British Rail's Description of Present Day London

"London is alive and culturally more vibrant
than it has been in years--

The sounds of Brit-pop and techno pour out of Victorian pubs, experimental theater is popping up on stages suited for Shakespeare, upstart chefs are reinventing the bland dishes British mums have made for generations, and Brits are even running the couture houses of Dior and Givenchy. In food, fashion, film, music, and just about everything else, London now stands at the cutting edge in the United Kingdom and throughout the world, just as it did in the 1960s.

If this sea of change worries you more than it appeals to you, rest assured that traditional London still exists, essentially intact under the veneer of hip. From high tea almost anywhere to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the city still abounds with the tradition and charm of days gone by. There's no end of things to do and ways to enjoy the pulsating capital of the United Kingdom. Famous monuments such as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey draw flocks of visitors every day, as they have for centuries. Pomp and ceremony still define Royal London, with its palaces and protocols. London’s museums, nothing short of fabulous, are unrivaled in the scope and quality of their collections."