Truman Capote was wrong when he called New York "the only real city-city," for he forgot the great metropolis on the other side of the Atlantic. Like New York, London sometimes seems endless - a great financial capital surrounded by crowded squares and tiny shops, upscale avenues, and hole-in-the-wall cafes. Also like New York, the city is home to a staggering amount of art and architecture, as well as millions of people speaking hundreds of languages and dialects. But these are superficial similarities, for London is, of course, a 'city-city' all its own.
Six weeks ago, I left Montreal to study for a term at University College London. While that's not nearly enough time to see all that London has to offer, it's enough to get a feel for the city. Here's a rundown of some of London's more student-friendly sights, cafes, and watering holes.
History and museums
The most essential items to pack for London are a good pair of shoes, a raincoat, and an umbrella. Despite its size, central London is fairly walkable, and discovering the city's tiny cobbled alleyways is one of the most enjoyable ways to pass an afternoon here - even when it's drizzling.
To gather your bearings, skip the overpriced London Eye and head for St. Paul's Cathedral in the city centre. Built by Sir Christopher Wren in the 17th century, the cathedral is great for wandering before climbing the hundreds of steps to the windy lookout on top of its dome.
Just south of the cathedral across the Millennium Footbridge is the Tate Modern, one of the world's best modern art museums. Housed in an enormous former power station on the River Thames, the museum is worth spending a whole afternoon exploring. Wander aimlessly through the galleries and take in everything from Picasso's
The Studio (L'Atelier) to Claes Oldenburg's giant wooden electrical plug suspended from the ceiling. The museum's cafe and restaurant are both excellent as well.
Deciding which of the dozens of major museums and galleries to visit in London - most of which are free - is a task in and of itself. The most essential one to visit, however, is the British Museum. Located in the leafy academic neighbourhood of Bloomsbury, the enormous museum is filled with statues, swords, and sarcophagi from around the empire. Fight the crowds to see the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles before heading upstairs to venture through galleries filled with everything from Roman coins to Anglo-Saxon helmets.
Other museums of note include the Imperial War Museum, filled with tanks, airplanes, and depressing exhibits on the First World War, the Design Museum, which features fun exhibitions on things like ergonomics, and the Science and Natural History Museums, both situated in the upscale neighbourhood of South Kensington.
Walking around Westminster and trying to spot government officials is also a great way to spend the day - if it's not raining. Start off at Trafalgar Square - where you can chase pigeons while admiring Nelson's Column - and head down Whitehall towards Big Ben. It's possible to tour the Houses of Parliament there, but it's easier to enjoy them from the riverfront gardens just to the south.
Across the street to the east stand the white belfry towers of Westminster Abbey, where the coronations of English kings and queens have been held for nearly a thousand years. Most monarchs are also buried here, along with prominent Britons like Geoffrey Chaucer and Laurence Olivier. It's a fine piece of medieval architecture and is well worth a visit. St. James Park and Buckingham Palace are also nearby.
Parks, cafes, and markets
But there's far more to London than museums and landmarks. It's often as much fun getting lost in the twisting streets of the West End as it is admiring the monuments. The West End in particular is home to a number of manicured squares, and Grosvenor Square, near the American Embassy, is one of the best. Plant yourself on a bench and watch well-dressed Londoners on their lunch breaks, or spend an hour sketching the square's Georgian buildings. Hyde Park and Regent's Park - central London's two great green spaces - are also excellent spots to people-watch or just lie in the grass.
Whether you're looking for a quick bite or a place to spend a rainy afternoon, London's Fitzrovia neighbourhood is home to a number of great little cafes and eateries fit for a student budget. Cafe Teo, a tiny place on the corner of Newman and Mortimer, is a popular lunch choice for professionals who work in the area, and offers hot toasties, crisps, and drinks for just £3.29.
