History

Paris has for centuries been one of the centers and magnets of the world. When the Romans conquered it in 55 B.C. it wge on the Seine islands, inhabited by the Parisii tribe. It grew in Roman times and became the capital of France at the beginning of the Middle Ages.

Since then Paris has been the European center of religion and politics, learning and arts, quickly overtaking Rome and only yielding to New York after the Second World War. Sorbonne is one of the oldest universities in the world and for centuries the most famous one.

Paris is rich in monuments from most periods of its history. In spite of that it has not rested on its laurels. It is also famous for modern and avant-garde design, as can be seen at the Louvre pyramid, the Centre Pompidou and the Défense.

Life

Paris is the city of elegance and style. People conduct themselves in the streets as kings and queens. Elegance is everywhere, from hotel and restaurant decoration to everyday clothing. What would be considered casual elsewhere would be considered shabby and vulgar in Paris. The clean and efficient and stylish Metro is a symbol of the classy status of Parisians.

Parisians consider themselves to be citizens, discussing politics, design and cuisine as eloquently as ancient Roman orators, balancing the abandon of the south and the restraint of the north. They are proud and self-sufficient, and consider themselves to be equal to anybody, including kings and popes. On foreigners this often wrongly translates as haughtiness.

Paris is a lively city of liberal inhabitants. Its nightclubs are world leaders. Its vibrant sidewalk cafés constantly evoke fond memories in the minds of visitors to Paris. The home team and visitors hang around in cafés, squares and streets to kill time and observe fellow humans. Champs-Élysées and the boulevards Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain are the main centers.

Sights

Paris is the most beautiful metropolis in the world, crammed with famous churches and palaces, squares and avenues. Its center is the largest tourist city in the world. There are five kilometers as the crow flies from Arc d’Triomphe to Notre Dame and from Montmartre to Montparnasse. In no city center has the traveler more things to cover.

Not only does the city boast of centuries of basilicas and mansions, plazas and boulevards. It also excels in the necessities of life for travelers. Nowhere is a greater conglomeration of excellent restaurants and hotels, some of them even at a reasonable price. It is based on the natural culinary artistry and architectural taste of the Parisians.

Canada

35 Avenue Montaigne. Phone: 4443 3200. (B3).

United Kingdom

16 Rue d’Anjou. Phone: 4266 9142.

United States

2 Avenue Gabriel. Phone: 4296 1202. (C3).

Accident

Phone: 15.

Ambulance

Phone: 15.

Complaints

When you start complaining, every true Frenchman suddenly stops understanding English.

Dentist

Phone: 4337 5100.

Fire

Phone: 18.

Hospital

Centre Médical Europe, 44 Rue d’Amsterdam, tel. 4281 9333 is inexpensive. American Hospital, 63 Boulevard Victor-Hugo, tel. 4641 2525, and British Hospital, 3 Rue Barbés, Levallois, tel. 4758 1312, are private hospitals.

Medical care

Phone: 4337 7777.

Pharmacy

Pharmacie Dhéry, Galerie des Champs, 8th, 84 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, tel. 4562 0241 is open day and night.

Police

Phone: 17.

Precautions

There is very little petty or violent crime in Paris.

Banks

Hours: 9-16:30 weekdays.

At airports and railway stations they keep longer hours and are also open during weekends.

Credit cards

Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Electricity

French voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Paris hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing. Small hotels can be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. Some of them are exquisite gems. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays. “Deux lits” rooms with two beds are generally preferable to “grand lit” rooms with one bed of French marital size and are often larger.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps. The price ranges from FFr. 210 to FFr. 1,700, excluding breakfast.

We try to avoid the insubstantial breakfast at hotels in Paris. More tasty and economical is the coffee with baguettes or croissants on the corner café patronized by the locals. Breakfast is in most cases included in the stated price, as that is the normal price quoted.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some expensive hotels in Paris are in fact inferior to our selection of small hotels in old city mansions.

Money

The currency in France is the Franc, FFr., divided into 100 centimes. There are paper money for 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 FFr., and coins of a value up to 20 FFr.

Shopping

Most shops are open 10-18 all days except Sundays. Some small shops are closed during lunch.

Street numbers

Streets are numbered in the downriver direction and away from the Seine. Odd numbers are on your left side as you go up in numbers.

Tipping

A 15% service charge is generally included in restaurant bills. Some guests leave change up to the nearest FFr. 10. Taxi drivers expect at least 10% from foreigners, guides 10%, porters FFr. 5 per bag, toilet attendants, doormen and cloakroom attendants FFr. 2.

Toilets

Toilets are variable, but getting better all the time. You can use those of cafés for the price of a cup of coffee.

Tourist office

The Office du Tourisme has its head office at 127 Avenue de Champs-Élysées, 8th, open 9-18, tel. 4952 5354 and 4720 8898. Other offices are at the main railway stations and the Invalides airport station.

Water

Tap water is drinkable but many use bottled water as a precaution.

Accommodation

The Tourist Board offices seek accommodation for travelers. At Roissy / Charles de Gaulle airport there is an illuminated map showing vacancies and prices. Your can dial free of charge to individual hotels. Accommodation in private homes in all price categories is arranged by Paris Accueil, 8th, 23 Rue de Marignan, tel. 296 1426, open daily 9-19.

You should consider staying in one of the tiny hotels in old mansions, which have been transformed with French taste and love into personal and exquisite gems. Paris has far more of such elegant hotels than other world cities. Some of them are even cheaper than ordinary hotels elsewhere. Usually they are heavily booked so that you must reserve months in advance.

The season in Paris hotels covers the whole year. Any period can be difficult due to exhibitions and congresses. The expensive Paris hotels are as a group probably the most expensive hotels in the world.

Airport

The bus to Roissy / Charles de Gaulle airport leaves every 15 minutes from Porte Maillot. The trip takes one hour. Check-in at the airport is one hour before departure. All airlines except Air France use Terminal 1. Dial 742 5226 for current information on flight arrivals and departures.

Boats

Tourist boats leave for Seine trips from Pont Neuf, Quai Montebello, Port de la Bourdonnais, Port de Suffren and Place de la Conférence.

News

International Herald Tribune, which is published in Paris, and other important foreign newspapers are available at many kiosks in central Paris. The main French newspaper is Le Monde. There are six TV channels, TF1, FR2, FR3, M6, Are and La Sept, all in French, and additionally cable channels in many hotel rooms, including CNN and Sky.

Information on what is on is available in the weeklies Pariscope and Officiel des Spectacles in French and in the monthly Paris City in English. These papers are sold at most newsstands.

Phone

The French country code is 33 and the local code for Rome is 1. The foreign code from France is 19.

Post

The main post offices are at 52 Rue du Louvre, tel. 233 7160, and 71 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, tel. 359 5518, both open day and night.

Railways

The French railway system is inexpensive and effective. The TVG trains travel at speeds up to 300 km (185 miles) per hour.

Taxis

Phone: 200 6789.

You can wave cabs down in the streets. If you phone, the meter ticks on their way to you. Cabbies are generally honest but amazingly ignorant about the Paris map.

Traffic

Rush hours are 7:30-9 and 17-19. The underground Metro is probably the cleanest and one of the best in the world, open 5:30-1:15. It is convenient for getting around in the city. Cheap two-days, four-days and seven days tourist tickets are available with unlimited access to the whole system and all the busses. Some Parisians drive recklessly. Don’t drive yourself.

Coffee

French coffee is generally good. The cafés of Paris are meeting points and centers of society and culture.

Cuisine

French restaurants are the best in the world. The range and variety of French cooking is astounding. France is very rich in agricultural resources. There is a tradition of passion for cooking. Parisians love to eat out and to discuss cuisine and chefs, as others might discuss politics and politicians. Celebrated chefs are considered national monuments.

Western European and North American cooking is mainly derived from the French. The nearest rival to French cooking is Japanese cooking. In the last decades French chefs have emphasized their lead by inventing Nouvelle Cuisine, a light and lean version of the classic French cuisine, but more in line with modern considerations on health.

The last decade of the 20th Century has seen a resurgence in Cuisine de Terroir, earthy farmhouse cooking, partly as a counterweight to Nouvelle Cuisine and partly an evolution of farmhouse cooking under Nouvelle Cuisine influence.

Eating habits

The French do not eat much in the morning. They may have a café latte and croissants at the corner café. Lunch often starts at 13 and dinner at 20:30. Both lunch and dinner are hot meals and are equally important. The French like delicate food and consume it with due reverence.

Few French have drinks before eating as it spoils the palate. They are also careful with the wine and some only drink water. In good restaurants most people have bottled water though, l’eau minerale, often with gas, gaseuse.

Nouvelle Cuisine

French chefs have emphasized their position as the world leaders by inventing Nouvelle Cuisine, a light and lean version of the rich and classic French cuisine, but more in line with modern considerations on health.

The main rules of Nouvelle Cuisine are as follows: Raw materials are fresh, chosen according to the season, preferably not from the freezer and definitely not out of tins. Emphasis is put on seafood and vegetables.

Cooking times are shortened to conserve the taste and ingredients of the food. Precooking and reheating are abolished. Flour in sauces and soups is written off in favor of fumets and blenderized vegetables which are lighter on the stomach. Fats are used sparingly, pan-frying has decreased and deep-frying almost disappeared.

Prices

Prices have stabilized in France are on a par with other countries in Western Europe.

Restaurants

Rich and poor Frenchmen take interest in cooking and love to dine out. This tradition had made French restaurants absolutely the best in the world. Nowhere in the world is cooking as elevated as in France. Even fast food joints are good.

Lunch hour is 12:30-14, dinner 19:30-23. In most places the owner or some waiters understand some English. Paris restaurants are generally small and clean, sometimes accidentally decorated. They usually have linen tablecloths and linen napkins, most often white. Many restaurants offer set lunch menus at a lower price than dinner prices.

“Prix nets” or “service compris” on the menu means that a 15% service charge is included in the price.

Wine

French wine is absolutely the best in the world and priced accordingly. But the general quality is so high, that even the house wines are excellent. The French don’t drink plonk. The best French wine is graded in complicated ways which vary between regions, Bordeaux and Burgundy wines generally fetching the highest prices.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Circle Line

Pier 83 / West 43rd Street. Phone: 563 3200. (A4).

The most interesting and comfortable sightseeing trip is to travel by boat around the island, embarking from Pier 83 at the end of West 43rd Street. We choose a bright day, preferably in the morning, as the air tends to get misty in the afternoon. We arrive early enough to get a seat on the port side of the boat, the left side, as it travels counter-clockwise around Manhattan.

We nestle down in a comfortable chair and sip our favorite drink while we see the city glide past. This is the best way to learn the relative position of the main towers and districts of Manhattan. The round trip takes three hours.

Island Helicopter

1 Penn Plaza / 7th Avenue / West 32nd. Phone: 683 4575. (B5).

A modern and a quick way to have a look around Manhattan is to take a chopper ride from Penn Plaza at Penn Railway Station. We can choose flights of different duration, from seven minutes. An half-an-hour trip along the whole length of the island and to the Statue of Liberty costs $100. This trip should only be undertaken on a bright day, preferably on a clear morning.

Downtown

Often called Financial District, the southern end of Manhattan, where the city was founded by Dutch settlers. Their defensive wall against Indians was at the present Wall Street. Now the district is a pile of bank towers of steel and glass, the largest banking district in the world. Until recently this was like a graveyard during weekends and nights.

Now a popular tourist attraction has been built up at South Street Seaport where an old fishing harbor and its warehouses have been converted into boutiques, cafés and restaurants. On the eastern shore new housing development has injected new life into the area around World Trade Center, Downtown is therefore gradually coming to life again.

Very few are left of old buildings but those who survive are now the main attraction, much more beautiful than most of the modern towers. One thing that makes Downtown more likable than many other parts of town is the old chaos of irregular streets with real names instead of the organized numbers that pass as the names of the greater part of Manhattan streets.

We start our walk at the southern tower of World Trade Center, WTC no. 2 and first take the express elevator to the 107th floor, then an escalator to the roof on the 110th floor.

World Trade Center

2 World Trade Center. (C10).

From the top of World Trade Center we have an excellent view to the banking towers of the Downtown area of Manhattan, the Financial District. We also have a view to the Statue of Liberty and the Verrazano bridge in the south and to the Midtown office towers in the north.

The building of the towers was finished in 1974. At that time they were for a while the tallest buildings in the world, eight floors higher than Empire State. They are simple in appearance and stand apart from other Downtown towers.

The buildings of World Trade Center surround a central and a connecting area of 60 shops, restaurants, banks and other services, including an outlet of TKTS, which sells theater tickets at half price on performance day. There are famous sculptures by Koening, Rosati and Nagare on the square.

We return down to earth and exit into Liberty Street.

Liberty Street
Liberty Street. (C10).

The street connects World Trade Center and the recent developments in World Financial Center and Battery Park City with the main Downtown area. It ends in the west at the World Financial Center. An overpass links World Financial Center with the American Stock Exchange on the other side of Liberty Street. Another overpass links World Financial Center with World Trade Center.

We walk into the World Financial Center.

World Financial Center

(B10).

The four towers of World Financial Center house the headquarters of some of the world’s most important financial companies. At the heart of it is the beautiful and imposing Winter Garden with a 36 meter high roof of glass and steel, lined by boutiques and restaurants, opening to an esplanade and a marina on Hudson River.

The garden is often used for artistic events, free of charge. The audience then sits on the impressive marble staircase.
The World Financial Center is a part of the Battery Park City.

Battery Park City

(B10).

A recent development that is mainly residential and is supposed to house more than 25,000 people when it is finished, injecting human life into the Downtown area. It offers a fine walk on an esplanade that runs along Hudson River and has a good view to the Statue of Liberty. The area is on land that has been reclaimed from the river.

We return from Battery Park City and World Financial Center to Liberty Street which we follow to Broadway where we turn left. On the way we pass the red cube by Isamu Noguchi in front of the Marine Midland bank. On Broadway we soon arrive at St Paul’s on our left

St. Paul‘s Chapel

Broadway. (C10).

