have to worry about the code—just the content. There are other website builders that can help generate and build the code—Webflow, Nordcraft, Framer—for more specialized folks like web designers and web developers. These are all considered \"no-code\" and \"low-code\" tools to help throughout.
\nYour choice of tooling can have significant impact on your site's maintenance and upkeep. But, in the end, it doesn't really matter how the content gets translated into a live website. What matters is that there's something on the website.
\nThere are more things to consider for each of these minimum aspects of websites. Does some other website have a similar domain name, or URL, that you wouldn't want people accidentally navigating to? Is your hosting near where your site's visitors will be located (affecting the speed of download and viewing)? What even should you put on the website?! We won't review all those questions now.
\nRemember: there are three things, minimum, you need for a website:
\nNow we're going to start talking about The Content. We'll go through the basic questions first:
\nThese are basic questions that will help support figuring out the rest of the site.
\nApart from \"everybody says I need one\" there's one great reason for everyone:
\nYou own the space.
\nLikely, you'll have a few or slew of social accounts. These are channels to drive people to your website. You don't control—or own—other company's spaces. They'll make decisions that can affect The Algorithm that can drastically impact the efficacy of that channel. To the detriment and benefit (not mutually exclusive).
\nThey're seeking to improve their business. Not yours. They do this through a variety of means:
\nBy having a website, you own the space and can do with it what you want.
\nThat's a reason for most humans that have websites.
\nNow, dig into the question: why do you need a website?
\nWebsites can do all sorts of things that feel magical. But, as with all magick: it comes from purposeful intent.
\nThese are some categories of websites, defined with the need they fulfill:
\nWhen there's many more than one of these types of purposes on or for a website, it's more accurately named a web platform.
\nBy giving name to these needs, in such a way, it can help refine & define the path you take on building your website—both for yourself and when working with others building it for you.
\nThese are two important questions to put perspective into the path you'll take on getting the website up.
\nFor a brochure website, you may use it for:
\nRemember, it's your space where you can do whatever you want in the space. What will you use it for?
\nYour visitors, though, there's other sorts of questions:
\nWhat questions could you list, that potential visitors may be looking for answers to?
\nGetting into the mindset of your potential customers helps give shape to your website's content.
\nThis one is important to consider. Not a SUPER big deal, but it does help in starting to think about marketing strategy and the intention of the website.
\nTypically, this would be the URL you have on all your personal and professional social media profiles.
\nIt also influences how the places.
", "date_published": "2025-07-23T00:00:00-04:00", "tags": [ "Guide" ] }, { "id": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/audhd-and-motivation", "url": "https://jonathanstephens.us/articles/audhd-and-motivation", "title": "AuDHD and Motivation", "content_html": "Realizing, exploring, and seeking understanding of my neurodivergence has been around neuronormative concepts of productivity—slowly dismantling life-long internalized ableism, compounded by lack of awareness & self criticism.
\nThe things I beat myself up for has changed. These are the things that I know how to do but just can't seem to. Or, things I have to get done but get distracted by more interesting or lesser things. The self criticism still happens, but I try to do it less. Each morning is a new, different day.
\nMost of this change has been wrought through diverse, intersectional research—passive via social streams, active via the internet, books, and reflection—into ADHD, Autism, Disability, neuroscience, gender, labor, and a slew of others.
\nToday, I'm focusing on one of the biggies—
\nmotivation.
\nI'm sharing these thoughts and advice coming from a complex neurotype of AuDHD. AuDHD is a name coined by its community for differentiating the gap between lived experiences of ADHD and Autism. They're closely related in many ways, with similar behavior patterns and diagnostic criteria, and a very high comorbidity rate with the two.
\nWhen talking about ADHD or Autism, below, I'm coming from a place of unraveling the threads of both. Seeking understanding around the internal & external Chaos of ADHD and a need for structural & logical Order as they Conflict, Clash, and Conflue.
\nWhen sharing any resources, I try to make sure the ones I use are founded in science and lived experiences.
\nThe Pathology Paradigm—the framework that Autism or ADHD are things that need to \"be fixed\" or \"a disorder\" or something that \"needs a cure.\" I more closely align with the Neurodiversity Paradigm.
