The city is laid out in a basic rectangle with the Thames River subdividing the Southeast quadrant. London's attractions are scattered all over the city and this makes for a time-consuming adventure if visitors aren't prepared. To navigate the busy streets of London and make efficient use of your vacation or business leisure time, consider taking the Tube; it is colored-coded, easy to use, inexpensive and lightening quick, albeit frequently crowded. Any London Underground Station sells travel cards for buses, trams, trains and Oyster Passes (reusable plastic Tube cards). The station also provides great Tube maps of the city with the entire list of popular tourist sights clearly denoted. The infamous red double-decker buses are London's insignia and they are great for short hops or a big city tour, but they become stuck in the myriad of London's traffic jams.

Antique markets are a London sensation and Portobello Road is probably the world's largest. Located a few blocks north of Notting Hill and Kensington Gardens, Portobello's market is open every Saturday, while the shops are open six days a week. The market sells every antique and collectible imaginable and starts as early as 5:30 a.m. Visitors, buyers and collectors come from around the globe to seek out Portobello's extensive antiques collection. The lively atmosphere is positively contagious and the goods range from clocks, teapots, antique seals and textiles, to paintings and every sort of doorknob and Tartanware.

These fun and interesting shops sell goods small enough to fit into your luggage: The Good Fairy, loaded with Beatles collectables, china, porcelain and tins; Sarah Groombridge, specializing in antique jewelry; Chloe Alberry, featuring an amazing selection of elegant and odd knobs and knockers. In addition, look for the PADA (Portobello Antiques Association) sign on shop windows. The association adheres to a code of practice that translates to fair prices, authentic antiques and good business practices for consumers.

Covent Garden Market is smaller in scale than Portobello Road but no less popular. The market is located northeast of Piccadilly Circus by half-a-mile and is a great place to shop, explore and dine. Open seven days a week, this large arched building houses antique stalls of every variety and is accompanied by over 40 shops and restaurants. The sellers' stalls run down the middle of the building and customers can peruse through rows of tables stacked full of colorful wares, such as antique clothing, notions, silver and jewelry.

When you have scouted through the market goods, take a break in one of the cafes, or visit Crabtree & Evelyn for some traditional English biscuits. For lunch, try West Cornwall Pasty, situated at the end of Covent Garden; you can't miss the restaurants' pirate-themed logo. They sell delicious, steaming Cornwall pasties you won't find outside the UK.

After a stroll through Covent Garden, cross over to King Street and head west. This street is reminiscent of walking down an upscale Diagon Alley, from Harry Potter, but then, many of London's side streets reflect the same charming atmosphere and magical looking architecture. King Street features many little restaurants, bookstores and novelty shops, and after a few blocks, it spills into New Row. Less than two block s long, New Row is the home to one of the famous Drury Tea and Coffee Companies. A family-run business for over 60 years, Drury's teas and coffees are some of the best available in England. The sought-after teas are so delicious they are worth visiting London to obtain, especially the Earl Grey! The shop also sells all sorts of fruit curds, biscuits and various beverage accouterments. The staff is wonderfully congenial and they are great to chat with about London or tea.

Continue down New Row to St. Martins Lane and here you will find the start of the theater district and the jewel of London's smaller and quixotic theaters, the Albery Theater. Built at the turn of the 20th century, Ian Albery pioneered many of the technical innovations taken for granted today. The Albery is beautiful and transports the theater patron back to the luxury and mystique of a more intimate experience with velvet trimmings and guilt-finished angels above the proscenium. The theater has enjoyed a century of performances by celebrated actors such Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and, more recently, the magnificent Patrick Stewart in A Christmas Carol.

Theater Land, the name given to London's Theater district, features 51 theaters showing musicals, plays and comedies of current acclaim such as, Phantom Of The Opera, Chicago and Mamma Mia. Most of the theaters are centered around Leicester Square and Covent Garden area. The number of performances may seem daunting but visit a few websites such as, OfficialLondonTheatre.co.uk before you plan your trip to London to see what's scheduled. Once in London, the Half Price Tickets booth in Leicester Square sells same day theater tickets for a 50 percent discount. No choice of seating is available; however, good seats do crop up frequently. The district is a virtual flurry of activity and a superb way to spend an evening, just note that weekends are packed and that means all of the streets in and surrounding Leicester Square.

Patrice Raplee is an experienced travel photojournalist and editor of Travel Excursion and Seattle Spotlight for Positively Entertainment magazine. Her photographs and articles have appeared in numerous NW newspapers such as the Seattle Times, the Stranger, and the Oregonian. As a freelance photojournalist she has also worked with acclaimed musical entertainers, such as Santana, Billy Joel and Steven Tyler. Patrice is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Additionally, she has written several children’s short stories and is currently working on an adult fiction novel for publication. Email her at Patrice@travel-excursion.com

© 2006

OffbeatTravel