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Rene Ehrhardt

Kids' London

London, 1 Day

Table of contents:Guide Description 2

Itinerary Overview 3

Daily Itineraries 4

London Snapshot 7

Guide Description

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AUTHOR NOTE: London is one of Europe’s best playgrounds forkids. Nearly all the city’s major museums have developed well-thought-out activities to entertain and inspire kids on weekendsand show off the collections to their best advantage. Whether youmake it to all the venues on this tour obviously depends on thetemperaments and ages of your children.

Itinerary Overview things to do

restaurants

hotels

nightlife

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Day 1 - LondonDAY NOTE: Science Museum: Designed to appeal to children ofall ages, this great institution offers consistently arresting exhibitswith fun features, including The Garden, an interactive play areafor 3- to 6-year-olds on the Lower Ground Floor. Its seven levelsof displays succeed in getting both kids and adults to understandthe place of science in everyday life, even as they providehours of amusement. Highlights include “Launchpad” (hands-onchemistry and physics fun), Foucault’s Pendulum, the Apollo 10command module, and an IMAX theater (which charges a fee—buy your tickets as soon as you arrive). The gift shop is almost asinteresting as the exhibits...The Natural History Museum: This museum’s building aloneis worth a look. Statues of beasts have been incorporated intoits facade; and in the lobby, you’ll find charming stained-glasswindows. Although not as edgy and modern as the ScienceMuseum next door, this museum is no fossil. Its exhibits includemodern dinosaur displays and an interactive rainforest. The gem,mineral, and meteorite exhibits are all top-notch. The old animaldioramas are still around, but the new Darwin Wing (a £70-million project years in the making) has left them in the dust; itshighlights include ongoing events with naturalists, photographers,and explorers (not to mention its 28 million insects and 6 millionplant specimens)...London Brass Rubbing Centre: Inside the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields are 88 bronze plates of medieval subjects that kids(and adults) can reproduce by rubbing a waxy crayon over apiece of paper affixed to the plate. Admission is free, but rubbingsstart at £4.50 for a small drawing (a life-size knight will set youback £20). Kids love how they can produce impressive works ofart with just a little effort. The Centre also sells great souvenirs...Also in the basement of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Caféin the Crypt is a handy, no-fuss cafe that serves hot lunches,snacks, sweets, and drinks...London Aquarium: You’d expect a bit more for your money atone of Europe’s top aquariums, but when it comes down to it,kids adore this place. There’s a petting tank of manta rays, asimulated coral reef with sea horses, and appropriately scaryshark tanks.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Science Museum

London Aquarium

Natural History Museum

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Day 1 - LondonQUICK NOTE

DAY NOTE: Science Museum: Designed to appeal to children of all ages, this great institution offers consistently arresting exhibits withfun features, including The Garden, an interactive play area for 3- to 6-year-olds on the Lower Ground Floor. Its seven levels of displayssucceed in getting both kids and adults to understand the place of science in everyday life, even as they provide hours of amusement.Highlights include “Launchpad” (hands-on chemistry and physics fun), Foucault’s Pendulum, the Apollo 10 command module, and anIMAX theater (which charges a fee—buy your tickets as soon as you arrive). The gift shop is almost as interesting as the exhibits...The Natural History Museum: This museum’s building alone is worth a look. Statues of beasts have been incorporated into its facade;and in the lobby, you’ll find charming stained-glass windows. Although not as edgy and modern as the Science Museum next door, thismuseum is no fossil. Its exhibits include modern dinosaur displays and an interactive rainforest. The gem, mineral, and meteorite exhibitsare all top-notch. The old animal dioramas are still around, but the new Darwin Wing (a £70-million project years in the making) has leftthem in the dust; its highlights include ongoing events with naturalists, photographers, and explorers (not to mention its 28 million insectsand 6 million plant specimens)...London Brass Rubbing Centre: Inside the crypt of St. Martin-in-the-Fields are 88 bronze plates of medieval subjects that kids (andadults) can reproduce by rubbing a waxy crayon over a piece of paper affixed to the plate. Admission is free, but rubbings start at £4.50for a small drawing (a life-size knight will set you back £20). Kids love how they can produce impressive works of art with just a littleeffort. The Centre also sells great souvenirs...Also in the basement of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Café in the Crypt is a handy, no-fuss cafe that serves hot lunches, snacks,sweets, and drinks...London Aquarium: You’d expect a bit more for your money at one of Europe’s top aquariums, but when it comes down to it, kids adorethis place. There’s a petting tank of manta rays, a simulated coral reef with sea horses, and appropriately scary shark tanks.

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contact:tel: 020/7766-1100www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org

location:London

hours:Mon-Fri 9am-6pm; Sat-Sun8:45am-7:30pm as long asno service is taking place.Concerts Mon, Tues, and Fri1:05pm; Tues and Thurs-Sat7:30pm

1 St. Martin-in-the-Fields

DESCRIPTION: Designed by James Gibbs, a disciple ofChristopher Wren, and completed in 1726, this classicalchurch stands at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square,opposite the National Gallery. Its spire, added in 1824, towers56m (184 ft.) higher than Nelson's Column, which also riseson the square. The steeple became the model for manychurches in colonial America. Since the first year of WorldWar I (1914), the homeless have sought "soup and shelter"at St. Martin, a tradition that continues. At one time, the cryptheld the remains of Charles II (he's in Westminster Abbeynow), who was christened here, giving St. Martin a claim asa royal parish church. His mistress, Nell Gwynne, and thehighwayman Jack Sheppard are both interred here. The floorsof the crypt are actually gravestones, and the walls date fromthe 1500s. The little restaurant, Café in the Crypt, is still called"Field's" by its devotees. Also in the crypt is the London BrassRubbing Centre (tel. 020/7930-9306; www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/page/visiting/brass.html), with 88 exact copies ofbronze portraits ready for use. Paper, rubbing materials, andinstructions on how to begin are furnished, and there's classicalmusic for you to enjoy as you proceed. Fees to make therubbings start at £4.50. There's also a gift shop with brass-rubbing kits for children, ready-made rubbings, Celtic jewelry,miniature brasses, and model knights. The center is openMonday to Wednesday 10am to 7pm, Thursday to Saturday10am to 10pm, and Sunday noon to 7pm. Insider's tip: Inthe back of the church is a crafts market. Also, lunchtime andevening concerts are staged Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at1:05pm, and Tuesday, and Thursday to Saturday at 7:30pm.Lunch concerts are free, but evening tickets cost £6 to £24. ©Frommer's

Photo Courtesy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

contact:tel: 0870/870-4868www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

location:London

hours:Daily 10am-6pm

2 Science Museum

DESCRIPTION: This museum traces the development of science andindustry and their influence on everyday life. These scientific collectionsare among the largest and most significant anywhere. On display isStephenson's original rocket and the tiny prototype railroad engine; youcan also see Whittle's original jet engine and the Apollo 10 space module.The King George III Collection of scientific instruments is the highlight of agallery on 18th-century science. The museum has two hands-on galleries,as well as working models and video displays. The museum also presentsa behind-the-scenes look at the science and technology that went intomaking the film trilogy The Lord of the Rings. Exhibitions showcase theartifacts and animatronics, costumes, and characters from the fable. Theexhibition also offers a number of interactive displays -- for example, youare given the chance to be shrunk to the size of a hobbit. Insider's tip:A large addition to this museum explores such topics as genetics, digitaltechnology, and artificial intelligence. Four floors of a new Welcome Wingshelter half a dozen exhibition areas and a 450-seat IMAX theater. On anupper floor, visitors can learn how DNA was used to identify living relativesof the Bleadon Man, a 2,000-year-old Iron Age man. On the third floor isthe computer that Tim Berners-Lee used to design the World Wide Web

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outside Geneva, writing the first software for it in 1990. Note also themarvelous interactive consoles placed strategically in locations throughoutthe museum. These display special itineraries, including directions tothe various galleries for families, teens, adults, and those with specialinterests. © Frommer's

contact:tel: 020/7967-8000www.londonaquarium.co.uk

location:London

hours:Sept-July daily 10am-6pm;Aug daily 10am-7pm

3 London Aquarium

DESCRIPTION: One of the largest aquariums in Europe, thisSouth Bank attraction boasts 350 species of fish, everythingfrom British freshwater species to sharks that once patrolledthe Pacific. Observe the bountiful riches of the coral reefs ofthe Indian Ocean and what lurks in the murky depths of theAtlantic and Pacific oceans, including an array of eels, sharks,piranhas, rays, jellyfish, and other denizens of the deep. Youford a freshwater stream into a mangrove swamp to reach atropical rainforest. The seawater, incidentally, is just normalThames water mixed with 8 tons of salt at a time. © Frommer's