\nThis comes down to the fact that brains & minds are diverse, there's no \"normal\" or \"right\" style of mind, and social dynamics that manifest from neurodivergence also manifest in other forms of diversity.[^ Walker, N. (2013). Throw Away the Master’s Tools: Liberating Ourselves from the Pathology Paradigm. Neuroqueer. Retrieved July 9, 2025, from https://neuroqueer.com/throw-away-the-masters-tools/]
\nThere's a lot of resources out nowadays around ADHD, Autism, and AuDHD. There's also a lot of people that think it's a way to make easy money, or come up with things or concepts that don't have any grounding in the scientific method or thoroughly cited research.
\nThere are a few things that ground understanding Motivation—my relationship with it, experience of it, and difficulty in finding it. Most come down to the fact of my bodymind is Differently Wired; thus—I need Different Things to spark momentum, cultivating combustion.
\nNeurotypicals—people who aren't neurodivergent; \"normal people\"—have an importance-based nervous system, versus AuDHDers—also inclusive of ADHDers and Austists. When taking a look at motivation, it's a critical framework of the neurotype to understand.
\nIt's a framework for understanding how our brains respond to stimuli and regulate attention based on personal interest rather than importance or reward. [^ NeuroLaunch.com. (2024, August 4). The Interest-Based Nervous System: Understanding its impact on ADHD and beyond. https://neurolaunch.com/interest-based-nervous-system/]
\nThe AuDHD brain needs different motivators than \"you gotta,\" \"this is important,\" \"if you don't, shit happens.\" There's an acronym, PINCH that's helpful for remembering more aligned, core motivators for AuDHDers:
\n\n\n\n
\n- Passion (And I like to add Play): Engaging in activities that are enjoyable and intrinsically motivating.
\n- Interest: Focusing on tasks that are inherently fascinating and captivating.
\n- Novelty: Seeking out new, shiny, and exciting experiences to maintain engagement.
\n- Competition (Cooperation or Challenge): Adding an element of competition, working cooperatively, or turning tasks into challenges to make them more engaging.
\n- Hurry (Urgency): Completing tasks under time pressure to create a sense of urgency. [^ also comes from Dr. Megan Anna Neff's Neurodivergent Insights article, Interest-Based Nervous System. A direct quote.]
\n
It's why \"just do it\" is a shitty slogan, phrase, and aphorism that gets bandied about.
\n\"Just do it\" does not work for us.
\nFor ADHDers, there's the Novelty-Urgency-Interest Triad, where motivation is a construct within a complex coalescence of need. For Autists, there's the monotropic trait where minds have attention pulled more strongly towrds a smaller number of interests at any given time, leaving fewer resources for other processes.[^ Monotropism. (2022, May 19). Monotropism. https://monotropism.org/].
\nOne of my biggest challenges, ADHD-wise, is the concept of time. I'm time-blind in many ways, and don't necessarily orient myself in a single stream or flow of time. When you're doing something new, say traveling to a new place, it can seem like time slows down. Your brain is sponging up and taking in all the new things that it usually blurs & blends away from conscious awareness because its a lazy muscle that tries to take as many shortcuts it can.
\nTime is a thing that can be a contributing factor to motivation—e.g. the Novelty-Urgency-Interest Triad—supplying the urgency to a situation to create that motivation. I wish artificial, self-imposed deadlines worked for me (if they do for you, fantastic! Use that tool!). Alas.
\nSo, when sitting down to do a thing I need to do, that I plan to do, I have to think what transition would be the most beneficial to get that done. If it's at the computer, is there something I can do to help me point my focus towards the thing to get done? Can I give myself 15 min of \"fun time\" before (as a motivator) and 15-min of \"fun time\" after as a reward? Understanding and planning for transitions—both in-to and out-of—is one of my biggest motivation hacks that helps move more fluidly through spacetime.
\nBorrowing from the Autistic Community, there's also a concept they've named called autistic inertia. This borrow-word from physics stays true to its original meaning—the tendency that objects have to either continue moving or staying still. In autistic inertia, getting started is the difficult challenge. It's from the executive function challenges shared with ADHD (planning, prioritizing, and task switching), movement (starting, follow-through, stopping), and arousal (depersonalization, apathy, detachment)[^ Buckle, K. L. (2022, May 27). The initiative Triad – Autistic Inertia. Autistic Inertia. https://autisticinertia.com/2022/05/the-initiative-triad/]. Just doing the thing is hard—like a flywheel, it's hard to get started but once you do...it goes a lot easier.
\nThis is why I clump these three concepts together, around motivation. It's not \"motivation\" in a classic sense. It's about creating the time, space, and momentum for doing.
