Sorry Ben, But Karl Marx's grave is in Highgate, not Highbury.

Jim, to clarify a bit further, the population of inner London was ca. 650,000 in 1750 and constituted about one-tenth of the population of England. The population of Bournemouth in 2000 was estimated at 163,396. Beyond the faulty comparison, the point is that for many people big cities are exciting, dynamic places. Having butted in here twice, I have to add that I'll be in England at the beginning of September and will be spending 4 nights in the Cotswolds and 5 in London. The countryside is nice too.

In addition to what I was discussing above, I would add that I do not mean that London should be missed out! But rather included in an itinerary where the rural aspect of England can be appreciated. PS>> I LOVED New York! I thought I would hate it, but would love to return some day, but I stayed there only four days out of 14 and included a tour of New England, etc. for variety

Whiners all...London's great...the Tate Museum, some of the oldest pubs that make you feel like the guy next to you might just be a ghost grabbing a pint, the Tube! Way better than any metro hands down..as for Brits preferring Orlando...well there is just no accounting for personal taste I suppose.

<BR>City of London has much more to offer than The Tower and St.Paul's. <BR><BR>The Square Mile is best to explore on foot.Certainly there are too many ugly modern office buildings,but turn around a corner, there are the oldest streets such as Ironmonger,Bell Inn; Wren's churches,each one in different styles;Some old pubs standing for centuries, the pre-Wren's medieval churches some with Roman foundations;the remainds of medieval markets;the splendid Guildhall with Roman wall plus the one in Trinty Square Gardens.And let's not forget Temples,there is thousand year history.<BR><BR>In spring and dfall, try to take a long walk in The City,it is endless surprise, plus all the besutiful little gardenspostman garden.

ttt

My family and I (Americans) are taking our fourth trip to England in November. We absolutely love it. Our three previous trips involved only London but we'll be heading out into the countryside for most of this trip. We plan to cover Devon, Cornwall and Southern Wales. We'll finish up with some time in London. While we're finally starting to venture further out, we can't imagine a trip to the UK without spending time in London. The UK does have a lot to offer but London is definitely the main draw.

Could the reason be that London had a poor showing in the Observer poll is that an enormous number of the people who responded to the poll lived in London? Might they be less likely to holiday in the town in which they live?<BR><BR>Bill