When I first arrived in the UK, a friend, referring to himself as “He who knows” challenged me to complete a series of tasks. I never really got around to finishing it, so with a day off in London I tried doing a few of those that proved too difficult to do during the weekend when the whole city pretty much shuts down.

The new Baltic Exchange

I have to admit that this part of the challenge was the shortest of them all, with the old Baltic Exchange being replaced with the Gherkin, and the new Baltic Exchange inaccessible to the public. You can’t say that I didn’t try though as I went into the building, and quizzed the security guard about what was really possible – asking about London Open House days, private tours, public tours, any way of obtaining membership in order to get access to the rest of the building. The best I ended up with was a photo of the outside.

The G&T at the Finsbury Circus Lawn Bowls club

Firstly it’s easy to get the lawn bowls club found in Finsbury Circus confused with the Finsbury Bowls Club located only several blocks away. After all, they’ve got almost the same name. After doing some research, I now understand the lawn bowls located in Finsbury Circus actually belongs to the City of London Bowling Club, and has no association with the former one.

Unfortunately none of the pictures I took that day really did much justice to the beauty that is the Finsbury Circus Gardens. I also can’t believe that I had never found this green treasure trove in the middle of the city, especially since I’ve walked around it only a few blocks away when walking between Farringdon and Liverpool Street. The actual lawn bowls green is a small part of the entire gardens, and they have a tiny restaurant and bar on one side looking back out on the green. This is where I sat down to have my Gin and Tonic.

In many ways, it was strange to be here on a day when everyone else seemed dressed up to the nines in suits and all I ever heard was business talk. Even amidst the credit crunch, I couldn’t but help and smile when I heard people taking about certain companies being overvalued, or the request for a certain amount of equity being too high.

I’m glad He Who Knows recommended this place. Compared to the grey stone facades on the buildings surrounding it, the bright green gardens literally stand out as a true oasis from the rest of the city’s hustle and bustle. You can find the Finsbury Circus Gardens in the heart of Finsbury Circus, EC2M 7AB with the closest tube station Moorgate.

Only one more on the list to finish the challenge!