London is swinging again, and the world is taking notice of the capital of a newly “Cool Britannia.” No more the sole domain of bobbies and Beefeaters, princes and Parliament, a bedazzling London shines with a renewed art and food scene and some of the best shopping and club-hopping on the planet. Though its ever-present past is always popping up, London is a city as much concerned with the present and future. Poised to enter the next century with unparalleled vigor, the city is one with a constantly changing face, both literally and figuratively. The coming Millennium will see a new form of government for the capital with its new mayoral system. The skyline is changing as well; forward-looking projects like the glossy Millennium Dome and Skyscape, centerpiece of one of the world’s largest and most controversial developments, loom behind staid stalwarts like Tower Bridge. And with over a quarter of its residents belonging to ethnic minorities, London is a city struggling to come to terms with a population in continual flux. The Victorian doorway inscribed with an Anglican piety may belong to a Sikh or a Muslim, in a city internalizing its imperial past. Still it carries on, and does so admirably.

LONDON FACTS & FIGURES

• London is the largest city in Europe, with a population of 7 million.
• The oldest financial center in the world, London has over 500 foreign banks and more headquarters of banks than any other city.
• Over 30% of the population is made up of first, second, or third generation immigrants.

GETTING DOWN & OUT

Those who journey to London in expectation of friendly, rosy-cheeked, frumpy, tea-drinking, Queen-loving gardeners may be astounded to find that London is equally the province of slinkily-dressed, buff young things who spend their nights lounging around murky Soho cafes. London is an irrepressibly international city, where the first rumblings of rave culture, the Britpop explosion, and countless other movements began, and which still move swingers the world over.