London Aquarium

contact:tel: 020/7942-5000www.nhm.ac.uk

location:London

hours:Mon-Sat 10am-5:50pm; Sun11am-5:50pm

4 Natural History Museum

DESCRIPTION: This is the home of the national collectionsof living and fossil plants, animals, and minerals, with manymagnificent specimens on display. The zoological displaysare quite wonderful -- not up to the level of the Smithsonianin Washington, D.C., but still definitely worthwhile. Excitingexhibits designed to encourage people of all ages to learnabout natural history include "Human Biology -- An Exhibitionof Ourselves," "Our Place in Evolution," "Origin of theSpecies," "Creepy Crawlies," and "Discovering Mammals."The Mineral Gallery displays marvelous examples of crystalsand gemstones. Visit the Meteorite Pavilion, which exhibitsfragments of rocks that have crashed into the earth, somefrom the farthest reaches of the galaxy. The dinosaur exhibitattracts the most attention, displaying 14 complete skeletons."Earth Galleries" is an exhibition outlining humankind'srelationship with planet Earth. Here, in the section "EarthToday and Tomorrow," visitors are invited to explore theplanet's dramatic history from the big bang to its inevitabledeath. The latest development here is the new Darwin Centre.Dedicated to the great naturalist Charles Darwin, the centerreveals the museum's scientific research and outreach facilitiesand activities. You're given an insider look at the storagefacilities -- including 22 million preserved specimens -- and thelaboratories of the museum. Fourteen behind-the-scenes freetours (ages 10 and up only) are given daily; you should bookimmediately upon entering the museum if you're interested. ©Frommer's

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London Snapshot

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Local InfoLondon is the liveliest and most ever-changing city in Europe--"the scene" isconstantly shifting. Here are some of thelatest developments.Getting to Know LondonThe big news is the opening of St. PancrasInternational, the new transportation hubfor passengers arriving from the Continenton Eurostar. The finest architectural iconfrom the Age of Steam, with its gargoylesand Gothic Revival towers, has beenbeautifully restored to receive passengers.Where to StayIn hotel developments, Andaz LiverpoolStreet Hotel, 40 Liverpool St., EC2(tel.020/796-1234), has opened as part of anew division of Hyatt. Located betweenShoreditch and Hoxton, this hotel wasoriginally designed by Charles Barry,architect of the Houses of Parliament.London's burgeoning array of boutiquehotels added another charmer to the list,The Sumner, 54 Upper Berkeley St., W1,Marble arch(tel. 020/7723-2244). Part ofan 1820s Georgian Terrace, it is one ofthe finest small hotels in London, designerdecorator and luxuriously appointed.The biggest development for the luxurymarket, and generating the most mediacoverage, is Haymarket Hotel, 1 SuffolkPlace, SW1(tel. 020/7470-4000), next to thefabled Haymarket Theatre. Of all the hotelsof London, this one makes the boldeststatement in daring colors-- even acidgreen. Although daringly avant-garde, itstill retains many of its original 19th-centuryJohn Nash architectural features.With the Eurostar arriving at nearby St.Pancras, the rail terminus at Kings Crossis gaining importance. Those arriving fromthe Continent might want to seek out arestored B&B, Jesmond Dene Hotel at27 Argyle St., WC1(tel. 020/7837-4654).All the tastefully furnished and comfortablebedrooms have recently been refurbished.There are many seedy hotels around Earl'sCourt, but not 20 Nevern Square, 20Nevern Square, SW5(tel. 020/7565-9555),

which is a stately red-brick Victorian housethat has been restored and furnished inpart with Indonesian furniture and artifacts.From the porcelain vases in the loungeto the ornate bird cages, this is a hotel ofcharacter with excellent bedrooms.Budding detectives may want to checkinto Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel,108 Baker St., W1(tel. 020/7486-6161), aconverted boutique hotel that was oncethe London YWCA. Artifacts of the famousdetective are displayed, and bedroomscome in a wide range of sizes and styles,including some loft suites.Where to DineAmong restaurants, Scott's, 20 Mount St.,W1(tel. 020/7495-7309), has reopenedin a new location in Mayfair. It's beenselling"cockles and mussels," along withelegant Dover sole, to Londoners in oneplace or another since 1851. It is now betterthan ever. For those who don't like fish,there is always an offering of braised porkcheeks.It's called Automat, 33 Dover St., W1(tel.020/7499-3033), and this Mayfair eateryserves homesick Yankees and some of thediscerning foodies of London. It's Mayfair'sslice of the Big Apple.Kitschy but chic, Annex 3, 16 Little PortlandSt., W1(tel. 020/7631-0700), is one of thebest French restaurants in London in spiteof its Christmas tree decor. Exceptionalproducts are used in this first-rate cuisineserved on the fringe of Soho.Down in Chelsea, Tom's Kitchen, 27 CaleSt., SW3(tel. 020/7349-0202), is a hot newplace to dine. This former pub has beenstylishly converted into a chic restaurantserving well-crafted British cuisine in abustling brasserie atmosphere with an openkitchen.In Notting Hill Gate, an Aussie, BrettGraham, lures serious foodies to theLedbury, 127 Ledbury Rd., W11(tel.020/7792-9090), to sample his pan-European cuisine, with influences from thekitchens of Asia. He makes better roastedscallops with licorice than dear old Mom.

Out in Pimlico, Roussillon, 16 St.Barnabas St., SW1(tel. 020/7730-5550),has quickly become known forits"vegecentric" cuisine, serving one of thebest seven-course tasting menus in the city.Inspired by France but using essentiallyBritish produce, chef Alexis Gauthierserves an ever-changing array of inventive,market-fresh dishes.The favorite of many a visiting celebrity isAlain Ducasse at the Dorchester, ParkLane, W1(tel. 020/7629-8866), the Londonshowcase for the world's most acclaimedchef. French cuisine in London rarely getsbetter. The cuisine is superbly precise,attractively served, inventive, and combinesthe flavor of France with market-freshEnglish ingredients.London's most celebrated chef, GordonRamsay, has opened his own gastropub,The Narrow, 44 Narrow St., E14(tel.020/7592-7950), standing at a bend ofthe Thames in the Limehouse district.The menu is a modernized version of anostalgic English kitchen.After DarkLondon's nightlife continues to heatup, as clubs open and close. A currentfavorite grunge night spot is The Fridge,Townhall Parade, SW2 in Brixton(tel.020/7326-5100). TheEvening Standardcalled the club"London's ultimate meltingpot." Pretty young things in Chelsea areflocking to a club, 151, 151 Kings Rd.,SW3(tel. 020/7351-6826), which is knownfor its variety of theme nights. There's abustling bar and an even busier dance floor.Near Oxford Circus, Studio Valbonne, 62Kingly St., W1(tel. 020/7434-0888), hopesto return London to its superclub eleganceback in the days when Boy George andMadonna were young and hot. There's anunderlit dance floor to work off calories puton by those three-course Mediterraneandinners.Las Vegas style gambling has come toLondon with the opening of the Casino atthe Empire, Leicester Square, WC2(tel.020/3014-1000), in the very heart ofLondon. You expect Frank Sinatra and

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fellow Rat Packers in tuxedos to show upany minute. For food, drinking, and dancingwith Lady Luck, London offers no bettercasino than this.Side Trips from LondonCambridge-- Cotto, 183 East Rd.(tel.01223/302010), has become a seriousaddress for dining on a blend of British andContinental dishes. Lying above a smalldeli-bakery, the"no-frill no-choice" three-course fixed price dinners are hailed as thebest in town-- and just wait until you sampletheir sourdough bread.Stratford-Upon-Avon-- Long agastronomic wasteland, the food inthe Bard's hometown has been vastlyimproved recently, especially with theopening of Callands, 13-14 Meer St.(tel. 01789/269304), with its take oninternational cookery, especially Britishand Mediterranean dishes. An even betterchoice is the British/French cuisine servedat Malbec, 6 Union St.(tel. 01789/269106),where chef Simon Malin is known forhis market-fresh cuisine served inunpretentious surroundings. On the lowerlevel is a cellar with vaulted ceilings andflagstone floors. He doesn't shy away fromsuch hearty fare as lamb's kidneys, free-range pork belly, or fresh squid.On a cultural note, the Royal ShakespeareTheatre, Waterside(tel. 07189/403444),will spend 2008 and beyond undergoinga major restoration, with a gala reopeningscheduled for 2010. In the meantime, catcha Royal Shakespeare Company productionin the nearby Courtyard Theatre.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

