Every time I see news or photos from London, I can’t help but think about the amazing experiences I have had since I started going to London over 45 years ago.
I remember my first changing of the guard, my first visit to Buckingham Palace when they opened for tours for the first time, the many great plays and musicals I have seen there, the all-Tchaikovsky concert at Royal Albert Hall including the fireworks during the 1812 Overture, my first Henley Regatta eating poached salmon and drinking champagne in the Royal Enclosure and the black tie summer party at the Hurlingham Club when the Royal Marine Band played Rule Britannia as they marched at midnight on the croquet field. Then there was my study of the architecture of Sir Christopher Wren and seeing most of his churches in the city plus his buildings in Chelsea and Greenwich, my first tea at the Connaught Hotel, my many walks through the city, attending sessions of both houses of Parliament, shopping on Jermyn Street and Beauchamp Place, sitting in the choir during the Easter Sunday service at Westminster Abbey in 1974, lunch at the St. Stephens Club, visiting the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall, and briefly seeing Princess Diana at Wimbledon. My funniest memory was standing next to Sean Connery at the urinal during intermission of a play and wondering if I should look at the “real” James Bond.
I hope you enjoy the city as much as I do. It is one of the best walking cities, so just get out there, take the Tube and enjoy. Make sure to check out my recommendations for museums, hotels, restaurants and what to do while there.