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Forget convenient labels like 'Cool Britannia' and the 'Millennium City', London is far more than any neat term can encapsulate: a living, breathing metropolis whose influence resonates around the globe. It is a city laced with layer upon layer of intoxicating history, which began as the Romans set up camp along the River Thames. This meandering waterway became the lifeblood of the London that emerged over the next two millennia. Despite devastating plagues, a near fatal fire and the worst ravages of Nazi bombers during World War II, London became the epicentre of the world's largest ever maritime empire, and later metamorphosed into the economic powerhouse of the United Kingdom. London today is a modern European hub, replete with sharp-suited executives, a high-tech financial 'City' and gleaming skyscrapers. London may still be the famed ramble of villages it romantically claims to be, but it is also very much a twenty-first-century metropolis. The sheer scale of Greater London can be daunting at first, sprawling 1500 sq kilometres (580 sq miles) out across a voluminous plain, swallowing villages and towns as it goes, with a population of around seven million inhabitants. Trying to generalise and categorise its people is as impossible as pigeonholing the city itself. Cosmopolitan is an understatement to describe a polyglot population with 37 distinct immigrant groups each of more than 10,000 people. London's importance to the United Kingdom cannot be overstated. Despite recent devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, London is still the hub of British business, political and financial life, the seat of government, the home of the royal family and also the city where the majority of tourists arrive to spend most of their time and money. In the last decade, London has become an ever more attractive proposition for tourists, especially as the stagnant restaurant scene has been given a shot in the arm by the emergence of confident British, rather than continental, chefs who have created the phenomenon of 'Modern British Cooking'. Simultaneously, the drudge of 1980s wine bars has been usurped by trendy style-bars and pre-club haunts and the nightclub scene has burgeoned. This year UK, or speed, garage has become the sound of the capital as well as influencing dancefloors around the globe. Today, London is asserting itself in numerous ways, not least by electing a feisty, independent mayor, Ken Livingstone, against the express wishes of Tony Blair and his Labour government colleagues. Whatever the successes and failures of Livingstone's reign, there is unlikely to be any stopping a city whose emerging skyline is envisaged to one day match the likes of Manhattan, especially if plans to build Europe's highest tower, nicknamed the 'Gherkin', go ahead. Simultaneously, all along the oft-neglected River Thames, where London's remarkable story began, a multitude of tourist and business developments are springing up. The days when the River Thames was the lifeblood of the city are returning, adding yet another intriguing chapter to a city that has always refused to be categorised or pinned down by anyone. Location: Southeastern England, United Kingdom. Population: 7,074,300 (metropolitan area). Ethnic mix: 37 different communities, each with over 10,000 people. Time zone: GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). Electricity: 240 volts AC, 50Hz; square three-pin plugs are standard. Average January temp: 6°C (43°F). Average July temp: 19°C (66°F). Annual rainfall: 799mm (32 inches).
One-litre bottle of mineral water: £0.70 33cl bottle of beer: £0.99 Financial Times newspaper: £0.85 36-exposure colour film: £3.99 City-centre bus ticket: £1 Adult football ticket: £20-40 Three-course meal with wine/beer: From £17 £1= US$1.43; Can$2.20; Aus$2.75 British Airways London Eye Towering 135m (444ft) into the heavens right in the heart of London, the BA London Eye is literally an unmissable attraction. The initial engineering problems have long been forgotten as the world's tallest observation wheel has emerged as one of the city's most popular attractions. Its unparalleled views of the city skyline, which are particularly impressive in the evening, reach as far away as 40km (25 miles). The experience is one revolution of the wheel, lasting approximately 30 minutes. Jubilee Gardens, South Bank, SE1 Tel: (0870) 500 