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Later this month I will be in London for a one night over night stay, less than 24 hours on the ground. Can anyone guide me to a "nice" (hotel, B&B, family owned or local owned---not an international chain) place to stay in "downtown" London that is accessible to the tube (so I can get to/from Gatwick and Heathrow quickly and easily) and Big Ben (I'd like a quick photo opp!) Any other "must see" ideas for me to explore in this same locale on this very brief stay?

Dear Mr Welch, To the e-mail copy of this message I am copying a note I keep on disc of Fodor's forum readers' comments on such hotels near Victoria, and of hotels near the Strand, which I am afraid are mostly chain hotels. From Heathrow you can take the Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, cross the platform, and arrive at Victoria or Embankment. To Gatwick you can take almost any train from Charing Cross, cross the platform at London Bridge, and arrive at the airport. Or you can take South Central, or for a pound more the Gatwick Express, from Victoria station to Gatwick. Why do you need a photo of yourself at Big Ben ? What difference would it make to anybody if you had none ? There is nothing in London that you must see. At your arrival airport you can buy "trime Out" magazine, and choose according to your own taste. Ben Haines, London

Dear Mr Welch, To the e-mail copy of this message I am copying a note I keep on disc of Fodor's forum readers' comments on such hotels near Victoria, and of hotels near the Strand, which I am afraid are mostly chain hotels. From Heathrow you can take the Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith, cross the platform, and arrive at Victoria or Embankment. To Gatwick you can take almost any train from Charing Cross, cross the platform at London Bridge, and arrive at the airport. Or you can take South Central, or for a pound more the Gatwick Express, from Victoria station to Gatwick. Why do you need a photo of yourself at Big Ben ? What difference would it make to anybody if you had none ? There is nothing in London that you must see. At your arrival airport you can buy "Time Out" magazine, and choose according to your own taste. Ben Haines, London

Ben, why so negative about "must sees" in London and about having a photo op? Jim seems quite excited about his short stop in London. Maybe it's just the wording, but usually you seem upbeat and positive about visitors to your city. Jim, I would stay in the Victoria area which if you do a search on this site for "hotels london victoria" you should find lots of info. The Victoria area is really close to Big Ben and Parliament and you'll have lots of photo ops. My favorite is at sunset! With such a short time in London, I would just take a stroll through some of the lovely parks, Green and St. James, walk by Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey. There is so much to do and see in London and 24 hours will barely give you a taste.

A lot depends on the time of your on-going flight. If it is an early morning dlight, I would get a hotel at the airport. Then once you check in take the train or tube into London and wander around - probably mostly along the north and south banks of the Thames east of Westminster and the London eye. Take public transport lat in th eevening back to you hotel and then you will be only minutes from the terminal. IF you flight is late morning or later, get a B&B/hotel in London instead. This will give you more time in London and the travel back to the airport won't be as much of a hassle. A few great photo ops, all within walking distance of Westminster Bridge -- Big Ben, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Sq., Millenium pedestrian bridge (and other bridges), Tate Modern and a lot of other places.

Mr Haines may have been responding to the constant request on this board for "must sees". One person's "must sees" may be another person's "avoid at all costs".

Mr Haines simply must editorialise. His ideas are the only useful ones and another's must sees are, of course, worthless.

I don't think the list of must sees varies much. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Madame Tussaud s, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, St Paul?s, the Tower. I doubt anybody would avoid all of these at all costs. I am upbeat and positive about people who come and enjoy the city on their own terms. People who follow a tourist grind of must sees seem to me likely to enjoy themselves less than they could if they used their own judgement, so I am down-beat about them. Nor does a self-designed visit preclude photos ? me at the Florence Nightingale Museum, me in a twelfth century church, me at a Brick Lane saree shop. Surely a more interesting album than me beside Big Ben, me at the Tower. ?Mr Haines simply must editorialise.? Yes: I have no duty to agree with the ideas given, but I do like to increase the pleasure of our visitors, by, as you say, editorialising. ? His ideas are the only useful ones and another's must sees are, of course, worthless.? No; it is exactly the view that there is only one set of useful ideas that I counter. My comments vary from enquirer to enquirer. What I would like them to see is not a pre-baked list of mine, nor a ready-made list from agents and over-prescriptive travel books of must-sees, but what responds to their interests and personal history. A last point. I am glad this discussion is handling differing opinions, in a reasonable way. In a small-town chat in a coffee bar I would probably feel some duty to agree with people, or at least not bluntly to disagree. But this is an international forum of intelligent adults, who can stand the idea that somebody may have an opinion that differs from theirs. Ben Haines

Bravo! Mr Haines.