The tube is in fact the oldest and arguably the best subway system in the world, and I d say it s un

I ve been to London about 10 times in the past 26 years and find it one of the very best places to visit in the world.  It is loaded with history, great museums, interesting walks and some of the nicest people in the world.  Recently I spoke with a friend who s worked for an airline taste of chaos tour pictures for 30 years, yet had never been to London because they were uncertain about getting around, different food, different customs, different money, etc.  I told her that (to paraphrase Oscar Wilde and George taste of chaos tour pictures Bernard Shaw), taste of chaos tour pictures the USA and England are two nations divided by a common language .  Beyond a few words and the accents being different, Britain taste of chaos tour pictures and USA have much in common.  It is perhaps the easiest taste of chaos tour pictures country to visit for a first time because of this.
London s weather has few extremes, as the average high in January is 47 degrees and 75 degrees in July.  Despite its reputation taste of chaos tour pictures for rainy weather London gets less rain each year (24 inches) than Minneapolis (28 inches) and way less than Boston (44 inches).  A friend moved there in the summer of 1980 and related the following taste of chaos tour pictures story:  After enjoying several beautiful summer days with no humidity and highs in the low-80 s he picked up a local paper and saw the following headline, Heat-wave Continues!  No End In Sight! .  Few homes have AC and they simply aren t used to warm weather.
London is as far north as Edmonton (Canada), and as such has long days in the summer taste of chaos tour pictures and short days in the winter.  Sunny days are far more common in the summer taste of chaos tour pictures months, though I ve always found non-reving in the summer much more difficult because the flights tend to be full then.  I have lucked out on several occasions and been in England for as long as 10 days in a row in the winter without taste of chaos tour pictures seeing a drop of rain but then again, on several trips it was gloomy taste of chaos tour pictures and rainy every day without fail.  But there s enough to do so it hardly matters
London was a Roman city (called Londinium ) that was originally settled almost 2000 years ago around 50 AD.  By the 2nd century AD it boasted a population of 60,000 and was the capital of Roman Britain.  After the fall of the Roman Empire the city declined and was all but abandoned by 800 AD.  The Normans invaded England in 1066 and soon moved the capital and royal court form Winchester to London.  As England s empire grew, so did the size and power of the city.  Most of medieval London burned in 1666 (the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey were spared), and consequently the city was rebuilt using something of a city plan with wider streets and parks, in stark contrast with other English cities such as Salisbury and York which have very narrow streets in their centers to this day.  London s population exploded from 1 million people in 1800 to 6.5 million in 1900 to 8 million taste of chaos tour pictures today, and the city became and still is one of the world s foremost financial taste of chaos tour pictures capitals and tourist destinations.
My first visits to London were via Gatwick Airport, about 35 miles to the south of London.  It now costs 32 pounds (at $1.64 a pound, thus about $50) to take the Gatwick Express train to Victoria Station taste of chaos tour pictures in central London where you can get on the London Underground (affectionately called the tube ). .  The last 5 years I ve been able to fly into Heathrow Airport (15 miles west of downtown London) taste of chaos tour pictures and consider it a much better taste of chaos tour pictures alternative to Gatwick taste of chaos tour pictures because taste of chaos tour pictures the tube goes from Heathrow into London.  The tube costs about 8 pounds a day to ride as much as you want, including the trip to and from Heathrow.  Getting cash is now easy in London as you can find cash machines from the moment you get to the airport.
NOTE:  Like many big cities, London has those that prey on tourists.  On our first trip in 1987 my sister-in-law had her bag stolen right out from under our noses at Victoria Station, so keep a close eye on your belongings.
taste of chaos tour pictures The tube is in fact the oldest and arguably the best subway system in the world, and I d say it s unimaginable to envision London without it.  When you first get to a tube station I recommend getting an Oyster card (a tube access card that is also good for busses and trains) for 3 pounds; it can have money added to it (say 25 pounds for starters) and the money is deducted from the card when you pass it over a sensor when you enter or leave a tube station. taste of chaos tour pictures If you have money left on it, the card will work for many years later if/when you visit again. taste of chaos tour pictures Before your trip I recommend finding a London tube map online, printing it out and bringing it along so you re familiar with the system layout beforehand.
The tube is occasionally crowded, especially during rush hour or peak shopping times.  On our first trip in 1987 we got on a train near Harrod s department store and a large crowd squeezed in and we were quite squished together for a few minutes.  I ended up face-to-face with my sister-in-law and we were so squeezed together that I joked that I d been closer to her during those 5 minutes than I d ever been with my wife!