HistoryFrom Murky Beginnings to RomanOccupationBritain was probably split off from thecontinent of Europe some 8 millennia agoby the continental drift and other naturalforces. The early inhabitants, the Iberians,were later to be identified with storiesof fairies, brownies, and"little people."These are the people whose ingenuity andenterprise are believed to have createdStonehenge, but despite that great and

mysterious monument, little is known aboutthem.They were replaced by the iron-wieldingCelts, whose massive invasions around 500B.C. drove the Iberians back to the ScottishHighlands and Welsh mountains, wheresome of their descendants still live today.In 54 B.C., Julius Caesar invadedEngland, but the Romans did not becomeestablished there until A.D. 43. They wentas far as Caledonia(now Scotland), wherethey gave up, leaving that land to"thepainted ones," or the warring Picts. Thewall built by Emperor Hadrian across thenorth of England marked the northernmostreaches of the Roman Empire. Duringalmost 4 centuries of occupation, theRomans built roads, villas, towns, walls,and fortresses; they farmed the land andintroduced first their pagan religions,then Christianity. Agriculture and tradeflourished.From Anglo-Saxon Rule to the NormanConquestWhen the Roman legions withdrew aroundA.D. 410, they left the country open towaves of invasions by Jutes, Angles, andSaxons, who established themselves insmall kingdoms throughout the formerRoman colony. From the 8th through the11th century, the Anglo-Saxons contendedwith Danish raiders for control of the land.By the time of the Norman Conquest, theSaxon kingdoms were united under anelected king, Edward the Confessor. Hissuccessor was to rule less than a yearbefore the Norman invasion.The date 1066 is familiar to every Englishschoolchild. It marked an epic event, theonly successful military invasion of Britainin history, and one of England's greatturning points: King Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king, was defeated at the Battle ofHastings, and William of Normandy wascrowned William I. To wander those ancientbattlefields, visit Hastings and Battle.One of William's first acts was to ordera survey of the land he had conquered,assessing all property in the nation fortax purposes. This survey was calledtheDomesday Book, or"Book of Doom," assome pegged it. The resulting document

was completed around 1086 and has beena fertile sourcebook for British historiansever since.Norman rule had an enormous impacton English society. All high offices wereheld by Normans, and the Norman baronswere given great grants of lands; they builtNorman-style castles and strongholdsthroughout the country. French was thelanguage of the court for centuries-- fewpeople realize that heroes such as Richardthe Lionheart probably spoke little or noEnglish.From the Rule of Henry II to the MagnaCartaIn 1154, Henry II, the first of thePlantagenets, was crowned(reigned1154-89). This remarkable character inEnglish history ruled a vast empire-- notonly most of Britain but Normandy, Anjou,Brittany, and Aquitaine in France.Henry was a man of powerful physique,both charming and terrifying. He reformedthe courts and introduced the systemof common law, which still operates inmoderated form in England today and alsoinfluenced the American legal system. ButHenry is best remembered for orderingthe infamous murder of Thomas à Becket,Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry, at oddswith his archbishop, exclaimed,"Who willrid me of this turbulent priest?" His knights,overhearing and taking him at his word,murdered Thomas in front of the high altarin Canterbury Cathedral.Henry's wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the mostfamous woman of her time, was no lessof a colorful character. She accompaniedher first husband, Louis VII of France, onthe Second Crusade, and it was rumoredthat she had a romantic affair at that timewith the Saracen leader, Saladin. Domesticand political life did not run smoothly,however, and Henry and Eleanor and theirsons were often at odds. The pair hasbeen the subject of many plays and films,includingThe Lion in Winter, Becket, and T.S. Eliot'sMurder in the Cathedral.Two of their sons were crowned kings ofEngland. Richard the Lionheart actuallyspent most of his life outside England, oncrusades, or in France. John was forced

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by his nobles to sign the Magna Carta atRunnymede, in 1215-- another date wellknown to English schoolchildren.The Magna Carta guaranteed that theking was subject to the rule of law andgave certain rights to the king's subjects,beginning a process that eventually ledto the development of parliamentarydemocracy as it is known in Britain today.This process would have enormousinfluence on the American colonies manyyears later. The Magna Carta becameknown as the cornerstone of Englishliberties, though it only granted libertiesto the barons. It took the rebellion ofSimon de Montfort half a century later tointroduce the notion that the boroughs andburghers should also have a voice andrepresentation.The Black Death& the Wars of theRosesIn 1348, half the population died as theBlack Death ravaged England. By the endof the century, the population of Britain hadfallen from 4 million to 2 million.England also suffered in the HundredYears' War, which went on intermittentlyfor more than a century. By 1371, Englandhad lost much of its land on French soil.Henry V, immortalized by Shakespeare,revived England's claims to France, and hisvictory at Agincourt was notable for makingobsolete the forms of medieval chivalry andwarfare.After Henry's death in 1422, disputesamong successors to the crown resultedin a long period of civil strife: the Warsof the Roses, between the Yorkists, whoused a white rose as their symbol, andthe Lancastrians with their red rose. Thelast Yorkist king was Richard III, who gotbad press from Shakespeare, but whois defended to this day as a hero by thepeople of the city of York. Richard wasdefeated at Bosworth Field, and the victoryintroduced England to the first Tudor, theshrewd and wily Henry VII.The Tudors Take the ThroneThe Tudors were unlike the kings who hadruled before them. They introduced intoEngland a strong central monarchy withfar-reaching powers. The system worked

well under the first three strong and capableTudor monarchs, but it began to breakdown later when the Stuarts came to thethrone.Henry VIII is surely the most notoriousTudor. Imperious and flamboyant, acolossus among English royalty, heslammed shut the door on the MiddleAges and introduced the Renaissanceto England. He is best known, of course,for his treatment of his six wives and theunfortunate fates that befell five of them.Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon,failed to produce an heir. His ambitiousmistress, Anne Boleyn, became pregnant,and he tried to annul his marriage, but thepope refused, and Catherine contested theaction. Defying the power of Rome, Henryhad his marriage with Catherine declaredinvalid and secretly married Anne Boleyn in1533.The events that followed had profoundconsequences and introduced the religiouscontroversy that was to dominate Englishpolitics for the next 4 centuries. Henry'sbreak with the Roman Catholic Churchand the formation of the Church ofEngland, with himself as supreme head,was a turning point in English history. Itled eventually to the Dissolution of theMonasteries, civil unrest, and much socialdislocation. The confiscation of the church'sland and possessions brought untoldwealth into the king's coffers, wealth thatwas distributed to a new aristocracy thatsupported the monarch. In one sweepinggesture, Henry destroyed the ecclesiasticalculture of the Middle Ages. Among thoseexecuted for refusing to cooperate withHenry's changes was Sir Thomas More,humanist, international man of letters, andauthor ofUtopia.Anne Boleyn bore Henry a daughter, thefuture Elizabeth I, but failed to producea male heir. She was brought to trialon a trumped-up charge of adulteryand beheaded; in 1536, Henry marriedJane Seymour, who died giving birth toEdward VI. For his next wife, he lookedfarther afield and chose Anne of Clevesfrom a flattering portrait, but she proveddisappointing-- he called her"The Great