0600 (booking line). Website: www.ba-londoneye.com Transport: Underground Waterloo or Charing Cross. Opening hours: Daily 0930-1800. Admission: £8.50 (concessions available). Tate Gallery of Modern Art Yet another new attraction for the year 2000 is the Tate Modern. This 130-million-Pound project is a model of urban regeneration with the disused Bankside Power Station transformed into an avant-garde space dedicated to twentieth-century art. The permanent exhibition contains much of the Tate Gallery's collection of modern work, displayed thematically rather than chronologically. This includes major works by Matisse, Picasso, Rothko and Warhol, as well as contemporary pieces The Bankside area is itself becoming one of the most exciting of the city. The new 14-million-Pound Millennium Bridge is the first new River Thames crossing in the capital for more than a century. Designed by Lord Foster, it provides a pedestrian link from St Paul's Cathedral (see below) in the north to the Tate Modern. However, it has been plagued by safety problems since its opening in spring 2000, and these have led to its temporary closure. Bankside's cultural regeneration harks back to the area's Golden Age as the centre of the Elizabethan theatre scene. Shakespeare's plays were originally performed at the Globe Theatre here and can now be seen at the beautifully reconstructed Globe Theatre & Exhibition (tel: (020) 7902 1400; website: www.shakespeares-globe.org). Other attractions in the area include Vinopolis, Bankside (tel: (0870) 444 4777), an interactive celebration of wine, and the Golden Hinde (tel: (020) 7403 0123), a replica of Sir Francis Drake's flagship, moored at St Mary Overie Dock. Southwark Cathedral (tel: (020) 7407 3708) lies on the edge of nearby Borough Market. Bankside, SE1 Tel: (020) 7887 8000 (information line). E-mail: boxoffice@tate.org.uk Website: www.tate.org.uk Transport: Underground Southwark or Blackfriars. Opening hours: Sun-Thurs 1000-1800, Fri and Sat 1000-2200. Admission: Free; donations welcome Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster contains the Houses of Parliament, part of which, of course, is one of the city's most famous landmarks: Big Ben, which is actually just the huge bell of St Stephen's clock tower. The most ancient part of the building, Westminster Hall, is 900 years old. The rest of the palace was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in the nineteenth century to designs by Charles Barry, after almost total destruction by fire. Free group tours of the palace, including the Royal Robing Rooms, the House of Lords and the House of Commons, must be booked in advance. UK visitors should contact their MP; overseas visitors should apply to the Parliament Education Unit (tel: (020) 7219 4600) for the organisation of group tours. Visitors who want to see Parliament in session can join one of the queues outside the Palace from October to July Parliament Square, SW1 Tel: (020) 7219 4272. Fax: (020) 7219 5839. Website: www.parliament.uk Transport: Underground Westminster. Admission: Free; official guide £25. Westminster Abbey Across Parliament Square is Westminster Abbey - a magnificent Gothic structure where innumerable members of the British royal family have been christened, married, crowned and interred. Consecrated in the eleventh century under Edward the Confessor, it was rebuilt in Gothic style over the next four centuries. Highlights include Henry VII's Chapel, Poet's Corner and the Coronation Chair. Parliament Square, SW1 Tel: (020) 7222 7110. Fax: (020) 7233 2072. Website: www.westminster-abbey.org Transport: Underground Westminster. Opening hours: (sightseeing) Mon-Fri 0930-1545 and Sat 0930-1345; (religious services only) all day Sun. Admission: £5 (concessions available). Trafalgar Square Admiral Nelson lords it over the traffic, the tourists and the pigeons from the top of his column on Trafalgar Square. On the north side is the National Gallery, one of the world's great museums, which houses an incredible collection of Western painting from the thirteenth to the early twentieth century, as well as frequent special exhibitions. Nearby, at 2 St Martin's Place, the National Portrait Gallery displays the country's famous, infamous and forgotten in the media of oil, watercolour, marble and photography. In May 2000, the Queen officially opened the new Ondaatje Wing, which includes a lecture theatre and restaurant, as well as