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program has seen several big attractions open up, with a definite focus on wildlife conservation, education, and the breeding of endangered species. A great example of this is the huge BUGS pavilion (Biodiversity Underpinning Global Survival), a self-sustaining, contained ecosystem with 140 species of exotic plants, animals, and creepy-crawlies. At Gorilla Kingdom you can watch the four resident gorillas—Effie, Mjukuu, Bobby, and Zaire—at close range. Also popular is the Clore Rainforest Lookout, home to tiny primates such as marmosets and golden lion tamarins and a large collection of other rain-forest-dwelling creatures. The Blackburn Pavilion contains hundreds of tropical bird species, including the largest collection of hummingbirds in the United Kingdom. Other zoo highlights (unchanged over the years, because of English Heritage conservation listing) include the graceful Snowdon Aviary, spacious enough to allow its tenants free flight; the Butterfly Paradise, which includes a pupae room in which its possible to see the creatures emerging from their chrysalises; and Berthold Lubetkin’s 1936 Art Deco Penguin Pool, currently used for special exhibitions. Don’t miss the penguins’ new home, though, where feeding time tends to send small children into raptures. TIP For animal encounter sessions with keepers, and feeding times, check the information board at admission. | Regent’s Park | NW1 4RY | 020/7722–3333 | www.zsl.org | £16.20–£19.80 depending on season | Nov.–Feb., daily 10–4; Mar.–1st wk in Sept., daily 10–6; mid-Sept.–Oct. 10–5:30; 1st wk in Nov. 10–4:30; last admission 1 hr before closing | Camden Town, then Bus 274.

Marylebone High Street.

A favorite of style sections everywhere, this street forms the heart of Marylebone (pronounced “Marr-le-bone”) Village, a vibrant, upscale residential neighborhood that encompasses the squares and streets around the High Street and nearby Marylebone Lane. It’s hard to believe that you’re just a few blocks north of Oxford Street as you wander in and out of Marylebone’s shops and boutiques. Some noteworthy stops along the way are La Fromagerie (2–4 Moxon Street), an excellent cheese shop; Daunt Books (Nos. 83–84), a travel bookshop; the Saturday afternoon “Cabbages and Frocks” market on the grounds of the St. Marylebone Parish Church, which purveys specialty foods and vintage clothing; and on Sunday 10–2, a large farmers’ market in a parking lot on Cramer Street, just behind the High Street. It becomes less intimate when you get to busy Marylebone Road, but Marylebone Town Hall is worth a look if you’re heading that way—perhaps for a stroll in the park or to take the kids to Madame Tussauds. TIP Marylebone Lane has an unusual, curved shape because it was built along the banks of the River Tyburn—which is now completely underground. | Marylebone | W1U 4QW | Bond St.

Regent’s Park.

Cultivated and formal—compared with the relative wildness of Hampstead Heath—Regent’s Park was laid out in 1812 by John Nash, in honor of the Prince Regent (hence the name), who was later crowned George IV. The idea was to re-create the feel of a grand country residence close to the center of town, with all those magnificent white-stucco terraces facing in on the park. Most of Nash’s plans were carried out successfully, although the focus of it all—a palace for the prince—was never built. Now it’s a destination for sporty types and dog owners—not for nothing did Dodie Smith set her novel A Hundred and One Dalmatians in an Outer Circle house. (Nearby along East Heath Road is the Gothic manse that inspired Cruella DeVil’s Hell Hall.)

Regent’s Park Highlights

The most famous and impressive of Nash’s terraces, Cumberland Terrace has a central block of Ionic columns surmounted by a triangular Wedgwood-blue pediment that looks like a giant cameo. The noted architectural historian Sir John Summerson described it as “easily the most breathtaking architectural panorama in London.” You can spend a vigorous afternoon rowing about Regent’s Park Boating Lake (020/7724–4069), where rowboats hold up to five adults