What do you love about London?
 

I see a lot of positive posts about London, and they make me think I must have been in the ozone when I visited, because it was the only place I've visited in Europe that left me cold.

Was my disenchantment due solely to the fact that we arrived from York the day after 9/11?

It was fabulous to be outside Buckingham palace the day they played the Star Spangled Banner. Talk about the hairs on the back of your neck standing up!

Hitler's war rooms were great. The National Gallery fabulous.

But the city? I am sure I missed something, because I don't get it. Someday, maybe on a stopover on the way to the continent, perhaps I'll make another stop. What would make the next trip more enjoyable?

Hitler's war rooms? Surely you mean Churchill.

Did you take a taxi? London's cabbies are the friendliest on earth (nowhere else will they call you "luv"). They make every ride a mini-tour. And London is certainly the most diverse, multi-cultural city in Europe. Every possible ethinic food you would every want to find. Chat with your bartender and he/she is likely to be from somewhere interesting. Free museums everywhere. History oozing out of every nook and cranny. Take a "London Walk" and get the lowdown on an area, time, or historical event. Visit Hampton Court and go back 500 years in time.

London's on my list of places to visit every year. Interestingly, I was there just a few days after 9/11 and was incredibly moved by Londoner's reaction and a wonderful service at Westminster Abby.

Ooops! I did mean Churchill! Perhaps traveling and posting whilst senile is not such a good idea.

I agree with Grasshopper (except that being a fella, I got to be "guv" instead :) ) I couldn't help but be mentally pulled in every direction by the connections I could make to all those stories I carried in my head.

But aside from the history, in London, for me it's sort of a cumulo cloud of things that are just - happening. It could be that I'm not a big city dweller that made this such an interesting experience, but the sheer abundance of choices of things to me felt comfortably overwhelming. So many things to see and do, so little time. Despite my being not urban or urbane, London was an excellent time, I thought.

That's just fine - London is too crowded for those of us who love it. So if the luke warm folks would stay away, it would be better for the rest of us.

I was in London just after you (took the 2nd open Virgin flight in mid Sept) and it was one of may best visits ever. All the villages churches had condolence books for people to sign. There were special services and concerts everywhere. And of course almost no crowds.

If you didn't like London then, you just won't ever . . . . .

London is the most fascinating city to me,even after having visited most of European big cities, several times to many of them.

Perhaps London offers much more to visitors than just magnificent sites,beautiful boulevards,or seductive images. It has never been planned to be grandour,but a live,vibrant space with new and old, mixed layers through thousands years history. I think it is a city not just to be marvelled or wondered,but to be experienced.

Perhaps it takes more time to know London than other cities. Through years, I have walked from central London,expanded to many boroughs. As always, there are many new/old things to explore, new architecture to visit,new developments to be understood.

I disagree with janis..London grows on you each time you return. You may be in the present but the past is all around you if you look and know what you are looking at.

Before you go again and for anyone else who loves London, may I reccomend , H.V Morton's " In search of London"..this is a 50 year old travel book that has recently been reprinted...the times may be out of date , but his mini hoistories will make you see London with a new eye.

Well, there's always the British Museum, with something for everyone. I always like to pay my respects to the Rosetta Stone.

Another enjoyable excursion, assuming the weather is good, is to walk along the south bank of the Thames and visit the restored Globe Theater.

Sitting outside a pub on a rare warm evening and striking up acquaintances. People watching. Going to the theater.

I love London. It's a world class city with so much going on in art, theater, etc. For me it is just fun to be there, and to be able to have nuanced conversations with people from another culture because of our common language.

jody - I agree with you entirely. London grows on most people. It becomes an addiction for many of us :)

My point was mid-Sept 2001 was perhaps the easiest time anyone could ever have visiting London. Everyone was so totally sympathetic and fell over themselves to be kind to Americans. And the weather that Sept was glorious. So if Mary_Fran didn't like it then there isn't much chance it will "grow on her".

Ah Janis..now I see your point! Sorry.


Have you read the Morton book? If not, knowing how you love London you really must!

The day after 9/11 I think a lot of Americans were too shocked to really feel like much of anything. So I could see that if you happened to be visiting London that day, you might not enjoy it as much as you would otherwise, even if London was at its best.