being part of a wider project to make the gallery more spacious and the art more enjoyable and accessible. Opposite the gallery is the beautiful eighteenth-century neo-classical church St Martin-in-the-Fields, which hosts regular concerts and has a café in the crypt. Trafalgar Square, WC2 Tel: (020) 7747 2885 (National Gallery); (020) 7306 0055 (National Portrait Gallery); (020) 7766 1100 (St Martin-in-the-Fields). Website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk or www.npg.org.uk Transport: Underground Charing Cross or Leicester Square. Opening hours: (National Gallery) daily 1000-1800 (Wed until 2100); (National Portrait Gallery) Mon-Sat 1000-1800 and Sun 1200-1800. Admission: Free. Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace may charge exorbitant entry fees, but as the London home of the Queen it draws millions of tourists each year. They flock to witness royal pageantry dating back centuries at the Changing of the Guard ceremony at 1130 daily from April to July (alternate days at other times of the year), and for the rare chance to see inside a royal residence. The building, by John Nash and Edward Blore, was built in the nineteenth century around the shell of Buckingham House, and the rather drab façade was added in 1913. The State Rooms of the palace, including the Throne Room and the Picture Gallery, are only open to the public in summer. Buckingham Palace Road, SW1 Tel: (020) 7321 2233. Fax: (020) 7930 9625. Website: www.royal.gov.uk/palaces/bp.htm Transport: Underground Green Park, Victoria or Hyde Park Corner. Opening hours: 6 Aug-3 Oct only: daily 0930-1615. Admission: £10.50 (concessions available). Tower of London & Tower Bridge The infamous royal fortress, the Tower of London, on Tower Hill was begun in 1078 by William the Conqueror and remained a royal residence until the mid-sixteenth century. Today, it houses the priceless Crown Jewels and the Royal Armouries. The history of the tower is a catalogue of intrigue and bloodshed - key historical figures, including members of the royal family, were imprisoned, tortured or executed here. There are hour-long tours of the main sights. A special exhibition throughout 2000 celebrates the Tower's last two thousand years. Nearby, Tower Bridge, a prime example of Victorian architecture and engineering, spans the River Thames. Hydraulic machinery, hidden in twin neo-Gothic towers, lifts the central section to allow ships in and out of the Pool of London. Visitors can learn about the bridge in the Tower Bridge Experience or enjoy the excellent views towards Canary Wharf and the City of London. On the northeast side, the harbour at St Katharine's Dock marks the beginning of the London Docklands, while the warehouses to the south house the stylish Design Museum and the Bramah Tea & Coffee Museum. Tower Hill, EC3 Tel: (020) 7709 0765 (Tower of London); (020) 7403 3761 (Tower Bridge); (020) 7403 6933 (Design Museum); (020) 7378 0222 (Bramah). Website: www.tower-of-london.com or www.towerbridge.org.uk or www.designmuseum.org Transport: Underground Tower Hill. Opening hours: (Tower of London) Mon-Sat 0900-1700 and Sun 1000-1700; (Tower Bridge) daily 1000-1830. Admission: (Tower of London) £11; (Tower Bridge) £8.30 (concessions available). St Paul's
Cathedral Paternoster Square, EC4 Tel: (020) 7236 4128 or 7246 8348 (information line). Fax: (020) 7248 3104. Website: www.stpauls.co.uk Transport: Underground St Paul's. Opening hours: (worship) Mon-Sat 0715-1800 and Sun 0745-1700; (sightseeing) Mon-Sat 0830-1600 (galleries from 0930). Sightseeing is restricted on Sun and religious holidays. Admission: (cathedral) £5; (galleries) £4; concessions available British Museum Currently embroiled in a lengthy refurbishment programme, whose centrepiece is Lord Foster's ambitious glass-roofed Great Court, the British Museum is one of the world's great museums. Visitors to the British Museum must contend with a mind-boggling six million artefacts plucked (or plundered) by collectors from all corners of the globe. The awesome scale of the museum means it is essential to select just a few of the 94 galleries for close attention. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone, a copy of the Magna Carta and the controversial Elgin Marbles (taken from the Parthenon in Athens), which Greece want back before the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. A new British Museum souvenir shop opened in the year 2000 next to the museum. Great Russell Street, WC1 Tel: (020) 7636 1555 or 7323 8000. Fax: (020) 7323 8616. Website: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk Transport: Underground Russell Square. