Looking for world class food, theater, museums, shopping, ancient history and modern amenities? Someplace easy to get to with no language barrier? London’s calling.
On a recent weekend in the capital of our cousins across the pond, I found history everywhere — on the streets, in the museums and on the menus.
Along the Thames, what must be the world’s largest Union Jack ripples over the world’s oldest parliament. Cleopatra’s Needle, a 3,500-year-old obelisk covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs, stands on the Victoria Embankment. Further on, the Tower of London is home to the crown jewels and a thousand years of history.
Closer to living memory, World War II has been called Britain’s finest hour. The Imperial War Museum honors the man who called it that with one of the most unique museums anywhere, the Churchill War Rooms, a subterranean warren of map rooms, offices and living quarters beneath the Defense Ministry from which the cigar-smoking prime minister directed the British war effort.
The bunker was sealed as tight as King Tut’s tomb for decades. Maps depicting troop movements line the walls, while tea cups, pencils and notepads remain exactly where they were on the desks when the lights were turned out in 1945. I expected Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch in period costume to appear around the corner of one of the institutional-green hallways.
The accompanying multimedia exhibit of Winston Churchill’s life, from his radical youth, through the wilderness years to his martial leadership and retirement, includes recordings of him intoning the words that inspired a nation. Footage of the bibulous prime minister enjoying beer with the troops in North Africa is exceedingly rare - he preferred whisky and claret to beer.
Emerging from the dark chambers of war into the daylight, I found peace and beauty in St. James Park, where swans glide on a pond shaded by willows. The London Eye ferris wheel loomed over the bucolic scene.
Moving back in time, I forged on to Westminster Abbey, far more impressive in person than in a royal wedding telecast. The voice of Jeremy Irons audio-guided me from tombs of medieval kings and queens to the tombs of Poets Corner. The Brits give their artists a place of honor alongside royalty – that soft power thing again.
In the Bloomsbury neighborhood, the British Museum serves as the empire’s attic, a storehouse of treasures large and small collected - some would say looted – over the centuries. It is too large to take in the entire museum in one visit (or even a dozen), so I confined my perusing to the Elgin Marbles, one of the most contentious exhibits. The collection includes statues and a massive frieze from the Parthenon depicting a parade of men, women and beasts. Lord Elgin took the treasures for “safekeeping” in 1781 when Greece was under the rule of Ottoman Turks. Athens has demanded their return. Had the Brits complied, methinks German bankers might now be holding the marbles for “safekeeping” – of their loans.
You might want to take out a mortgage before shopping at Harrod’s. But even without a line of credit it’s worth going – and it won’t lighten your wallet – to gawk at the Egyptian escalators and nibble your way through the food hall. The East India Company offers free samples of its famous tea, sans water from Boston Harbor.
While you’re in the neighborhood, wave hello to Julian Assange. Or perhaps drop off some takeout for him. He could use it. The Wikileaks founder is holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy, just a block away from the famed department store.
Eating history
London’s food tells the story of empire. There is more on the menu than mushy peas, kidney pie and black pudding. The Crown’s subjects brought their kitchens with them when they came. If New York is a melting pot, London is a curry. Chicken tikka masala has been declared the national dish of the United Kingdom.
High to low, street food is all the rage, celebrated in market stalls and London’s finest restaurants. At Borough Market underneath London Bridge, vendors peddle palate-pleasing plates from Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Italy, Spain, Malaysia and Korea, as well as pulled pork, salted beef, venison burgers and seafood. Stalls offer artisanal baked goods and produce.
And just as India was the brightest jewel in the crown of the British Empire, so too is its food. You’ll find the oldest Indian restaurant in the U.K., perhaps the world, overlooking Regent Street near Piccadilly Circus. Veeraswamy opened its elegant dining room in 1926. The king of Denmark became one of the celebrity regulars. He kept a stash of his beloved Carlsberg on hand, beginning a tradition that lasts to this day: curry and beer.
Much of London has gone upscale, and so has street food. The glowing charcoals of India’s street vendors have ignited Michelin stars at Amaya, a high-end Knightsbridge establishment regularly featured on lists of top restaurants of the world. Chefs roast prawns, scallops, meats and vegetables over charcoal or plunge them into tandoori ovens in an open kitchen, the centerpiece of the funky-chic dining room.
The trick is to order as many of the small plates as you can manage, such as grilled red prawns flecked with blackened ginger, crab kebabs and the king scallop that looks like Botticelli’s Venus rising on a shell from an herbal green sea, red-topped with sun dried tomato. Don’t forget the naan, essential for scarfing up the last drop of the precious sauces.
Street food is also the muse for Masala Zone, a moderately priced restaurant with branches around town featuring snacks and fifty curries from across India. I couldn’t resist the gol guppa, ping-pong ball sized puri biscuits with lentils and tamarind. You top them off with spicy juice before popping in the mouth whole. It’s India’s crunchy answer to the soup dumpling.
I like to believe all the walking made up for all the eating. Satisfied it had, I tucked into the hotel’s breakfast buffet before my driver whisked me to Heathrow in a black Jaguar.
My weekend in London gave me a new appreciation of “the special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K.
Billions of people the world over emulate British culture. That gives this small island a power and importance that should not be underestimated. Understand Britain, and you’ll have a better understanding of America - where we are, where we’ve been and where we may be going.
Going there
The Corinthia London hotel makes a great base camp for explorations. This gorgeous Victorian edifice from 1885 in the heart of London has been restored into a stylish modern hotel. Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus and West End theaters are all a short walk away. The Thames is literally across the street, the London Eye across the river.
British Airways (BA) lets you begin your British experience before takeoff, and helps you get the most out of your visit when you land. BA has three non-stop flights daily between DC and London, including the only Airbus A380 service daily between Dulles and Heathrow, and impeccable business and first class lounges at Dulles.
Business and first class travelers can chow down on a three-course dinner before wheels-up at Club World and Concorde lounges. Dining before take off lets you maximize sleep time on comfortable lie-flat beds, so you arrive in the morning well rested and ready for the day without a hint of jet lag. Curry, cod, pasta and a selection of salads, cheeses and desserts were among recent pre-flight supper choices. A complimentary Elemis Spot-on back massage in the lounge further ensures a good night’s sleep.
BA offers 12 in-flight special meal options, including vegan, low-calorie and gluten free, and a five-course tasting menu on the A380. It’s all part of BA’s wellness program, which includes exercise and meditation videos as well as therapeutic playlists available and a Flying With Confidence video available on-board.
Before you go, check out VisitLondon.com, the one stop for the latest on exhibitions, events and transportation, including the indispensable oyster card, your hassle-free ticket to the subway, the iconic double-decker public buses and the Thames River taxis.
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