Flanders Mare." He divorced her the sameyear and next picked a pretty young womanfrom his court, Catherine Howard. She wasalso beheaded on a charge of adulterybut, unlike Anne Boleyn, was probablyguilty. Finally, he married an older woman,Catherine Parr, in 1543. She survived him.Henry's heir, sickly Edward VI(reigned1547-53), did not live long. He diedof consumption-- or, as rumor has it,overmedication. He was succeeded byhis sister, Mary I(reigned 1553-58), andthe trouble Henry had stirred up with thebreak with Rome came home to roost forthe first time. Mary restored the RomanCatholic faith, and her persecution of theadherents of the Church of England earnedher the name of"Bloody Mary." Some 300Protestants were executed, many burnedalive at the stake. She made an unpopularand unhappy marriage to Philip of Spain;despite her bloody reputation, her life was asad one.Elizabeth I(reigned 1558-1603) camenext to the throne, ushering in an era ofpeace and prosperity, exploration, anda renaissance in science and learning.An entire age was named after her: theElizabethan age. She was the last greatand grand monarch to rule England,and her passion and magnetism weresaid to match her father's. Through herera marched Drake, Raleigh, Frobisher,Grenville, Shakespeare, Spenser, Byrd,and Hilliard. During her reign, she had toface the appalling precedent of orderingthe execution of a fellow sovereign, Mary,Queen of Scots. Her diplomatic skills keptwar at bay until 1588, when at the apogeeof her reign, the Spanish Armada wasdefeated. She will be forever rememberedas"Good Queen Bess." To see where shelived as a young girl, you can visit HatfieldHouse.From the Restoration to the NapoleonicWarsThe reign of Charles II was the beginningof a dreadful decade that saw Londondecimated by the Great Plague anddestroyed by the Great Fire.His successor, James II, attempted toreturn the country to Catholicism, an

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attempt that so frightened the powersthat be that Catholics were for a longtime deprived of their civil rights.James was deposed in the"GloriousRevolution" of 1688 and succeeded by hisdaughter Mary(1662-94) and William ofOrange(1650-1702).(William of Orange wasthe grandson of Charles I, the tyrannicalking whom Cromwell helped to depose.)This secured a Protestant succession thathas continued to this day. These tolerantand levelheaded monarchs signed a billof rights, establishing the principle that themonarch reigns not by divine right but bythe will of Parliament. William outlived hiswife, reigning until 1702.Queen Anne then came to the throne rulingfrom 1702 until her own death in 1714. Shewas the sister of Mary of Orange and wasanother daughter of James II. The last ofthe Stuarts, Anne marked her reign withthe most significant event, the 1707 Act ofUnion with Scotland. She outlived all herchildren, leaving her throne without an heir.Upon the death of Anne, England lookedfor a Protestant prince to succeed her andchose George of Hanover who reigned from1714-27. Though he spoke only Germanand spent as little time in England aspossible, he was chosen because he wasthe great-grandson of James I. Beginningwith this"distant cousin" to the throne, thereign of George I marked the beginning ofthe 174-year rule of the Hanoverians whopreceded Victoria.George I left the running of the governmentto the English politicians and createdthe office of prime minister. Under theHanoverians, the powers of Parliamentwere extended, and the constitutionalmonarchy developed into what it is today.The American colonies were lost under theHanoverian George III, but other Britishpossessions were expanded: Canadawas won from the French in the SevenYears' War(1756-63), British control overIndia was affirmed, and Captain Cookclaimed Australia and New Zealand forEngland. The British became embroiled inthe Napoleonic Wars(1795-1815), achievingtwo of their greatest victories and acquiring

two of their greatest heroes: Nelson atTrafalgar and Wellington at Waterloo.The Industrial Revolution and the Reignof VictoriaThe mid- to late 18th century saw thebeginnings of the Industrial Revolution.This event changed the lives of the laboringclass, created a wealthy middle class,and transformed England from a rural,agricultural society into an urban, industrialeconomy. England was now a world-classfinancial and military power. Male suffragewas extended, though women were tocontinue under a series of civil prohibitionsfor the rest of the century. To see thebeginnings of the Industrial Revolution, visitIronbridge.Queen Victoria's reign(1837-1901)coincided with the height of the IndustrialRevolution. When she ascended the throne,the monarchy as an institution was inconsiderable doubt, but her 64-year reign,the longest tenure in English history, was anincomparable success.The Victorian era was shaped by thegrowing power of the bourgeoisie, theQueen and her consort's personalmoral stance, and the perceived moralresponsibilities of managing a vast empire.During this time, the first trade unions wereformed, a public(state) school system wasdeveloped, and railroads were built.Victoria never recovered from the death ofher German husband, Albert. He died fromtyphoid fever in 1861, and the Queen neverremarried. Though she had many children,she found them tiresome but was a pillar offamily values nonetheless. One historiansaid her greatest asset was her relativeordinariness.Middle-class values ruled Victorian Englandand were embodied by the Queen. Theracy England of the past went underground.Our present-day view of England is stillinfluenced by the attitudes of the Victorianera, and we tend to forget that Englishsociety in earlier centuries was famous forits rowdiness, sexual license, and spicyscandal.Victoria's son Edward VII(reigned 1901-10)was a playboy who had waited too longin the wings. He is famous for mistresses,

especially Lillie Langtry, and his loveof elaborate dinners. You can actuallyspend the night at Langtry Manor Hotel inBournemouth, which the king built for hisfavorite mistress. During his brief reign,he, too, had an era named after him: theEdwardian age. Under Edward, the countryentered the 20th century at the height ofits imperial power. At home, the advent ofthe motorcar and the telephone radicallychanged social life, and the women'ssuffrage movement began.World War I marked the end of an era. Ithad been assumed that peace, progress,prosperity, empire, and even socialimprovement would continue indefinitely.World War I and the troubled decades ofsocial unrest, political uncertainty, and therise of Nazism and fascism put an end tothese expectations.The Winds of WarWorld War II began in 1939, and soonthereafter Britain found a new and inspiringleader, Winston Churchill. Churchill led thenation during its"finest hour." You can visitChurchill's private home, Chartwell in Kentand the underground Cabinet War Roomsin London where he rode out parts of WorldWar II. From the time the Germans tookFrance, Britain stood alone against Hitler.The evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, theblitz of London, and the Battle of Britainwere dark hours for the British people,and Churchill is remembered for urgingthem to hold onto their courage. Once theBritish forces were joined by their Americanallies, the tide finally turned, culminatingin the D-day invasion of German-occupiedNormandy. These bloody events are stillremembered by many with pride, and withnostalgia for the era when Britain was still agreat world power.The years following World War II broughtmany changes to England. Britain beganto lose its grip on an empire(India becameindependent in 1947), and the Labourgovernment, which came into power in1945, established the welfare state andbrought profound social change to Britain.Queen Elizabeth Rules to the PresentDay

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Upon the death of the"wartime king,"George VI, Elizabeth II ascended the thronein 1953. Her reign has seen the erosion ofBritain's once-mighty industrial power, and,in recent years, a severe recession.Political power has seesawed back andforth between the Conservative and Labourparties. Margaret Thatcher, who becameprime minister in 1979, seriously eroded thewelfare state and was ambivalent towardthe European Union. Her popularity soaredduring the successful Falklands War, whenBritain seemed to recover some of itsmilitary glory for a brief time.Though the Queen has remained steadfastand punctiliously has performed herceremonial duties, rumors about the royalfamily abounded, and in the year 1992,which Queen Elizabeth labeled anannushorribilis, a devastating fire swept throughWindsor Castle, the marriages of severalof her children crumbled, and the Queenagreed to pay taxes for the first time. PrinceCharles and Princess Diana agreed toa separation, and there were ominousrumblings about the future of the Houseof Windsor. By 1994 and 1995, Britain'seconomy was improving after several glumyears, but Conservative prime ministerJohn Major, heir to Margaret Thatcher'slegacy, was coming under increasingcriticism.The IRA, reputedly enraged at the slowpace of peace talks, relaunched its reignof terror across London in February 1996,planting a massive bomb that rippedthrough a building in London's Docklands,injuring more than 100 people and killingtwo. Shattered, too, was the 17-monthcease-fire by the IRA, which brought hopethat peace was at least possible. Anotherbomb went off in Manchester in June.Headlines about the IRA bombing gaveway to another big bomb: the end of themarriage of Princess Diana and PrinceCharles. The Wedding of the Century hadbecome the Divorce of the Century. Thelurid tabloids had been right all along aboutthis unhappy pair. But details of the$26-million divorce settlement didn't satisfythe curious: Scrutiny of Prince Charles'srelationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, as