The oldest church in New York, built 1764-1766 in Georgian style, probably the most beautiful church of the city, inside as outside. Its beautifully illuminated nave is often used for free concerts.

A little farther on Broadway we arrive at Woolworth on the left side.

Woolworth

233 Broadway. (C10).

A Neo-Gothic tower inside as outside, built in 1913 as the tallest building in the world. We enter the lobby to have a look at the works of art on the walls and in the ceiling.

We cross the garden opposite Woolworth. City Hall is in the middle of the garden.

City Hall

City Hall Park / Broadway. (C9).

Probably the smallest city hall in the United States, built in 1812 in an Early American style resembling the French Renaissance Chateau style. When it was built it was so far out of town that the north side was not laid in marble as the other sides until 1954. No one was expected to see it from that side.

The small and peaceful garden in front of City Hall has a fountain by Delacorte. It was formerly the place for public hangings, nowadays for some official proclamations.

We return on Broadway to the south, pass Liberty Street and soon have the Trinity Church on our right side.

Trinity Church

Broadway / Wall Street. (C10).

A Neo-Gothic church from 1846, built of red sandstone. It stands in a peaceful, grass-grown graveyard and fronts the end of Wall Street like a dwarf among the giants. It still attracts attention, not only as a symbolic guardian of Wall Street but also because of the long spire on the massive tower.

We walk into Wall Street and do not forget to look back at the church.

Wall Street

Wall Street. (C10).

The main banking canyon of the world. At lunchtime the whole street is so crowded that it can be difficult to walk. The street winds slightly just as the defensive wall that the Dutch erected here against the Indians. There are banks in all the towers.

When we come to Broad Street we turn right and see the New York Stock Exchange on our right.

New York Stock Exchange

20 Broad Street / Wall Street. (C10).

Built in 1903 in Neo-Classical temple style. We can enter it and go up to a balcony to observe the commotion of the exchange floor.

A guide tries to explain to us how the exchange works. We look in awe at the mad shouting and waving of 3000 brokers on 900 square meters, strewn with paper. They look at giant screens and hammer the computer keyboards, which are on 16 transaction islands, 60 on each island, 960 in toto.

All transactions are immediately shown on the walls, not only these transactions but also those in London and Tokyo.

We return out to Broad Street, go to Wall Street, cross it and continue into Nassau Street past Federal Hall on our right and go to the plaza in front of the Chase Manhattan bank.

Chase Manhattan

Nassau Street / Liberty Street. (C10).

A famous sculpture by Dubuffet is on the plaza, four trees in black and white. There is also a cellar garden of stone and water by Isamu Noguchi.

We return on Nassau Street to Wall Street, turn right to Trinity Church, turn left on Broadway and walk to Bowling Green.

Bowling Green

Bowling Green / Broadway. (C10).

A small garden, the oldest public part in New York, surrounded by an iron fence from 1771.

The United States Custom House is at the far end of the garden.

Custom House

Bowling Green / Broadway. (C11).

A Beaux Arts building from 1907, a fine granite palace, now converted into the National Museum of the American Indian.

Behind Custom House we arrive at Battery Park.

Battery Park

(C11).

The southernmost tip of Manhattan, named in memory of a gun battery defending the city during the Civil War. The park is a relaxed area for strolling, popular at lunchtime when bankers come and eat out of paper bags.

Ferries leave Battery Park to cross Hudson and East Rivers. One ferry goes to the Statue of Liberty and another to Ellis Island. We take that ferry first.

Ellis Island

An island on the western side of Hudson River, formerly the immigration office of the United States. Everyone who fled the wars and deprivations of Europe went through these buildings to get a permit to settle in the United States haven. It was closed down in 1954 and is now an immigration museum with guided tours.

We return on the ferry to Battery Park to take another ferry to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.

Statue of Liberty

Bartholdi designed it, the citizens of France paid for it in a collection and gave it to the United States in memory of the victory in the Independence War, in which the French supported the Americans. The statue has ever since been the national symbol of the United States and of freedom in general, a welcome sight for immigrants passing by on their way to Ellis Island.

The statue is 120 meters in height and weighs 225 tons. It is difficult to walk up the stairs and advisable to take the elevator up he 22 floors to the crown of the Goddess of Freedom. This is a pilgrimage that all true Americans must make once in their life just as Muslims make to Mecca.

The ferry from Battery Park to Staten Island also sails past Liberty Island.

We return to Battery Park. From the park we enter Water Street and turn left into Broad Street, where we find Fraunces Tavern on the corner of Pearl Street.

Fraunces Tavern

Pearl Street / Broad Street. (C11).

The brick building from 1719 is best known for being the restaurant where George Washington bid farewell to his officers at the end of the Civil War. The facade is original and the interior from 1927. The food at the restaurant is almost as old. There is also a museum in the house.

We return on Broad Street to Water Street and turn left.

Water Street

Water Street. (C10).

Once the waterfront of the city. On our right we pass Jeannette Park, also called Vietnam Veterans Plaza, an ugly place. The bank towers are on both sides of the street, each in its own style, some of them trying to look human on the ground floor.

We continue on Water Street for about 800 meters, turn right into Fulton Street. On the corner there is Cannon’s Walk.

Cannon’s Walk

(D10).

A 19th C. block with a lively market, cafés and shops.

We continue on Fulton Street and arrive on our left at Schermerhorn Row, between Front Street and South Street.

Schermerhorn Row

South Street Seaport. (D10).

A block of original Georgian warehouses, built 1811-1813, with wrought-iron ground floor fronts that were later added. It houses well-known shops and restaurants. The quaintest shop is the Brookstone ironmonger opposite the Gianni’s sidewalk café.

On the other side of South Street we come to the center of South Street Seaport, Pier 17.

South Street Seaport

South Street Seaport. (D10).

The old piers have been converted into an open-air maritime museum. It includes the tea clipper Peking, the Ambrose rig and a floating lighthouse. The warehouse on Pier 17 has been converted into a mall of boutiques for tourists, offering everything from fashions to whale hunting gear. It has some restaurants with a good view to Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn.

This is a kind of a theme park for tourists and a successful one. It shows how wise it is to protect old buildings and convert them into centers of attractions, as they are almost invariably more beautiful than recent buildings. South Street Seaport is now one of the landmarks of the city.

Alongside the Seaport on this side of South Street we arrive at the Fulton Fish Market.

Fulton Market

(D10).

The wholesale fish market is active in the early morning hours, especially after 06 in the morning. During the day the market building changes into a mall of small seafood shops.

We continue on South Street and turn left into Peck Slip.

Peck Slip

(D10).

An illusory mural of the Brooklyn Bridge covers one of the house fronts on the right side of the street.

Behind the mural we can see the pillars of Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge

(D10).

The most beautiful bridge in Manhattan, built in 1883 and considered at that time to be an engineering feat, the first suspension bridge of steel wires and the longest bridge in the world at that time, with a span of 486 meters. There are excellent views from the elevated walkway over the motor traffic on the bridge.

From the bridge there is a short way on Pearl Street and its continuation in St James Place to Chatham Square on the Bowery, the starting point of a walk through the ethnic and exotic districts of lower Manhattan.

Exotica

The ethnic part of lower Manhattan is mainly on the east side. From the south it starts with Chinatown. Then comes Little Italy with the Jewish Loiasada to the east, and finally the formerly Polish and Ukrainian East Village to the northeast, now the center of punk. Chinatown and Little Italy have more or less retained their ethnic character but Loiasada has mostly lost it.

We start at Chatham Square where Bowery begins.

Bowery

Bowery. (D9).

The southern end of Skid Row, the refuge of drunks and hobos, stretching on Bowery from Chatham Square to 4th Street. The vagabonds are harmless but in some places you have to step over them.

We walk from Chatham Square into Mott Street. We are in Chinatown.

Chinatown

The district adjoining Downtown to the north and TriBeCa to the east, originally delimited by Bowery, Mulberry, Worth and Canal Streets but has now overflowed into the next streets. It heart is in Mott and Pell Streets. It looks Chinese. Posters are in Chinese letters and the pay phones have pagoda roofs. Seven newspapers in Chinese are sold on street corners.

The 150 restaurants are the main attraction of the district. They are among the most economical ones in Manhattan and some of them are very good. A pleasant Eastern scent emanates from the restaurants and food shops into the streets. The main action is on Sunday when Chinese from other districts and the suburbs arrive to shop and to dine out.

It is a poor district. People bet in casinos and sweat in the garment industry. Criminal gangs collect protection money from owners of shops and restaurants. But tourists are not aware of this shady side of Chinatown.

We walk along Mott Street.

Mott Street

Mott Street. (D9).

A street of Chinese signs and telephone pagodas, Eastern fragrances and lots of restaurants with a faraway cuisine.
We take a good time and have a look into side streets such as Pell and Bayard, have a Chinese lunch and enjoy being for a while on a different continent.

When we arrive at Canal Street we turn left one block and then right into Mulberry Street, the axis of Little Italy.

Little Italy

The district of immigrants from Sicily and Napoli is north from Chinatown, east from SoHo, south from Greenwich Village and west from Loiasada. It borders on Canal Street, Houston Street, Lafayette Street and Bowery. The central axis is Mulberry Street, which runs through the whole length of it. The Chinese have recently invaded the district from the south.

On Sunday Italians from other districts and the suburbs come here to buy pasta and salami and to dine in Italian restaurants. That day the merchants carry their goods out to the pavement and the restaurateurs their tables and chairs. Then the districts looks distinctively Italian. The espresso flavor wafts through the streets.

The main events are two week-long festivals, the St. Antonio festival in June and the St. Gennaro festival in September. Then Little Italy changes into a festival park.

We are in Mulberry Street.

Mulberry Street

(C8).

A long and narrow street that could have been imported wholesale from Palermo or Napoli. There are lots of small shops selling pasta and Italian specialties. People sit in sidewalk cafés and sip a glass of red wine or the excellent espresso coffee, waiting for time to pass until a proper lunch hour has arrived.

We continue on Mulberry Street to Houston Street, “howston” in Manhattanese, where we turn right. It is a lively street of junk shops, the border of Little Italy and Loiasada on the south and East Village on the north. We continue on Houston Street to Orchard Street where we turn right again.

Loiasada

Lower East Side is the full name of the district to the east of Little Italy and south of East Village. It reaches from Bowery in the west to East River in the east, Canal Street in the south and Houston Street in the north.

In the beginning of the 19th C. this was the Jewish ghetto and one of the poorest districts in New York, more densely populated than Calcutta. It has fostered many intellectuals and merchants. Most of the Jews have moved away and have left behind derelict synagogues. Black people have moved in, Chinese and mainly Puerto Ricans, so this is still a very poor district.

Jews still have shops here in Orchard Street or come here on Sunday to shop cheaply and to dine in kosher way. Prices are often very competitive in Orchard Street. It resembles an Eastern Bazaar. People haggle loudly and gesticulate. Pickpockets have a field day. Otherwise the district is quite safe, if people avoid going east of Essex Street.

We are in Orchard Street.

Orchard Street

(D8).

A kind of an Eastern bazaar or souk with lots of loud haggling and gesticulating. There are merchants in an Jewish Orthodox attire. Citizens of New York come here for the good prices.

If we return to Houston Street, turn left and then right into Bowery, we are entering East Village.

East Village

To the east of Greenwich Village, bordering on Broadway to the west, Houston Street to the south, East River to the east and 14th Street to the north. It is an old immigrant district of Ukrainians and Poles and has recently been converted into the punk district of Manhattan.

The most recent development is the moving in of artists from TriBeCa who are fleeing the rising rents. They will probably clean up East Village as they did before in SoHo and TriBeCa. The effect can be seen in the emergence of art galleries and rising rents in the very last years.

The punk music is mainly on Astor Place and St. Mark’s Place. The uniform is multicolor hair, leather clothes and steel chains. And of course they attract curious tourists. The punk shops are in the so-called NoHo district on the southern Broadway from 10th Street to Houston Street.

We can walk on Bowery to Astor Place and then follow 8th Street west to Greenwich Village, where we shall take another walk.

Greenwich Village

North of SoHo and west of East Village, the most European part of Manhattan, an old university and cultural district around Washington Square. It reaches from Houston Street north to 14th Street and from Broadway west to Hudson River. It is a world in itself, a district of low-rise residential buildings on winding streets, which are difficult to find, just as in Europe.

The City University is here, the world center of jazz, and the Manhattan center of experimental theater, often called Off Broadway. It is the most relaxed district in Manhattan. The bohemians started to move here in the Thirties and in force after World War II, when Greenwich Village became a kind of an American Left Bank of the Seine.

Later the gays came and the pop generation. The gays are mainly in the western part, west of 7th Avenue to Hudson River. Punk moved on to East Village and avant-garde art to SoHo, leaving Greenwich Village as a district of middle-aged flower people, almost an establishment. The villagers are socially conscious and stick together when needed.

Off Broadway theater is concentrated in Greenwich Village.

Off Broadway

Greenwich Village.

Modern theater, experimental and avant-garde, is less a hallmark of Broadway than of the so-called Off Broadway, which is a category of about 200 theaters all over New York, but mainly concentrated in Greenwich Village. New works are tried out there and in London before the successful ones move to Broadway. This change has occurred slowly since the end of World War II.

The weeklies New York and Village Voice show the offerings of Off Broadway. The problem is that Off Broadway has become such a classical theater that a new term has arisen: Off Off Broadway. That is where the action is supposed to be nowadays.

We start our village walk at Washington Square.

Washington Square

(C7).

The Sunday Room of Greenwich Village, a kind of St. Germain des Prés. Villagers congregate there to buy drugs, play chess, show off in roller-coasting, listen to traveling musicians and discuss how to defend Greenwich Village against lunatic city authorities who want to tear down anything of age and value. It gets livelier in the evening.

It is the largest park on southern Manhattan. Some years ago it had become intolerable due to loud radios. The introduction of pocket discos with earphones has saved the day, so that we can play a game of chess in peace and quiet.

Behind the northern side of the square there are two quaint alleys, Washington Mews and MacDougal Alley.

MacDougal Alley

(C7).