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700 and Sun 1200-1800. Admission: Free. Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is one of three major museums in South Kensington; the others being the Natural History Museum (tel: (020) 7942 5000; website: www.nhm.ac.uk) and the Science Museum (tel: (020) 7942 4000; website: www.nmsi.ac.uk). Founded in the nineteenth century as a museum of the decorative arts, the V&A's 11km (seven miles) of corridors trace a path through paintings, jewellery, furniture and textiles dating from 3000BC to the present day. Highlights include the Raphael Cartoons, the sculpture court and the collection of vintage costumes. The V&A is going through a massive period of renovation and expansion, the centrepiece of which, the controversial new extension known as The Spiral, is under construction. Designed by Daniel Libekind, the groundbreaking structure will be a self-supporting spiral, covered in hand-crafted ivory-coloured tiles. Cromwell Road, SW7 Tel: (020) 7942 2000. Website: www.vam.ac.uk Transport: Underground South Kensington. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1745; plus Wed 1830-2130 (seasonal Late View). Admission: £5 (children free); free daily 1630-1745 Tate Britain The Gallery of Modern British Art opened in 1897 around the collection of sugar merchant Henry Tate, and now holds an unrivalled collection of English painting from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. All twentieth-century art has moved to the newly opened Tate Modern (see above). The magnificent Turner Bequest is housed in the purpose-built Clore Gallery. Millbank, SW1 Tel: (020) 7887 8725. Fax: (020) 7887 8788. Website: www.tate.org.uk Transport: Underground Pimlico. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1750 and Sun 1400-1750. Admission: Free (except for temporary exhibitions). London Aquarium The London Aquarium has Europe's largest display of fish and marine life; 350 different species from around the world are represented by 30,000 live specimens. In the 'Pacific Tank', sand tigers and brown sharks swim in one million litres (220,000 gallons) of water, while rays, hermit crabs, anemones and starfish draw children to the interactive pools. County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 Tel: (020) 7967 8000. Fax: (020) 7967 8029. E-mail: info@londonaquarium.co.uk Website: www.londonaquarium.co.uk Transport: Underground Westminster or Waterloo. Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800. Admission: £8.50 (concessions available). London is one of the world's great shopping cities with over 30,000 retail outlets dotted across the capital. Typically for London, particular areas of the city have their own shopping character. The King's Road in Chelsea has a long-standing reputation for fashion. Old and New Bond Streets harbour some of the city's most exclusive designer outlets and high-powered art galleries. Saville Row and Jermyn Street remain the homes of bespoke tailoring. Knightsbridge boasts world-famous Harrods, with its legendary sales and heavenly food hall. Oxford and Regent Streets attract swarms of shoppers to well-known clothing shops and megastores, including Hamley's toy emporium. Tottenham Court Road is lined with electrical shops but, just south, Charing Cross Road has long been the centre for bookshops in London, with enticing second-hand shops and bigger chains, while the world's largest bookshop, Waterstones, is situated at Piccadilly. Covent Garden is one of the most popular areas of town: the Piazza, once the site of the fruit and vegetable market, is now filled with specialist shops, cafés and craft stalls, and street performers and musicians entertain the crowds; while Neal Street contains trendy clothes and shoe shops. Standard shopping hours are 0930-1730/1800 Monday to Saturday; some shops stay open as late as 2000. Shops rarely close for lunch and many are now also open 1200-1800 on Sunday. Late-night opening is held on different days of the week depending on the area. Most major stores and shops in the West End are part of the Tax-Free Shopping scheme by Global Refund (tel: (0800) 829 373), which offers VAT refunds to visitors from outside the EU. Visiting