I was actually quite fascinated by London when I visited it, but a lot of that likely had to do with the fact that it was the first European city I ever set foot in, back in 1979. Now that I've been to wonderful continental cities like Paris and Rome which seem more "exotic" (relatively speaking) to me, I wonder what London would seem like to me now.

Capo brings up a very good point. I agree entirely. London was once my favorite place to visit until I became fluent in other languages and was able to appreciate other places on the same level. My husband and kids recently came with me for their first visit to London and they were thourougly enchanted. It just was not the same London I remembered from when i lived there years ago. It was actually quite sad.

Mary Fran - London just doesn't do it for everyone. While you may enjoy it more on your next visit, perhaps it just is not the city that holds the key to your heart. The quest is all the fun anyway.

London , as much as I love it does not hold the key to my heart...that is a tiny town in Dorset as long as MDH is with me! But I can't imagine a life without visiting London or Rome or Paris for a time! There is just something satisfying and energizing about all of them! Language has never been a barrier in fact it has been a key to opening doors. I'll never forget a trip to Rome 35 years ago when my husband and an old man had a long discussion on fishing ..without one word of Italian on D's side or English on the man's side being spoken! Just gestures and facial expressions along with the pictures they were viewing.

Having lived in London for 2 years recently, I consider it my second home. Even though I no longer live there, it will always be one of my favourites.

What I loved about it? Theatre, museums, history, galleries, nightlife, variety (people, places, things), shopping, parks, markets, etc, etc, etc. The overall "vibe" of the city is amazing.

It's also a fabulous base for travelling throughout Europe and you're able to visit fantastic places in just a long weekend.

For me it's the parks - you can walk across the center of London through them - St. James's and Green Park to Hyde Park, Kensington and up to Regent Park. And the band concerts in the summer and the Changing of the Guards [love that band music] and the great hotels, restaurants, stores, museums and the British. Can't wait to get there!

I love everything about London!

The people, the history, the architecture, the pubs, the cabs and drivers, the pomp and ceremony - I envy you, Mary Fran, for being there the day the Queen ordered the playing of the Star Spangled Banner - wow!

I love the parks and the fantastic museums and the way Harrod's is lit up at night. I love Eastenders, the best soap opera on TV, and the rest of the programming on the BBC.

Tea at Claridges, fish and chips for lunch and dinner at an Indian restaurant. Please, for your own sake, give London another try!

London: I like the theatre, the history, the liveliness, the diversity, and the friendliness. (Perhaps someone will argue otherwise, but I have found London a very friendly city.)

London is my favorite city, but I'm not sure I can tell you why. It seems to evoke nostalgia in me for a time I never knew and a place I never lived in. Maybe it's all those Sherlock Holmes stories I read as a teenager.

I have just bought a book called London Sketches with paintings by Graham Byfield and text by Marcus Binney. It is done by areas of the city and would serve as a pretty good travel guide. I highly recommend it for all you other London lovers.

Hi MF,

Although London is not my favorite city (Paris and Venice come ahead of it) I have found it to be a very nice town to visit, with many, many interesting educational, cultural and entertainment places to see and experience.

The beer is very good.

It is a bit difficult to learn the language, since it seems to be almost, but not completely unlike English.

I could do without the London Eye.

I love lots of things about London, perhaps nothing more than its wonderful multiculturalism. To walk down Queensway at night past the Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Chinese, Indian, Thai and Tibetan restaurants with reggae blasting is one of the great joys in life. It's a city where the whole world meets.

I'm half asleep, but we just returned from London about 3 hours ago, and it was hot, hot, hot!

I'd say meet someone and interact with people who live there. Having lived there for a number of years, we spent most of the time going from one friends's home to the next and staying with friends. While we hit a couple of the tourist spots (London Eye, Tower of London, Legoland -- yes, we have a kid, Greenwich), I'd say going to country pubs with friends, bringing each other up to date, kicking back and just renewing friendships was the best.

In hot weather, take busses -- the old ones have the best ventilation. The tubes in hot weather are horrible -- I'm still not amused at what they replaced the old Central line trains with -- i.e. no ventilation.