Formerly the entrance to the stables of the important people who lived in the Washington Square mansions, now the flats of intellectuals who have complete peace there in the vicinity of the lively square. MacDougal Alley and Washington Mews retain the atmosphere of village streets.

From MacDougal Alley we turn right into MacDougal Street, then left into West 8th Street and again left into Christopher Street. We have a look into West 4th Street before we turn once again left, into Bleecker Street. We are in Jazzland.

Jazzland

The area of jazz clubs and Off Broadway theaters, interesting food and crafts shops, antique dealers and eccentric shops, cafés and restaurants, partly residential and partly commercial. The streets are crooked and intricate, difficult to find. They remind you more of London than New York. This is the most comfortable part of the city, lively here and peaceful there.

On this side or east of Christopher Street is the conventional part of Greenwich Village. The gay district is to the west of Christopher Street. When we arrive into Bleecker Street the street scene gets livelier. In that street and in the side streets of Mac Dougal and Sullivan are the main shops of the area with beautiful displays of fruit and flowers on the sidewalk.

We are passing through an area of jazz holes such as Blue Note, Village Vanguard and Sweet Basil, cellars of folk music such as Folk City and City Limits, some gourmet shops and lots of good restaurants, cafés and bars.

From Bleecker Street we turn left into La Guardia Place, pass West Houston Street and continue south on West Broadway into the district of SoHo, the artists’ town.

Artists’ town

Manhattan’s superiority over other world centers of art centers around the depicting arts, painting and sculpture, etc. where Paris has lost its edge. All artists in such fields want to exhibit in Manhattan and the best market is there. Unknown artists make their breakthrough here and some make it into big money.

The traditional galleries are mainly at 57th Street, but modern art thrives in the galleries of SoHo and TriBeCa. West Broadway and Wooster Street are the main centers of the decorative arts.

We are now in SoHo.

SoHo

The most westerly of the districts that border on Canal Street to the south. It is delimited by Canal Street, 6th Avenue, Houston Street and Broadway. Its neighbor to the north is Greenwich Village. SoHo is a prime example of well-built and decorative industry buildings of wrought iron which were to be torn down in the early Sixties.

Happily it changed instead to a district of artists’ ateliers, galleries, wine bars and restaurants. Affluent artists live there, those who can afford the rising rents. Lately SoHo has also been changing into a district of fashionable shops.

The galleries are the landmark of SoHo. It is the motor and the navel of modern art. Paris has been relegated to second place after this Manhattan district.

We are on West Broadway, the main street of SoHo and TriBeCa.

West Broadway

West Broadway.

The main street of modern art galleries in New York, along with the parallel Wooster Street. The most interesting part is from West Houston Street in the north to Broome Street in the south.

We walk West Broadway to Broome Street, turn left and again left into Wooster Street and then right into West Houston Street and right again into Greene Street.

Greene Street

Greene Street. (C8).

The southern part of Greene Street has beautiful examples of the architecture of the buildings for light industry which characterize the district. The fronts are usually decorated with a giant order of columns. Affluent artists and those who want to be near successful artists have taken over the industry buildings and converted them into comfortable flats.

The fronts are usually made of cast-iron which has been formed into intricate forms, according to whims that were unbridled at the end of the 19th C. The cast-iron freedom was used to mass-produce replicas of different styles and periods, especially Renaissance and Classical. Later firescapes were added.

At the southern end of Mercer Street which runs parallel to Green Street there is the Museum of Holography.

From the southern end of Greene Street we turn right into Canal Street and then left into West Broadway. We have left SoHo and entered TriBeCa.

TriBeCa

The Triangle Below Canal Street is the full name of this district to the north of Downtown, west of Chinatown and south of SoHo. It composes a triangle bordered by Canal Street, West Broadway, Barclay Street and Hudson River. It is sometimes called SoSo, which means South of SoHo, as it is a continuation of that district to the south.

It was a district of well built and decorous warehouses and buildings for light industry. They have a structure of wrought iron. After a long period of disrepair, when this place was forgotten, the rents started to rise in SoHo and artists discovered TriBeCa and moved their ateliers over Canal Street.

They have breathed new life into the district. And the vicious circle has started again, rent is on the rise in TriBeCa and the artists are looking for cheaper accommodation. In the meantime bars, restaurants, discos and fashion shops have sprung up all over the district.

From West Broadway we turn left into White Street.

White Street

(C9).

Some of the best examples of the cast-iron buildings of light industry at the end of the 19th C. are in this street, similar to the buildings in Greene Street.

This is the end of our walk through the districts of modern culture in Manhattan, Greenwich Village, SoHo and TriBeCa.

West Side

This walk through the western part of Mid-Manhattan will cover three main areas, Theater District or Broadway; the fashionable Upper West Side; and Central Park, the lungs of Manhattan.

We will start our walk on Times Square in the Theater District.

Theater District

Sometimes called Broadway, the area between 42nd Street, 59th Street, 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue, crossed by Broadway. In this area around Times Square there are 42 theaters. For a century it has been the center of American theater, with the best actors, directors and critics. Americans come from all corners of the country to enjoy performances on Broadway.

This is the largest theater area in the world, larger than Covent Garden in London. In later years it has ceded first place in innovation to Covent Garden as it can be observed that plays and musicals that become a hit in London are moved to Broadway to cash on their fame. But the professionalism of Broadway remains at its high level.

To see what is on it is best to consult the list in New York magazine. In the center of Father Duffy Square, which really is the northern end of Times Square, there is a ticket office, TKTS, which offers tickets to the present day performances at half price. Often there are large queues outside the office. Inquire at 354 5800. Hotel concierges can fix tickets to everything.

We start our walk on Times Square.

Times Square

(B4).

The center of theater and cinema, sex and drugs, illuminated by neon advertising. Happily the area is less shabby than it was a decade ago. New developments, including large hotels, have contributing in moving the Times Square area into the Midtown mainstream.

We walk north Broadway, first through Father Duffy Square which adjoins Times Square.

Father Duffy Square

(B4).

It really is the northern end of Times Square, with a ticket office, TKTS, which offers tickets to the present day performances at half price. Often there are large queues outside the office. Inquire at 354 5800.

We continue our walk on Broadway.

Broadway

Broadway. (B4).

The Theater District of Manhattan is known by its main street, the Broadway, which cuts diagonally through it. In this area around Times Square there are 42 theaters. For a century it has been the center of American theater, with the best actors, directors and critics. Americans come from all corners of the country to enjoy performances on Broadway.

This is the largest theater area in the world, larger than Covent Garden in London. In later years it has ceded first place in innovation to Covent Garden as it can be observed that plays and musicals that become a hit in London are moved to Broadway to cash on their fame. But the professionalism of Broadway remains at its high level.

To see what is on it is best to consult the list in New York magazine. In the center of Father Duffy Square, which really is the northern end of Times Square, there is a ticket office, TKTS, which offers tickets to the present day performances at half price. Often there are large queues outside the office. Inquire at 354 5800. Hotel concierges can fix tickets to everything.

We continue our walk along Broadway, reaching Carnegie Hall on our right side.

Carnegie Hall

154 West 57th Street / 7th Avenue. Phone: 247 7459. (B3).

Before the arrival of Lincoln Center this was the main venue of classical music in New York, well situated just south of Central Park. Now famous symphony orchestras and famous soloists perform there, both classical music and jazz. The acoustics are excellent in the auditorium for 2,784 people.

We continue on Broadway to Columbus Circle.

Columbus Circus

(B3).

The tourist office of the city is in the Moorish tower on our left side. It has lots of valuable information for travelers.

We continue on Broadway to Lincoln Center.

Lincoln Center

Columbus Avenue betw. 62nd and 65th. Phone: 875 5400. (B3).

The world center of classical music is in the southern end of Upper West Side where a few modern and modernistic palaces surround a fountain square. It was built in 1962-1968 as a kind of a cultural Acropolis or Capitolum in honor of the gods of music, designed by some of the best known architects of America in a refined style of giant column orders.

When we enter the square from Columbus Avenue we have New York State Theater on our left, Avery Fisher Hall on our right and Metropolitan Opera House in front of us. Vivian Beaumont Theater and Alice Tully Hall are behind Avery Fisher Hall. To know what is on at Lincoln Center it is best to consult the lists of the New York magazine.

First we turn our attention to the Metropolitan Opera.

Metropolitan Opera

Lincoln Center. Phone: 362 6000. (B3).

The central point of Lincoln Center, a palace with a giant order of ten stories and five Romanesque arches fronting the square. Inside the windows we see two colorful murals by Marc Chagall, a carpeted lobby and an impressive staircase.

The Met as it is called can seat 3,788 people. It is considered one of the high points in the career of opera singers to perform at the Met. The season lasts from the middle of September to April. At other times of the year other ensembles have access to the palace, including ballet companies like American Ballet Theater and Royal Ballet.

Next we have a look at the New York State Theater.

N. Y. State Theater

Lincoln Center. Phone: 870 5570. (B3).

The home of New York City Ballet and New York City Opera. The ballet reigns in November-February and in April-July, and the opera reigns in July-November. At the front there are four pairs of a giant order of columns on seven floors. Inside there are four floors up to the golden ceiling, all of them with balconies. The palace seats 2,279.

On the other side of Lincoln Center there is the Avery Fisher Hall.

Avery Fisher Hall

Lincoln Center. Phone: 875 5030. (B3).

44 columns surround this symphony palace of 2,742 seats which in the decades leading up to 1992 was rebuilt several times on the inside to reach the desired acoustics. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic which has a season in September-May. In July-August there are inexpensive Mozart concerts and in September the New York film festival is held there.

Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski have been the dirigents of the Philharmonic. Now Zubin Mehta is in charge.

Next door to Avery Fisher Hall on its northern side is Alice Tully Hall.

Alice Tully Hall

(B3).

Entered from Broadway this is the main venue of concert music in New York, the home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, seating 1,096. In September it is used for the New York film festival. In summer visiting artists perform at Alice Tully Hall.

Now we say good-by to Broadway and continue our walk on Columbus Avenue, the main street of the Upper West Side.

Upper West Side

North of 59th Street, south of 90th Street and west of Central Park, the residential district no. 2 after Upper East Side, a little less expensive and a little more tasteful. It boasts of the cultural Lincoln Center and the fashionable Columbus Avenue, which have spawned many restaurants and bars.

The inhabitants are generally younger than those on the other side of Central Park. You can even see children here. The night life is lively, especially on Columbus Avenue.

And we continue our walk north along Columbus Avenue.

Columbus Avenue

The newest fashionable street in Manhattan. It has blossomed after the infusion from the recent Lincoln Center, especially the stretch from 69th to 86th Streets. Fashion shops, bars and restaurants have mushroomed. Sidewalk hawkers are everywhere and we pass one market on our way, between 76th and 77th Streets.

We enter the castle on the opposite corner, the American Museum of Natural History.

American Museum of Natural History

Central Park West / 79th Street. Phone: 769 5100. Hours: Open Sunday-Tuesday 10-17:45, Wednesday & Friday-Saturday 10-20:45. (B2).

A large Upper West Side castle facing Central Park with a large museum inside, including a 30 meter long replica of a whale. There are 34,000,000 items in the museum.

From the museum we go on 77th Street to Central Park and soon arrive at the northern end of The Lake.

Central Park

Central Park.

The lungs of Manhattan are the result of a campaign by the author W.C. Bryant, designed by Olmsted and Vaux in 1856. It took 15 years to lay out this enormous park of 840 acres between 5th and 8th Avenues, 59th and 110th Streets. Lakes and hills were built and 100,000 trees were planted.

Its main characteristic is that pedestrian and motorized traffic are separated. We can criss-cross the park without ever crossing a street and the car traffic is mostly underground. The 46 winding paths offer ever-changing vistas. The southern part is the organized and detailed part with small lakes, groves and cliffs. The northern part is more informal and simpler.

Central Park is liveliest on Sunday when many Manhattanites use it as their drawing room. Some go on picnics in the park, others jog or cycle. There are groups in volleyball and baseball. A few compete on rollers, others row in boats. And quite a few sleep with the newspaper over their face. The park is safe in daylight and where the crowds are.

At The Lake we turn north, cross Balcony Bride at the northern end of The Lake and have a good view over the lake, the wooden hills behind it and the Manhattan towers in the background. We soon come to Belvedere Castle and Belvedere Lake on the highest ground in the southern park.

Belvedere Castle

Central Park. (B2).

A small castle in Disney style with a good view to the north over the large baseball fields where many games are going on simultaneously and to the south over the wooden hills of The Ramble.

In the east we see Metropolitan Museum of Art and the obelisk of Cleopatra’s Needle. We walk to the Needle, past sleeping and reading people. Often there are open-air concerts at Cleopatra’s Needle.

Finally we walk around Belvedere Lake and on its southern side we enter The Ramble.

The Ramble

(B2).

The wildest part of the park, with forested hills and cliffs, winding paths in ever-changing directions, and bridges over small streams. This is popular with lovers.

We continue south, cross The Lake on Bow Bridge with a good view, turn left and come to the Bethesda fountain with a sculpture of angels. There is a bandstand and an area for rollers. We make a detour east to Conservatory Pond to see statues of H.C. Andersen, the Ugly Duckling and Alice in Wonderland. Then we go back to the Bethesda fountain and turn south on The Mall.

The Mall

The pedestrian avenue passes a bandstand, then The Dairy, the information center of the park. The old Zoo is there on the left, popular and tired, no competitor to the real Zoo in Bronx. Adjoining it on the north side is a Children’s Zoo.

Opposite the Zoo we turn right off The Mall and take a path to the southern edge of Central Park, where we leave the park opposite 6th Avenue, formally named Avenue of the Americas.

Avenue of the Americas

Some famous towers line the avenue on the right, below the Hilton hotel. They are recessed from the avenue and have nice little plazas in front of them, with fountains and works of art. These are the towers of Equitable Life, Time & Life, Exxon and McGraw & Hill.

