London
Morning to noon
- Barbican Library - free, great atmosphere, beautiful architecture outside. Very few toilets in the whole building, though, so expect a line.
- British Library - free, great atmosphere, silent. Has a gallery of its own.
- Nagare Bankside - a coffee shop, so a little noisy, but great vibes.
- Tate Modern Restaurant & Bar, Level 6 - a little noisy, fantastic view. Bar open 10:00-17:30 Mon-Thu, 10:00-22:00 Fri-Sat, 10:00-17:00 Sun.
- Black Sheep Coffee, 81 Southwark Street - small and busy at peak times, but good coffee and cosy in the mornings.
Afternoon to evening
- The Hoxton Holborn lobby - a hotel lobby with a bar and good seating, open until late.
- Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Level 5 , either the bar or the function room - open 10:00-23:00, closed on Mondays. Free, quiet, amazing view, large desks.
- Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street - costs money, and the saxophonist was amused by me doing math there, but if you can concentrate through the noise it’s a real fun experience to study there, until 3 am (1 am on Tuesdays, midnight on Sundays) and with good music.
- The Sherlock Holmes, 10 Northumberland Street - open until 23:00 (22:30 on Sundays). Bonus point to anyone ordering a whisky and soda, like Sherlock does in the books: “I think that I shall have a whisky and soda and a cigar after all this cross-questioning” (The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor).
Bonus recommendation: if it isn’t raining too much, use the electric bike throughout the city. You get to see the city on the way, and it’s more fun than being packed into the tube.
