36 Hours in King’s Cross, London

Stay home. All the rules have changed and Our Only Home can no longer accommodate Pleasure Travel. Short term pleasure for you, worse outcomes for your kids.

Gentrification has a bad rap in US. Elsewhere in the world, it's considered a good thing. Who wouldn't want facelift of a rundown place anyways?

Walking along Regent Canal from Kings Cross to Paddington is a delightful journey through many varied neighborhoods.

My heart sinks whenever I read these articles such miserable and inhabitable place but you can depict it in such colorful language of a Grand Hotel and occasional canal houseboat cruise.

When I go to London, of late I have been staying at The Megaro, just across the street from King Cross station.

The House of Illustration is a tiny gallery that displays a variety of work; when I was there I saw John Vernon Lloyd's illustrations for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's worth a visit if you are near King's Cross. I was thrilled to discover Word on the Water on the canal there. The owners are delightful and they have a wonderful variety of used books. The British Library is nearby, and where else can you see the manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground, or Beowulf?

The writer mentioned looking for Platform 9 3/4 if you're a Harry Potter fan. What wasn't mentioned is that, at least as of Sept 2018 when I was there, you can get your photo taken by a professional photographer and assistant that makes it look like you are going through the wall. There is a wait -- the line was long and doesn't move quickly so if you want to do this, give yourself plenty of time before your train leaves. You then go into the adjacent Harry Potter shop to see the photo, which you don't have to buy, but it's not expensive and is a fun souvenir. (Or you can just have someone waiting in the line take your photo with your own camera or phone; there is no rule against doing that.) The shop itself is filled with all sorts of HP stuff. For relatively inexpensive places to stay, there is a Premier Inn and a hub by Premier Inn, a cheaper option, very close to the station. Premier Inn is a British chain hotel that is good value and was recommended by an English friend of mine.

As a former recent resident of this area I’m absolutely baffled why anyone would want to spend 36 hours here. Sure, the British library is worth a visit. The train stations are beautiful, but could be appreciated in around 30 minutes. What remains is yet another sprawl of soulless glass-fronted chain stores and characterless wine bars to try and gloss over the fact the area still has a significant homeless population, brothels masquerading as nail bars, and an absence of community thanks to rampant Airbnb lets. Go and see the library. Then catch a train out of London, and go and enjoy the real gems the country has to offer.

About a year ago I was in a taxi in Judd Street, on the other side of the Euston Road, when the driver (of a certain age, like me!) told me to look back towards the stations and explained that this was a locaton shot for the classic film The Ladykillers (in which, of course, everyone but the lady dies). I believe other locations were further north up York Way.

My wife and I stayed at the at the Renaissance hotel while on vacation. The St. Pancras station, the hotel and surrounding area are wonderful to explore. There are splendid shops and restaurants to discover by walking after a day of sightseeing.

An instance of a marvelous article that also inspires a selection of marvelous comments to match. Irresistible, especially amidst my latest rereading of Harry Potter!

I also recommend a small shop in the area called Palava for women's and children's clothing--the clothes are made in small lots in the UK and are in whimsical patterns drawn by the designer. When I stopped in a few weeks ago, the designer/owner was running the shop.

The Kings Cross neighborhood is home to the British Library where a free exhibit of manuscripts, ancient to modern,and other works on paper including Beatles jottings, is well worth a visit. Or just sit on a bronze book in the piazza, a peaceful place away from the traffic and hubbub. Walk past the fountains at the Granary to Dishoon, and wait on line for 45 minutes for a table at this moderately priced Indian restaurant. I find the crowds and traffic stressful, and air quality poor, at Kings Cross, but appreciate the architecture and history. I miss the former cheaper, more authentic Indian restaurants, such as Humaira, that were sprinkled about the neighborhood, that have closed to make way for more trendy eateries. I guess that like many popular restaurants in NYC, they couldn't afford the rent.

You left out Dashoom - wonderful Indian food in a postmodern party atmosphere. The queue alone - obligatory but supplied with chai and sherry -!is a quintessential British experience.

What a wonderful article! As one who has always dreamed of visiting London I appreciate a well written and thought out tour through the eyes of others. I would love to visit this beautiful place, have the eggs Benedict at the booking office and more then likely spend the rest of my day at the wonderful,Word on the water.

It’s worth mentioning Mildred’s Kings Cross for vegetarians and vegans. It’s quite good. We were there the first time during opening week for that branch, and have been back several times since.

King’s Cross is really a place you spend a couple of hours, definitely not 36; just pop into the British Library and move on.

At Christmas 2015 we stayed at a small b&b in the friendly neighborhood, about 2 blocks from St. Pancras station. After a day of shopping and museuming our relaxation was at the remarkable champagne bar alongside the Eurostar track in St. Pancras. Sitting there with a glass of bubbly proved to be a delightful way to enjoy the station's Victorian architecture and the famous Christmas tree spraying snowflakes on the stuffed toy decorations. I look forward to another visit to this fascinating area.

We bought our first home in one of the tiny streets of early Victorian terraces between the Cally Rd and the station in the 1980s. Call us yuppies, as no doubt long term locals did, but we struggled day and night on our minuscule artists incomes to renovate our little wreck while having 3 babies in quick succession. I wheeled them round the seriously ungentrified streets and loved every minute of being so much a part of the beating heart of London. Only the size of our home drove us out. I miss it still.

Wonderful piece -- the link to St Pancras doesn't seem to be working, though; it should be http://posp.co.uk/st-pancras-old-church

Always, ALWAYS go to a city’s train station and make up your own stories of the people you see there.

I remember walking around St. Pancras when I was younger. It felt like time travel because of the soot on the buildings. I don't know if they have cleaned them, I hope not. I used to go to ABC Shop and watch as a server poured tea over a tray of teacups without bothering to stop between cups. I worked at the Carter Lane Youth Hostel near St. Paul's Cathedral in 1977. My favorite was the hostel in Holland Park. They had bathtubs. An incredible treat for a youth hosteler in those days. I still remember the little rooms big enough for a bath, plain English walls, bare. Holland Park meant London to me. I can still feel the feeling. Lucian Freud lived on the Park. When I heard they closed the hostel there I started crying.