London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [0]
London Maps
Experience London
Exploring London
Where to Eat
Where to Stay
Pubs and Nightlife
Arts and Entertainment
Shopping
Side Trips from London
Understanding London
Travel Smart London
About Our Writers
Copyright
EXPLORING LONDON
London Postal Districts
Historical Pub Walk
Westminster and Royal London
St. James’s and Mayfair
Soho and Covent Garden
Bloomsbury
Legal London
The City
The East End
The South Bank (West)
The South Bank (East)
Kensington
Chelsea and Knightsbridge
Notting Hill and Bayswater
Regent’s Park
Greenwich
Hampstead
The Thames Upstream
SHOPPING
Knightsbridge and Chelsea
St. James’s and Mayfair
Soho and Covent Garden
SIDE TRIPS FROM LONDON
Southeast England
Southern England
Main Table of Contents
London Today
What’s Where
London Planner
London Top Attractions
London’s Royal Legacy
The 2012 Olympic Games
Give the Sports Scene a Go
Free (and Almost Free) Things to Do
Great Itineraries
A London Historic Pub Crawl
Afternoon Tea
London Like a Local
London With Kids
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If London contained only its landmarks—Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London—it would still rank as one of the world’s top destinations. But England’s capital is much more. It is a bevy of British bobbies, an ocean of black umbrellas, and an unconquered continuance of more than 2,000 years of history. A city that loves to be explored, London beckons with great museums, royal pageantry, and 1,001 historic delights. No matter that the weather stinks, no one smiles, and it takes far too long to get around—just what is it that makes London such a great place to be?
THE WORLD COMES TO TOWN
Londoners are among the least xenophobic in Europe, and with one third of its residents born outside England, London is perhaps the most culturally diverse city on Earth. It’s part indifference and part adaptability (heavily sprinkled with tolerance), but Londoners pay precious little attention to outsiders. This is undeniably part of London’s charm: without the attentions of strangers, you can lose yourself here like in no other city. With more than 300 languages spoken on its streets—from the hybrid Multicultural London English to Pashto—the city is a terrific tangle of tongues. And as one of Europe’s largest cities—whether it’s cuisine, music, theater, poetry, or fashion—the outside world converges on London to leave its mark. London’s global village can only become increasingly diverse—and unique—as the 2012 Olympics Games approach.
A CITY OF IDEAS
The capital of England’s knowledge economy, London is foremost a city of ideas and creativity. From literati to glitterati, London is a vibrantly experimental capital and one of the destinations of choice for global culture hounds. Whether it’s experimental drama, offbeat literature, street fashion, street performers, sparkling West End productions, cutting-edge art, urban music, or left-field public sculpture, the city is a refreshing haven for the inventive, innovative, and independent-minded. Scores of theaters in the West End make London a powerful magnet for drama enthusiasts, while the city’s top-drawer museums embrace an almanac of human wisdom.
THE BIG SMOKE?
London was once notorious for its pea-soup smog, and although a battery of measures has successfully cleaned up its skies the city still has some of the dirtiest air in Europe. Since 2008, the London Low Emission Zone has deterred heavily polluting large vehicles from entering the city area, while the Congestion Charge, charging vehicles £8 per day entering central London, has reduced both traffic and pollution. London’s current mayor, tousle-haired Boris Johnson, is a great supporter of creating even more bicycle lanes, mandating public cycle hire initiatives, and prodding Londoners toward recycling. Johnson also keeps a close eye on London’s fitness levels, supporting initiatives to combat obesity and promote exercise. Further good news is that only 15% of Londoners smoke cigarettes and in 2007 all enclosed public places