one or more of London's markets is a way of combining shopping with a cultural experience. The vast weekend market at Camden Lock, Chalk Farm Road, NW1, is one of the city's top attractions. Clothing, furniture, crafts and food draw a motley assortment of bemused American tourists, excitable exchange students and laid-back locals. Visitors also flock to the Saturday antiques and flea market on the Portobello Road, W11. In the East End, Sunday markets, selling everything from fruit and veg to jewellery and junk, are held on Petticoat Lane and Brick Lane, E1, while Columbia Road, E2, is brightened with a flower market. Antiques and crafts can be found at Spitalfields, E1; Camden Passage (in Islington) N1, and Greenwich Market, SE10. Finally, Brixton market on Electric Avenue, SW9, offers the biggest selection of Caribbean food in Europe. Shopping tips are available from this website (www.Londontown.com/shopping). London's cultural scene combines the assurance of long-standing tradition with the verve of regained creativity. The sheer breadth of cultural activities on offer in London is breathtaking with over 150 theatres and 300 art galleries. In London today, contemporary figures like Tracy Emin and Zadie Smith complement the rich heritage of Turner and Shakespeare. The hulking concrete mass of the South Bank Centre, SE1 (tel: (020) 7960 4242; website: www.sbc.org.uk), is one of the city's cultural meccas. It houses the Hayward Gallery and three concert halls: the Royal Festival Hall, home of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (website: www.lpo.co.uk), the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. Next door, the flagship Royal National Theatre (tel: (020) 7452 3400 (information) or 7452 3000 (box office); website: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk) performs in three auditoria: The Olivier, The Cottesloe and The Lyttleton. The National Film Theatre (tel: (020) 7928 3232) is also based here. Flying the cultural flag north of the river, the labyrinthine Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2 (tel: (020) 7638 8891 (tickets) or 7638 4141 (information); website: www.barbican.org.uk), is an all-inclusive performing and visual arts venue with a varied all-year programme of events. It is also the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (website: www.rsc.org.uk) and the London Symphony Orchestra (tel: (020) 7588 1116; website: www.lso.co.uk). Annual highlights of the cultural season include the prestigious Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly, W1 (tel: (020) 7413 1717), and the summer series of BBC Promenade Concerts (the Proms) at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 (tel: (020) 7589 8212; website: www.bbc.co.uk). Non-seated tickets are a snip at £3 and the Last Night, led by the BBC Symphony Orchestra (tel: (020) 7765 4216), is one of the few occasions when unabashed patriotism is the order of the day London Tourist Board's Visitor Call service (tel: (0906) 133 7799) and Time Out magazine (website: www.timeout.com) provide details of the week's entertainment. Ticket agencies include First Call Ticketing (tel: (020) 7420 0000 (theatre) or 7420 1000 (concerts)); Ticketmaster UK (tel: (020) 7344 4444) and the Guardian Box Office (tel: (020) 7494 5379). The world-famous Royal Opera House at Covent Garden (tel: (020) 7304 4000; website: www.royalopera.org), has reopened after a facelift and is home to the Royal Opera; however, despite some attempts to cut the price, ballet and opera tickets are still often prohibitively expensive. More accessible are performances by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, WC2 (tel: (020) 7632 8300). Large-scale concerts are performed at the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall, home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (tel: (020) 7608 2381; website: www.rpo.co.uk). Music connoisseurs head for the traditional but friendly surroundings of the Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, W1 (tel: (020) 7935 2141), to hear impeccable chamber music and solo recitals. More informal concerts take place in halls and churches all over the capital, including St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square (see the Key Attractions section), St John's, Smith Square, SW1 and St James's, Piccadilly, W1. Summer sees a month of music at the City of London Festival and regular outdoor