well as gossip about Princess Diana's lovelife, continued in the press.In 1997, the political limelight now restedon the young Labour Leader Tony Blair.From his rock-star acquaintances tohis"New Labour" rhetoric chock-full ofpop-culture buzzwords, he was a starkcontrast to the more staid Major. His media-savvy personality obviously registeredwith the British electorate. On May 1,1997, the Labour Party ended 18 years ofConservative rule with a landslide electionvictory. At age 44, Blair became Britain'syoungest prime minister in 185 years,following in the wake of the largest Labourtriumph since Winston Churchill was sweptout of office at the end of World War II.Blair's election-- which came just at themoment when London was being touted bythe international press for its renaissancein art, music, fashion, and dining-- hadmany British entrepreneurs poised andready to take advantage of what theyperceived as enthusiasm for new ideas andventures. Comparisons to Harold Macmillanand his reign over the Swinging Sixtieswere inevitable, and insiders agreed thatsomething was in the air.However, events took a shocking turn inAugust 1997 when Princess Diana waskilled-- along with her companion, Harrodsheir Dodi al-Fayed-- in a high-speed carcrash in Paris. The ancestral home ofthe late Princess at Althorp is open to thepublic."The People's Princess" still continued todominate many headlines in 1998 withbizarre conspiracy theories about herdeath. But the royal family isn't the realforce in Britain today.Blair led Britain on a program ofconstitutional reform without parallel in thelast century. Critics feared that Blair wouldone day preside over a"dis-united" Britain,with Scotland breaking away and NorthernIreland forming a self-government.Of course, the future of the monarchy stillremains a hot topic of discussion in Britain.There is little support for doing away withthe monarchy in Britain today in spite ofwide criticism of the royal family's behaviorin the wake of Diana's death. Apparently,

if polls are to be believed, some three-quarters of the British populace want themonarchy to continue. Prince Charles iseven making a comeback with the Britishpublic and has appeared in public-- to thedelight of the paparazzi-- with his longtimemistress, now wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles.At the very least, the monarchy is goodfor the tourist trade, on which Britain isincreasingly dependent. And what wouldthe tabloids do without it?The big news among royal watchers inBritain early in 2002 was the death ofPrincess Margaret at age 71, followed 7weeks later by the death of Queen MotherElizabeth at the age of 101. The mostpopular royal, the Queen"Mum" was asymbol of courage and dignity, especiallyduring the tumultuous World War II yearswhen London was under bombardmentfrom Nazi Germany. The remains of theQueen Mother were laid to rest alongsideher husband in the George VI MemorialChapel at St. George's at Windsor Castle.The ashes of Princess Margaret werealso interred with her parents in the samechapel.At the dawn of the millennium, major socialchanges occurred in Britain. No soonerhad the year 2000 begun than Britainannounced a change of its code of conductfor the military, allowing openly gay menand women to serve in the armed forces.The action followed a European court rulingin the fall of 1999 that forbade Britain todiscriminate against homosexuals. Thischange brings Britain in line with almost allother NATO countries, including France,Canada, and Germany. The United Statesremains at variance with the trend.After promising beginnings, the 21stcentury got off to a bad start in Britain.In the wake of mad-cow disease flare-ups, the country was swept by a foot-and-mouth-disease epidemic that disrupted thecountry's agriculture and threatened oneof the major sources of British livelihoods,its burgeoning tourist industry. After billionsof pounds in tourism were lost the panichas now subsided. The government hasintervened to take whatever preventivemeasure it can.

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Following the terrorist attack on NewYork City and Washington, D.C., onSeptember 11, 2001, Tony Blair and hisgovernment joined in a show of support forthe United States, condemning the aerialbombardments and loss of life. Not onlythat, but British also joined in the war inAfghanistan against the dreaded Taliban.However, by 2003 Blair's backing of GeorgeBush's stance against President SaddamHussein of Iraq brought his popularity to anall-time low.Britain's involvement in Iraq remained anunpopular cause. In February of 2003, anestimated million protesters, the largestdemonstration in the history of London,gathered to oppose military intervention inIraq.On an economic front, Britain still shiesaway from joining the so-called euroumbrella. In June of 2003, Tony Blair andChancellor Gordon Brown declared thatabandoning the British pound sterlingin favor of the euro, prevailing on thecontinent, was not right for the country atthis time.England has long endured terroristattacks from the IRA, but was shaken onthe morning of July 7, 2005, when foursuicide bombs were detonated on publictransportation in London, killing 52 victims.These bombs, though not the work of theIRA, were the deadliest attacks suffered bythe city since the darkest days of World WarII.Following the 2005 election, Blair'spopulation plummeted, and he resigned inMay 2007. Succeeding him was GordonBrown, his Chancellor of the Exchequerwho became Prime Minister in June 2007.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Hotel InsightsBest Newcomer: Opposite the historicHaymarket Theatre, the Haymarket Hotel,1 Suffolk Place SW1(tel. 08707/544447),is an idyllic choice for theater-goers. Inan original 19th century building by JohnNash, a modern, sophisticated hotel in boldcolors has been created. Best in the EastEnd: The first luxury hotel to be built inHolborn, Renaissance London Chancery

Court, 252 High Holborn, WC1(tel.800/468-3571 or 020/7829-9888), openedin 2001 and became an instant hit. A 1914landmark building has been stunninglytransformed into this citadel of luxuryand plush comfort. Best for a RomanticGetaway: Hip couples check into theCovent Garden Hotel, 10 Monmouth St.,WC2(tel. 800/553-6674 or 020/7806-1000),which has been hailed as 1 of the 25hottest places to stay in the world. Theformer hospital is now the epitome of chiccomfort, with rooms so elegant and stylishthat romance is inevitable. Best HistoricHotel: Founded by the former manservantto Lord Byron, the stylish Brown's Hotel,30 Albemarle St., W1(tel. 020/7493-6020),dates back to Victorian times. It's one ofLondon's most genteel hotels, with itslegendary afternoon tea and paneled bar.Best for Business Travelers: Wheelersand dealers head to The Langham, 1CPortland Place, W1(tel. 800/223-6800 or020/7636-1000), which boasts sleek stylingand grand public rooms. At times, it seemsall the world's business is conducted fromthis nerve center. Best Trendy Hotel: St.Martins Lane, 45 St. Martin's Lane(tel.800/697-1791 or 020/7300-5500), is almostwithout challenge in this category. IanSchrager has brought New York cutting-edge style to a 1960s building in CoventGarden. It's his first hotel outside theU.S., and it's eccentric, irreverent, andwhimsical. Would Nicole Kidman goanywhere else? Best for ThoroughlyBritish Ambience: In a gaslit courtyardin back of St. James's Palace, DukesHotel, 35 St. James's Place, SW1(tel.800/381-4702 or 020/7491-4840), has anunsurpassed dignity. From the bread-and-butter pudding served in the clubby diningroom to the impeccable service, at Dukesthere will always be an England. BestService: 22 Jermyn Street, 22 Jermyn St.,SW1(tel. 800/682-7808 or 020/7734-2353),does more for its guests than any otherhotel in London. The owner has outfitteda room on the sixth floor with a superblyequipped computer center, which guestsare free to use. He'll also inform you ofthe best restaurants and shopping, andeven what's hot in theater. The staff won'tdeny any reasonable request-- they evengrant some unreasonable ones. BestLocation: Creaky, quirky, The FieldingHotel, 4 Broad Court, Bow Street, WC2(tel.020/7836-8305), is hardly London's finest,but oh, the location! It's in an alleyway

