Hello everyone,
I’ve just returned from an extensive business trip that took me to Hong Kong, Helsinki, Paris, London, and Boston. Aside from collecting air miles, eating incessantly, and losing track of time, I also was able to reflect on the different city cultures. Due to several trips to London of late, I have become drawn to this magical city. This trip reaffirmed my love for London. The reasons for my attraction to this historic capital is that it has such a strong character that you can actually feel it, it breeds creativity, and it caters to any taste and any passion.
I wrote about New York City a while back and mentioned that the character of that city was so apparent that you could not help but be consumed by it. I believe that London has this as well. To be very honest, I may not have said this before but I just had not been exposed to the English capital as much as now. The energy that consumes the tiny laneways and narrow streets that give this city such charm is firmly linked to its rich history. It has been a central global city for longer than most and it certainly lets you feel it. Whether it is its strong rituals, glorified landmarks, unique architecture, or bustling capitalism, you are regularly bombarded with a sense of dynamism, speed, and progress but equally with a sense of historic preservation and slow routine. This healthy conflict gives London a flair that no other city can truly project.
The friction of old and new and of progress and tradition spawns experimentation, rebellion, and bold expression. These are wonderful ingredients to fuel creativity and innovation. I don’t think that anyone could argue that London does not excel in this domain. Whether it is in the digital space, fashion, art, design, music, or marketing, London has leading firms, individuals, or organizations. Ultimately, this wealth of talent creates a consumption economy rich with options and constantly changing, evolving. A regular visitor can share in this lifestyle by going to various multi-service or themed restaurants or bars, tiny galleries with mind-bending work, side shops or markets filled with one-of-kind fashion masterpieces, or simply surf the web or mobile web at night to discover services that you thought only existed in fiction. I’ve been to bars in former public toilets where you sms song requests to the DJ, visited clubs that are in interlocking tunnels, played video games where the set was an actual park and you used your mobile phone to guide where you had to collect points and fight demons, and the list goes on. When exploring the streets, make sure to look around and you will see innovation and creativity all around you. Once you see it, feel it, you will be hooked. I find that this environment is truly what a creative soul should experience.
Pushed creative expression certainly creates new experiences, products, services, ways of living, discussions, cultures, sub-cultures, etc. Consequently, London offers something for everyone and perhaps even has a manifestation of every type of person. Here is where I find that London differs from New York City. The proximity to Europe and the international attention driven by not only its economic might but also its determination to attract the world’s eyes, make Londoners more politically engaged in global affairs. I may get some disagreement with this point, but on the whole I find that London is more plugged into world affairs than New York since its citizens on the whole are more international in the way the live their professional lives. As a result, the types of movements, be it in art, music etc that are born in London are remarkable and rooted, even if slightly, in more existential socio-political issues than movements in other creative hubs. What this does is that the creative end product or innovation has (perhaps) stronger meaning and potentially larger appeal. Therefore, no matter what your belief or conviction, your passion or lifestyle, you will find another like-minded individual in London.
Where you meet this like-minded soul mate may be a tough task. That is because London has countless venues for any type of income bracket, social class, religious persuasion, lifestyle choice, etc. Whether you choose a lovely lunch and stroll at Harrod’s to rub shoulders with high society, or an afternoon pizza at a trendy hole-in-the-wall at Brick Lane to live it up with London’s young hip crowd, it’s all possible. You may simply want a nice pint at one of London’s thousands of pubs, or a fancy cocktail a hotel bar. Maybe you would rather connect with your soul mate through a healthy shopping excursion. Here again, the decision is tough. Perhaps you would like to stroll along the ritzy streets of Soho or slug it out in Camden. Ahh the choices! Don’t you just love it!
London is truly a place of great choice, great history, incredible lifestyle, and a hot-spot of hungry talent. As a tourist, I can only recommend to not follow the tour guides. Do a bit of research and discover the world that surrounds your likes. I am sure that London has a community that caters to exactly what you want and that that community will show you something that you haven’t seen before.
Until next time.