performances in Holland Park theatre (tel: (020) 7602 7856) and in the gardens of Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath (tel: (020) 7973 3427). Theatre: Within the extraordinary diversity of London's theatre scene, the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company compete for audiences with commercial West End theatres, repertory companies, 'off-West End' productions and fringe theatres. Tickets for blockbuster musicals in the West End cost up to £40. They can be purchased in advance from the theatre box office, or half-price on the day of the performance from the ticket booth on Leicester Square, WC1. Cultural events: New Year revelry, sometimes of the unruly and even violent sort, has long been a London tradition with the focus on crowded Trafalgar Square. A few weeks later, Lion Dancers welcome the Chinese New Year in Chinatown. July sees the Coin Street Festival at Gabriel's Wharf, SE1, the Greenwich and Docklands Festival (website: www.festival.org), the Soho Festival in the West End, the one-day Irish Fleadh in Finsbury Park, N4, and the Mardi Gras parade and festival, which is a chance for the city's gay and lesbian population to strut their stuff. The Notting Hill Carnival - a two-day celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture during the August Bank Holiday weekend - is Europe's largest street carnival, attended by over two million people. More sedate events include the Trooping of the Colour, celebrating the Queen's official birthday in June, and the impressive Lord Mayor's Show in November, which is a display of the long-standing independence of the City of London. London's nightlife is currently buzzing with everything from some of Europe's liveliest nightclubs, right through to hip style bars and traditional old London taverns. Nightspots can be found across the capital, although there is a particular concentration in the West End, especially around Soho (which is the main hangout for the ultra-hip as well as the gay community). Although there are plans for a major shake-up, England's licensing laws mean that pubs and bars still traditionally close at 2300 Monday to Saturday and at 2230 on Sunday. However, many places have special licences that allow them to stay open later. Clubs usually open at 2100, fill up by 2300/2400, and stay open until 0300 during the week and 0500 at weekends. Few can be defined by their music, featuring different styles on different nights, with regular sets by guest DJs. The best way to keep abreast of goings-on is to check out the listings in the weekly Time Out (website: www.timeout.com). Bars If a traditional English pub is what you are after, try the seventeenth-century George Inn, 77 Borough High Street, SE1 - the only extant example of a galleried coaching inn in London; alternatively, in the centre, make for The Crown, 51 New Oxford Street, WC1, which boasts some of the cheapest beers in the West End. A welcome addition to the Soho scene is Yo!Below, in the basement of Yo!Sushi, 52 Poland Street, W1, featuring Japanese cartoons, karaoke-singing staff, self-service beer dispensers and masseuses. For beer lovers, the Freedom Brewing Company, 41 Earlham Street, WC2, is essential as it brews its own beer. If the 1980s are more your style, try the popular Bleeding Heart wine bar off Greville Street, EC1, or dip into the excellent wine and cheese list of basement Bar des Amis, 11-14 Hanover Place, WC2. Match, 45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1, is the brainchild of London cocktail guru Dick Bradsell, offering a wild range of familiar and not so familiar cocktails. Point 101, 101 New Oxford Street, WC1A, is a late-night West End bar that defies the archaic drinking laws with plenty of space and up-to-date dance sounds. Newcomers to the bar scene for 2000 include the stylish Cynthia's Bridge Bar and Lounge, London Bridge, SE1, which is a one-stop venue for drinking, dancing and eating, and boasts the world's first cocktail-serving robots. Vertigo, Level 42, Tower 42, Old Broad Street, EC2, at 180m (590ft) above the ground, is the UK's highest new bar with stunning views across the city from the floor to ceiling windows. Casinos There are over 20 casinos in London. For contact details and other information, refer to the British Casino Association, 38 Grosvenor Gardens, SW1 0EB (tel: (020) 7730 1050; website: www.british-casinos.co.uk). Clubs In 2000, UK garage is the 