{"id":727,"date":"2008-08-27T14:12:32","date_gmt":"2008-08-27T18:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/?p=727"},"modified":"2012-12-24T15:51:33","modified_gmt":"2012-12-24T19:51:33","slug":"gimme-shelter-spot-4-the-piazza-in-covent-garden-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/2008\/08\/27\/gimme-shelter-spot-4-the-piazza-in-covent-garden-london\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cGimme Shelter\u201d\u2014Rainy day Spot #4: The Piazza in Covent Garden, London"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"img alignright size-medium wp-image-6588\" style='width:300px;'>\n\t<img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/london-convent-garden-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"View of the Covent Garden's glass rooftop: very useful on rainy days!\" width=\"300\" height=\"204\" \/>\n\t<div>View of the Covent Garden's glass rooftop: very useful on rainy days!<\/div>\n<\/div>If you\u2019re seeking shelter during a typical <a title=\"London Travel tips\" href=\"\/blog\/category\/london\/\">London<\/a> rain shower, there are plenty of places to duck into\u2014but big museums will take up the entire day, department stores can cause unplanned damage to your travel budget and we wouldn\u2019t want you to wait out the storm in a crowded chain eatery. After all, on vacation you should enjoy even the soggy moments! <strong>So one of the best spots to head for when the rain clouds roll in is the covered plaza in Covent Garden, <a title=\"Travel tips about Bloomsbury and West End, London\" href=\"\/blog\/category\/london\/london-travel-guide\/london-neighborhoods\/bloomsbury\/\">West End<\/a>.<\/strong> It\u2019s comfortable and convenient with great views\u2026much like the\u00a0<a title=\"Accommodations in Bloomsbury and West End, London\" href=\"\/london-apartment\/vacation\/bloomsbury-west-end\">vacation rental available in the West End area<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Covent Garden was originally a \u201cconvent\u201d garden where the monks from nearby <a title=\"More information about the Westminster Abbey in London, an attraction you can't miss when visiting the city!\" href=\"\/blog\/2010\/09\/11\/london-attraction-westminster-abbey\/\">Westminster Abbey<\/a> used to plant vegetables; what has sprung up more recently are unique caf\u00e9s, craft shops, boutiques and bustling foot traffic. <strong>Today, Covent Garden is one of the most popular parts of London for tourists and locals alike\u2014attracting post-theatre crowds and loads of spectators to watch every manner of street performance that takes place there.<!--more--><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When it rains, simply hustle inside the partially enclosed center square\u2014the sides are open so you still get an outdoor feeling without getting drenched. Inside, there is the same variety of shops as well as vibrant coffee bars and restaurants. Street artists want to avoid the inclement weather, too, so you may be treated to impromptu opera, magic tricks, juggling, dance or \u201cliving statues\u201d as you keep dry.<\/p>\n<div class=\"img size-full wp-image-728 alignleft\" style='width:300px;'>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/london-apartment\/vacation\/566\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/london_accommodation_2bedroom_apartment_covent_garden_ln566.jpg\" alt=\"London accommodation: 2-bedroom apartment near Covent Garden (LN-566) Pict\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a>\n\t<div>London accommodation: 2-bedroom apartment near Covent Garden (LN-566)<\/div>\n<\/div>Also housed in the roofed piazza is the manageable sized <strong>London Transport Museum<\/strong>, which allows visitors to simulate the experience of driving an Underground train (navigating through those narrow tunnels is a lot tougher than you may think!). The gift shop sells an abundance of \u201cMind the Gap\u201d goods as well as items emblazoned with the iconic tube map of London. If you\u2019re looking for souvenirs, though, the piazza\u2019s <strong>Savage store<\/strong> sells tons of fashionable and un-touristy graphic t-shirts or ones with simple London place names across the chest in retro style (including one for \u201cCovent Garden, which you may want to commemorate your stay).<\/p>\n<p>Close enough to sprint to and not get soaked is the nearby <strong>Photographer\u2019s Gallery<\/strong>, which occupies two neighboring spaces and always has small but excellent exhibits, in addition to a well-stocked bookstore and caf\u00e9. If the play\u2019s your thing, the local <strong>Theatre Museum<\/strong> holds enough must-see memorabilia to occupy you until the sun shines once more.<\/p>\n<p>If you can experience so much in this area in just a brief respite from the rain, imagine what actually staying in a \u00a0<a title=\"Apartments for rent in Bloomsbury and West End, London\" href=\"\/london-apartment\/furnished\/bloomsbury-west-end\">West End apartment rental<\/a> would be like! There are plenty of options, including:<\/p>\n<div class=\"img size-medium wp-image-729   alignright\" style='width:300px;'>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/london-apartment\/vacation\/1010\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/picture-ln-apt\/1010\/1010D01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a>\n\t<div>London accommodation: 2-bedroom apartment Covent Garden (LN-1010)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An incredibly chic, modern <a title=\"London Vacation Rental: 2 bedroom in Covent Garden (LN-566)\" href=\"\/london-apartment\/vacation\/566\">2-bedroom Accommodation in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-566)<\/a> on the second floor of a renovated building on small and charming Shelton Street. It is located near the main avenue, Long Acre, which is packed with places to shop and eat.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A bright, airy <a title=\"London Accommodation: 2 bedroom in Covent Garden (LN-337)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/london-apartment\/vacation\/1010\">2-bedroom Vacation Rental in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-1010)<\/a> on Bloomsbury Way, only two streets down from the British Museum!<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A third-floor, decorative <a title=\"London 2 bedroom Vacation Rental in Covent Garden (LN-401)\" href=\"\/london-apartment\/vacation\/401\">2-bedroom Accommodation in Covent Garden, Westminster (LN-401)<\/a> on West Bedford Street, only a short walk from the piazza.<\/p>\n<p>A stay in Covent Garden may just convince you to leave your umbrella at home!<\/p>\n<p>Let us know your thoughts about the vibrant Covent Garden area below, or which street performances you have seen there, and be sure to check out New York Habitat\u2019s upcoming number three spot for shelter from the storm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re seeking shelter during a typical London rain shower, there are plenty of places to duck into\u2014but big museums will take up the entire&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[34,113],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=727"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12383,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/727\/revisions\/12383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nyhabitat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}