Yesterday we spent our last day at V2003 in Chelmsford, hanging with about 10 of our friends, listening to music. A great, but tiring way to finish our trip, although we were forced to stick a couple of beer-stained towels in our luggage. Coldplay was phenomenal, as was Echo & the Bunnymen. One thing I did learn was that they continue to provide beer and wine long after people (especially the 18 year olds) should stop. You pretty much have to ignore the barfers and the pee-ers to listen to the music later on, but it can be done.

Ira

Hearing that you enjoy the London Eye so much makes me disapointed that I mistook it for an over priced ferris wheel.

I don't think that you were mistaken, Calamari.

Why did that have to put right where it destroys the view? It's worse than the Eiffel tower.

Hello Ira

Frankly, I must agree. My kids kept saying, "when can we go over there to the carnival". Surprised that Prince Charles did not stop that idea in it's tracks.

I hope this is one of those times when your dry humor is just to subtle for me. :-)

Grasshoper

Sorry, but I am not trying to be funny. Hope you are not offended by my opinion.

Of all the places I have traveled in Europe (and the UK for that matter)London is my least favorite place (well maybe tied with Den Hague). That said, the way London's history figures into literature (at least that to which I have been exposed) is unsurpassed. That would be the best thing about London for me. Unfortunately, it is difficult to imagine Dickensian (is that a word?) London, even while in the middle of the city. I think that is why so many of us enjoy London Walks, because they help us see the other London. In a place like Paris or smaller towns in the UK it is (IMHO) less important to have someone tell you what's important or historic, because you FEEL it.

I love the history that is everyplace, the people and the cab rides. The atmosphere is just great. We stayed at the Thistle Victoria hotel and would go and watch the people at victoria station. It is hard to explain what makes London such a great place. I've been there twice and everytime I come home I want to go back.

Taxis. I could ride around in a London cab forever. I just love everything about them. The shape of the car, the chatty drivers, the jump seats, and most of all, the fact that you don't have to fold up your stroller to get into one.

And pubs. Love them. Love how they are filled with neighborhood blokes talking about football and cricket. Love the beer. Love a Pims on a hot day. Love how the Brits drink at lunch.

And the Tate Modern. What a cool museum.

And english breakfasts. Nothing cures jet lag like room service of two fried eggs, sausage, mushrooms and tomatoes. Mmmmmm.

I agree, nothing like a hot beer on a really hot day.

To me,London is charmless,dirty, over-priced,over-crowded and way over-rated.
Aesthetically it's become a shadow of its former true self which ended circa 1965 by selling itself as a historical and trendy theme-park (over there is Dickenstown,over there Royalville and to the left passed Lloyd-Webber Tripe Borough is Theatreworld) to the history-hungry and fashion challenged masses (oooh!It's British!It must be good!!!).
Any indigenous life-force,elegance and creativity it once had has long departed and either lives far outside of the city,is imported or thrives in New York,Barcelona,Copenhagen,Madrid,Paris,Milan,Antwe rp,Munich...etc
However as a repository of shiny dead things (The crown jewels,its museums,
its ersatz pubs,its shops, its equally fictitious Olde Tea Shoppes,the Royal Family,Madonna...etc)it is unsurpassed and worth a day trip or two.

Hey tiggle,

No need to mince words, here. Tell us what you really think. :)

Tiggle

I really enjoyed your contribution. It was very amusing. Sounds like you may have even stayed at a place known as the Kensington Park Apartments which would put anyone off London. Thanks for sharing your views, a few of which I also share.

London reminds me of my birthplace and home for the first 18 years of my life, Chicago. Love it!!
John

ttt

Well Tiggle you are entitled to your views but I as a Brit I find them unpleasantly exaggerated and focusing purely on the negatives.

As guy from the country, I lived in London for 2 years. As a massive international city it felt hurried and crowded but it also has a lot of great things to see and experience.

Charmless? Reading the messages on this board seem to show that a lot of people are charmed by London. There is wealth of things to do and London is made up of many boroughs with their own atmospheres and cultures. It's not just Madame Tussaud's you know.

Dirty. Yep - well I've been to New York and Paris - and I won't be eating off their streets either. I guess you won't being going to Athens...