Much effort has been put into humanizing this area of steel, glass and concrete. Still the towers look pasteurized and emasculated. Their piazzas do not attract people and lack the spark of life. Better results have been achieved at older towers such as Rockefeller Center and at newer towers such as some of those east of 5th Avenue and in World Financial Center.

We finish this walk on 6th Avenue behind Rockefeller Center.

Midtown

The area between 42th Street, 59th Street, 8th Avenue and East River. A slice of its western side is the Theater District. Midtown is a collection of office towers, fashionable shops, luxury hotels and famous restaurants. These are some of the most expensive square meters in the world, glittering with wealth. This small and busy area can be considered the navel of the world.

The elegant shops of the world, French, Italian, British and American, have outlets on 5th Avenue and 57th Street, the crossroads of Midtown, south of Central Park. There ladies buy for $100 handbags with the large letters: “Gucci”, They pay out of their nose to carry around an advertisement. In return they can show that they can afford $100 for an handbag.

Lately SoHo has been evolving into a district of fashionable shops. Also Columbus Avenue between 69th and 86th Streets. The punk shops are in NoHo in East Village, on the southern Broadway from 10th Street to Houston Street. South Street Seaport has become a shopping center for tourists. Shopping has also moved out to the sidewalks all over town. But Midtown is still supreme.

We start this trip in the southern part, at Empire State Building, preferably in the morning, when the air is likely to be clear. We take two lifts up to the 86th floor and a third one to the 102nd floor.

Empire State

350 5th Avenue / 34th Street. Hours: Open 9:30-23:30. (C5).

Once the tallest building in the world and still one of the tallest. It has often been used as the symbol of New York and also as a good example of the grandiose architecture of skyscrapers.

The view from the top is usually above par in the morning when the sky is more clear than in the afternoon. On a perfect day you can see 70 km in each direction. Another interesting view is after nightfall, when the lights are on in the city.

When leaving Empire State we can either take a taxi or walk the 700 meters to the New York Public Library, also on 5th Avenue.

New York Public Library

5th Avenue / 42nd Street. (C5).

Neo-classical with Corinthian columns, two famous guardian lions and extensive front steps where people sit in groups, observe the pedestrian and motorized commotion and smoke whatever has been bought in Bryant Park behind the library. Impromptu speeches are delivered on the steps in the vein of Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park in London.

Inside there are 5,5 million copies of books. It is the second largest library in the United States after the Library of Congress in Washington. There are several reading rooms, the main one on the second floor. There are often interesting exhibitions on the ground floor.

We walk around the library into 42nd Street to Bryant Park behind the library.

Bryant Park

42nd Street / 6th Avenue. (C5).

Until recently one of the main centers of soft drugs sales in town, but less so now, as the authorities have made successful efforts to get other people into the park by offering free lunchtime concerts and organizing space for antique booksellers and chess or backgammon players.

We return to 5th Avenue and turn left, walk 500 meters along the avenue and turn left into 47th Street.

Diamond Row

47th Street / betw. 5th & 6th. (C4).

This is the unofficial name of the 47th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. Most of the shops are jewelers. 80% of the wholesale business in jewels is conducted in this stretch of 100 meters, behind and above the shops. Some of the jewelers have their goods in their pocket and make their transactions in the street, without any paperwork or signatures.

We return to 5th Avenue, turn left a walk a short way to the Channel Gardens in front of Rockefeller Center, passing several airline offices and fashion shops on the way.

Channel Gardens

5th Avenue / 50th Street. (C4).

A comfortable oasis of flowers and fountains and a pedestrian street leading to Rockefeller Center and a convenient meeting point. The city’s Christmas tree is put up here.

At the other end of Channel Gardens we come to the sunken Rockefeller Plaza with a café in summer and a skating rink in winter. A golden bronze statue of Prometheus guards the plaza.

Rockefeller Center

47th-50th Street. (C4).

It consists of the buildings around the plaza. The Art Deco towers were built just before World War II, connected by the extensive Rockefeller Plaza with luxury shops and restaurants.

The major tower is the RCA-building of 70 floors with a good view from the top balcony. Radio City Music Hall, the largest music auditorium in the world, seating 6,000 people, is behind the RCA-building.

We return through Channel Gardens to 5th Avenue, turn left, pass the Atlas statue by Lawrie in front of the International Building, cross the avenue and are in front of St Patrick’s Cathedral.

St Patrick‘s Cathedral

5th Avenue betw. 50th & 51st. (C4).

The major Catholic church in New York, built in Gothic style without buttresses in 1879, then far out in the country but now a dwarf under the office towers. In such a situation it is difficult to believe the fact that it is the 11th largest church in the world.

The long processions of the descendants of Irish immigrants on St Patrick’s Day end in front of the church. At that time there are oceans of people in the street and all bars full of thirsty people.

We continue on 5th Avenue and turn right into 53rd Street, where we see Paley Park on our left.

Paley Park

53rd Street betw. 5th & Madison. (C4).

A small lot has been converted into a relaxed garden where the sounds of falling water drown out the traffic noise. We can even sit down. This is a perfect example of good use of confined space.

We return to 5th Avenue, cross it and continue on 53rd Street to the Museum of Modern Art on our right.

Museum of Modern Art

11 West 53rd Street betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 708 9500. Hours: Open Saturday-Tuesday 11-18, Thursday-Friday 12-20:30. (C4).
To walk through Museum of Modern Art is like walking through an illustrated history of modern art. We recall the works of art from pictures in books. MoMA, as the museum is usually called, owns many of the typical and best works by many of the 20th C. masters. And the museum is not even old, it founded in 1929 and was recently enlarged.

The museum covers mainly 1880-1960, that is Impressionism, Expressionism and Abstract art.

The air-conditioned museum is also a comfortable oasis in the crowded Midtown. Most relaxed is the back garden with sculptures and fountains, a café and a restaurant.

Joan Miro is one of the important artists in MoMA.

Joan Miro

A Catalan painter born in 1893, influenced by Cubism, Dada and Surrealism, one of the ideologists of Surrealism. Lived for many years in the Netherlands before returning to Spain where he lived in Mallorca.

Another important MoMA artist is Pablo Picasso.

Picasso

Born on the Costa del Sol in Spain in 1881, studied in Barcelona and settled down in Paris. Took an active part in developing several of the 20th C. styles of painting, including Cubism. The Young Women of Avignon is an example of that period.

Another famous artist is Piet Mondrian.

Mondrian

A Dutch painter born in 1872, lived in Holland, Paris and London. He went through many of the 20th C. styles of painting and founded the De Stijl movement. One of the main exponents of Abstract art. Broadway Boogie Woogie is a good example of his style.

Next we turn our attention to Henri Matisse.

Matisse

A French painter born on the Côte d’Azur in 1954. Learned and lived in Paris, one of the main proponents of Expressionism. The Dance is one of his most important and defining works.

Jackson Pollock shall be the last example on our visit to MoMa.

Pollock

Born an American, one of the main movers and shakers of Expressionism. “One” is one of his best-known works of art.

When leaving MoMA we return to 5th Avenue and observe the goings on.

Fifth Avenue

Most of the shops in this part of the avenue are fashions hops. A lonely bookshop, Dalton’s is between 52nd and 53rd Streets. Above it there is a tower with the number 666 on 5th Avenue and with excellent views from the bar on the top floor, Top of the Sixes.

We continue north on 5th Avenue, pass lots of fashion shops. At 56th Street we arrive at Trump Tower on the right side of the Avenue.

Trump Tower

5th Avenue / 56th Street. (C3).

A tower with a difference, with a ground floor of six storeys of expensive fashion shops and still more expensive flats above them.

We continue on 5th Avenue and stop on the corner of the 57th Street.

57th Street

57th Street.

Two streets form the main cross of the Midtown area, 5th Avenue and 57th Street. The latter one is a street of fashion shops on the ground floor and of art galleries on the upper floors. Near the center of the cross there are several well-known hotels and restaurants.

We continue on 5th Avenue to 58th Street, where we come to Grand Army Plaza.

Grand Army Plaza

5th Avenue / 59th Street. (C3).

A square of expensive shops and hotels. The Pulitzer fountain is in the middle of the square. Horse-drawn carriages wait for tourists who want to make a slow trip into Central Park.

Museum Mile is the part of 5th Avenue north of Grand Army Place.

Museum Mile

5th Avenue.

Many of the most famous museums in New York face the Museum Mile. First there is Frick Collection, then Metropolitan Museum, Guggenheim Museum and finally Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Near the mile we have Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue.

We continue on that way, by taxi or foot the 1 kilometer to the Frick Collection on the right side of the avenue.

Frick Collection

1 East 70th Street / 5th Avenue. Phone: 288 0700. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-18, Sunday 13-18. (C2).

An important Upper East Side museum facing Central Park, popular for being rather relaxing. It is a city mansion with works of art from earlier centuries hanging on walls above the luxurious furniture of the collector.

Another kilometer by taxi or foot brings us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the left side of the avenue.

Metropolitan Museum

5th Avenue &/ 82nd Street. Phone: 535 7710. Hours: Open Tuesday-Thursday & Sunday 9.30-17:15, Friday-Saturday 9:30-20:45. (C1).

One of the largest museums in the world with more than 3,000,000 items. You have to make a plan for your walk through it. To visit it all in one day would be to much, a week is more to the point. This is a museum with a wide focus, a museum of art, of crafts, and of antiques. The rebuilt ancient Egyptian temple from Dendar is one of the central items.

Usually there are important temporary exhibitions.

Further 500 meters on 5th Avenue brings us to the Guggenheim Museum on the right side of the avenue.

Guggenheim Museum

1071 5th Avenue betw. 88th & 89th. Phone: 360 3500. Hours: Open Monday-Wednesday 10-18, Friday-Saturday 10-20. (C1).

Not only famous for being one of the most important museums of modern art in the world but also for its own architecture, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in a spiral form.

When we arrive at this Upper East Side location facing Central Park we take an elevator to the top floor and then descend down the spiral through the whole museum.

On our way down we go through the special galleries on the 6th, 4th and 2nd floors who have focused themes. The spiral itself is used for temporary exhibitions. The fixed artists include Kandinsky, Mondrian, Klee, Braque, Picasso and Calder.

Just a little further along on 5th Avenue on the same side of the street we arrive at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

Cooper-Hewitt Museum

2 East 91st Street / 5th Avenue. Phone: 860 6868. Hours: Open Tuesday 10-21, Wednesday-Saturday 10-17, Sunday 12-17. (C1).

An important Upper East Side museum facing Central Park. It has drawings by Rembrandt and Dürer.

If we want to finish this walk by going to the Whitney Museum we have to get to the corner of Madison Avenue and 75th Street.

Whitney Museum

945 Madison Avenue / 75th Street. Phone: 570 3676. Hours: Open Wednesday & Friday-Sunday 11-18, Thursday 13-20. (C2).

An Upper East Side museum of American Art, one of the important museums on Manhattan. The building itself is a work of art, designed by Marcel Breuer and Hamilton Smith, looking like a bunker turned upside down. The back garden of sculptures and the basement house about 50 works of art by Alexander Calder. The museum is well-known for its daring policy of buying art.

East Side

We use this designation to cover the affluent eastern side of Midtown and the Upper East Side. We start in the south at the United Nations Building and finish in the north at the Roosevelt Island Tramway.

We start on the corner of 1st Avenue and 43rd Street, in front of the United Nations building.

United Nations Building

1st Avenue / 42nd Street. (D4).

Designed by a committee of world-famous architects including Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and Sven Markelius, built 1947-1953. The exterior is mainly the work of Corbusier. It is the first tower in Manhattan which is completely covered in glass.

The tower houses the central offices of the United Nations. The small building in front is the meeting hall of the General Assembly. Behind there are some other buildings with smaller meeting halls. Most of the halls are open to the public when meetings are not in session. The entrance is from the corner of 1st Avenue and 45th Street.

Opposite the U.N. between 43rd and 44th Streets is one of the most beautiful towers of Manhattan, the UN Plaza hotel.

We walk along 42nd Avenue to the Chrysler Building on our right.

Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue / 42nd Street. (C4).

An Art Deco tower from 1930, influenced by car designs of that time, with a top that is reminiscent of a Chrysler 1929 water cooler. It was temporarily the tallest tower in the world. Some have found it to be ugly but lately it has been considered one of the most beautiful in town.

A little further on 42nd Street we come to Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central Terminal

Park Avenue / 42nd Street. (C4).

The main railway station of Manhattan, a large pile built in 1903-1913, covering rails, roads and ramps on several floors. Half a million people use the terminal each working day.

The Beaux Art front has a clock with a width of 4 meters. Inside there is a main hall of 10 floors, with 38 meters up to the star-studded dome. Downstairs there is the incomparable Oyster Bar.

We cross Grand Central in the north direction through the Met Life Building.

Met Life Building

Park Avenue. (C4).

This graciously curved tower straddles Park Avenue, designed 1963 by Walter Gropius, Pietro Belluschi and Emery Roth, one of the landmarks of skyscraper architecture. The tower looks best from the Park Avenue north side. And it spoils the former vista along Park Avenue.

From the top floor there is a good view to the east to other Manhattan towers and west to Chrysler Building and United Nations Building.

We walk along Park Avenue.

Park Avenue

Park Avenue.

The only avenue in Manhattan with a grass island in the middle. On the right side we see how spacious glass gardens have been designed in the ground floor of the towers.

We pass the Inter-Continental and Waldorf-Astoria hotels on the right side of the avenue and come to St Bartholomew’s Church on the same side.

St Bartholomew‘s Church

Park Avenue betw. 50th & 51st. (C4).

A decorous Neo-Byzantine church of pink brick from 1919, with a small churchyard that contrasts with the towers around just as the church itself does. Its days may be numbered as the ever smaller congregation is too poor to refuse ever more inviting offers from greedy entrepreneurs who want to build a skyscraper on the lot.

We cross 5th Avenue and walk 51st Street to Madison Avenue. Villard Houses are on that corner.

Villard Houses

Madison Avenue / 51st Street. (C4).

Three houses from 1884, looking together like a Italian Neo-Renaissance palace on the outside. On the inside they have Rococo decorations. These architecturally important houses among skyscrapers were saved by hotelier Helmsley who transformed them into the lobby, bar and restaurant area of the hotel he built behind them.