in the center of Covent Garden-- theheart of London excitement-- almostopposite the Royal Opera House, withpubs, shops, markets, restaurants, evenstreet entertainment, right outside yourdoor. Stay here, and London is at yourfingertips. Best Boutique Hotel: TheBeaufort, 33 Beaufort Gardens, SW3(tel.020/7584-5252), is a gem that's sure tocharm. Personal service and tranquillitycombine for a winning choice, a private butnot snobbish place 183m(600 ft.) from thefamed Harrods Department Store. BestInexpensive Hotel: In this price category,it's hard to be chic, but The Pavilion, 34-36Sussex Gardens, W2(tel. 020/7262-0905),manages to do it. Known for its bedrooms'wacky themes, this theatrical and slightlyoutrageous hotel attracts models andmusic-industry folks. Rooms range in decorfrom Asian bordello("Enter the Dragon")to 1970s kitsch("Honky-Tonk Afro"). Bestfor Families Who Don't Want to Breakthe Bank: The Colonnade, 2 WarringtonCrescent, W9(tel. 020/7286-1052), standsin the canal-laced Little Venice section.Located in a safe residential area, thisfamily-friendly hotel lets children under 12stay free in their parent's room and the staffcan also arrange babysitting. Best B&B:Year after year, Aster House, 3 SumnerPlace, SW7(tel. 020/7581-5888), keepsits standards high and remains one ofLondon's best B&Bs. A friendly, inviting,welcoming place, it's safely tucked awayon a tree-lined street in the heart of SouthKensington. Best for Value: In historicBloomsbury, site of the British Museum,The Jenkins Hotel, 45 Cartwright Gardens,WC1(tel. 020/7387-2067), has been hailedby London'sMail on Sunday as 1 of thecity's"10 best hotel values"-- and we heartilyconcur. This homey, Georgian-style hotelis straight out of an Agatha Christie TVshow(indeed, it was featured onPoirot).© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Restaurants InsightsSt. John, 26 St. John St., EC1(tel.020/7251-0848): In a former smokehousenorth of Smithfield Market, this is London'smajor venue for serious carnivores.Chef Fergus Henderson is England'sbiggest devotee of offal cuisine--meaning"nose-to-tail cookery." Thisearthy food obviously will not appealto vegetarians, but it would delight areincarnated Henry VIII. Fifteen, 15 West

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Land Place, W1(tel. 0871/330-1515;www.fifteenrestaurant.com): In Shoreditch,the author ofThe Naked Chef, JamieOliver, takes"disadvantaged" youngpeople and trains them from scratch.In just 4 months, they are tempting youwith their modern British cuisine as chefsof the day. Amazingly, the food you'reserved is praiseworthy, even attractingsome of London's Michelin-starred chefs.Simpson's-in-the-Strand, 100 the Strand,WC2(tel. 020/7836-9112): At least onceforsake London's trendy restaurants anddine as Sir Winston did back in the post-war'50s when he was prime minister. It'spartaking of"The Deadly Sins" to dinehere: roast sirloin of beef; steak, kidney,and mushroom pie; and roast saddle ofmutton with red currant jelly. GordonRamsay at Claridge's, Brook Street,W1(tel. 020/7499-0099): We'd cast ourvote for Ramsay as the hottest and mosttalented chef in London today. In thecity's swankiest hotel, he dazzles seriousinternational foodies with his take onmodern Continental cuisine using, for themost part, British products. Close youreyes and point to any item on the menu--chances are, you'll be delighted. Sketch,9 Conduit St., W1(tel. 087/0777-4488;www.sketch.uk.com): Hailed by the Britishpress as a"camp wonderland," this isa restaurant, tearoom, art gallery, bar,and patisserie. There is no more chicjoint at which you could be at night. TheContinental and modern British cuisineis divine as well. Club Gascon, 57 W.Smithfield, EC1(tel. 020/7796-0600): ChefPascal Aussignac is all the rage, bringing acorner of southwestern France to London--and that spells Armagnac, foie gras, andduck confit. This bistro stands next to thefamous meat market in Smithfield, andit's the best place in town for a foie graspig out. Best Spot for a Celebration:There's no spot in all of London that'smore fun than Quaglino's, 16 Bury St.,SW1(tel. 020/7930-6767), which servesContinental cuisine. On some nights, asmany as 800 diners show up at Sir TerenceConran's gargantuan Mayfair eatery. It's thebest place in London to celebrate almostany occasion-- and the food's good, too.There's live jazz every evening and onSunday at lunch. Best Newcomer: Downin Chelsea, a former pub has been stylishlyconverted into Tom's Kitchen, 27 Cale St.,SW3(tel. 020/7349-0202), a dream cometrue for its talented chef Tom Aikens. He

fashions only the freshest of ingredientsinto a finely honed British cuisine. Even hisfish and chips are seductive. Best Placefor Spotting Celebrities: If Demi andAshton, or virtually any visiting celebritiesare in town, chances are they'll be hidingout behind a translucent silk curtain in thecenter of London's hot new restaurant,Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, onthe lobby level of the chic Dorchesterhotel, Park Lane(tel. 020/7629-8866).A chefmaestro many critics hail as theworld's greatest has crossed the Channelto open this citadel of haute cuisine. Bestfor Seafood: After a long slumber, thefamous Scott's, 20 Mount St., W1(tel.020/7495-7309), has reopened in a swankrestaurant in Mayfair. It began as an oysterwarehouse in 1851, but gone from thatrustic beginning to Mayfair glitter, peddlingmarket-fresh Dover sole and"cocklesand mussels." Best Gastro Pub: At lastLondon'senfant terrible chef, GordonRamsay, has entered the gastro-pubsweepstakes by opening The Narrow,44 Narrow St., E14(tel. 020/7592-7950).Pub grub never tasted like this. Someof the dishes will put hair on your chesteven if you don't want it-- whole bakedgilthead bream or braised Gloucesterpig cheeks with neeps(turnips). BestEnglish Breakfast: Serving traders atthe Smithfield meat market since 1898,Fox and Anchor, 115 Charterhouse St.,EC1(tel. 020/7250-1300), offers the"FullHouse" breakfast, a plate with eight itemsranging from black pudding to kidneys andbacon. With a Black Velvet(champagnewith Guinness), the day is yours. Best forAmerican Cuisine: A celebrity favorite withhomesick expats, Automat, 33 Dover St.,W1(tel. 020/7499-3033), is Mayfair's sliceof the Big Apple, serving perhaps the bestU.S. beef in London, including New Yorkstrip sirloin. All those familiar favorites aredished up here, even chili con carne. BestContinental Cuisine: Le Gavroche, 43Upper Brook St., W1(tel. 020/7408-0881),was one of the first London restaurants toserve modern French cuisine, and it's lostnone of its appeal. If you want to know why,orderpigeonneau de Bresse en vessie auxdeux celeris: The whole bird is presentedat your table, enclosed in a pig's bladder;the pigeon is removed, and then carvedand served on a bed of braised fennel andcelery. Trust us-- it's fabulous. Best forValue: Called the market leader in cafesalons, Veronica's, 3 Hereford Rd., W2(tel.

020/7229-5079), serves not only some ofthe best traditional British fare, but alsosome of the most affordable. Many of thechef's recipes are based on medieval orTudor culinary secrets, and some evengo back to the days of the conqueringRomans. Best Modern British Cuisine:Just north of Smithfield Market, St. John,26 St. John St., EC1(tel. 020/7251-0848),serves a modern interpretation of Britishcuisine like none other in town. The chefshere believe in using offal(those parts ofthe animal usually discarded)-- after all,why use just parts of the animal when youcan use it all? Although some diners area bit squeamish at first, they're usuallyhooked once they get past the first bite.Book ahead of time. Best TraditionalBritish Cuisine: There is no restaurantin London quite as British as Simpson's-in-the-Strand, 100 the Strand, WC2(tel.020/7836-9112), which has been servingthe finest English roast beef since 1828.Henry VIII, were he to return, would surelypause for a feast here. This place is sucha British institution that you'll think theyinvented roast saddle of mutton. Best forKids: The owner, the Earl of Bradford,feeds you well and affordably at PortersEnglish Restaurant, 17 Henrietta St.,WC2(tel. 020/7836-6466). Kids of allages dig Lady Bradford's once secretlyguarded recipe for banana-and-gingerpudding, along with classic English pies,including such old-fashioned favoritesas lamb and apricot; and ham, leek, andcheese. Best Indian Cuisine: London'sfinest Indian food is served at Café SpiceNamaste, in a landmark Victorian hallnear Tower Bridge, 16 Prescot St., E1(tel.020/7488-9242). You'll be tantalized by anarray of spicy southern and northern Indiandishes. We like the cuisine's Portugueseinfluence; the chef, Cyrus Todiwala, isfrom Goa(a Portuguese territory absorbedby India), where he learned many of hisculinary secrets. Best Italian Cuisine:At Zafferano, 15 Lowndes St., SW1(tel.020/7235-5800), chefs prepare delectablemeals with ingredients that conjure up theMediterranean. The most refined palatesof Knightsbridge come to this chic, rustictrattoria for dishes like pheasant andblack-truffle ravioli with rosemary. BestInnovative Cuisine: Irish chef RichardCorrigan brings sophisticated modernBritish cuisine to Lindsay House, 21Romilly St., W1(tel. 020/7439-0450). Themenu is dependent on what looks good

