(London, England, U.K.)

I hope you’ve enjoyed my concert reports so far. I have one more very special concert report coming up in a few days, but first I want to start reporting on the city itself.

Considering how often I’ve been to Europe, it really is strange that I’ve never been to London before (other than changing planes at Heathrow).   It didn’t take long, however, for me to realize that I had to make up for a lot of lost time.

I’m staying at the Ridgemount Hotel on Gower Street – it’s on the edge of a neighbourhood called Fitzrovia in the western part of London.  There are a number of small hotels here but it is not on the tourist trail.  There’s a large university across the street and the local “downtown” (centred on Goodge Street, Charlotte Street and Tottenham Court Road) is usually filled with locals.

Fitzrovia is perfectly situated for me.   While not touristed (I know, it’s ironic I should say that), it is nonetheless within easy walking distance of a *lot* of interesting things.  I’m only a few blocks north from Oxford Street; it has got to be the biggest shopping street in London.  As soon as I cross Oxford Street, I enter Soho.

Like so many other neighbourhoods that became real to me during my stay in London, Soho used to be just a name.  I had no idea what made Soho unique or different from neighbouring districts (such as Mayfair).  However, it is stuffed to the gills with bookstores, record shops and theatres…the perfect place for this particular tour.

On my first excursion from the hotel, I grabbed a Caribbean Roti Chicken Wrap with a tangy tamarind sauce.  The food on offer here is astonishing in its variety.   Something else that’s astonishing:  almost every block yields a name or sight that is familiar to me, even though I’ve never been here before.   I don’t think I realized how much influence London has had on Canada nor how much influence London has had on my favourite music.  Even when I’m not looking for them, musical sights are constantly appearing!

Within 30 seconds of entering Soho, I see the Govinda Restaurant and the Radha Krishna Temple.  Beatle scholars will recognize “Govinda” as a Top 30 (U.K.) hit for the Radha Krishna Temple – it was produced by George Harrison.  It’s right beside Soho Square – the home of Paul McCartney’s business empire (MPL Communications).  The list goes on and on.

The lyrics of the classic wartime song “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” include “Goodbye Piccadilly, farewell Leicester Square”:  now I see that Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are just a couple of blocks apart in real life!  And they are massive, positively crawling with tourists taking photos and trying to pick up discounted theatre tickets.  But there are plenty of Londoners here too.  Piccadilly Circus reminds me of Times Square in New York City:  see photo at the top of this post.

I have no real plan for my wanderings, as every direction yields something of interest.  A couple of blocks south brings me to Trafalgar Square with its vast open spaces, statues and the National Galleries.  Walking south here on Whitehall, into the heart of the City of Westminster, I see familiar names such as Downing Street (home of the Prime Minister) and Scotland Yard.  And then, it comes into view…

[to be continued]