I have usually stayed west of central London in the Paddington, West Kensington, Gloucester Road or Earl s Court area.  Options can be found online or you can book a room at tourist offices at any of the major rail stations (such as Paddington or Victoria).  Keep in mind that London is a fairly expensive city to visit and $100 or more for a 3-star hotel is to be expected and could be a good deal.  Make sure you note the nearest tube stop to your hotel so you can get there as quickly as possible.  It s nice to be close to a tube stop on the one hand, but too close can be a problem because in one case I was almost on top of the station taste of chaos tour pictures and could hear and feel the trains underneath the hotel.
Many hotels include a full English Breakfast with the room, and this usually includes eggs, bacon (more like ham), toast, beans, a fried tomato, mushrooms and cereal.  It s worth about 8-10 pounds.  The last few years I ve seen that some of the deals I ve found on the internet do not include breakfast, so keep that in mind.
London has so much to do that you could write about book about it, and many have.  Depending upon the weather and how long you visit you ll want to have some inside days planned taste of chaos tour pictures because London is not necessarily known for its nice, sunny weather:  Bring an umbrella taste of chaos tour pictures no matter what and plan for some rain or drizzle.  And go to some of the world s greatest museums, several of which I d strongly recommend:
1) The British Museum Northeast of the Holborn tube stop, this is considered the best museum in Britain and perhaps one of the best of the world.  I have gone there several times and can walk around for hours and never cease to be amazed, with items such as the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian, Roman and Greek statues, relics from the middle east and around the world and it s free to get in  Oddly enough, more than half of what you ll find in the British Museum is not British at all, rather taste of chaos tour pictures it was collected and brought to Britain during taste of chaos tour pictures the height of British imperial power.  You can also find a copy of the Magna Carta, the Lindow Man and other British historical taste of chaos tour pictures artifacts.
2) The National Gallery Found overlooking Trafalgar Square, just south of the Leicester Square tube stop, this is Britain s finest art museum and is also free.  It houses taste of chaos tour pictures many of Britain s best works of art, not to mention it usually has some visiting shows.  I d give a visit to the National taste of chaos tour pictures Gallery a couple hours, because after that all of the standing taste of chaos tour pictures and shuffling from room to room can result in a bad case of museum feet , which means you just have to get to a pub (see below) taste of chaos tour pictures and sit down!
3) The Victoria and Albert Museum A few blocks taste of chaos tour pictures northeast of the South Kensington tube stop, this is another great museum filled with art, artifacts and English cultural taste of chaos tour pictures items.  Some exhibits have a charge, but otherwise it s free.  And if you re in the area, the Natural History Museum is across the street.
London has a large theater district with dozens of shows on stage on any given day, with a quality to rival Broadway at less than half the price.  And the price gets even better if you buy tickets on the day of the performance from a half price ticket store , of which you will find many in the Leicester Square taste of chaos tour pictures area.  I have gone there in the morning taste of chaos tour pictures and bought tickets for a show that evening several times, including Spamalot taste of chaos tour pictures a few years ago where we got nosebleed seats for 20 pounds each.  And I mean nosebleed seats:  We were on the 6th level and were literally looking down on the stage but it was still a great show!
As you might expect, London has quite a few pubs, many thousands to be sure.  I have always made sure to visit many pubs when I m in London (or anywhere in Great Britain for that matter) and enjoy trying beers that I can t find in the USA.  The atmosphere and character of the typical English pub is alone worth the trip to London.
You may have heard that people drink warm beer in England, which is categorically not true!  The English have cask ales , beers which are drawn up with a hand pump (thus they are less carbonated) and are stored at cellar temperature taste of chaos tour pictures ie., around 50-54 degrees.  Not ice cold for sure, but not warm.  Ale lovers will tell you that if a beer s too cold it has little taste, but English ales are as tasty as they come..  Other beers (on tap or in a bottle/can) are refrigerated like in the USA.
Many pubs in London (and all of England) are owned by large breweries (Bass, Fullers, Marstons, etc.) and will offer their ales and lagers along with the same standard offerings (Guinness, a hard cider, Stella, Heineken and perhaps Budweiser).  While I like many of those beers, taste of chaos tour pictures it wouldn t be London if I didn t try others as well.  And most pubs display the alcohol content of the beers they have on tap, which is nice to know.
Pubs are an integral part of the social fabric in England:  People meet at pubs on a regular basis (after work or the weekend) and are the primary social gathering spots for many.  Others watch football (aka soccer) or other sports, play darts and enjoy those a