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at the daily market combined with thechef's inspiration. After you sample hisbreast of wood pigeon with foie gras andpumpkin chutney, you'll want to kidnap himfor your kitchen. Best Wine-Bar Food:Cork& Bottle Wine Bar, 44-46 CranbournSt., WC2(tel. 020/7734-7807), servesthe best wine-bar food in London. Theham-and-cheese pie alone is worth thetrek across town-- it's hardly your typicalquiche. Also try the prawns with garlicand asparagus, or the lamb in ale. Thewine selection is superb, with a strongemphasis Australian selections. BestCantonese Cuisine: Fung Shing, 15 LisleSt., WC2(tel. 020/7437-1539), is a culinarylandmark, serving the finest Cantonesecuisine in London, both traditional andinnovative. The seasonal specials arethe way to go. Stewed duck with yams,tender ostrich in yellow-bean sauce, anda delectable whole sea bass are someof the delicious treats. Best JapaneseCuisine: Robert De Niro and his gang havegenerated much excitement about Nobu, inthe Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane,W1(tel. 020/7447-4747). The sushi chefscreate gastronomic pyrotechnics with theirraw dishes.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Nightlife InsightsFrom the fringes of the East End to thebowels of West Brompton and beyond,London pulsates with more nightlife thanany other capital of Europe. Bette Midleronce said that when it's three o'clock in themorning in New York, it's 1938 in London.But she said that a long time ago. Timeshave changed. London is an all-night partytown.The draconian liquor laws of yesterdayhave been relaxed a bit. Even if yourfavorite pub closes at 11pm, there are stillbars and late-night joints awaiting yourbusiness. Bars, in fact, are no longer placesto drop in for a drink, but often an all-nightvenue unto themselves. Many bars areattached to fashionable restaurants withdinner menus, dance floors, and even DJs,so they are looking more and more likenightclubs.There is such diversity here: a night atthe theater, a supper club, a dance club,a fashionable bar, an old-fashioned pub

with literary associations, an evening at aCovent Garden opera or the Royal Ballet,a classical music concert at Albert Hall, anintimate jazz club, even a first-run movieor a gay time at a cruisy bar. You name it:London has it.The Tube may shut down early but thereare always night buses to get you back toyour hotel. Taxis are available 24 hours butare expensive.Weekly publications such asTime Outcarry full entertainment listings, includingdata on restaurants, nightclubs, and bars.You'll also find listings in daily newspapers,notably theTimes and theTelegraph.The Best of London's Pubs: The World'sGreatest Pub Crawl-- Dropping into thelocal pub for a pint of real ale or bitter isthe best way to soak up the character ofthe different villages that make up London.You'll hear local accents and slang, andsee firsthand how far removed upper-crustKensington is from blue-collar Wapping.Catch the local gossip or football talk-- and,of course, enjoy some of the finest ales,stouts, ciders, and malt whiskies in theworld.Gay& Lesbian Nightlife--Time Out alsocarries listings on gay and lesbian clubs.Another good place for finding out what'shot and hip is Prowler Soho, 3-7 BrewerSt., Soho, W1(tel. 020/7734-4031; Tube:Piccadilly Circus), the largest gay lifestylestore in London. It's open until 10pmMonday to Saturday, Sunday noon to 8pm.On the Web, www.gingerbeer.co.ukis the best site for lesbians to find outwhat's going on in London, and themagazine that all bona fide lesbians readisG3(www.g3magazine.co.uk).Las Vegas Nights in the Heart of LondonIf James Bond were to arrive in townwith his latest Pussy Galore, he mightinvite her to spend a night at Casino atthe Empire(Leicester Square, WC2; tel.020/3014-1000; Tube: Leicester Sq.), inthe heart of London. For ages the Empire,with its iconic art deco decor, was one ofthe most famous dance palaces in the U.K.But the foxtrot and tango have given wayto gaming tables, chic bars, and diningenclaves.

It succeeds in recreating the classy daysof gaming, and you expect Frank Sinatraand his Rat Pack in tuxes to show up at anyminute. Choose your spot for the evening'sdebauchery; ours is The Icon Room onthe second landing, a cocktail loungewith a balcony overlooking the massesof Leicester Square. It evokes a Frenchboudoir with its crimson furnishings.The Shadow Bar nearby features liveentertainment and evokes Las Vegas withits deep seat lounges and illuminated dancefloor. FuLuShou serves decent Asian fusioncuisine, with exotic teas a feature. Or elsesample the succulent grilled meats andfresh seafood in Flame. There's even a icecream parlor and coffee bar upstairs.State-of-the-art electronic games includeroulette, punto banco, blackjack, three-cardpoker, and other ways to lose your moneyin the glamorous ground floor casino. Tobecome a member, you can present adriving license or passport to the reception.The club is open Sunday to Friday noon to6am and Saturday noon to 4am.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Things to Do InsightsWatching the Sunset at WaterlooBridge: This is the ideal place for watchingthe sun set over Westminster. You can seethe last rays of light bounce off the dome ofSt. Paul's and the spires in the East End.Enjoying a Traditional Afternoon Tea:At The Ritz Hotel, 150 Piccadilly, W1(tel.020/7493-8181), the tea ritual carries onas it did in Britain's heyday. You couldinvite the Queen of England herself herefor a"cuppa." The pomp and circumstanceof the British Empire live on at The Ritz--only the Empire is missing. CruisingLondon's Waterways: In addition to theThames, London has an antique canalsystem, with towpath walks, bridges, andwharves. Replaced by the railroad as theprime means of transportation, the canalsystem was all but forgotten until it wasrediscovered by a new generation. Nowundergoing a process of urban renewal,the old system has been restored, withbridges painted and repaired, and pathscleaned up, for you to enjoy. SpendingSunday Morning at Speakers Corner:At the northeast corner of Hyde Park, a

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British tradition carries on. Speakers soundoff on every imaginable subject, and"in-your-face" hecklers are part of the fun. Youmight hear anything from denunciations ofthe monarchy to antigay rhetoric. Anyonecan get up and speak. The only rules: Youcan't blaspheme, be obscene, or incite ariot. The tradition began in 1855-- beforethe legal right to assembly was guaranteedin 1872-- when a mob of 150,000 gatheredto attack a proposed Sunday TradingBill. Studying the Turners at the TateBritain: When he died in 1851, J. M. W.Turner bequeathed his collection of 19,000watercolors and some 300 paintings to thepeople of Britain. He wanted his finishedworks, about 100 paintings, displayedunder one roof. Today you see not onlythe paintings but also glimpses of Turner'sbeloved Thames through the museum'swindows. The artist lived and died on theriver's banks and painted its many changingmoods. Strolling through Covent Garden:George Bernard Shaw got his inspirationforPygmalion here, where the cockney lasswho inspired the character of Eliza Doolittlesold violets to wealthy opera-goers. The oldmarket, with its cauliflower peddlers andbutchers in blood-soaked aprons, is longgone. What's left is London's best exampleof urban renewal and one of its hippestshopping districts. There's an antiquesmarket on Monday and a crafts marketTuesday through Saturday. When you'reparched, there are plenty of pubs to quenchyour thirst, including the Nag's Head, 10James St., WC2(tel. 020/7836-4678), anEdwardian pub that'll serve you a draftof Guinness and a plate of pork cookedin cider. Rowing on the Serpentine:When the weather's right, head to HydePark's 17-hectare(42-acre) man-madelake-- the name derives from its winding,snakelike shape-- dating from 1730. Atthe Boathouse, you can rent boats by thehour. It's an idyllic way to spend a sunnyafternoon. Renoir must have agreed; hedepicted the custom on canvas. Makinga Brass Rubbing: Take home somecostumed ladies and knights in armorfrom England's age of chivalry. Make yourvery own brass rubbing in the crypt of St.Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square;the staff there will be happy to show youhow. Getting to Know North London ona Sunday: Head for Hampstead Heath offWell Walk and take the right fork, whichleads to an open field with a panoramicview of London. Cap your jaunt with a visit

