Some years ago – perhaps on our first trip together to London – AZ and I started settling our hotel selection in the Bloomsbury area. It’s fairly centrally located and walkable to many of our favorite wanders in London, and plentiful in the public transportation for journeys further afield (including Heathrow). We’ve gradually improved out standard of hotel across the years – better pillows – finally settling for the last few trips at the Harlingford Hotel on Cartwright Gardens.

More significantly, AZ is a bloomsbury-ite of deep conviction, which makes staying the neighborhood a practical necessity. The walks to Woolf/Bell/&c sites – the AZ walking tour – are part of what makes London special for us (and, perhaps, for our friends who may travel with us, like M&V).

Of late, AZ and I have begun watching Black Books. It’s a fine sitcom, not nearly as booky as I’d hoped, but full of good humor, drinking, smoking and misanthropic output. Perfect palate cleanser from a long day.

As we watched it, the exterior shots appeared quite familiar. And is there a part of London as booky as Bloomsbury? Well, I suppose Charing Cross Rd back in the day…

As it turns out, Black Books was, partly, filmed in Bloomsbury – just down the street from the Harlingford where we stay regularly. For reference (and for Mike):


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