elaine

Just in case anyone besides me is ever interested in traveling to Sutton House from central London, I heard from the travel information people (thanks ron for reminding me of that resource).<BR>I'm assuming the directions can be reversed to get there or else I can take a cab from Liverpool Station if my courage fails me:<BR>"From Sutton House, you can catch bus 52 on the opposite side of the <BR>road to Stratford Station where you can take the underground Central Line<BR>(westbound) to Holborn and then change <BR>or stay on for whatever Underground stop you will need.<BR>Alternatively, walk along Urswick Road (turn left as you exit Sutton <BR>House)to Lower Clapton Road which is about 5 minutes walk, then take bus 38 <BR>to Holborn Underground Station."

wes fowler

This query prompted me to entertain some off beat thoughts. For travelers to London, even the most frequent and experienced ones, “London” seems to encompass an area from Little Venice east to perhaps Whitechapel then south to Southwark, southwest to Chelsea and north back to Little Venice. That’s an area of about twelve square miles of which slightly less that 6,000 acres are Royal parks. Greater London encompasses a bit more than six hundred square miles. When we visit what we perceive to be London then, we see only about .002% of what the city offers. What do we really see and experience? At best, we experience the city as a “theme park” that encapsulates what London and Britain are. Their history, from Westminster Abbey to the Tower; their culture, from the Tate museums to the British Museum to theatres and concert halls; their law evidenced by the Inns of Court; their commerce and finance epitomized by The City, Regent, Oxford and New Bond Streets and their government evidenced by the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall. Add to these the royal presence evidenced by Buckingham, Kensington and St. James Palaces and the pageantries of the daily Changings of the Guard throughout the city and the annual Trooping of the Colors. We stroll down Sussex Gardens and Lancaster Gate in Bayswater and Paddington, Old Brompton Road and Sumner Place in South Kensington, Cadogan Gardens in Knightsbridge, Ebury Street in Victoria and Montague Street in Bloomsbury. What do we see? Hotel after hotel after hotel, most catering to tourists like us. How many of us have explored Hackney, the site of Sutton House, or Lewisham, the borough where Ben Haines resides, or Islington, Ealing or Camden Town. Can we truly say we’ve “seen” London if we haven’t? What is it that makes us adventurous enough to consider travel to London, but not so adventurous to get off the beaten path?

Judy

Walking along Green Chain Route:from Erith to Crystal Palace is an interesting and different way to see South London.

Mel

Wes: You pose an interesting question and I've given it some thought. Though I think I've done a pretty comprehensive tour of London, I've never been to those areas you mention either. I think it's because those of us who are visiting are have a limited amount of time and must maximize our vacation days as much as possible. If you have only 7-10 for example, there's so much going on in "London proper" for lack of a better term, that one must pick and choose. <BR><BR>Having said that, one of the most enjoyable things I ever did was head down a dark street one night in Sloane Square looking for the Cadogan Hotel just to have a drink where Lily Langry lived and Oscar Wilde was arrested. Well worth the adventure. I've hoped to get to Richmond one of these trips and I'm definitely putting it on the agenda for next time.