RescueRanger
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2008
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Firstly can i just say that i take great exception with this survey and its findings, not just because of my love for the city where i gained my university education, but because the very issue of "expense" is a very subjective term at best when measuring the attractiveness for tourism.
For instance, i find London very affordable compared to say Dubai, and not just in monetary terms either, if one considers the cultural benefit of visiting a city as old and steeped in history as London, you know you are getting your money's worth. Compared to say Dubai, which is for all intensive purposes a shopper's paradise, and offers very little in the terms of cultural exploration or rambling compared to say the ridged alleyways of London.
To be fair to Dubai, has its own strengths and it plays them perfectly. Offering a plethora of luxury hotels, water sports, desert safaris, fine dining and shopping galore. Newyork has its own merits, especially katz deli nyc... But these individual comparisons are like comparing apples to oranges.
Individually, London offers the visitor a diverse range of activities and caters to each need in a very unique way, for example shoppers will be able to satisfy their urges by a quick trip to Oxford Street or Piccadilly Circus, whereas those with a passion for the arts and culture can pay a visit to such treasures as, the national gallery, Royal Shakespeare Company or even the Barbican.
Seafaring types can board a Rib and cruise down the Thames "james bond style" or the more classier among us can book a showboat cruise on the river with fine dining to boot, a perfect compliment for that someone special.
Those who adore history and all its enlightening glory will feel at home in this magnificent city, for example when you board a train on the underground, did you know that tunnel shielding technology crucial to building the London underground was pioneered by British Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843 on the Thames tunnel, the very tunnel can still be viewed today at Wapping Overground station and was the first underwater tunnel of its kind in the world.
As if that is not enough, you can immerse yourself in the wealth of knowledge that London offers, from tracing footsteps of the grassroots activists and soapbox speakers at Hyde Park to the refined halls of Gresham College, the many museums including the archives at the British Library ( the largest and oldest collection of books in the world, including an 8th Century Quran.
Fans of the royal family can visit the many palaces, which are open to the general public for most parts of the year, this is in stark comparison to royal households anywhere else in the world. All this in a city that is a true melting pot of cultures and traditions, from the sheesha bars of Edgeware road to the flea markets of Camden.
And as if that is not enough, why not hop aboard a ride on the London eye for panoramic views of the city and the mother of all parliaments "The Houses of Parliament". In short, i feel as if i could go on... But i will end by saying, London has so much more to offer than just shopping or pristine streets like those of Belgium, what it does offer is so much more.
As it says in the bible - Seek and ye shall find.
For instance, i find London very affordable compared to say Dubai, and not just in monetary terms either, if one considers the cultural benefit of visiting a city as old and steeped in history as London, you know you are getting your money's worth. Compared to say Dubai, which is for all intensive purposes a shopper's paradise, and offers very little in the terms of cultural exploration or rambling compared to say the ridged alleyways of London.
To be fair to Dubai, has its own strengths and it plays them perfectly. Offering a plethora of luxury hotels, water sports, desert safaris, fine dining and shopping galore. Newyork has its own merits, especially katz deli nyc... But these individual comparisons are like comparing apples to oranges.
Individually, London offers the visitor a diverse range of activities and caters to each need in a very unique way, for example shoppers will be able to satisfy their urges by a quick trip to Oxford Street or Piccadilly Circus, whereas those with a passion for the arts and culture can pay a visit to such treasures as, the national gallery, Royal Shakespeare Company or even the Barbican.
Seafaring types can board a Rib and cruise down the Thames "james bond style" or the more classier among us can book a showboat cruise on the river with fine dining to boot, a perfect compliment for that someone special.
Those who adore history and all its enlightening glory will feel at home in this magnificent city, for example when you board a train on the underground, did you know that tunnel shielding technology crucial to building the London underground was pioneered by British Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843 on the Thames tunnel, the very tunnel can still be viewed today at Wapping Overground station and was the first underwater tunnel of its kind in the world.
As if that is not enough, you can immerse yourself in the wealth of knowledge that London offers, from tracing footsteps of the grassroots activists and soapbox speakers at Hyde Park to the refined halls of Gresham College, the many museums including the archives at the British Library ( the largest and oldest collection of books in the world, including an 8th Century Quran.
Fans of the royal family can visit the many palaces, which are open to the general public for most parts of the year, this is in stark comparison to royal households anywhere else in the world. All this in a city that is a true melting pot of cultures and traditions, from the sheesha bars of Edgeware road to the flea markets of Camden.
And as if that is not enough, why not hop aboard a ride on the London eye for panoramic views of the city and the mother of all parliaments "The Houses of Parliament". In short, i feel as if i could go on... But i will end by saying, London has so much more to offer than just shopping or pristine streets like those of Belgium, what it does offer is so much more.
As it says in the bible - Seek and ye shall find.