\nFor me, one of the best things around motivation is trying to create the structures and environment that help me get things done when I don't have motivation to do the things. The meds? They help...tremendously. They bring me clarity, focus, and help me find words I'd normally not have access to.
\nBut they're not all that I need, when intentionally curating my environment & practices.
\nI need the structure of doing things through a routine, and being very mindful of the area around me. Noise cancelling headphones are a godsend. As is a quiet place. Then, rather than working towards goals I orient myself towards maintaining rhythms & practices that move me towards getting things done. Not always in one go. Progress is progress.
\nEven within a rhythm—or routine—there's variability based on need. Sometimes, I'll come to a moment of the day and be like, \"I need to do something fun for a bit.\" That's fuel for my other times.
\nThis comes down to understanding what your own cycles, rhythms, and needs are. When do you feel the best with what you're working on? Are you a morning person and need to schedule the \"getting shit done\" time in the morning when executive function is strongest? When you don't sleep well, how does your interest & ability to get things done change from there? Understanding what works best for you is important. This can be:
\n\n\n\n
\n- Biological rhythms: Circadian cycles and hormonal fluctuations can impact ADHD symptoms.
\n- Environmental stressors: Work deadlines, social pressures, or changes in routine can trigger shifts in ADHD cycles.
\n- Medication effects: For those on ADHD medication, the effectiveness can vary throughout the day, influencing symptom intensity.
\n- Sleep patterns: Quality and quantity of sleep significantly affect ADHD symptoms and cycle intensity.
\n- Diet and exercise: Nutritional intake and physical activity levels can modulate ADHD symptoms and cycle duration. [^ NeuroLaunch.com. (2024b, August 4). Understanding ADHD cycles: Navigating the ups and downs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. https://neurolaunch.com/adhd-cycles/]
\n
Managing energy is a big thing. AuDHD wise, I need to do things that I enjoy and that get me moving. If I don't, I won't be able to get the other things done that I need to. Often times, I have to reflect and take a look at the balance of my energy givers and energy takers. If there's something in the day that will take a lot of energy to do—physical, mental, spiritual, social—I have to plan the rest of the day around that. If it's a big taker, I need to build energy towards the moment, then off-ramp and decompressing after.
\nIt's similar to the psychedelic tripping concept of Set and Setting. I need to make sure I come into the experience or task—set—with the \"right\" mindset or my mind will work against me. At the same time, even if coming into the thing with a good (mind)set...but the Setting is off—unfamiliar, distracting, socially unsafe—there's an additional barrier to doing the thing.
\nThere's a concept of spoon theory that's been around the Disability Community for a long while now. Originally written and introduced by Christine Miserandino in 2011, Spoon Theory is a way she described how she managed energies as someone with Lupus, to a friend.
\n\n\nTo simplify it, each spoon equals a unit of energy.
\nPeople who are not living with health conditions often wake up with an unlimited amount of energy. They can get out of bed, shower, dress, make meals, exercise, go to work, visit friends – all without a great deal of thought or planning.
\nHowever, people living with physical health conditions, disabilities or mental illnesses may only start out each day with a certain amount of energy – or spoons. It varies person to person, and only you know how many spoons you have. [^ Charity, B. (2023, April 20). What’s spoon theory? The metaphor helping people with chronic illnesses and disabilities plan their days. Support for Neurological Conditions | the Brain Charity. https://www.thebraincharity.org.uk/whats-spoon-theory/]
\n
Being aware of your spoons, and how you use your spoons, and making sure you have enough for the next and coming days is important. If you don't have the energy or spoons for something, and you're trying to \"just do it\" and motivate yourself that way—for me, I know, I'd be doomed to fail.
\nIn my travels, I've visited London a few times now. Here is a list of recommendations on where to travel, what to see, and what you can do in London.
\nIn terms of how to travel, I've found it best to find an area of the city, plan a few explicit places you want to go to, then explore inside that area.
\nIn addition to what I'm writing below, here are a couple sites I usually do my research for interesting places and things to do while traveling:
\n\nAlso, always look around for Free Walking Tours around the cities! There's loads that occur, and the tour-guides are paid through the tips at the end. Here are some for London:
\n\nThis is a fun place, and one of London's first crafts and antiques markets in an old builders yard. You can explore a massive maze of food, shops, and flea market in general. Many different types of stalls—from steampunk to dapper clothes. The surrounding area has loads of street art, music venues, and places to visit too.
\nBrixton is one of the Bohemian places around London. The market itself is one of the most diverse markets with multiple arcades and places around. There's a big food and bar scene, daily markets with international traders, local crafts & events.