After a look around in Madison Avenue we return to Park Avenue and turn left. Soon we come to Lever Building on the left side.

Lever Building

(C4).

Characterized by its dark blue glass walls, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in straightforward Bauhaus Modern style, built in 1952. The tower does not utilize its air-space completely and allows the rays of the sun to play with its sides. It is such an architectural milestone that it is already a protected monument.

We cross Park Avenue and go on 54th Street to Lexington Avenue. On that corner is Citicorp Center.

Citicorp

Lexington Avenue / 54th Street. (C4).

One of the younger towers of Manhattan, from 1977, designed by Hugh Stubbins, distinguished by its steep top and its giant order of columns at street level. The columns allow space for the small St Peter’s church.

A subterranean and comfortable garden, The Market, under the tower gives access to a mall of shops and restaurants.

We turn our attention to St Peter’s.

St Peter‘s Church

Lexington Avenue / 54th Street. (C4).

This modern church makes a striking contrast to the oversized surroundings.

We return to Park Avenue, turn right and continue northwards. On our left we arrive at the AT&T tower.

A. T. & T.

Park Avenue betw. 55th & 56th. (C3).

One of newest towers of Manhattan, from 1984, designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, well known by its Chippendale top, one of the most controversial towers in town. It is an example of the modern reaction against Modernism, clothed in reddish marble instead of aluminium, glass and steel. It looks like something that the lamp of Aladdin brought here by mistake.

The ground floor of the tower is a public garden with chairs and coffee tables spread around, quite a nice place.

We go on Park Avenue to the next corner. There we have three choices. We can turn right and walk along 57th Street to Madison Avenue and turn left there.

Madison Avenue

The next avenue to the east of Park Avenue and is one of the most fashionable shopping streets in Manhattan. From 57th up to 72th Street it is lined with shops and art galleries. Otherwise it is best known for being the center of the advertising and public relations services in New York.

From the corner of Park Avenue and 57th Street we can also walk west on 57th Street and then turn left on 3rd Avenue and right on 51st Avenue. There we arrive at Greenacre Park.

Greenacre Park

A tiny park nestling under office towers, a comfortable resting place with chairs and tables and a soothing waterfall in the rear, drowning out the noise from the motor traffic.

From the corner of Park Avenue and 57th Street we can also walk east on 57th Street all the way to 2nd Avenue and turn left there to enter Upper East Side.

Upper East Side

From the beginning of the 20th C. the area north of 59th Street and east of Central Park has been the quality residential district in New York. It is a tasteful district of city mansions and residential hotels. Everywhere there are uniformed guards in lobbies and long, black limousines at the curb. Many elegant bars, restaurants and nightclubs cater to the inhabitants.

It is also the main museum district, boasting of Metropolitan, Guggenheim, Frick, Cooper-Hewitt and Whitney Museums. And the district of embassies and respectable institutions. The residence of the mayor, Gracie Mansion, is on the East River. That part of the district is called Yorkville and was once the area of German immigrants.

We walk on 2nd Avenue to 60th Street to arrive at the Roosevelt Island Tramway, opened 1976. From there we take a colorful airborne tram for a four-minute ride over the western branch of East River to Roosevelt Island. Remember to bring subway tokens as tickets are not sold here.

Roosevelt Island

A modern residential district has been designed on the island, devoid of motor traffic. The river banks of the island offer good views over the river.

This concludes our walk around the eastern part of Manhattan.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Blue Note

131 West 3rd Street / 6th Avenue. Phone: 475 8592. (C8).

The most important jazz bar in Manhattan. All jazz players of fame play there and the players are mainly famous. The succeed each other at rapid intervals. Sarah Vaugh was brilliant and the amusing bodyguards happily panicked when the balloons burst, but the English foreign minister kept his cool. The atmosphere is unique in this really tiny place for all strata of society.

Blum / Helman

20 West 57th Street betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 245 2888. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-18. (C3).

The Midtown gallery that has been known to be often the first Midtown gallery to take up artists that have been introduced in the SoHo galleries, bridging the gap between SoHo and Midtown. When Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein were exhibited here they were still relatively unknown. It also handles many new artists.

C. B. G. B. & OMFUG

315 Bowery / Bleecker Street. Phone: 982 4052. No cards. (D8).

The main venue and birthplace of punk, in East Village, a former car repair station converted into a long and dark bar with neon lights. Normal people can have fun by coming here, just as they would visit the zoo, to observe blue hair-spears, chains, dog collars and black leather on young people who walk in trance in the screaming noise and inject themselves on the stairs.

Chippendale

1110 1st Avenue betw. 61st and 62nd. Phone: 935 6060. (D3).

A ladies nightclub, suitable for outings of sewing clubs who want to have fun by observing semi-naked go-go boys from the health centers and to push dollar bills down their G-strings.

Dia Art

141 Wooster Street betw. Houston & Prince. Phone: 473 8072. Hours: Open Wednesday-Saturday 12-18. (C8).

The most important location of this group of galleries is in the center of SoHo. It is an immense space, full of damp earth that contrasts with the white walls and track lights. The name of the gallery at this location is: The New York Earth Room.

Leo Castelli

420 West Broadway betw. Prince & Spring. Phone: 431 5160. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-18. (C8).

The most famous gallery of modern art has for more than a quarter of a century been here in the heart of SoHo. Castelli has in this time introduced great artists who became the established masters of modern art, such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. Most of them still feel beholden to Castelli.

Lone Star Café

240 West 52nd Street betw. 8th & Broadway. Phone: 245 2950. (B4).

Cowboy music has its main representative in Theater District. Texan country music attract homesick Texans in noisy circumstances and lots of beer and chili. It is convenient to get a seat on the balcony to have a view over the commotion. There are two bands each evening.

Mary Boone

417 West Broadway betw. Prince & Spring. Phone: 431 1818. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 10-18. (C8).

For several years the most fashionable gallery in Manhattan, located in the heart of SoHo. It was the gallery of the eighties. Mary Boone is a disciple of Leo Castelli, the grand master of modern galleries. She is a social lion and has introduced controversial artists such as Rainer Fettig, David Salle and Julian Schnabel.

Michael’s Pub

211 East 55th Street betw. 7th & Broadway. Phone: 758 2272. (B3).

Most jazz venues are in Greenwich Village or further south. The most important Midtown site for jazz is best known for Woody Allen playing there in a ragtime band almost every Monday night. The rather recent and tasteful bar concentrates on classic jazz and the guests are mainly middle-aged tourists, who line up outside for three hours before it opens at 11:45.

Pace

32 East 57th Street betw. 2nd & 3rd. Phone: 421 3292. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 9:30-17:30, in summer Saturday 10-18. (D3).

Possibly the best known of the classical art galleries, in the western part of Midtown. It is a large gallery on two floors. It covers Pablo Picasso, Jean Arp, Ad Reinhardt, Isamu Noguchi and Mark Rothko.

Palladium

126 East 14th Street (Broadway). Phone: 473 7171. (C7).

A huge Greenwich Village dancing floor with loud disco music and video flashes. It has shown a great staying power for several years, unusual for nightclubs.

Robert Miller

41 East 57th Street betw. 2nd & 3rd. Phone: 980 5454. (D3).

The best gallery atmosphere in Midtown is here, a relative newcomer to the gallery scene. It exhibits new and old artists, also photos and antiques.

S. O. B.

204 Varick Street / West Houston Street. Phone: 243 4940. (B8).

The letters stand for Sounds of Music. This joint on the border of Greenwich Village and SoHo is the main venue for Latin American music, a noisy and lively place, especially at weekends. The bands change all the time and there is sometimes African music.

Sidney Janis

110 West 57th Street betw. 6th & 7th. Phone: 586 0110. Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-17:30. (B3).

Sidney Janis has since time immemorial been one of the most influential galleries in the city. he made de Kooning, Pollock, Rothko, Duchamp and Leger famous in the United States. He has sold many of the works who now have a place of honor in American museums of modern art. He introduced the Dada style to America. The gallery is in the center of Midtown.

Sweet Basil

88 7th Avenue South / Bleecker & Grove. Phone: 242 1785. (B7).

Modern jazz has its center in the western part of Greenwich Village, in an unusually decorous place with brick walls and paneling, enlivened by paintings of important musicians. It is small and crowded and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Village Vanguard

178 7th Avenue South / 11th Street. Phone: 255 4037. No cards. (B7).

For more than half a century this small and rickety, crowded and smoke-filled basement in the northern part of Greenwich Village has been one of the very top jazz venues in New York. Many famous musicians started their career in this intimate hole that has been imitated all over the world. The music is mainly classic jazz.

Chumley’s

86 Bedford Street near Commerce Street. Phone: 675 4449. (B8).

The most amusing bar in Greenwich Village, from 1920, completely unmarked on the outside to prevent strangers from finding it, so you have to remember the address. It is a neighborhood pub and nearly a private pub of the literary crowd in Greenwich Village.

First you walk up steps and the down steps to enter the dim pub, where talkative guests sit tight at small table of massive wood, carved with initials. Jackets of books by well-known and unknown regulars line the walls.

Fanelli‘s

94 Prince Street / Mercer Street. Phone: 226 9412. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. (C8).

A British pub since 1872 in the SoHo district of arts. Formerly it was a workingman’s hangout but now its red-and-white oilcloth tables have been taken over by trendy artists. It is often very crowded and most enjoyable at that time. Take a look at the beautiful entrance door.

P. J. Clarke‘s

915 3rd Avenue / 55th Street. Phone: 355 8857. Hours: Open late. (C3).

The most famous Midtown bar, in an old house of two floors, nestling on a corner under one of the Midtown towers. The owner, Daniel Lavezzo, refused to sell, when all the other lots on the block were bought to make way for the tower. And he still refuses.

There is a long bar with a few stools around it. A few tables are at the far end of the room. All furnishings are old and worn and so are the mirrors. In busy hours several layers of customers stand at the bar, most of them drinking beer. This is a popular venue for the happy hour after work and before the subway ride to the suburbia.

Café Central

Grand Central Station. (C4).

Spectacular view over the famous main hall of the railway station, offering coffee with good, fresh fruit for breakfast.

Café Europa

West 57th Street / 7th Avenue. (B3).

A comfortable café with tiny tables diagonally opposite Carnegie Hall, serving excellent fresh fruit with yogurt for breakfast.

Caffe Reggio

119 Mac Dougal Street betw. West 3rd & Minetta Lane. Phone: 475 9557. (C8).

The best known of very few real European cafés in Manhattan, a haunt of intellectuals in Greenwich Village, the most European part of Manhattan. It even has tables on the pavement, a curiosity in America.

Real coffee is sold, such as espresso and cappuccino, also very good chocolate and several types of tea. It is a popular after-dinner meeting place in the neighborhood and a convenient place for people-watching.

Gianni’s

South Street Seaport, 15 Fulton Street. Phone: 608 7300. (D10).

A rare sight in New York, a pavement café, in the touristy South Street Seaport, a good place for observing vacationers and Wall Street bankers from nearby towers.

Balducci’s

424 Avenue of the Americas betw. 9th & 10th. Phone: 673 2600. (C7).

In northern Greenwich Village, the main gourmet shop in Manhattan. It has the very best of everything, of fresh vegetables and fish and of ripe cheeses, 550 of them. It also has the best bakery in town. The shelves are full of jars of eccentric food from all the corners of the world, especially from Italy and France.

Bergdorf-Goodman

754 5th Avenue / 57th Street. Phone: 753 7300. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C3).

The most luxurious fashion shop on Manhattan is on Midtown’s central corner of the main fashion streets. It is an expensive shop, designed as a palace and it receives visitors like royalty. It has been in the forefront of introducing Italian fashions to the American audience.

Bloomingdales

1000 3rd Avenue / 59th Street. Phone: 705 2000. Hours: Open all week, except Sunday morning. (C3).

The upper class department store is on the border of Midtown and Upper East Side, seven floors of playing ground for interior designers and decorators. Thousands of New Yorkers and suburbanites follow Bloomingdales fashions as if in a trance.
In addition to the fashion goods there are the most strange goods from China, India and other corners of the world. The department of food and wine in the cellar is famous.

The store is a mixture of an Eastern bazaar and a disco. There is always something going on here. The place is sometimes a riot, the most interesting theater in town, a necessary stop for curious visitors, one of the landmarks of New York.

Brooks Brothers

346 Madison Avenue / 44th Street. Phone: 682 8800. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C4).

Near Grand Central, the shop for all bankers in America. It is from 1818 and has directed the conservative taste in men’s clothes ever since. It also sells clothes for conservative ladies and conservative children.

No notice at all is taken of swings in fashion. What was good in 1818 is also good today. Shoulder pads have always, are now and will always be banned here. It is also nice to know that the overcoat that was bought here in 1960 is still valid today. And some items are not expensive at all.

Casswell Massey

518 Lexington Avenue / 48th Street. Phone: 755 2254. (C4).

This pharmacy in hotel Inter-Continental in eastern Midtown is the oldest one in the city, from 1725, and reminds you of an outdated London specialty shop. It still sells perfume that was made especially for the wife of President Washington and a night crème that was made specially for Sara Bernhardt. And it is fun to observe the pharmacy jars from the 18th C.

Dalton

(C4).

One of the main bookshops on 5th Avenue.

Hammacher-Schlemmer

147 East 57th Street betw. 3rd & Lexington. Phone: 421 9000. (C3).

In eastern Midtown, the haven for the technically mad. It is the shop that introduced the world to pressing irons, electrical razors and pressure cookers. It has lots of strange things of the most ingenious kind, such as an automatic soup ladle, a computer for prophecies and a golf green. If you are an eccentric, this shop has exactly what you know that you need.

Henri Bendel

712 5th Avenue betw. 55th & 56th. Phone: 247 1100. Hours: Open all week, except Sunday morning. (C3).

The main fashion shop in Manhattan is on four floors in central Midtown and has become an avant-garde shop in fashion. It is designed as a collection of glittering boutiques where each designer has his own space. Some of them have even become famous at Bendel, including Mary McFadden. American fashion starts here. In spite of that the clothes seem to be wearable.

