MOON METRO LONDON

Moon Metro London
2nd Edition
ISBN1-56691-791-3
$16.95
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From the measured pomp of the Changing of the Guard to the mad rush of commuters through Liverpool Street Station; from the suits of armor at the Tower of London to cutting-edge fashion at Portobello Road market; and from Shakespearean plays to avant-garde drama: London honors its past even as it catapults itself into the future.

The city has been continuously occupied since the 1st century, and Londoners are keen preservationists who like to show off their history. Nearly 2,000 years of evidence is not only visible, but much of it is still in use: bits of Roman wall, Saxon arches, Tudor towers, and gracious Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian squares are dotted with London’s soon-familiar blue historic plaques. If it’s raining—and it often is—duck into one of the more than 300 museums for still more exploration of the past.

For the visitor more interested in modern times and contemporary trends, this is the place to chase the avant-garde. In terms of gastronomy, London has come a long way since the days when it was known for its overcooked meat and mushy vegetables. Not only are all the world’s major cuisines on offer, but innovative local chefs have given new twists to old favorites. Get a taste of Modern British fare in the form of a smoked haddock and ricotta tart, or try a rabbit and dandelion salad at one of the new gastropubs.

More traditional pubs, though often clannish, offer a drinking experience that hearkens back hundreds of years, when all the village met at the Public House. At last count there were well over 3,000 bars and pubs in London, so you’ll never lack for a place to take a break from sightseeing or theatergoing, or to rest between rounds of London’s favorite extreme sport: shopping. London has long been a shopper’s paradise, and it’s just getting better with age. Drop a small fortune at a Brompton Road boutique, or shop for elusive bargains at one of the many street markets. People-watching here will provide all sorts of inspiration; on London’s streets you’re likely to see the fashions that will be on the catwalks and in the shops next season.

Contemporary visual arts are also thriving in London. The Brit Art scene, on display at the Tate Modern and in galleries around town, may leave you gasping and puzzled (Why is there a dead animal in that display case?), but will provide plenty of conversation with the locals, most of whom are gasping and puzzled as well.

And just who are these locals anyway? People come to London from all over the world. Of London’s 7 million inhabitants, 1.7 million come from abroad. Three hundred different languages are spoken and one in four Londoners is from an ethnic minority. And while you may find yourself riding the tube next to a genuine London Cockney, your seatmate is just as likely to be a grandmother from Jamaica, a secretary from Spain, an industrialist from Germany, a law student from Nigeria, or a stock broker from New York.

This multiculturalism is often seen as a modern phenomenon, but London has attracted foreigners since the Roman legions arrived in a.d. 43. Whether they came as invaders or immigrants, everyone from the Normans through the Bengali have made London a truly cosmopolitan place. Wandering major thoroughfares or wending through the city’s back alleys, you’ll get a taste of this diverse past even as you yourself become part of the vibrant jumble of London’s present.