As ever, I cast an eye over the latest additions to Metrotwin.

Dizzy’s – Granola Belgian waffles? My head and my stomach are now in battle over whether or not that is healthy.

Follow Me Cafe – The photo for this recommendation has just given me the biggest egg craving. Eww, and ‘egg craving’ looks so wrong written down.

Blue Ginger – An endless sushi bar sounds like a heavenly dream.

Sarabeth’s – ‘Popeye Eggs’ are the speciality at Sarabeth’s. Mmmmm eggsssssss.

Cat and Mutton – A London pub, called the ‘Cattle and Shoulder of Mutton’ back when it opened in the 1700’s, but then everyone knows Marketing Managers and lifestyle PR agencies weren’t invented/summoned from the bowels of hell till at least the Industrial Revolution.

Soho Japan – A cunningly deceptive name for a sushi bar in Fitzrovia.

Sweet Tooth – True story:  my Dad once told my brother that he could eat the pick n mix that had fallen on the floor in Woolworths. My brother proceeded to grab handfuls of gummy sweets, wipe them all over the floor and stuff them into his mouth. A proud day for logic, but not for Woolworths, hygene nor my father.

City Inn – Free Wi Fi!

Al Hamra – FELAFELS. Nuff said.

White Star – a ’sipping spirits’ bar. Quite how it will fare in the land of strawpedo is anyone’s guess.

Da Corradi – I think Metrotwinners may be posting lots of photos of fried eggs to taunt me at this point.

Junk - a six foot trough of 100,000 old photographs? It’s like Facebook stalking, but in the olden days.

Buffalo Exchange – A clothing exchange. A solution to that age old conundrum as to why, when you give nothing but lovely designer clothes away, the local charity shop is full of nothing but second hand Primark.

Monk’s Thrift – We do like a bit of vintage.

Jack the Pelican – Williamsburg’s local art gallery. Can you feel the hipster vibes radiating from that sentence?

Photos by tulanesally and hotsaucejane used under a Creative Commons License

Some rather nifty buildings near Tower Bridge by *ahem* anyadriscoll

If you’ve taken an interesting photo of your city, why not email it to us at editor@metrotwin, saying where it is and your flickr account/website we should link it to, and we’ll put it on the site!

If you happen to go looking for the future and wind up somewhere near Tower Bridge, you could check out these places:

Anchor Tap – a lovely, cosy traditional pub (oddly just around the corner from this futuristic utopia)

The London Dungeons – I still maintain one of the worst hours of my life was spent in this place, but if you ENJOY being scared and shouted at by actors covered in fake blood (and bearing in mind that your dear editor gets freaked out by reading horror synopses on Wikipedia), then this is probably right up your street.

HMS Belfast- you can learn all about British Naval history on this Second World War gunship. Or you can run around pretending to be a sailor, imagining you’re shooting the cruise ships that go up and down the Thames outside. Loser.

Teapod - Why not retire to this cute little cafe, where you can have a pot of tea, eat a scone, and upload hundreds of photos of yourself running around HMS Belfast like an idiot, using their free wi-fi.

The Barbican’s latest art instillation is the cutest sound art we have ever seen. Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, an artist who previously trained as a musician and composer, has set up a walk through aviary in the Curve area of the building, furnished with amplified musical instruments and other sound-making objects. The flock of African finches that currently call this space home create a bizarre, discordant soundscape of tweets, strums, clashes and the occasional Hendrix-esque riff as they go about their daily birdy business.

It’s free to enter (although you may have to queue as only a restricted number can enter the aviary at any one time) and will appeal to people of all ages. Except possibly those who have ever lived with an enthusiastic amateur guitarist. It runs from now until 23th May.

If you’re in the Barbican area, you could visit these fine Metrotwin places:

Whitecross Street Market - a weekly food market where the galloping gourmand can pick up anything from burritos and Thai cuisine to cupcakes and fine cheeses to take home (and ensure you get a wide berth on the tube)

Plastic People – a very cool basement club. It’s threatened with closure, so get your rocks off while you still can.

Cafe du Marche – a lovely French cafe, hidden away down a little alleyway. A true London secret.

City Point Club - a first class health retreat with an ozone treated pool. Nope, no idea what that means, but I guess that hole over Australia has to come from somewhere.

Video by barbicanLondon and photo by mypouss used under a Creative Commons License

One of the greatest things about London and New York is their diversity – it makes life (and this dear website) so much more interesting. Today, for example, we have four new lists for you that are all completely different in theme, but are united in helping you to discover something new in your city. Oh, but if you happen to be a gay Australian ice skater with a weakness for cake you may be particularly pleased!

Going Down Under – Who knew there were so many Aussie/Kiwi places in New York? Whether you’re wanting to watch the Wallabies thrash their opponents at some ungodly NYC hour or relive your travelling days by chowing down a meat pie, this list by NYKnifeAndFork is for you!

London’s Best Afternoon Teas – A world away from great hunks of antipodean steak and larger, this list by Bon Vivant is full of cucumber sandwiches, scones and exquisite blends of tea served in fine bone china. Think it’s just for girls? Think again – the Mandeville Hotel specialises in a men’s afternoon tea – you’ll get whisky and a selection of games alongside heartier-than-expected portions of chai and cake.

The Cutting Edge – Why not take advantage of New York’s rather bracing clime and attempt a spot of al fresco ice skating? After which, you can take advantage of this useful list and find a nearby place to warm your feet (and fill your stomach)

Gay London – Finally, Metrotwin has a list for all you confirmed bachelor/bahelorettes out there. Compiled by fruit-fly extraordinaire moi (with a little help from my friends) it’s a mixture of fun, legendary and ‘hot right now’ places, that hopefully won’t be distinctly ‘over’ before you finish this paragraph. We want to do an accompanying Gay New York list, so please, send us your suggestions, and we’ll put them on the site!

Photos by alisonlongrigg and darrell berry used under a Creative Commons License

It would be fair to say it’s been a bit…nippy in New York of late. Much like London in January, suddenly ski poles turned from irritating living room clutter into incredibly useful pieces of kit, thermal vests became de rigeur and the whole city looked like a beautiful Christmas card scene. A beautiful, deadly slippy, goddamn cold Christmas card scene, as anyone who foolishly attempted to  pop to the grocery shop in trainers, only to return an hour later with frostbite, wet jeans and a severely bruised posterior will tell you *ahem*. Teri Tynes of WalkingOfftheBigApple (presumably in more sensible footwear) did venture outdoors on Friday, and took these pics of her neighbourhood.

Should you be around MacDougal Street or Washington Square Park and feel like sheltering from the elements, you could try these places:

The Minetta Tavern – it has a legendary $26 burger we have drooled about previously on the blog.

Cafe Reggio – A true Greenwich Village institution, it smells like Old New York.

Kati Roll Company – What came first? The chicken or the egg? You can have them both at the same time in a tasty Indian roll from this take-away.

The Ghost of Washington Square Park – As far as I know, ghosts aren’t fussy about inclement weather conditions, so if you do feel the need to be outside, you could always wander around hoping to get spooked!

Bleecker Bob’s – What better way to kill some time than in an old school record shop. The vinyl geeks will be in heaven and you can just play around doing Sleevefaces with your cameraphone.

Photos by Teri Tynes used under a Creative Commons License