Macy‘s

34th Street / Broadway / 6th Avenue. Phone: 736 5151. Hours: Open all week. (B5).

The largest department shop in the world, west of Empire State, has been fighting for its life in recent years. It covers 200,000 square meters. It has gradually changed from being a downmarket shop into a shop with many quality goods and even fashions and gourmet food, serving the middle classes. The ground floor and the balcony is occupied by semi-independent boutiques.

Saks

611 5th Avenue betw. 49th & 50th. Phone: 753 4000. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C4).

Near Rockefeller Center in Midtown, this is the conservative fashion shop per excellence, tasteful and elegant. It is well organized and reminds you of Harrods in London, even if Saks only sells clothes and food. And it is never old-fashioned in spite of being conservative.

Tiffany

727 5th Avenue / 57th Street. Phone: 755 8000. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C3).

The most American shop in the world, because it could not have existed anywhere else. This shop on the main Midtown corner sells jewels, tableware and household ware, both tasteful and tasteless. It has its own style that does not follow other trends.

People buy wedding presents and wedding invitations with the Tiffany sign to make sure everybody knows where it is from. Silver rattles as gifts for newborn babies are popular.

Some goods are not expensive but packed in the blue Tiffany cases all the same, and that is the important thing for many people.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Afgan Kebab House

155 West 46th Streeet / 6th & 7th. Phone: 768 3875. Price: $35 ($35) for two. No cards. (B4).

An economical Middle East restaurant near Times Square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ambassador Grill

1 United Nations Plaza, U.N. Plaza Hotel. Phone: 702 5014. Price: $90 ($90) for two. All major cards. (D4).

One of the most beautiful restaurants in New York, almost covered in mirrors, in a hotel basement opposite the United Nations.

Only the floor is not covered with mirrors. The rooms seems to expand endlessly in all directions. Service and food is excellent. The cuisine is American with French undertones.

• Salmon and liver salad.

• Lobster mousse.

• Lobster cake wrapped in cabbage.

• Duck supreme with asparagus.

• Strawberries with cream.

• Napoleon pastry with raspberries.

American Place

2 Park Avenue / 32nd Street. Phone: 684 2122. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: $100 ($100) for two. All major cards. (C5).

One of the first important American Nouvelle restaurants in Manhattan has moved to a new site near Empire State. The new dining room is large and well spaced in Art Nouveau style. Larry Forgione has been the owner-chef since the beginning.

The waiters patiently describe in detail how each course is thought out and cooked, and also how it originated. They also can explain why this or that red wine suits better to this or that course. For a fixed price you can choose between eight first courses, eight main courses and American cheeses from a tray.

• Grilled Maine lobster and leeks with roasted peppers in vinaigrette.

• Leg of spring lamb with mashed potatoes.

• Marinated and grilled guinea fowl with mashed potatoes and buttered sugar beans.

• Banana Betty = vanilla sauce with crisp bananas.

• American goat cheeses.

American Nouvelle consists mainly of taking old granny recipes and adapt them to the light cuisine that originated in France about 1970. Thus many local American recipes have been saved from oblivion, just as when old buildings are saved by converting them to modern use.

Ballato

55 East Houston Street betw. Mott & Mulberry. Phone: 274 8881. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: $60 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C8).

The best Italian restaurant is a small and comfortable place on the border of Greenwich Village and Little Italy, offering the homey cooking of Italian grandmothers.

Guests have a view into the kitchen where many customers pay a visit to greet old acquaintances. You have to bring your own wine which you can buy in the shops around.

• Spaghetti, macaroni, manicotti, tagliatelle etc.

• Octopus.

• Shrimp.

• Veal.

• Zabaglione = whipped egg yolks, sugar and marsala wine.

Bo Ky

80 Bayard Street / Mott & Mulberry Streets. Phone: 406 2292. Price: $30 ($30) for two. No cards. (C9).

A practical Chinatown restaurant. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bombay Palace

30 West 52nd Street betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 541 7777. Price: $65 ($65) for two. All major cards. (C4).

A very good Indian and luxurious dining room on two levels, centrally located in Midtown, just north off Rockefeller Center.

The place is popular with Sikhs.

• Tandoori chicken = chicken marinated in yogurt and curries and baked in a clay oven.

• Tandoori shrimps.

• Sashlik = lamb on skewers.

• Crispy bread.

Bouley

165 Duane Street / Greenwich & Hudson. Price: $160 ($160) for two. All major cards. (C9).

A French restaurant in TriBeCa, for several years considered by many to be the best restaurant in New York. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Brassiere

100 East 53rd Street betw. Park & Lexington. Phone: 751 4840. Hours: Open day & night. Price: $60 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C4).

An exception to the rule of bad food at 24 hours restaurants, a clean and modern basement in the shopping center of Midtown.
Very popular at 03 in the morning when night owls drop in for a breakfast before going to bed. Breakfast is trumps here.

• French onion soup.

• Burgundy snails.

• Beef steak.

• Beef tartar.

Cajun

129 8th Avenue / 16th Street. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch. Price: $57 ($57) for two. (B7).

A large Creole restaurants in southern Chelsea, near Greenwich Village.

A large dining room with simple furnishings, Mardi Gras posters on walls and paper napkins. A seven-strong Dixie band enlivens the place most nights.

• Gumbo = okra, rice and chicken soup with sassafras leaves.

• Blackened fish = Ocean trout coated in spices and burned on a pan.

• Creole salad.

• Grilled shrimp with chopped fish and rice.

• Steamed shrimp with cooked vegetables.

• Pecan pie.

• Bread and butter pudding with whiskey sauce.

Cajun cooking is better known as Creole cooking. It comes from New Orleans and Louisiana and is a mixture of French and Indian cooking. Cajun is a name for Frenchmen that first settled on the eastern coast of Canada and then later moved on to Louisiana.

Carnegie Deli

854 7th Avenue betw 54th & 55th. Phone: 757 2245. Price: $52 ($52) for two. All major cards. (B4).

The best delicatessen, in the northern part of Theater District, near Central Park, popular with actors and audience after theater.

The place is cramped and the waiters are rude, but the food is good.

• Cheese cake.

• Sandwiches.

• Pastrami.

• Corned beef.

Delicatessen are Jewish fast food eateries, specializing in sandwiches.

Cirque

58 East 65th Street / Park & Madison. Phone: 794 9292. Price: $145 ($145) for two. All major cards. (C3).

One of the top French restaurants in New York, on the Upper East Side. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Côte Basque

5 East 55th Street betw. 5th & Madison. Phone: 688 6525. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: $140 ($140) for two. All major cards. (C4).

A French master chef in a perfectly central Midtown location, Jean-Jacques Rachou offers excellent cooking in a beautiful dining room. Ask for a table in the main room behind the kitchen. There is no need to point things out from the menu, as everything is very good.

The room is warm and bright, lined with murals by Bernard Lamotte from the harbor in St-Jean-de-Luz. It is well spaced, with beautiful table service. Service is excellent and helpful and the guests are generally happy. Be careful in choosing from the expensive wine list.

• Seafood casserole with saffron.

• Pate of the house.

• Baby lamb.

• Tournedos Bordelaise.

• Meringue with wild strawberries and cream.

Dárbar

44 West 56th Street betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 432 7227. Price: $80 ($80) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best Northern Indian restaurant is centrally located in Midtown, just south from Central Park, a heavily decorated place.

It is a solemn place with lots of Indian works of art and a grand spiral staircase to the balcony part of the dining room. It is a comfortable place of courteous service and sitar-music in the background. The spice tends to be hot.

• Tandoori chicken = chicken marinated in yogurt and curry and baked.

• Poppadum = crispy bread.

• Shaslik = meat on skewers.

• Spiced lamb.

• Mixed vegetables with beans.

Empire Diner

210 10th Avenue / 22nd Street. Phone: 243 2736. Hours: Open day & night, except 05-08 Monday morning. Price: $40 ($40) for two. All major cards. (A6).

The most famous diner in Manhattan, in black and chrome, open day and night.

Popular as a breakfast venue for night-owls at 03-04 in the morning.

Diners are an American invention, metallic places like railway wagons, often in Art Nouveau style.

Four Seasons

99 East 52nd Street betw. Park & Lexington. Phone: 754 9494. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: $140 ($140) for two. All major cards. (C4).

The most beautiful restaurant in New York and one of the most expensive ones, designed by Philip Johnson in a Mies van der Rohe building, located in Midtown. We climb the stairs to the first floor, walk past a large Picasso painting, bypass the Grill Room and enter the high and wide Pool Room.

Thousands of metal threads move in the breeze at the windows. The tables are well spaced and democratically set up around the central marble pond under the starred ceiling. There are waiters all over the place. In accordance with the name of the place, the menu and the decorations are changed four times a year. The chef is well-known Seppi Renggli.

• Mussels in curry with papaya and mango.

• Roasted pigeon breast.

• Mushrooms in lemon and pepper.

• Chopped spinach with cream sauce.

• Filet mignon beef steak.

• Veal slices with crab purée on artichoke.

• Tart of the house.

Gotham Bar & Grill

12 East 12th Street / 5th Avenue. Phone: 620 4020. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: $115 ($115) for two. All major cards. (C7).

A large and stylish split-level dining room in post-modern design with excellent cooking and a lively clientele a few blocks to the north from Washington Square.

On the higher level thers is a long bar and one row of tables with green chairs. Most of the tables are on the lower level. Rectangular pillar support the high ceiling with large lampshades of cloth. The piping is visible in the ceiling.

• Seafood salad. scallops, squid, Japanese octopus, lobster & avocado in lemon and oil, flying fish roes.

• Smoked duck breast, basmati rice and yougurt salad with apricot-cherry chutney.

• Squab and grilled New York State foie gras, sweet corn, creamy polenta & cranberry beans.

• Loin of venison, pumpkin, rosemary poached pears, wild huckleberries & winter root vegetables.

• Almond cake with toasted almond ice cream, capote of clementines, mieola and blood orange.

• Gotham chocolate cake, served warm, with espresso ice cream.

• Seasonal berries.

Hatsuhana

17 East 48th Street betw. 5th & Madison. Phone: 355 3345. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: $85 ($85) for two. All major cards. (C4).

A very good Japanese sushi bar in Midtown, near Rockefeller Center.

It is preferable to sit at the long sushi bar, watch the work of the cooks and choose fish from the glass counter.

• Raw marinated tuna, trout, salmon, shrimp, squid, octopus, salmon and cod roes, shellfish, mackerel, etc.

Hudson River Club

250 Vesey Street / The World Financial Center. Phone: 786 1500. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: $110 ($110) for two. All major cards. (B10).

An exquisite split-level restaurant, combining tasteful ambience with fine cuisine, near the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center, with spectacular views for everybody over Hudson river to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and New Jersey.

Walls of wood and glass partion the dining area, making each segment rather cozy. There is abstract art on the inside walls and large windows on the outside walls. Reception and service are almost perfect. Good wines are sold by the glass.

• Wood ear mushroom consommé.

• Apple smoked venison salad.

• Mint cured and apple smoked salmon Napoleon.

• House pepper cured venison prosciutto.

• Steamed red snapper with tarragon and tomato.

• Grilled paillard of venison.

• Grilled swordfish with chive coulis.

• New York State cheeses with fruit.

• Candied walnut farmer‘s cheesecake, honeycomb and red currants.

• Black dirt onion and rocambole garlic jam.

Jackson Hole

232 East 64th Street betw. 2nd & 3rd. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: $30 ($30) for two. No cards. (D3).

The best outlet of the best hamburger chain in town is in Upper East Side.

The hamburgers are unusually thick and moist and the cooking time is carefully observed.

• Hamburgers.

Hamburgers are the essential type of American food, fatty and lazy.

John‘s Pizzeria

278 Bleecker Street south of 7th. Phone: 243 1680. Price: $30 ($30) for two. No cards. (B8).

Indisputably the best pizzeria in Manhattan, located in Greenwich Village.

Tired dining room and tired waiters, but the pizzas stay the same. People come from far away and stand in line to enter this pizza heaven.

• Pizza.

Pizzas are typically American, even if they originated in southern Italy. Americans made them famous and exported them all over the world.

Kuruma Zushi

18 West 56th Street, betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 541 9030. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: $100 ($100) for two. No cards. (C3).

There are more Japanese restaurants in Manhattan than in the combined capitals of Europe. Best of them are the sushi bars and this is one of the best of them, situated in central Midtown, just south of Central Park.

It is very clean and tasteful. It is preferable to sit at the long bar and watch the cooks when they make the sushi. Their professionalism is astounding. This is also a good way to choose the raw fish that is on display under glass at the bar, only one type at a time at a leisurely pace.

• Raw marinated tuna, squid, shrimp, roe, etc.

• Saki = Japanese rice wine, served warm.

Sushi are small delicacies made of rice balls and marinated fish, which can also be rolled into seaweed.

Lutece

249 East 50th Street betw. 2nd & 3rd. Phone: 752 2225. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: $145 ($145) for two. No cards. (C4).

The best restaurant in New York, a worthy competitor to the best eateries of France, hiding away in a basement near the United Nations, owned by Chef André Soltner from Alsace. He is different from other super-chefs in not being on the road but in his kitchen, cooking for his customers and talking with everybody, including newcomers. His wife directs the service.

Most of the tables are in a glass-roofed outhouse behind the building, others are in two rooms on the first floor. The decorations are sunny French Mediterranean, with palm trees, tiled floors, brick pillars and white lattice. The amiability of the owners influences the waiters who are cordial all around and describe the menu in slow and understandable sentences.

• Artichokes.

• Game pate.

• Mussel soup.

• Leg of lamb with dressing.

• Gooseberry tart.

• French cheeses.

Mulino

86 West 3rd Street / Sullivan & Thompson. Phone: 673 3783. Price: $120 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C8).

