Tooting named one of 10 coolest neighbourhoods on EARTH by Lonely Planet

'Coolest neighbourhood': Tooting has been named as one of the coolest neighbourhood on earth
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Fiona Simpson25 August 2017

It's got a reputation among Londoners as a shabby chic and gloriously diverse neighbourhood with some of the best curry in town.

And now, Tooting has been named as one of the top 10 coolest neighbourhoods in the world by Lonely Planet.

The area, on the northern line, is the only place in the UK to feature on the list alongside the likes of Sunset Park in New York and Business Bay in Dubai.

Writer Will Jones, who nominated the commuter hotspot, described the area – popular for its Northern Line links – as “revelling in multiculturalism and originality.”

Cool neighbourhood: Residents by fruit at a market in Tooting
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He wrote: “Rubbing shoulders with perfectly pleasant yet slightly square Wimbledon, Earlsfield and Balham, Tooting is a more captivating affair.”

Tooting is officially rooting: SW17's best bars, restaurants and culture

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The Londoner said his neighbourhood had become “uber-cool” but added it had lost none of its “gritty charm” in the process.

The Antelope, Tooting

Despite being heavily bombed in the blitz before becoming the setting for 70s sitcom Citizen Smith, Tooting boasts 200 acres of green space and the UK’s biggest Lido.

Mr Jones also recommended several pubs including The Castle, The Antelope and The Little Bar.

Labour candidate Dr Rosena Allin-Khan campaigning with London Mayor Sadiq Khan (R) ahead of the Tooting by-election last year
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The Zone 3 hotspot is also the birthplace of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Lonley Planets Top 10 coolest neighbourhoods

1.Borgo San Frediano, Florence

2.Seongsu-dong, Seoul

3.The Triangle, Lisbon

4.Vesterbro, Copenhagen

5.Business Bay, Dubai

6.Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

7.Sunset Park, New York City

8.Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro

9.Frelard, Seattle

10.Tooting, London

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the Labour MP for Tooting, told the Wandsworth Guardian: "Tooting is getting the recognition it deserves. This is the ideal place to spend a lazy weekend and the multicultural community spirit encourages people to stay."

Trendy Vesterobro in Copenhagen, The Triangle in popular Lisbon and Borgo San Frediano in Florence also made the cut.

Seattle’s Frelard was hailed as “the perfect place to refuel on a day spent exploring beyond Seattle’s main tourist sights.”

While Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, was nominated for its “low rents, excellent transport links and increasingly exciting nightlife.”

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