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- A cabbie's tour of London
- Phuket's 7 coolest cafes and coffee shops
- 10 dinosaur museums that'll curdle your DNA
| Posted: 05 Apr 2013 03:00 AM PDT Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament are London icons. But you don't need us to tell you that. And you definitely don't need London cabbie Russell Hall to waste his local expertise on such obvious business. That's why we pinned down Hall, the founder of iPhone app Hailo, which lets you find the nearest cab via your smartphone, and asked him to take us on a tour of the capital's most unlikely destinations. Here's his tour of London's hidden attractions -- bragging rights ensured. Wilton Music Hall
Although dilapidated now, the hall was a shelter during the Blitz and saved from demolition in the 1960s. "It still shows plays, opera and theater and you can get a guided tour for a fiver." Nearest Tube: Tower Hill (District Line) 1 Graces Alley, E1 8JB, +44 20 7702 2789; wiltons.org.uk Prospect of Whitby
Smugglers, thieves and pirates all drank here, as did Charles Dickens, and the artists Whistler and Turner. Samuel Pepys wrote his diary here. Nearest Tube: Wapping (London Overground) 57 Wapping Wall, E1W 3SH; +44 20 3582 4875; www.taylor-walker.co.uk Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood
"It's the largest collection of toys and childhood objects in England and it's amazing to see how children of that era used to amuse themselves. "If you like your architecture, it's well worth visiting. It's your typical Victorian exhibition hall, with glass roofs, high ceilings and lovely red brick design. A great place to spend a day with the kids." Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green (Central line) Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA; +44 20 8983 5200; www.museumofchildhood.org.uk Waterloo Bridge
"It sums up what London is, it's remarkable. You only need to look at the view and wonder what it was like on the Thames dating back to Roman times. "An interesting point that not many people know is that it was actually built by women during the Second World War." Nearest Tube: Waterloo (Northern, Jubilee and Bakerloo lines) Waterloo Bridge Road, SE1 8XT The Blind Beggar
The Kray twins, who ran the Mob north of the river, drank here and it's where Ronnie Kray shot and killed Georgie Cornell, from the rival Richardson gang, in 1966. "Anyone from the East End during the 1960s will say they were in the Beggar at that time." Nearest Tube: Whitechapel (London Overground, Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines) 337 Whitechapel Road, E1 1BU , +44 20 7247 6195; www.theblindbeggar.com Whitechapel Bell Foundry
"If you go there you can see the original molding just inside the door. It's still a working bell foundry, but you can go inside and take a look around." Nearest Tube: Whitechapel (London Overground, Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines) 32-34 Whitechapel Road, E1 1DY, +44 20 7247 2599; www.whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk Royal London Hospital
"If you stand on the steps of the hospital and look at Whitechapel Tube station, a sari shop to the left of the building is where Joseph Merrick used to exhibit himself at a freak show." Nearest Tube: Whitechapel (London Overground, Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines) Whitechapel Road, +44 20 7377 7000; www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk St. Brides Church
"Wedding cakes are, apparently, based on the tiered design," says Hall. "It has a long association with journalists, from when newspapers were based on Fleet Street." Nearest Tube: Blackfriars (Circle and District lines) Bridewell Place, Fleet Street, EC4Y 8AU, +44 20 7427 0133; www.stbrides.com Clink Museum
"It's one of these museums that people often miss," says Hall. "You can queue forever at the manmade London Dungeon, but if you really want a fright, go here. It's cold, right on the river and full of horrific tools used to torture prisoners down the years." Nearest Tube: London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines) 1 Clink Street, SE1 9DG, +44 20 7403 0900; www.clink.co.uk Borough Market and Southwark Cathedral
A nearby attraction is Southwark Cathedral, which escaped bombing during World War II. The building itself is "absolutely stunning," says Hall. Nearest Tube: London Bridge (Jubilee and Northern lines) 8 Southwark St., SE1 1TL, +44 20 7407 1002; www.boroughmarket.org.uk More on CNN: 10 of London's oldest, greatest pubs      |
