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Overview
Set along the banks of the Thames, London is Europe's largest city, boasting more than 7 million inhabitants. Its oldest section, where Romans first gathered, is now its business and financial center. Referred to as the City, or the Square Mile, it's also the location of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London. Even so, tourist matters fall largely to the West End (the city's social and cultural center), to Soho (rife with bars, clubs, and restaurants), and to South Kensington (which boasts museums and the latest trends).
Leading industries include banking, government, tourism, telecommunications, and publishing, many of which have been standards since London's early rise to prominence. Nowadays, fashion and music find their place as well, and of course, royal-watching has evolved into its own industry, fueled by the affections and voyeurism of the general populace.
Through the city's permutations, history has been almost palpable. In it have been swept up William Shakespeare, Margaret Thatcher, Charles Dickens, Jack the Ripper, Samuel Pepys, the Beatles, and Charles Darwin. History has also engulfed foreign invasions, city-crippling infernos, and Nazi bombings. Rising up against such adversity, the city distinguished itself by building Westminster Abbey, establishing the British Museum, creating Kew Gardens, hosting the Olympics, and other such triumphs.
As material evidence of its past, city architecture includes remnants of medieval walls, well-proportioned Georgian squares, and the streamlined silhouettes of the London Eye and the Millennium Dome. Many structures have been repurposed for the new century (power plants as museums, stables as homes, and theaters as dance clubs), highlighting London's eclectic character. In its latest incarnation, the city is a place where Harrods and Gap share the spotlight as meccas of the au courant and where images as drastically departing as Queen Elizabeth II and soccer star David Beckham find popular acclaim.
Even British cuisine has been rethought. Fish and chips and shepherd's pie keep a foot firmly planted in the past, but culinary innovation at restaurants like Chez Bruce, Clarke's, and Gordon Ramsay proves that mushy peas are not a foregone conclusion. And nightlife is just as vibrant. Folks only need stop in at one of the capital city's energetic clubs to view Britain's youth, who embrace pulsing lights and international music as easily as they quaff a proper pint.
Of course, London's allure lies in how it balances those two vying forces of past and present. To experience their tension, dunk yourself wholeheartedly in the city. Hop a double-decker bus and marvel at Big Ben and the Millennium Bridge. Catch an open-air cruise on the Thames, and journey past the Tate Modern to Greenwich, home of the prime meridian. "Mind the gap" on the Tube and immerse yourself in the city's buzz and routine. Leicester Square? Victoria Station? Portobello Road? They bring their own distinct pleasures. And so – eternally – does London: outpost of Romans, province of royals, fog-dusted city sublime.