\nIf you want to visit a market that began life as a forum in Roman London, then a market since the 1300's this place is for you. It's also the place where they entered the Leaky Cauldron in the first Harry Potter movie. Small shops, nice old bar to visit called The Lamb Tavern—opened since 1780.
\nAnother market in a different part of town, the Greenwich Market is another multiply-hundred year old market (established 1737). It offers a diverse array of things to do—antiques, art, books, crafts, fashion, jewelry shops, etc—with loads of food and drink places. There are also loads of interesting museums around, and it's just off the walk along the River Thames.
\nThese two markets are similar to Camden Market but different in vibes, wares, and surroundings. There are loads of art galleries, street foods, fashion, crafts, etc. Just in Old Spitalfields: 43 places to eat and drink; 56 shops and stalls; 184 events through the year; and open seven days a week.
\nThis is one of the places I've been to many times, each trip to London. It's a delicious little dive of a noodle shop that has hand-pulled noodles. The broth is great, the noodles are great. It's a small shop but it's good for the price, filling, and good'n'warm for those cold days.
\nIf you're looking for a good Sunday Roast, a traditional English Sunday sorta meal, The Hawksmoor was one of the best I've ever had. They have loads of locations across London. Make sure to get a reservation, as a just in case. It's absolutely delicious. Kitchen hours can be slightly different than your individual dining hours, so make sure to check all's well.
\nThis was recommended for one of the best afternoon tea's. A British Afternoon Tea is kind of an important cultural moment of the area. The place looks beautiful, with loads of nice treats and teas. You need a reservation.
\nFor a very good British pie, Goddards was recommended to me by a friend. I haven't been, but a pie is one of those British foods that are very good and worth the a try. This one's been open since 1890, so should have a good atmosphere and all.
\nIf you want to see a Medieval castle or Roman walls—while taking a step \"back into Old London\"—this could be a fun place to explore. The Tower of London has a rich history of political prisoners and such. It's also across the the river and a walk from the London Bridge and The Shard (if you want to have a high level view of London but don't want to go to the Eye, the Shard can be a potential alternative).
\nThis is the central hub to a lot of travel by metro and in the center of London. It's also where you can find Platform 9 3/4 (and a shop). Don't be disappointed that it's not actually on the platforms. Line's are long.
\nIt's fun. A good day out and walking around the area. Tons of interesting things. I traveled into the zoo by boat, and would highly recommend. You can pick up a ticket, see quite a bit of London from the view of the water, then walk right into the zoo without waiting in line.
\nThis is a nice visit. See London from high in the sky on a ferris wheel. Buy tickets in advance that can help you skip the line. Before and after, walk around the area and explore. The area has life throughout the day, but at night fun things pop up. It is very much a tourist attraction, and priced so.
\nThe Kew Gardens are a Royal Botanical Gardens with loads to walk around and see. Tons of nice flora, outdoor artwork, and nature to see. Nearby is the Richmond Park, a royal park that also has fields and you can find deer. Really pretty to see. About thirty minutes to an hour's transit away from Central London. I really enjoyed the science and learning of it all. Beautiful greenhouses too.
\nIf you want to chill a bit, or to get a good run in, there are many great parks around the city. You'll stumble across them, but you can also go more purposefully. I'm listing a few I've visited.
\nOpening hours:
\nWebsite: royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/regents-park-primrose-hill
\nAddress: Near Camden
This was recommended to me by a friend and a bit sad I've never visited. It's a 37-year grown collection of neon signs. It's only open on weekends, but it looks like a brilliant place to visit.
\nLondon is a multi-thousand year-old city. It's continually been built on top of the previous city. As a part of that, there are quite a few interesting places to visit where you can explore. They're all over, and not all are generally accessible to the public, but here are some places to get you started:
\n\nIf you're looking for some fantastic street art, you can check out Leake Street. It's London's longest graffiti wall, made from connecting eight former railways beneath the Waterloo station. There're independent restaurants and bars to make an event of it.
\nAn absolute massive graphic novel and book store in Covent Garden. Since I found it, I plan ahead and pack fewer books to take with me whenever going to London...I tend to leave with four to ten books in hand. It's wonderful.
\nThere are many, many museums around London. Luckily, quite a few of them are free to visit! They're concentrated in the area around the British Museum and Hyde Park. Just because they're free doesn't mean you don't need to book. Take a look at what they have around, then need to make a booking.
\n