| Phuket's 7 coolest cafes and coffee shops Posted: 04 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT Drawn by palm trees swaying over sandy shores, throngs of tourists head for Thailand's largest island, Phuket, to knock back a beer or ten on the beach. But where do they turn when they need a less taxing form of relaxation? Increasingly, travelers follow the locals heading to one of many excellent new cafes springing up on the island. More on CNN: Insider Guide: Best of Phuket Hock Hoe Lee
Today, Cheng Long's granddaughter and her husband keep that tradition alive with Hock Hoe Lee cafe, a smart hangout in a quiet neighborhood of beach bars and private villas in the south of Phuket. They also sell their own brand of locally roasted coffee for those who want to brew it at home. The 1 kilogram bags of blends range in price from 300 baht (US$9) for regular Thai coffee to 1,250 baht for Doi Chang Arabica. This 100%, grade-A bean is hand picked in the cooler climes of northern Thailand. Hock Hoe Lee, 28/9 Moo 5, Viset Road, Rawai; +66 (0)76 381 975; open Monday to Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; www.hockhoelee.com Kombat Cafe
Yes, you'll be surrounded by muscle-bound Muay Thai fighters taking a lunch break from training on the nearby camps or shopping at the Kombat Fight Lab next door. But Kombat Cafe serves some of the best coffee on the island (Hock Hoe Lee's, of course), as well as a range of protein shakes, freshly squeezed juices and the cafe's famed ciabatta burgers. The cafe's Australian owner, who occasionally works in the film industry and originally came to Phuket to learn Muay Thai, opened Kombat Cafe in 2012. Sensing a culinary niche in the market, he wanted a place where trainers and students could fill up on healthy food. Kombat Cafe, 50/35, Soi Saiyuan, Moo 7, Rawai; +66 (0)82 047 5394; open Sunday to Friday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Saturday; www.facebook.com/KombatCafe Gallery Cafe by Pinky
Located in the heart of Phuket's Old Town, the menu includes Mediterranean salads, freshly made sandwiches, fruit smoothies and all-day breakfasts. In the evening, a cosmopolitan crowd of islanders gathers to sip sundowners before moving on to the many hip bars that have sprung up around this previously neglected part of Phuket. Pinky also runs baking classes, where you can learn how to make quiche Lorraine and desserts like New York cheesecake, crème caramel and fruit tarts. Gallery Cafe by Pinky, Rassada Road, Phuket Town; +66 (0)89 103 7000; open Monday to Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; www.gallerycafe-phuket.com More on CNN: Old Town Phuket: Finally a reason to leave the beach Factory Cafe
Instead, Factory occupies the ground floor of an obscure building down a small alley in quiet Phuket Town. The location works in Factory Cafe's favor. Its industrial chic decor stands in stark contrast to the faux-Grecian design of the surrounding buildings. A brick-backed counter bleeds into the gray concrete floor, occupied by dark brown leather sofas and foldaway metal chairs. If it feels like you've wandered into a design studio, that's because it is -– Srinawakul has his design office and home upstairs, alongside a meeting room where he hangs framed renderings of his work. Factory Cafe, 81-83 Satoon Road, Phuket Town; +66(0)81 907 2626; open daily 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; www.facebook.com/factorycafe Garage Cafe
Australian Danny Hyams got hooked on coffee after tasting the strong Turkish variety when working on a kibbutz in Israel when he was 18. For a long time, though, coffee was only a hobby as Hyams pursued a career in law. He moved to Phuket a few years ago, and decided to pursue his caffeine dream, starting the Phuket Coffee Lab in 2010, which gets its 100% Thai Arabica beans from near Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand, and roasts to order, selling to cafes, restaurants and hotels across Phuket. Hyams' passion is infectious -- at the local heat of a recent national competition, Garage Cafe employee Chakrit Hamphitak was named champion barista of southern Thailand. Garage Cafe, 74/25, Moo 3, Kamala; +66(0)80 534 5512; open daily 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; www.facebook.com/GarageCafeKamala Delish Cafe
Owners Greg and Liz Johnston, along with the couple's son "Sandy" and his wife Angela, bring down under charm to Delish. Most popular are the freshly made burgers. They're made with Australian lamb, Angus beef or free-range Thai chicken, and are accompanied by homemade dressings and sauces. The homemade quiches, salads and cakes are just as good. There are also freshly squeezed fruit juices, including apple, orange, watermelon, pineapple, carrot and pomelo. Delish Cafe, 5/30 Fisherman's Way Business Park, Rawai; +66(0)76 384 680; open Monday to Saturday 8 a.m.-6p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; www.delishcafe.net Bookhemian