'in' sound of London, but a variety of musical styles still pervade clubs throughout the capital. The world-famous super-club Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 (website: www.ministryofsound.co.uk) is still attracting clubbers a decade on with its stunning sound system pumping out popular house and garage. A new rival that opened in 1999 amid a blaze of publicity is Home, 1 Leicester Square, WC1 (website: www.homecorp.com). A vast club and entertainment venue, spread over seven floors, it has a VIP members' only bar on the sixth floor. At the end of 1999, Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1 (website: www.fabric-london.com), joined the super-club fray as Londoners become increasingly spoilt for choice. Home to legendary UK Garage nights is The End, an ultra-stylish club at 18A West Central Street, WC1. Bar Rumba, 36 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1, packs in the punters with a variety of dance tunes. Mix with VIPs at stylish and exclusive Browns, 4 Great Queen Street, WC2 - members-only during the week; or two-step back to the glamour of the 1920s at the sumptuous Café de Paris, 3 Coventry Street, W1. Fans of flares and fluffy funk can relive the 1970s on Saturdays at the Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 (Saturday Night Fever) and at LA2, 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2 (Carwash). Disco gear gets a discount on admission. Scantily clad professional 'dancers' and a light show entertain you at Stringfellows, 16-19 Upper St Martin's Lane, WC1. Live music International acts play at Earl's Court Exhibition Centre, SW5, and Wembley Arena. Next door, Wembley Stadium is a vast auditorium for massive stars, although its last event before a five-year renovation will be in November 2000. Mainstream pop stars can be heard at the London Arena, Limeharbour, E14. For a more unique atmosphere try the Astoria (LA1), 157 Charing Cross Road, WC2, or Brixton Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, SW9. The Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green, W12, and the Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, NW5, draw medium-sized acts, while the original Mean Fiddler, 28A Kilburn High Street, NW10, hosts folk, country and rock events. Pubs with regular live music include the Bull & Gate, 389 Kentish Town Road, NW5, and the Swan, 215 Clapham Road, SW9. For jazz head to the Jazz Café, 5 Parkway, NW1, or to Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street, W1, a legendary venue in the heart of Soho Comedy The Comedy Store (tel: (020) 7344 0234) at Haymarket House, Oxenden Street, SW1, still offers the best comedy in town. Jongleurs comedy and cabaret clubs are based in Clapham, Camden Lock and Bow (tel: (020) 7564 2525). New Year's Eve Celebrations, 31 Dec-1 Jan 2001 New Year's Day Parade, 1 Jan, Parliament Square to Berkeley Square London International Boat Show, 4-14 Jan,Earls Court Exhibition Centre Chinese New Year Celebrations, 28 Jan, Gerrard Street and Leicester Square Head of the River Race, 17 Mar, River Thames from Mortlake to Putney Classic Motor Show, 17-18 Mar, Alexandra Palace Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, 24 Mar, River Thames from Mortlake to Putney Flora London Marathon, 22 Apr, Blackheath to the Mall Matsuri (showcase for Japanese culture, including taiko drumming, food stalls, participatory dancing, martial arts, music, games and workshops), 19-20 May, Hyde Park Chelsea Flower Show, 22-25 May, Royal Hospital Chelsea Trooping of the Colour (The Queen's Birthday Parade), 16 Jun, Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Horse Guards' Parade Regent's Park Flower Festival, 21-24 Jun, Regent's Park Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, 25 Jun-8 Jul, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon City of London Festival 2001, 26 Jun-19 Jul, City of London Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, 30 Jun-8 Jul, Greenwich International Henley Royal Regatta, 4-8 Jul, Henley-on-Thames BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, 20 Jul-15 Sep, Royal Albert Hall Notting Hill Carnival, 26-27 Aug, Notting Hill Thames Festival (arts, sport and river events), 16 Sep, Westminster Bridge to Southwark Cathedral London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, 4 Nov, from Hyde Park Lord Mayor's Show, 10 Nov, City of London Remembrance Sunday, 11 Nov, Whitehall All