thanks, doonhamer and Tulips, and once again to everone who responded.

Ah, I forgot about Bayswater -- some of the best Indian restaurants in town!

I was very taken with The Cut and the entire South Bank in general. On a hot day, I had a very cooling mojito at Havana on The Cut (near the Old Vic). It has a lot of outdoor seating and I understand people do a lot of dancing in the evening. The entire street is filled with interesting, inexpensive places to eat and drink.

There is an open air book market right on the riverbank (Southbank) near the British Film Institute.

Increasingly, London is being Europeanized, with more and more outdoor seating and cafes everywhere you go. Some of the cuter ones are quite out of the way (like in Hempstead or Swiss Cottage) but a trip up to Kenwood is always rewarding, and you could easily included a stop in Hempstead Village and nose around).

thanks for your suggestions, nessundorma, and also to surfergirl.

Nessundorma: It's HAMPSTEAD, not Hempstead. I feel I must correct you.

As for Hampstead, it's boring, gone are the days when it was arty, its high street is becoming more and more generic.

Thanks for the correction, but I warn you I'm not a good speller, especially on the Internet. You'll be appalled to learn I lived 4 months in HAMPSTEAD Village.