Often considered to be the best Italian restaurant in New York, a few steps from Washington Square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Nathan‘s Famous

1482 Broadway at Times Square & 43rd. Phone: 626 7322. Price: $30 ($30) for two. No cards. (B4).

The oldest and best known hot dogs restaurant in New York originated on Coney Island but this Broadway outlet has for a long time been the flagship, convenient for those passing through Times Square.

The sausages are superior and there are some other things on the menu.
• Sausages.

Nobu

105 Hudson Street / Franklin Street. Phone: 219 0500. Price: $125 ($125) for two. All major cards. (C9).

A TriBeCa restaurant, considered by many to be the best Japanese restaurant in town. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Oceana

55 East 54th Street / Madison & Park. Phone: 759 5941. Price: $120 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C4).

One of the very best seafood restaurants in the city, right in the center of Midtown. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Odeon

145 West Broadway / Thomas Street. Phone: 233 0507. Price: $75 ($75) for two. All major cards. (C9).

A fashionable Nouvelle American restaurant in southern TriBeCa. Usually the food is bad at celebrity eateries (e.g. Elaine) and must be bad, as else the in-crowd (e.g. Woody Allen) would believe that people were rather coming for the food than for the in-crowd and therefore the in-crowd would feel slighted and not be coming at all. Odeon breaks this general rule with excellent food.

It is very lively especially at late hours when the art crowd arrives in its uniforms, punk or otherwise. The place is more quiet at lunch when knowledgeable financiers come from nearby Wall Street. Stephen Lyle is a good cook, if not as good as Patrick Clark was. The menu is in constant change, which is a good omen.

• Snails, mussels and oysters.

• Crab cake with chili sauce.

• Salmon with lentils and parsley vinaigrette.

• Veal and chicken liver.

• Beef steaks.

American Nouvelle consists mainly of taking old granny recipes and adapt them to the light cuisine that originated in France about 1970. Thus many local American recipes have been saved from oblivion, just as when old buildings are saved by converting them to modern use.

Oyster Bar

Grand Central Station. Phone: 490 6650. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: $84 ($84) for two. All major cards. (C4).

The best seafood restaurant in New York, offering the most exact cooking of the most fresh produce, is in the extra large and vaulted basement of Grand Central, lit by lots of bare bulbs and covered in lots of sound-reflecting tiles, reminiscent of a Paris metro station. No frozen fish is used and the simplest cooking is best, such as steaming and grilling.

The noise of the full dining room blends into a neutral background. The service is quick and efficient, friendly and no-nonsense Italian style. The waiters are informed about the cuisine and can tell the difference between the ten-sixteen different types of shells on offer each day. The daily changing menu usually lists more than 20 different species of fish.

• Oysters and shells.

• Lobster.

• Bluefish.

• Red Snapper.

• Catfish.

• Perch.

• Grouper.

American white wines, covering 120 types, all of them at reasonable prices, even though many rarities are included.

Palm

837 2nd Avenue / 44th Street. Phone: 687 2953. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: $110 ($110) for two. All major cards. (D4).

One of the very beast steak houses in New York and certainly the most famous one, near United Nations, filled with loud businessmen and journalists consuming lobster salad, sirloin steak and cheese cake in unison. Bookings for dinner are not accepted. Until recently this was a male stronghold, but now women journalists have invaded the sanctuary in force.

It is a rough place with sawdust on the floor and cartoons of famous journalists on the walls. There are two rooms and the lower one is more popular. Disinterested waiters recite in a hurry whatever they remember from the menu and expect orders of lobster salad, sirloin steak and cheese cake. No surprises here.

• Lobster salad.

• Sirloin steak.

• Cheese cake.

Rincón de España

226 Thompson Street betw. W. 3rd & Bleecker. Phone: 260 4950. Price: $64 ($64) for two. All major cards. (C8).

The main Spanish restaurant is just south of Washington Square in Greenwich Village, a dark and noisy place with guitars and singing.

The seating is very crowded and the service is very good and the customers are very happy.

• King crab salad.

• Octopus with garlic.

• Lamb cutlets.

• Paella = pan-fried rice with lobster, shrimp, mussels, scallops and chicken.

Rosa Mexicano

1063 1st Avenue / 58th Street. Phone: 753 7407. Price: $80 ($80) for two. All major cards. (D3).

The best Mexican eatery is a luxury restaurant in the northeast of Midtown, near Roosevelt Island Tramway, owned by Chef Josephine Howard, specializing in regional Mexican cooking.

It is a modern-looking restaurant, cleanly and well furnished in brown and beige, with tiles on the walls. The service is very good and extremely relaxed.

• Guacamole = avocados in spices and peppers.

• Ceviche = lemon-marinated fish.

• Enchiladas = tortilla corn cakes with chicken, onion and cheese.

• Pepitos = beef in sandwich with pan-fried peas.

Russian Tea Room

150 West 57th Street, betw. 6th & 7th. Phone: 265 0947. Hours: Closed for restoration. Price: $105 ($105) for two. All major cards. (B3).

A neighbor of Carnegie Hall, luxuriously outfitted and offering the most European atmosphere in the Western Hemisphere, founded in 1926 by members of the Imperial Russian Ballet who were stranded here during the Russian Revolution. It still continues to serve good food ins spite of being the perennial haunt of artists, especially of those who perform at Carnegie Hall.

The dining room is red, green and golden, heavy with haphazard decorations. The innumerable paintings do not match. There are lots of mirrors, chandeliers, samovars and disagreeing clocks. The usual lunch consists of vodka and champagne, blini and caviar. The Russian courses are explained on the menu. Take care not to be seated in the upstairs Siberia.

• Borscht = Russian beet-root soup with turnips, potatoes and vegetables.

• Blini = thick Russian pancakes served with butter and crème fraiche.

• Beluga, Sevruga and Oscietre = Russian quality caviar.

• French Champagne.

• Tea.

Sammy‘s Roumanian

157 Chrystie Street / Delancey Street. Phone: 673 0330. Hours: Closed lunch. Price: $85 ($85) for two. All major cards. (D8).

The most famous Jewish restaurant is in the Ghetto part of run-down Loiasaida, near the Orchard Street penny stores. It is neither Roumanian nor kosher, but very noisy and with a very happy atmosphere.

It has a low ceiling and lots of tired memorabilia and postcards on the walls. The piano and a fiddle are often in action.

• Cauliflower.

• Grilled beef.

• Veal sausages.

• Potato pancakes.

Say Eng Look

5 East Broadway / Chatham Square. Phone: 732 0796. Price: $40 ($40) for two. All major cards. (D9).

A consistent and good Chinese restaurant at the eastern edge of Chinatown, bordering on the Bowery, offering Shanghai cooking at reasonable prices.

It has an unhurried atmosphere, frequented by Chinese people. It is relatively tasteful, in red and black colors, with rather discrete pictures of Chinese dragons.

• Filet of eel.

• King sea cucumber with shrimp seeds.

• Sesame chicken.

• Roasted whole sea bass.

• Orange beef.

Shun Lee Palace

155 East 55th Street / Lexington & 3rd. Phone: 371 8844. Price: $95 ($95) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A nice Chinese restaurant conveniently located in Midtown. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Siam Inn

916 8th Avenue betw. 54th and 55th. Phone: 974 9583. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: $55 ($55) for two. All major cards. (B4).

The best representative of Thai cooking is at the northern end of Theater District, near Central Park.

It is a clean and small hole in the wall with Thai handicraft on the walls, an unusually civilized service.

• Curries.

• Spice coated and marinated meat.

• Far East fruits.

Smith & Wollensky

201 East 49th Street / 3rd Avenue. Phone: 753 1530. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: $110 ($110) for two. All major cards. (C4).

A justly famous, large and noisy steakhouse with tight sitting on two floors in a small corner building nestling between Midtown towers, serving large portions of excellent steaks done to order.

Above the wainscoat there is a tiled line and above it yellow walls with blackboard menus. Diners sit on small and barely comfortable chairs at small and rickety tables with white linen. The place is always full of suits who have taken their jackets off and laugh at locker room jokes. The service is well organized. Waiters wear jackets that are two numbers to small for them.

• Mushroom barley soup.

• Lobster salad.

• Shrimp salad.

• Filet mignon

• Lemon pepper tuna.

• Norwegian salmon

• Pan roasted Maki Maki

• Hashed prawns

• Veal piccata

• Cheesecake

• Maple pecan pie

Union Square Cafe

21 East 16th Street / 5th Avenue & Union Square. Phone: 243 4020. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: $110 ($110) for two. All major cards. (C7).

An outstanding and deservedly popular restaurant with rustic Italiano-American cooking in a simple setting a few steps from Union Square.

A charming restaurant in three parts, always bustling. There is a parquet on the floor and yellow walls above the green wainscoating. Outsize paintings enliven the area behind the bar, where many people prefer to dine. The main action is in the large room beside the bar, a few steps down. The chairs are comfortable and the linen is white.

• Fried calamari with spicey anchovy mayonnaise.

• Fruitwood-smoked salmon with fennel-olive tiperade and a salad of frisée, avocado and peppers.

• Black bean soup with lemon and a shot af Australian sherry.

• Yellowfin tuna burger with ginger-mustard glaze, grilled red onions and creamy cabbage slaw.

• Seared red snapper with basil aged balsamic vinaigrette, a savory medley of shiitakes, tatsoi and roast carrots.

• Mashed potatoes with frizzled leeks.

• Greenmarket apple streusel pie with lemon ice cream.

• Chocolate flan with chocolate almond tuile.

Zarela

953 2nd Avenue / 50th & 51st Streets. Phone: 644 6740. Price: $75 ($75) for two. All major cards. (D4).

A colorful Mexican restaurant near the United Nations. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Zen Palate

663 9th Avenue / 46th Street. Phone: 582 1669. Price: $57 ($57) for two. All major cards. (B4).

An attractive alternative Chinese restaurant in Theater District. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Algonquin
59 West 44th Street, betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 840 6800. Fax: 944 1419. Price: $235 ($235) without breakfast. All major cards. 165 rooms. (C4).

A class in itself, the literary hotel of Manhattan, between Grand Central and Times Square, suitable for the theater. It is the traditional home away from home for writers and publishers, film and theater people.

The clientele is reflected in comforts such as shoe shining at night and late departure at 15. A lobby of oak, the bar and restaurant are famous meeting and negotiation sites in the literary business and the food is reputed to be the worst in town, suitable for the editors of The New Yorker.

Room no. 500 is rather small, comfortably equipped with agreeably outdated furniture. Most rooms are somewhat larger and more convenient.

Ameritana

1701 Broadway, 54th Street, 10019. Phone: 247 5000. Fax: 247 3316. Price: $115 ($115) without breakfast. All major cards. (B4).

Relatively small and very economical hotel in a central location. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bedford

118 East 40th Street betw. Park & Lexington. Phone: 697 4800. Fax: 697 1093. Price: $180 ($180) without breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (C5).

A comfortable hotel in Murray Hill, a quiet and respectable residential district just south of Grand Central, between United Nations and Empire State.

About half the rooms are studios with a sleeping area and a sitting area. They all have cooking facilities. The hotel suits families with children and offers special family prices.

Room no. 1202 is really a flat with a dining area in the drawing room, a kitchenette, good ironing facilities. In addition to the practicality, the furnishings are also tasteful.

Dorset

30 West 54th Street, betw. 5th & 6th. Phone: 247 7300. Fax: 581 0153. Price: $235 ($235) without breakfast. All major cards. 490 rooms. (C4).

Old-fashioned and relaxed, peaceful and recently renovated, a luxury hotel on a relatively quiet street behind Museum of Modern Art, European in spirit, mostly filled with regulars.

Service is efficient and friendly. The rooms differ in size.

Room no. 822 is quiet in spite of being on the street side. It is comfortably furnished in an old-fashioned way, with two large beds, a kitchenette corner and a quality bathroom, not to forget enormous cupboards from the times when people traveled with coffers.

Elysée

60 East 54th Street betw. Park & Madison. Phone: 753 1066. Fax: 980 9278. Price: $200 ($200) without breakfast. All major cards. 99 rooms. (C4).

Agreeable small and recently renovated, in the middle of the fashion shops part of Midtown, popular with people who know what they want and want to be left in peace.

Marble and mahogany set the tone in the lobby. The rooms vary in size and each has its own name. The service fits the personal atmosphere of the hotel.

Room no. 505, “The Butterfly” has a quaint, long ante-room with a kitchenette corner, a good bathroom, laid in marble, and spacious cupboards. The room itself is commodious, with two large beds.

Gorham

136 West 55th Street, betw. 6th & 7th. Phone: 245 1800. Price: $115 ($115) without breakfast. All major cards. 116 rooms. (B4).

Very conveniently located in a relatively quiet Midtown street, next street to Museum of Modern Art, with the theater district on one side and the fashion shops on the other. There are short distances to all sites of importance in Midtown. Carnegie Hall and City Center Theater are neighbors and Times Square and Lincoln Center are not either far off.

The lobby is small as the hotel itself. The staff is friendly and efficient.

Room no. 1504 faces the street, spacious, comfortable and cozy, with two large beds and quality furniture. It is well equipped, including a kitchenette corner and a cloak room. The traffic noise does not reach it.

Inter-Continental

111 East 48th Street / Lexington Avenue. Phone: 755 5900. Fax: 664 0079. Price: $285 ($285) without breakfast. All major cards. (C4).

The best hotel of New York, the former Barclay, in the eastern Midtown, convenient for the United Nations building and fashionable shopping.

The lobby is grandiose, with a large aviary in the middle. The hotel is luxuriously furnished in and out. The service is exemplary and knows no problems. The procurement of theater tickets is perfect. This is even better than the Old World.

Room no. 537 is very warm and luxurious, with an unusually well equipped bathroom. It is quiet in spite of windows out to the traffic.

Iroquois

49 West 44th Street / 5th Avenue. Phone: 840 3080. Fax: 398 1754. Price: $115 ($115) without breakfast. All major cards. (C4).

Small and personal, rather worn hotel of good value in an old building almost beside the famous Algonquin.

There is no lobby to speak of and no breakfast room. Reception and service is friendly. Only a few rooms are on each floor and they are spacious.