restaurant bills are subject to VAT (Value Added Tax) of 17.5%, which is usually included in the prices given. A service charge (usually 12.5%) may be included in the prices stated on the menu but it is more likely to find it added to the bill at the end. This is technically an optional charge but it would be very unusual to ask for it to be removed. Where 'Service is not included', a tip of at least 10% is expected, although 15% is becoming the norm. Diners should check the bill thoroughly as tipping is not required on top of a service charge. The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal and for a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include VAT but not service charge or tip. The Connaught Award-winning chef Michel Bourdin has been based at the distinguished Connaught Hotel in Mayfair for over 25 years. His mouthwatering, rich, classic French and English cuisine can be sampled in two formal spaces: either the Edwardian-style mahogany-panelled dining room or the more intimate green and gold Georgian-style Grill Room. Service is honed to a fine art in both, with courteous French waiters pampering diners. Dishes are brought to the table under silver domes and prepared with the highest level of care. Oysters, truffles, game, lobster, foie gras and cream are major ingredients. Smart dress is required for dining at this elegant, gastronomic temple. Connaught Hotel, Carlos Place, W1 Tel: (020) 7499 7070. Fax: (020) 7495 3262. E-mail: info@the-connaught.co.uk Website: www.savoy-group.co.uk Price: £70. Wine: £22. Gordon Ramsay The only restaurant in London to boast three Michelin stars, diners need to book at least a month in advance to experience this revered Chelsea establishment. Famous as much for his fiery temper as his exceptionally fine French-based cuisine, Gordon Ramsay stays behind the kitchen doors supervising his underlings, rather than playing front of house. Seated at small, round tables in an intimate environment, diners can enjoy exquisite creations like terrine of baby chicken and foie gras layered with girolles and leeks, followed by monkfish with a scallop beignet and ravioli of pineapple with red berries. If three courses is not enough, then diners can sample the seven-course Prestige menu for £80. Le Gavroche Since its opening in 1967 by brothers Albert and Michel Roux, Le Gavroche has been setting the culinary benchmark for the British restaurant scene. Currently run by Michelin-starred chef, Michel Roux Junior, with the assistance of award-winning maitre d', Silvano Giraldin, diners can expect the highest standards of food, wine and service - at prices to match. Highly praised dishes include the artichoke hearts with foie gras, truffles and chicken mousse, the grilled sea bream with pea and wild mushroom sauce and the baked sea bass with tiger prawns. 43 Upper Brook Street, W1 Tel: (020) 7408 0881. Fax: (020) 7491 4387. E-mail: gavroche@cwcom.net Website: www.le-gavroche.co.uk Price: £65. Wine: £19.50. Lindsay House Irish-born chef, Richard Corrigan, has been lauded with praise for his modern British top-of-the-range cooking at Lindsay House. Encased within a discreet Regency-style townhouse, diners must ring the doorbell for admittance to the two-floor gold-embossed interior, which seats just 48. The innovative menu changes daily depending on market purchases but mains to look out for are the roast pigeon with pig's trotters, apple and pumpkin chutney or the rabbit with black pudding in mustard jus. Sommelier, Thierry Taliban, also presents an extensive and impressive wine list. 21 Romilly Street, W1V Tel: (020) 7439 0450. Fax: (020) 437 7349. Website: www.lindsayhouse.co.uk Price: £65. Wine: £29.30. Fish! An eye-catching glass and metal building in between Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market, Fish! serves up the freshest catch of the day in a stylish, funky environment. Its simple formula of healthy, non-fussy cooking has proved exceptionally popular. Diners can go for regular dishes like fish pie or fish and chips, or plump for the 'choose your own' option. This way, it is a question of deciding which type of fish to have, whether to have it grilled or steamed, and what sauce (salsa, hollandaise, herb butter, olive oil or red wine gravy) should accompany it. Cathedral Street, SE1 Tel: (020) 7234 3333. Fax: (020) 234 3343. E-mail: reservations@fish.plc.uk Website: www.fishdiner.co.uk Price: £25. Wine: £9.90. |