Occupying a century-old Chinese shop house, Bookhemian's patrons are a mix of young Thais and foreign backpackers taking a break from wandering aimlessly round Old Town in the hot sun. Bookhemian isn't just a clever name. The place has shelves upon shelves of books and art magazines, as well as collections of local photography and illustrations. Great for browsing while you're waiting for your drink and dessert (we recommend the signature coffee and chocolate cake). Bookhemian, 61 Thalang Road, Phuket Town; +66(0)76 258 254; open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m.-7p.m.; www.room2521.com More on CNN: Phuket's sands get swanky    |
| 10 dinosaur museums that'll curdle your DNA Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Jurassic Park is hitting theaters in 3D this month, reintroducing the man-meets-dinosaur disaster to a new generation 20 years after its premiere. While scientists have yet to resurrect the terrible lizards from mosquito DNA, there are plenty of museums worldwide that bring humans face to face with dinosaurs, and not always just their skeletons, in a variety of ways. And, yes, we know about New York's American Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum in London (include those and we'll build out this list to 12), but here are some other dino exhibits to dig. 1. Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Berlin's natural history museum houses a serious collection of bones excavated largely from Tanzania in the 20th century, featuring all sorts of species. Most impressive is the 41-foot, 5-inch Brachiosaurus, the tallest dinosaur in the world on display. It's a Guinness World Record holder and dominates the first gallery. The museum also boasts the most important archaeopteryx fossil in the world, demonstrating the birdlike link between dinosaurs and birds. Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin; www.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de 2. Field Museum, Chicago
The museum's "Evolving Planet" exhibit dedicated to the last 4 billion years of evolution features dinosaurs from as far away as Madagascar and Antarctica. The main attraction stands at the entrance. Meet Sue, the largest Tyrannosaurus in the world, who greets visitors at Chicago's natural history museum. She's a terrific specimen, though the original skull, weighing 600 pounds and flashing 58 teeth, is on display in the museum's balcony level along with information on the most notorious of dinosaurs. It's easy to imagine the enormous tooth-filled snout crashing through the sunroof of a Jurassic Park jeep. 144 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago; www.fieldmuseum.org 3. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science, Brussels
With the largest dinosaur hall in the world, this museum boasts an impressive collection of fossilized skeletons and casts. The standouts are 30 Iguanodons, the second dinosaur to be classified in the 1800s. They're the ones with the curious spike that early paleontologists mistook for a horn on their nose. Interactive displays in the gallery also detail the fossilization process and dinosaur digs, among other topics. Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels; www.naturalsciences.be 4. National Dinosaur Museum, Canberra, Australia
This is the place to explore prehistory in Australia. The place has the country's largest collection of dinosaur fossils. Alongside fossils, bones and impressive footprints from all sorts of animals and beasts, the museum features a garden with imposing dinosaur sculptures and animatronics inside that add a bit of Spielberg magic to displays. Fossil digs, children's learning events and free weekend tours help attract 200,000 people a year, making it one of the area's biggest tourist attractions. Gold Creek Road and Barton Highway, Nicholls, ACT 2913, Australia; www.nationaldinosaurmuseum.com.au 5. Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, Alberta, Canada
More than 130,000 fossils call this paleontological research center home, including the original "Black Beauty" Tyrannosaurus skeleton with its unique dark sheen. A recreation of a pack of Albertosaurus, inspired by a bone bed of 22 specimens found in Alberta, pays homage to Joseph Tyrell, who discovered the carnivore in 1884. The museum also displays saber-toothed tigers attacking a mammoth as well as a living garden that recreates life during the Cretaceous period in Alberta. Visitors can watch paleontologists at work in the preparation lab to see how they prepare fossilized bones, like those of an Ankylosaur recently found in a Canadian mine. 1500 North Dinosaur Trail, Canadian Badlands, Drumheller, T0J 0Y0 Alberta, Canada; www.tyrrellmuseum.com 6. Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Wyoming, U.S.A.