Overpriced. Yep - it's ranked seventh in the world. New York and Paris aren't too far behind (in 10th and 11th place)

Over-crowded: 20th populous city - behind New York which has over 600,000 more people. I suggest you look beyond Oxford Street and seek out the more peaceful parks and squares.

Shadow of it's former self: What happened in 1965? Was this some watershed in London history we weren't taught in school? You mean it didn't freeze itself in time - and had the audacity to modernise, progress and yes...market itself? Unlike New York,Barcelona,Copenhagen,Madrid,Paris,Milan,Antwe rp,Munich...etc

Dickenstown: And which particular part of the London theme-park is this?
Dickens wrote about and visited many parts of London. He is a Victorian writer who reflected London rather than vice versa. You can easily go through London without seeing a reference to him...unlike Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Royalville: Yep we have a royal family (boo)and who aren't, despite appearances, dead shiny things and we have Buck Palace. All fairly restrained - have you seen the Palace of Versailles - or even Washington DC? They're interesting if you are looking for overblown royalty or aspiriational monumentualism.

Theatreworld: Yep there is a Theatre District. How appalling. With over a hundred musicals, drama and comedies in London - there are currently only three Lloyd Webber musicals. It not the 1980's now. Of course if you can't find anything you like here you can also see the Flemish production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Antwerp.

History hungry: Why would any tourist visit a city to see it's history?

Fashion challenged masses: So that's us fodorites then? I guess you will be sitting on the front row at the next fashion circus in Milan.

It must be British! It must be good!: Sure when I go to the States I love all the cultural differences. I suppose you never get this feeling when you are in Paris and enjoying the french way of life.

Any indigenous life-force,elegance and creativity it once had has long departed and either lives far outside of the city: Hmmm, judging by all the up and coming artists, writers, scientists, thinkers etc London has nutured since 1965 - I don't Munich is going to give it a run for it's money.

Shiny dead things: Yep - London has a lot of crappy souvenir shops selling funny policeman's helmet's and pictures of Princess Di and Winston Churchill. It also has a few touristy pubs and tea shops (again avoid Oxford St and Carnaby St). You know I found Niagara falls full of touristy crap but I still enjoyed the falls. Welcome to capitialism. But London is still awash will tons of decent genuine British pubs of a wide variety. And criticising the crown jewels and museums...you must really hate the Metropolitian, the Lourve etc and all those other museums in your favourite cities.

Worth a day trip or two: Well I reckon only Paris and New York are culturally diverse and interesting as London. And they have similar big city problems too. The other cities you mention - well I bet I could easily write up a 2 week iternary for a visitor to London and I doubt Barcelona,Copenhagen,Madrid,Milan,Antwerp or Munich could even compete.

So you don't like museums, history, theatre or crowds. It seems to me you don't like cities...


Message: To me,London is charmless,dirty, over-priced,over-crowded and way over-rated.
Aesthetically it's become a shadow of its former true self which ended circa 1965 by selling itself as a historical and trendy theme-park (over there is Dickenstown,over there Royalville and to the left passed Lloyd-Webber Tripe Borough is Theatreworld) to the history-hungry and fashion challenged masses (oooh!It's British!It must be good!!!).
Any indigenous life-force,elegance and creativity it once had has long departed and either lives far outside of the city,is imported or thrives in New York,Barcelona,Copenhagen,Madrid,Paris,Milan,Antwe rp,Munich...etc
However as a repository of shiny dead things (The crown jewels,its museums,
its ersatz pubs,its shops, its equally fictitious Olde Tea Shoppes,the Royal Family,Madonna...etc)it is unsurpassed and worth a day trip or two

Pretty much everything, the last time I went was in May, I had not been there in 18 years. I went to the pub across the street from the House of Commons and saw people drinking their pints outside. I asked if it was ok to drink outside in London, the guy turns to me and says, "Hey, thats the House of Commons over there, you can do whatever you want here". I love it!

I've been to London three times and it is one of my least favorite cities to visit.

My daughter on the other hand loves it.

Was in Italy year and a half ago and ended with 3 days in London.

Big city and not very charming. Weather was a bit cool (ok) but drizzled all day on the 3rd day.

Definitely has some attraction but just didn't feel comfortable with the city.

Love Paris, Italian cities, Switzerland.

London no.