LONDONERS

Sometimes the accent is harsh, sometimes flat, often nasal, sometimes at a higher octave than is fashionable in North America. Grammar is something to play with. I overheard a great Londonism. A small boy talking to his father said, "'e was scared. I weren't. Was you?"

The photo is of Neal's Yard. It's almost a well-kept secret. Located not far from Trafalgar Square, quite close to Covent Garden, you get to it through a couple of very narrow streets. It doesn't look like a city spot much, does it? Neal's Yard is famous for herbal remedies, vegetarian and natural foods.

It's sad that Londoners want to be like Americans. There are more than enough McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, The Gap, on the streets. Fried chicken shops and burger bars are more frequent than fish and chip shops these days. And the American sports uniform is everywhere. I know you're thinking, what's wrong with that? But it saddens me to see such a great city, one that's so unique, to start absorbing so much of another culture.

One of the things that makes London so different than most North American cities is its lack of high rise buildings. Sure, there are some office towers but even the country's tallest building, Number One Canada Square, is small next to the buildings of New York, let alone Toronto. This lower rise vista means that landmarks are easy to spot. London's other unique feature is the vast number of small and large parks. The amount of greenery considerably brightens an otherwise age-soiled city.

Let's talk about fashion. In London, I decided that most young women want to look like a Spice Girl. Either that or the Spice Girls are just typical Londoners. There were so many platform shoes and sneakers and lots of body hugging fashion. No one seems to think this is revealing and I must admit it's a fresh, young look. No one seems to mind showing off their shape. As for the men, it has always been a fact that in London, the male is the one to watch. A newspaper article declared that the average male in London spends £148 a month on clothing (that's just about $375 Cdn). We saw so many wonderful men's clothes every day and were treated to some pretty spectacularly dressed guys on the streets and transport. One day in the underground, I saw a young man so well coordinated (even his watch and his hair colour matched his outfit) I wanted to take his picture. Unfortunately, the prices were high but I loved all the gorgeous ties and the beautiful colour shirts and well cut suits. In The City there seems to be a uniform. Women are all dressed in dark clothing, skirts (often long and slitted) and blouses and blazers. The men are in their two and three piece suits, looking like they're on the runway and not the streets of this financial district.