There's no getting away from it, London is a world class city in every respect. And that's why I love London so much. It's older by about 1,400 years than New York, bigger than Paris or Vienna, more cosmopolitan than Los Angeles and definitely warmer than Moscow.
But it's the contrast within London that is most fascinating. It has some of the most beautiful open spaces of any world class city – London's lungs are what we call them – yet some of the streets in the old parts of London are so narrow, it's almost impossible to see the sky.
Another reason why I love London, is provided by the fact that London grew up as two cities and, to a large extent, this is still true. The City of London and world financial centre, which occupies roughly the site of the original Roman city of Londinium, has always jealously guarded its rights against incursion by the other city of Westminster, occupied by the government and monarchy. To this day, the City of London has a separate police force and its own mayor – a post once really held by the legendary Dick Whittington.
And whilst the penicillin, discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in a Paddington Hospital, saves the lives of countless thousands, London was also the location of the most notorious serial killer of the 19th century: Jack The Ripper.
. Jack The Ripper was never caught, so no one knows his real name. But it's a phrase that has entered into London's very own language: rhyming slang.
Almost as mysterious as this serial killer of east London are the secret rivers of London. London started out as little more than a marshy area where several rivers met. Unlike the Venetians, who turned their lagoon into a series of waterways, Londoners gradually covered over their rivers and many now run hidden under roads, whose names – such as Brook Street – give a hint of what lies below.
London alone boasts more royal palaces than some entire countries. Many of these, such as St James's Palace, have provided the London with spacious parks, right in the centre of the city, as a consequence of previous monarch's enthusiasm for enclosing large tracts of land to create hunting areas. These days, they make a pleasant place for London's workers to spend their lunch breaks in warm weather.
London is a great cultural centre and The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden rivals that of La Scala, in Milan, for the superb quality of its productions. Also, composers from Mozart to Vaughan Williams have connections with London and by a fluke, George Fredrick Handel and Jimi Hendrix actually lived in the same street – albeit a few centuries apart.
Literary giants from William Shakespeare to Enid Blyton have left their mark on London's history and many of Shakespeare's plays were first performed in the Globe Theatre on the banks of the River Thames. This has now been recreated in authentic materials – even down to the thatched roof - largely through the efforts of movie producer, Sam Wannamaker.
One of my favourite London walks is a stroll down Piccadilly from the statue of Eros at the bustling centre of London's theatreland, past The Royal Academy and Burlington Arcade and on to the wide open spaces of the aptly named Green Park.
I hope it won't be too long before you come to London and enjoy some of what delights me about this world class city.
Perhaps we'll meet in Piccadilly and take afternoon tea at the Ritz Hotel?
© copyright 2006 Jon Michael and London Vacation Secrets