“The City of London is a district of London. Sometimes referred to as just the City. The City vies with New York City as the financial capital of the world; many banking and insurance institutions have their headquarters in the vicinity. The London Stock Exchange (shares and bonds), Lloyd’s of London (insurance) and the Bank of England are all based there. London is the world’s greatest foreign exchange market, with much of the trade conducted in the City. Of the $3.98 trillion daily global turnover, as measured in 2009, trading in London accounted for around $1.85 trillion, or 46.7% of the total. Many major global companies have their headquarters in the City, including Aviva, BT Group, Lloyds Banking Group, Old Mutual, Prudential, Standard Chartered, Unilever and Ernst and Young.” (source wikipedia.org)
This info is widely available for everyone to see. As a professional I find it very interesting, indeed. However, travelling has another aspect which is a bit more personal in nature and here are some thoughts which might probably also have run or will run through your head when go to this great city. The first thing you need to know about London is that it is heavily populated. “Congestion ahead, please find alternative route” remains the weirdest sign I have ever seen by far. It greeted me when I was there for the first time in 2008. Since then I have been to London on a couple of occasions, both for business and pleasure. This last time (March 2013) was for the later. Or so I thought. 😀 Another thing I can tell you about the city as a whole is that it looks really distinguished with the skyline in the background (particularly with the Shard and the Gherkin overlooking on both sites of the Themes) but it also feels a bit impersonal.
The sheer number of people commuting every second using the veins of the city, also known as “The Tube”, is just staggering. This mass transportation service is one of the oldest ever to be built and given the propensity of the British people to stick to tradition, it seems it has not seen a lot of upgrades through the years. “Mind the gap” phrase is all too well-known to the foreigners, but I would also advise future travelers who have not yet been to the city to mind their step as well, before the train arrives, as the space on the platforms may be very narrow. In rush hour, especially, a lot of the major stations overcrowd very fast. On the positive side, my impression is that the Tube is very reliable and most of the lines run within a 2-4 min interval, so don’t worry about missing a train.
If you find yourself in London for pleasure, there are certainly plenty of sights to see, and all of them you can find easily in any guide book or website. Unfortunately, when I was there the cold was a bit too much for my liking and although it was the end of March it was snowing! So make sure to double and triple check the weather before you leave. Most of the sights run along the river, however there are a few which are scattered around. Therefore if you are on a tight schedule and only have a weekend or so to look around I would recommend you begin your journey from Westminster metro station and make your way down the river, from there towards Tower Bridge. I also recommend the British Museum as a really interesting place to visit, especially if you enjoy worldly artifacts from the ages. And when I say worldly I mean literally from every corner of the Earth! (Small hint: The Rosetta Stone 😉 )If you are more of an art person the preferable choice would be the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Many of the famous artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and Degas will be there on display.
Dining can be tricky. Depending if you are on a company dime or eating out of your own pocket the number of choices will vary but will still be pretty high. Either way I would recommend starting your day with the famous traditional English breakfast, which believe or not, will keep you sated right until dinner. Beans, sausages, bacon, eggs, fried mushrooms and grilled tomatoes make for one hell of a meal. When they said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they were right. And the British certainly took that adage to the letter. And don’t forget the tea! The tea is very important, not only because it is England but also because the quality and taste there is indeed exquisite!
As far as restaurants go, I have always found it difficult with menus in the UK as dishes often have some weird (to me) names, which I have hard time deciphering. Maybe because some of them are actually in French (sorry, but it is true). Beef stake with mushroom sauce or potato mash, however, I think will be your safe bet in most places. A wonderful restaurant for dinner is The Wolseley (www.thewolseley.com). It is very much in the center, close to Buckingham Palace. It certainly looks posh, but the prices on the menu are not all that high, considering the location, service and quality of the food. Remember to make a reservation online!
I hope this little intro gave you a small taste of what to expect when you arrive in London. So get ready, make the rest of arrangements for the trip and get yourself excited cause this is London we are talking about! So it will surely be awesome! 😀
Have fun and good luck!
K
Business - Travel - Pleasure 
Pingback: Electrolux Design Lab – Appliances Extravaganza | Innovation - Strategy - Sustainability