Walking in the Footsteps of Sir Christopher Wren: The architect who rebuilt so much of London after the Great Fire of 1666 is best known for his churches. Walk from St. Bride's, on Fleet Street, past his icon, St. Paul's Cathedral, to St. Mary-le-Bow and beyond to appreciate his genius.
Shopping in the Grandest Department Store of Them All: And, no, it isn't Harrods. Liberty of London, 210-220 Regent St., W1 (tel. 020/7734-1234), was founded in 1875 and moved to its current half-timbered, mock-Tudor home in 1924. London's rediscovered hunger for classic fabrics and vintage style has seen Liberty catapulted right back to the forefront of cool. It's the West End's best shopping spot, but you'll need to pack the credit card.Imagining Domestic Life Through the Ages: At the Geffrye Museum, 136 Kingsland Rd., E2 (tel. 020/7739-9893; www.geffrye-museum.org.uk), period re-creations of interiors from the spartan 1630s to the flashy 1990s allow visitors to understand how home life has changed. Travel 500 years in an hour on an absorbing visual and personal retelling of the history of middle-class London.
Staying at a Classic Mayfair Hotel: From the Art Deco interiors of Claridge's, Brook St., W1 (tel. 020/7629-8860; www.claridges.co.uk), to the liveried door attendants of the Connaught, Carlos Place, W1 (tel. 020/7499-7070; www.the-connaught.co.uk), nothing screams historic London quite like the city's most upscale hotel area. Comfort has never gone out of style here, so start saving right away.
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