This museum's standout attraction is a 106-foot Supersaurus, one of the longest dinosaurs in the world. The museum has acquired the most complete archaeopteryx in the world (after the one in Berlin) and boasts skeletons of Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Velociraptor, among others in all sorts of dynamic poses. The real draw is getting to talk with real paleontologists, like those who inspired Alan Grant's character in "Jurassic Park." All ages are invited to "dig for a day" by signing up to participate in excursions to one of the world's richest bone fields, just down the street. 110 Carter Ranch Road, Thermopolis, Wyo. U.S.A.; www.wyodino.org 7. Zigong Dinosaur Museum, Zigong, China
Another vast space given to prehistoric fossils, the Dinosaur Museum in Zigong sits atop the Dashanpu fossil site, allowing visitors to get a firsthand glimpse of an excavation site. This top Chinese attraction has 18 complete skeletons among the 200 individuals pulled from the graveyard, and they're displayed among foot prints, skin fossils and other prehistoric finds. Specimens are renowned in the dinosaur community and attract nearly 7 million people a year in China. No. 238 Dashanpu, Zigong, Sichuan, China; www.zdm.cn/en 8. Iziko Museum, Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa doesn't conjure images of T. rex and Brachiosaurus, but the Izikio natural history museum does feature some of the prehistoric beasts from its Karoo region. In addition to dozens of other exhibits, the prehistoric section deals with lesser known dinosaurs and their cousins that inhabited the continent from Cape Town to Marrakech. The "African Dinosaurs" exhibit features the Euparkeria, a distant relative of the dinosaurs, native to South Africa; as well as the Jobaria, a sauropod from Africa. The Carcharodontosaurus skull from North Africa is part of a creature that trumped the mighty T. rex in size and stature, making it one of Africa's most imposing killers. 25 Queen Victoria St., Cape Town, South Africa; www.iziko.org.za 9. Jurassic Land, Istanbul
Opened in 2011, Jurassic Land is as close as you'll get to fleeing dinosaurs alongside Sam Neil and Laura Dern. One part education, another part entertainment, the 10,000-square-meter experience mixes skeletons and fossils with writhing animatronic dinosaurs in an Ingen-esque setting, including a "veterinarian" taking care of an injured Stegosaurus and egg incubators. While Spielberg may not have given his blessing, the center does offer a creative and engaging educational experience for children, though connoisseurs may question the seemingly anachronistic placing of a Spinosaurus next to a Triceratops. Kocatepe Mah. Sehir Parki Cad. 12. Sok. Forum Istanbul K:2, Bayrampasa, Istanbul, Turkey; www.jurassicland.com.tr 10. Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta
The true giants of the prehistoric world may have been unearthed in Patagonia, but you have to go to Atlanta to see them on display. The Giants of the Mesozoic exhibit features the carnivorous Gigantosaurus, which rivaled the T. rex in size, as well as the Argentinosaurus, the 100-ton sauropod that scientists say is the largest dinosaur ever classified. A flock of more than 20 pterosaurs glides overhead. The museum also offers a glimpse into prehistoric Georgia, with murals and life-sized dinosaur models. 767 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta; www.fernbankmuseum.org    |
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