Some of London's better bookshops also house good cafes. Foyles, an excellent bookstore on Charing Cross Road in Soho, has a well-known cafe in the basement where there's always jazz on the sound system. And if you've just come from the British Museum, the London Review Cake Shop offers tea, sandwiches, and cake in a cozy, book-crammed atmosphere.
On the weekends and some weekdays, London also hosts a wide array of markets where you can buy food, clothing, and almost anything else you can think of. Camden Market, in a punkish neighbourhood filled with pubs, is popular with students on the weekends for the huge variety of kitsch you can buy there. Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill is great for clothing and hot ethnic street food, and Borough Market south of the river offers free samples on Thursdays and Fridays in the manner of Montreal's Jean-Talon.
Restaurants, theatre, and boozers
Like any city of its size, London is home to so many places to eat that it's difficult to pick only a few to recommend. Still, there are a couple standouts. Jerk City, a Caribbean joint in Soho, serves up tasty Trinidadian roti and Jamaican jerk chicken at student-friendly prices. If you're feeling a bit more upscale, Automat, an American bistro in the trendy Mayfair district, offers elegantly prepared comfort food in a wood-panelled dining room with black-and-white tile floors. And for drunk food at 3 a.m., Brick Lane Beigel Bake in the East End is a famous destination for hot bagel sandwiches.
Unlike most North American cities, there's no set time at which the bars close down for the night in London. Each pub and club has its own license regulating how late it can stay open. As such, many pubs close down as early 11 p.m., which takes some getting used to. Clubs, on the other hand, often remain crowded until five or six in the morning.
Traditional British pubs around London are often worth going to just for names like The Northumberland Arms, The Captain's Cabin, or The Rose and Crown. Most of them also serve food, with fish and chips and steak-and-ale pie appearing on many menus. Two standout traditional pubs are The Perseverance in Bloomsbury and The Lamb and Flag on a back alley in Covent Garden. There are also many more modern bars in the city. The Rocket, a loud bar on Euston Road, is tremendously popular with students. And the hip Shoreditch neighbourhood in the East End is home to several good boozers, such as the
Vice Magazine-sanctioned pub The Old Blue Last.
Lastly, London is one of the world's great theatre destinations, featuring everything from Shakespeare to long-running musicals to innovative new shows from Britain's best playwrights. If you're set on seeing a particular show, many theatres offer cheap tickets in good seats that go on sale the morning of the show, though the queues can be long. Another good option is the TKTS booth in Leicester Square, which offers half-price tickets up to a week in advance. In addition, England's Arts Council runs a scheme in which those 25 years old and under can obtain free theatre tickets to certain shows.
Ultimately, like New York, London is far too large and complex a city to be distilled into a guidebook, let alone a short article. Sometimes, it's best to simply hop on one of the city's red buses, and prove Truman Capote wrong.
PLANNING A TRIP?
Both British Airways and Air Canada offer direct flights from Trudeau Airport in Montreal to Heathrow International in London. A number of other carriers offer connecting flights through New York, Paris, and Amsterdam. Round trip tickets can be had during McGill's reading week for approximately $800 if purchased well in advance.
Located just off Piccadilly Circus in Soho, the Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel (12 Sherwood Street; www.piccadillyhotel.com) is one of the cheapest accommodations available in central London. It's near the bars and clubs of Soho and Leicester Square as well as the theatres of the West End. Rates for a bed in a 10-person shared room start at £12 ($21).
Just opened in 2008, the YHA London Central (104-108 Bolsover Street; www.yha.org.uk) is another good option. The hostel sits a few blocks north of Oxford Street in Fitzrovia, a cafe-filled neighbourhood in which many university students live. Rates start at £24.50 ($43).
Clink Hostel (78 King's Cross Road; www.clinkhostel.com),located slightly further afield in the King's Cross neighbourhood, is housed in a former courthouse where Charles Dickens once worked. The hostel is fairly close to the British Museum and offers free breakfast. Rates for a bed in a 16-person shared room start at £13 ($23).
NB: All prices are in Canadian dollars.
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