Kensington, a Chic Residential Corner of London

Where would you want to live if you lived London? What neighborhood has elegance, charm, sophistication and also sense that it’s for real residents, not for tourists, nor for moguls or diplomats or businessmen on expense accounts? Where do you get a sense of community, but also a location near some of the museums, royal landmarks and parks that London is famous for?

My choice would be Kensington, an upscale neighborhood in West London, just south of Hyde Park, close enough in fact to walk to the park, as well as to Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College of Music, the Albert and Victoria Museum and especially to Kensington Palace.

Where to stay in London

Planning a visit to our cousins, the Brits? In London, there are several main areas best to stay in. Most convenient is the West End — known as Theatreland. You can move further west and live near one of the big parks or squares — Green Park or Grosvenor.

Here is the majestic Millennium Britannia in Grosvenor Square. Millennium

Or you can choose to be in Knightsbridge, Chelsea or Kensington, the trendy areas that are minutes from downtown by tube and have the flavor of an upscale Greenwich Village and Upper West Side. I checked out hotels in each of those neighborhoods.