to the Freud Museum, open on Sundayuntil 5pm. Dining at Rules: Rules, at 35Maiden Lane, WC2(tel. 020/7836-5314),was established as an oyster bar in 1798;it may be the oldest restaurant in London.Long a venue for the theatrical elite andliterary beau monde, it still serves thesame dishes that delighted Edward VIIand his mistress, Lillie Langtry, who begantheir meals with champagne and oystersupstairs. Charles Dickens had a regulartable. If you're looking for an old-fashionedBritish dessert, finish off with the treaclesponge or apple suet pudding. Spendingan Evening at the Theater: London is thetheatrical capital of the world. The live stageoffers a unique combination of variety,accessibility, and economy-- and maybea look at next season's Broadway hit.Crawling the London Pubs: Americansbar-hop; Londoners pub-crawl. With some5,000 pubs within the city limits, youwould certainly be crawling if you triedto have a drink in each of them! Whilemaking the rounds, you can partake ofthat quintessentially British fare knownas"pub grub," which could be anythingfrom a ploughman's lunch(a hunk of bread,cheese, and a pickle) to shepherd's pie, tonouveau British cuisine. Today, in the rightplaces, some of that pub grub tastes betterthan the fare served in many restaurants.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Travel TipsBy Public TransportationThe London Underground and the city'sbuses operate on the same system ofsix fare zones. The fare zones radiate inrings from the central zone 1, which iswhere most visitors spend the majority oftheir time. Zone 1 covers the area fromLiverpool Street in the east to NottingHill in the west, and from Waterloo in thesouth to Baker Street, Euston, and King'sCross in the north. To travel beyond zone1, you need a multi-zone ticket. Note thatall single one-way, round-trip, and 1-daypass tickets are valid only on the day ofpurchase. Tube and bus maps shouldbe available at any Underground station.You can download them before your tripfrom the excellent London Transport(LT)website www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl. There are alsoLT Information Centres at several major

Tube stations: Euston, King's Cross, OxfordCircus, St. James's Park, Liverpool StreetStation, and Piccadilly Circus, as well asin the British Rail stations at Euston andVictoria and in each of the terminals atHeathrow Airport. Most of them are opendaily(some close Sun) from at least 9amto 5pm. A 24-hour public-transportationinformation service is also available at tel.020/7222-1234.Discount Passes-- If you plan to usepublic transportation a lot, investigatethe range of fare discounts available.Travelcards offer unlimited use of buses,Underground, Docklands Light Railway,and National Rail services in GreaterLondon for any period ranging from a dayto a year. Travelcards are available fromUnderground ticket offices, LT InformationCentres, main post offices in the Londonarea, many newsagents, and somenewsstands. Children younger than age11 generally travel free on the Tube andbuses.The 1-Day Travelcard allows you to goanywhere throughout Greater London. Fortravel anywhere within zones 1 and 2, thecost is £6.80($14) for adults or £3.40($6.80)for children 5 to 15. The Off-Peak 1-DayTravelcard, which is valid after 9:30amon weekdays is even cheaper. For twozones, the cost is £5.30($11) for adults and£3.30($6.60) for children 5 to 15.The system now features a 3-Day TravelCard, allowing adults to travel withinzones 1 and 2 for £17 to £22($34-$44),and allowing children to go for £8.70 to£9.50($17-$19).1-Week Travelcards cost adults £24($48)and children £12($24) for travel in zones 1and 2.Consider purchasing the OysterCard(www.oystercard.com), a traveldiscount card that's all the rage. Youcan prepay for single fares, which costconsiderably less than a paper ticket--usually about half the price. Oysters arevalid on the Tube, DLR, tram, and NationalRail services within your chosen zones andacross the entire London bus network. For24-hour information, call the Oyster hot lineat tel. 0871/2301100. The card has a daily

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price cap, meaning you never pay morethan £3($6) regardless of how many tripsyou make in 1 day. You can buy an OysterCard at any ticket office.The Underground-- The Underground,or Tube, is the fastest and easiest way toget around. All Tube stations are clearlymarked with a red circle and blue crossbar.Routes are conveniently color-coded.If you have British coins or a credit card,you can get your ticket at a vendingmachine. Otherwise, buy it at the ticketoffice. You can transfer as many timesas you like as long as you stay in theUnderground. Children 4 and youngertravel free if accompanied by an adult.Slide your ticket into the slot at the gateand pick it up as it comes through on theother side and hold on to it-- it must bepresented when you exit the station at yourdestination. If you're caught without a validticket, you'll be fined £20($40) on the spot.If you owe extra money, you'll be askedto pay the difference by the attendant atthe exit. The Tube runs roughly from 5amto 12:30am(7:30am-10:30pm Sun). Afterthat you must take a taxi or night bus toyour destination. For information on theLondon Tube system, call the LondonUnderground at tel. 020/7222-1234,but expect to stay on hold for a goodwhile before a live person comes onthe line. Information is also available onwww.tfl.gov.uk.The Jubilee Line Extension has beenextended eastward to serve the growingsuburbs of the southeast and theDocklands area. This east-west axis helpsease traffic on some of London's most hard-pressed underground lines. The line alsomakes it much easier to reach Greenwich.By Bus-- The comparably pricedbus system is almost as good as theUnderground and gives you better views

of the city. To find out about current routes,pick up a free bus map at one of LondonTransport's Travel Information Centres,listed above. The map is available in persononly, not by mail. You can also obtain a mapat www.tfl.gov.uk.As with the Underground, fares varyaccording to distance traveled. Generally,bus fares are £2 to £3($4-$6). If youwant your stop called out, simply ask theconductor or driver. To speed up bus travel,passengers have to purchase tickets beforeboarding. Drivers no longer collect fares onboard. Some 300 roadside ticket machinesserve stops in central London. You'll needthe exact fare, however, as ticket machinesdon't make change.Buses generally run 24 hours a day. A fewnight buses have special routes, runningonce an hour or so; most pass throughTrafalgar Square. Keep in mind that nightbuses are often so crowded(especially onweekends) that they are unable to pick uppassengers after a few stops. You mayfind yourself waiting a long time. Considertaking a taxi. Call the 24-hour hot line(tel.020/7222-1234) for schedule and fareinformation.By TaxiLondon cabs are among the mostcomfortable and best-designed in the world.You can pick one up either by heading fora cab rank or by hailing one in the street.(The taxi is available if the yellow taxi signon the roof is lit.) To call a cab, phone tel.0871/871-8710.The meter starts at £2.20($4.40), withincrements of £2($4) per mile thereafter,based on distance or time. Surcharges areimposed after 8pm and on weekends andpublic holidays. All these tariffs include VAT:Tip 10% to 15%.If you call for a cab, the meter startsrunning when the taxi receives instructions

from the dispatcher, so you could find thatthe meter already reads a few pounds morethan the initial drop of £2.20($4.40) whenyou step inside.Minicabs are also available, and they'reoften useful when regular taxis arescarce or when the Tube stops running.These cabs are meterless, so you mustnegotiate the fare in advance. Unlikeregular cabs, minicabs are forbidden bylaw to cruise for fares. They operate fromsidewalk kiosks, such as those aroundLeicester Square. If you need to callone, try Brunswick Chauffeurs/AbbeyCars(tel. 020/8969-2555) in west Londonor Newham Minicars(tel. 020/8472-1400)in south London. Minicab kiosks can befound near many Tube or BritRail stops,especially in outlying areas.If you have a complaint about taxi serviceor if you leave something in a cab, contactthe Public Carriage Office, 15 PentonSt., N1 9PU(Tube: Angel Station). If it's acomplaint, you must have the cab number,which is displayed in the passengercompartment. Call tel. 0845/602-7000 or020/7222-1234 with complaints.By BicycleOne of the most popular bike-rentalshops is On Your Bike, 52-54 Tooley St.,London Bridge, SE1(tel. 020/7378-6669;www.onyourbike.com; Tube: LondonBridge), open Monday to Friday 7:30am to7pm, Saturday 10am to 6pm, and Sunday11am to 5pm. The first-class mountainbikes, with high seats and low-slunghandlebars, cost £12($24) for the first dayand £8($16) for each day thereafter, or£35($70) per week, and require a 1 pencedeposit on a credit card, so they will haveyour credit card number.© 2000-2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc.