Each period of England's past, punctuated by monarchs, wars, fires and other disasters, has made an indelible imprint on the capital city. Yet even while embracing its history, London is a  ...

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Each period of England's past, punctuated by monarchs, wars, fires and other disasters, has made an indelible imprint on the capital city. Yet even while embracing its history, London is a forward-looking, modern city. Witness the Millenium's London Eye, which joins Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament as world-recognized icons of the city. Another obvious example is the culinary scene – New British cooking, as envisioned by renowned chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Antony Worrall Thompson, Marcus Wareing, Fergus Henderson and Tom Aikens, uses the best of regional ingredients in innovative, globally influenced ways; London also has outposts of celebrated restaurants like Nobu and Joël Robuchon. A profusion of cutting edge clubs and stylish bars like Tantra, Absolut IceBar, Bacchus and Lost Society Nightlife assure a high "hip" factor. Shopaholics thrill to know that London has stayed on top of the fashion game since the swinging '60s. Stop at venerable Harrod's of course, but then hotfoot it over to Sloan Street for trendy boutiques, or visit an eponymous shop – Stella McCartney, Amanda Wakely, Bruce Oldfield and many other designers maintain retail space here. Dozens of art galleries exhibit the most recent works by emerging artists, and if contemporary art is your thing, the Tate Modern is the best in Europe. Not surprisingly, London, balancing old and new with ease, is regarded as one of the world's most intriguing cities.