Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Piccadilly Circus
Althoughthissquareisslatheredwithneonbillboardsandtackyattractions(thinkofitasthe
Times Square of London), the surrounding streets are packed with great shopping opportun-
ities and swimming with youth on the rampage.
Nearby Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square teem with fun-seekers, theaters,
Chinese restaurants, and street singers. To the northeast is London's Chinatown and, beyond
that, the funky Soho neighborhood (described next). And curling to the northwest from Pic-
cadilly Circus is genteel Regent Street, lined with the city's most exclusive shops.
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Soho
North of Piccadilly, seedy Soho has become trendy—with many recommended restaur-
ants—andiswellworthagawk.It'stheepicenterofLondon'sthriving,colorfulyouthscene,
a fun and funky
Sesame Street
of urban diversity.
Soho is also London's red light district (especially near Brewer and Berwick Streets),
where “friendly models” wait in tiny rooms up dreary stairways, voluptuous con artists sell
strip shows, and eager male tourists are frequently ripped off. But it's easy to avoid trouble
if you're not looking for it. In fact, the sleazy joints share the block with respectable pubs
and restaurants, and elderly couples stroll past neon signs that flash
Licensed Sex Shop in
Basement.
Thislargesquareteemswithpeopleandstreetperformers—jugglers,swordswallowers,and
guitar players. London's buskers (including those in the Tube) are auditioned, licensed, and
assigned times and places where they are allowed to perform.
The square's centerpiece is a covered marketplace. A market has been here since medi-
eval times, when it was the “convent” garden owned by Westminster Abbey. In the 1600s, it
became a housing development with this courtyard as its center, done in the Palladian style
byInigoJones.Today'sfineiron-and-glass structure wasbuilt in1830(whensuchbuildings
were all the Industrial Age rage) to house the stalls of what became London's chief produce
market. Covent Garden remained a produce market until 1973, when its venerable arcades
were converted to boutiques, cafés, and antiques shops. A market still thrives here today.