Room no. 111 is large and clean, but parly with tired furnishings, including cigarette burns. The bed is good, also the shower.

Mansfield

12 West 44th Street / 5th Avenue. Phone: 944 6050. Fax: 740 2508. Price: $145 ($145) with breakfast. All major cards. (C4).

An friendly hotel recently refurbished in trendy modern style, centrally located in Midtown.

The marble lobby has a high ceiling. On the side there is a bar that doubles as a self-service breakfast room, where free coffee is available all day long. Thre is also marble on the stairs. Service is very attentive and friendly.

The ultra-modern room no. 410 is small, with black, functional and stylish furnishings. The night tables and the writing table turn on a vertical axis to save space when not in use. The tiny bathroom functions very well.

Marriott Marquis

1535 Broadway / 45th Street. Phone: 398 1900. Fax: 704 8930. Price: $180 ($180) without breakfast. All major cards. (B4).

A super-modern hotel tower design, right on Times Square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Michelangelo

Equitable Center, 152 West 51st Street / 7th. Phone: 765 1900. Fax: 541 6604. Price: $255 ($255) without breakfast. All major cards. (B4).

A small hotel loaded with marble and works of art near Rockefeller Center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Middletowne

148 East 48th Street near Lexington. Phone: 755 3000. Fax: 832 0261. Price: $175 ($175) without breakfast. All major cards. 190 rooms. (C4).

Rather small and very comfortable eastern Midtown hotel, with furnishings more or less chosen by Leona Helmsley, full of thick blankets and flowery curtains and large towels.

The friendly and talkative staff are rather slow and unorganized.

The rooms are very large, with two unusually large beds, a kitchenette corner and large cupboards. Everything is new and sparkling clean.

Pickwick Arms

230 East 51st Street, betw. 2nd & 3rd. Phone: 355 0300. Fax: 755 5029. Price: $100 ($100) without breakfast. All major cards. 400 rooms. (D4).

A budget hotel at a good easterly Midtown location, opposite the nice little Greenacre Park, probably the best buy in town.

The lobby is respectable and there is even a roof garden. The rooms are rather small. They are clean and equipped with air-condition. Take care to book a room with shower or bath.

Room no. 1110 is exactly large enough to fit in two large beds and other necessities. The bathroom is small and functional.

Pierre

5th Avenue & 61st Street. Phone: 838 8000. Fax: 940 8109. Price: $375 ($375) without breakfast. All major cards. 206 rooms. (C3).

With a Central Park location, the royalty hotel of New York, the abode of kings and presidents, full of lackeys turning around each other. It never looks busy, always relaxed. You have to be living off inherited wealth to feel comfortable here.

The public rooms are more formal than comfortable, partly furnished with antiques. Each lift has an operator that tries to land at the right floor and often succeeds. Every now and then gentlemen in smoking and ladies in dresses float over the thick and green carpets to enter extra long, chauffeured limousines. Luggage is never seen in the lobby.

Room no. 829 is not large, but very cozy and stylish. The bathroom is laid with marble and unusually well equipped with robes and towels, even a correct scale, and a variety of perfumes.

Plaza

5th Avenue / 59th Street. Phone: 759 3000. Fax: 759 3167. Price: $255 ($255) without breakfast. All major cards. (C3).

One of the most famous hotels in New York, in a perfect location, with good views to Central Park. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Salisbury

123 West 57th Street, 6th & 7th, 10019. Phone: 246 1300. Fax: 977 7752. Price: $175 ($175) without breakfast. All major cards. (B3).

A small and cozy hotel near Carnegie Hall. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Shoreham

33 West 55th Street, 5th & 6th, 10019. Phone: 247 6700. Fax: 765 9741. Price: $175 ($175) without breakfast. All major cards. (C3).

Recently renovated, near Rockefeller Center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

St. Moritz

50 Central Park South / 6th Avenue. Phone: 755 5800. Fax: 319 9658. Price: $150 ($150) without breakfast. All major cards. 680 rooms. (C3).

And old and worn and sympathetic hotel at a prime location at the southern edge of Central Park, pre-war European in spirit.

The lobby seems always to very busy, not least because of the popularity of the ice-creams at Rumplemeyer’s, its overdecorated dining room with Austrian atmosphere.

Room no. 2007 is rather small, well equipped and with a perfectly functioning bathroom. It offers a view to Central Park.

Vista

3 World Trade Center / West Street. Phone: 938 9100. Fax: 444 3575. Price: $320 ($320) without breakfast. All major cards. (C10).

A very special location in the Financial District near Wall Street, perfect for visitors to the world of banking and money, also convenient for the artists’ districts of TriBeCa and SoHo. Renovations were finished at the end of 1995. It has a free limousine service to Midtown.

The reception in the stylish lobby is very efficient and user-friendly. It has an unusually large and well equipped fitness center. The views from the windows are spectacular in any direction.

Room no. 1240 is very bright, super-modern, with luxurious furnishings and a good view to the Midtown skyscrapers, beautifully silhouetted against the rising and falling sun.

Waldorf-Astoria

301 Park Avenue, 49 6 50th Streets, 10022. Phone: 355 3000. Fax: 872 7272. Price: $265 ($265) without breakfast. All major cards. (C4).

Completely renovated and again evoking its former glory. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Warwick

65 West 54th Street / 6th Avenue. Phone: 247 2700. Fax: 489 3926. Price: $250 ($250) without breakfast. All major cards. 4250 rooms. (C4).

In a quiet and perfectly located Midtown street, with good views to nearby skycrapers, offering some of the best rooms in town.

It is relaxed and seems smaller than it really is. Service is good, just as can be expected of a Midtown hotel.

Room no. 2511 is large and cozy, with two large beds, well maintained and with a well equipped bathroom.

Washington Square Hotel

103 Waverly Place / MacDougal Street, 10011. Phone: 777 9515. Fax: 979 8373. Price: $137 ($137) without breakfast. All major cards. (C7).

Right on the edge of the famous central square of Greenwich Village. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Wellington

7th Avenue & 55th Street. Phone: 247 3900. Fax: 581 1719. Price: $115 ($115) without breakfast. All major cards. 700 rooms. (B3).

A very practical and a pleasant hotel, recently renovated, well situated for theater enthusiasts, a few steps from Broadway.

The staff is friendly. The hotel itself is rather old but all the furnishings are new. Mirrors abound in the lobby.

Room no. 1935 is very comfortable, simple and polished. It is moderately spacious, very clean and functions well.

Wentworth

59 West 46th Street, 5th & 6th, 10036. Phone: 719 2300. Fax: 768 3477. Price: $100 ($100) without breakfast. All major cards. (C4).

Practical hotel with large rooms in the fashion district. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Windsor

100 West 58th Street / 6th Avenue. Phone: 265 2100. Fax: 315 0371. Price: $175 ($175) without breakfast. All major cards. (B3).

Quiet in spite of the excellent location, outfitted by Leona Helmsley, full of flowery and thick blankets and curtains, large towels and well equipped bathrooms.

The hotel was recently renovated.

Room no. 704 is large and comfortable, including two large beds, and with the extra bonus of positive scales that showed everybody to be 53 kilos.

Wyndham

42 West 58th Street, betw. 5th & 6th Av. Phone: 753 3500. Fax: 754 5638. Price: $160 ($160) without breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (C3).

Centrally located just south of Central Park.

Dignified lobby and homey atmosphere, but no room service. Many actors and singers like to stay here with John and Suzanne Mados, the owners who live here.

Room no. 205 is American homey and warm, loaded with draperies. It has a kitchenette corner, a cloak room and a large anteroom.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

History

The Dutch arrived in 1621 and lost the city to the English in 1664. After independence New York grew enormously and haargest city in the world by 1900. It is one of the main centers of immigrations to the United States. Manyd become the second largest city in the world by 1900. It is one of the main centers of immigrations to the United States. Many district are dominated by ethnic groups and serve as transit stations for new citizens.

Life

New York is always lively, sometimes friendly and even human at times. People talk freely with strangers, not only at the bar. Foreigners are accepted as people, partly because a third of the local people is born abroad. New York is not America and not Europe, but rather a melting pot of both and of the Third World too. Some parts of town are reminiscent of Cairo or Calcutta.

If there is a center of the world, it is Manhattan, the world center of art and museums. It also has outlets of all the famous shops of the world. It has 10,000 restaurants, including all the ethnic ones. It has newspapers and radio stations in 50 languages. Daily there are important happenings somewhere in Manhattan. Celebrities come by the dozens.

Manhattan is always changing. Some run-down districts have been renovated, mostly at the initiative of avant-garde artists. Restaurants, cafés and money have followed in their wake. People either love or hate New York. It is soft and hard at the same time, but mainly it is rapid and excited, sometimes frenzied. It is where the action is. It is the moment itself.

Embassies

Australia

636 5th Avenue. Phone: 245 4000.

Canada

1251 6th Avenue & 50th Street. Phone: 768 2400.

Ireland

515 Madison Avenue. Phone: 319 2555.

New Zealand

37 Observatory Circle, Washington DC. Phone: (202) 328 4880.

United Kingdom

845 3rd Avenue. Phone: 752 8400.

Accident

Phone: 911.

Ambulance

Phone: 911.

Complaints

Phone: 944 0013.

It is of no use to complain about anything. Stolen goods will not be recovered.

Travelers’ Aid, 944 0013, can give advice and help.

Dentist

Phone: 677 2510.

679 3966 (9-20), 679 4172 (20-9)

Fire

Phone: 911.

Hospital

St Vincent’s, 11th Street and 7th Avenue, 790 7997. St Luke’s Roosevelt, 58th Street and 9th Avenue, 523 6800.

Medical care

Phone: (718) 238 2100.

Pharmacy

Kaufman’s, 557 Lexington Avenue at 50th Street, 755 2266, is open day and night.

Police

Phone: 911.

Precautions

Avoid Central Park, the subway and deserted areas after dark. Stay where the crowds are and near the outer edge of the pavement. Hold fast to your handbag. Keep money in front pockets of trousers. Use credit cards as much as possible. Do not keep identification papers in the same place as your money. Do not leave valuables in hotel rooms.

Do not dress expensively. Walk with a good stride as if you knew your way. Tell rapists that you carry AIDS. Avoid fights. Have small bills in your outer pockets to hand to muggers immediately.

Banks

Most banks are open Monday-Friday 9-15. Some of them do not change foreign currency. Americans are not as used to foreign currency as Europeans are.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Missing cards: American Express (800) 528 4800, Diners Club (800) 525 9135, Master Card – Eurocard – Access (800) 627 8372, Visa (800) 336 8472

Electricity

American electricity is 115-120 AC. For European appliances you need an adapter. American plug have two flat prongs.

Hotels

Copenhagen hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing. American hotel rooms tend to be larger than European ones and often have two double beds. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from $115 to $280, excluding breakfast, but including city taxes. Take note that hotels and travel bureaus generally quote prices without the 13,25% + $2 taxes.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some expensive hotels in Copenhagen are in fact no better than our selection of smaller and cheaper hotels.

Money

The currency in the United States is dollar, $, divided into 100 cents, c. There are $100, $50, $20, $5 and $1 notes, and coins for 25c, 10c, 5c and 1c.

Prices

Prices are stable in the United States.

Shopping

Department stores and fashion shops are generally open 9/10-18 and in some cases on Thursday -20/21. Some are open Saturday and even on Sunday afternoon.

Everything is available in New York. Prices are generally low by European standards and the quality may also be low.

Tipping

Tips are not included in restaurant bills (checks). Normal tips are 15-20%. You can make it simple by doubling the amount of the 8,25% sales tax shown on the bill. Porters get $1 for each bag, room service gets 1$, room maids get $3-5 per week, toilet attendants 50c. Taxi drivers, barbers and hairdressers get 15%.

Toilets

Toilets are in restaurants, museums and department stores. You often have to pay 10c or tip 50c. Do not use the toilets in subway stations.

Tourist office

New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2 Columbus Circle. Opening hours: Monday-Friday 9-18, Saturday-Sunday 10-18, phone 397 8222.

Water

Tap water is drinkable but many use bottled water as a precaution.

Accommodation

There is no central agency for booking accommodation. New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2 Columbus Circle issues annually a free booklet: The New York Hotel Guide. Opening hours: Monday-Friday 9-18, Saturday-Sunday 10-18, phone 397 8222.

Airport

Carey Airport Express Buses depart for Kennedy and LaGuardia airports every 30 minutes from 125 Park Ave.(near Grand Central), Port Authority (42nd between 8th & 9th), the Hilton Hotel (near Rockefeller Center at 53rd & 6th, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza (at 48th & Broadway), Sheraton Manhattan Hotel (7th between 51st & 52nd) and Marriott Marquis (at Broadway and 45th).

New Jersey Transit Bus departs for Newark Airport every 10-20 minutes form the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Olympia Trails Bus departs for Newark Airport every 20/30 minutes from Penn Station (at 34th & 8th), Park Avenue & 41st, and One World Trade Center.

A taxi takes one hour to Kennedy ($35) and LaGuardia ($20) and 40 minutes to Newark ($50). Between Kennedy and LaGuardia a taxi costs $15 and between Kennedy and Newark $60.

News

The New York Magazine, The New Yorker and the Village Voice list entertainment and culture activities in New York. Art News and Art Now concentrate on culture.

Phone

The United States country code is 1. The local code for Manhattan is 212, for other parts of London it is 718. To phone a number outside your area, first dial 1 before the local code. To phone long distance from a pay phone, first dial 0 before the local code. The foreign code from the United States is 011.

Post

The General Post Office, 8th Avenue and 33rd Street, tel. 967 8585, is open 24 hours a day.

Railways

Grand Central Terminal serves commuter trains from New York’s suburbs and Connecticut. Penn Station serves long-haul trains from other parts of the United States and Canada.

Taxis

You can hail taxis in the street. Only use yellow, licensed cabs. Their roof numbers are lit up when they are available. All cabs have meters and most can issue printed receipts. Many cabbies do not speak English and more cabbies do not know where to find addresses. For information phone 840 4572.

Bell Radio Taxi 691 9191, