Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
want to be at the center of the action. The
downside is the noise, congestion, and pol-
lution. Perhaps the 2011 arrival of the
St.
John Hotel
(p. 180) will herald the green
shoots of a renaissance.
Much more inviting than either is
Picca-
dilly
itself, the grand avenue running west
from Piccadilly Circus, which was once the
main western road out of London. It was
named for the “picadil,” a ruffled collar cre-
ated by Robert Baker, a 17th-century tailor.
If you want to do some shopping with a bit
of added grandeur, retreat to a Regency
promenade of exclusive shops, the
Burling-
ton Arcade
(p. 149), designed in 1819.
Soho & Chinatown
Just south of the
international brands and off-the-peg
glamor of Oxford Street—the capital's
über-high street—is somewhere altogether
more distinctive: Soho, London's louche
dissolute heart. It's a place where high and
low living have gone hand in hand since the
19th century, and where today the gleam-
ing offices of international media conglom-
erates and Michelin-starred restaurants sit
next to tawdry clip joints and sex shops. In
the '50s and '60s, its smoky clubs helped
give birth to the British jazz and rock 'n' roll
scenes. There are dozens of great places to
eat, drink, and hang out, ranging from chic,
high-end gastrofests to cheap, late opening
stalwarts like
Bar Italia
(p. 148). Many of the
best are found on Dean, Frith, and Greek
Streets.
Soho is bordered by Regent Street to
the west, Oxford Street to the north, Char-
ing Cross Road (lined with secondhand
bookstores) to the east, and the The-
atreland of Shaftesbury Avenue to the
south. At its northeastern corner is Soho
Square, where the central stretch of grass is
usually packed with sunbathing workers
during sunny lunchtimes, while close to its
southern end is Old Compton Street, the
longtime home of the capital's gay scene.
Carnaby Street—a block from Regent
Street—was the epicenter of the universe
during the swinging '60s. It's recently
become a bit of a schlocky tourist trap,
although a few quality, independent stores
have begun to emerge again.
South of Shaftesbury Avenue is Lon-
don's
Chinatown
… although “town” is a
slightly grand way of describing what
essentially amounts to one-and-a-bit
streets lined with restaurants. The main
street, Gerrard Street, is rather kitsch, with
giant oriental-style gates and pagoda-
esque phone boxes. However, this is a
genuine, thriving community, and one of
the most dependable areas for Chinese
food.
Marylebone
Pretty much every town in
the country has a high street, a collection of
shops and businesses aimed at the sur-
rounding community.
Oxford Street
could
be regarded as London's high street, where
the biggest chains have flagship branches
and where several of the capital's most
prestigious department stores, including
Selfridges and John Lewis, are found. It can
be a brutal place, particularly on weekends
and the weeks before Christmas, when it is
choked with people, traffic, and noise.
North of Oxford Street, the district of
Marylebone (pronounced
Mar
-lee-bone)
was once the poor relation of Mayfair to the
south, but has become much more fashion-
able of late—certainly more so than when it
was the setting for public executions at the
Tyburn gallows (although those did at least
attract the crowds). The last executions
took place here in the late 18th century.
Marylebone has emerged as a major “bed-
room” district for London, competing with
Bloomsbury to its east. It's not as conve-
nient as Bloomsbury, but the hub of the
West End's action is virtually at your door-
step if you stay here. Once known only for
its townhouses turned into B&Bs, the dis-
trict now offers accommodations in all
price ranges, catering to everyone from
rock stars to frugal family travelers.
Mayfair
Once a simple stretch of fields
outside the main part of the city where an
annual party was held at the start of sum-
mer (the “May Fair” that gave the area its
name), this is now one of the most exclu-
sive sections of London, filled with luxury
hotels, Georgian townhouses, and swanky
shops—hence its status as the most expen-
sive property on the U.K. version of the
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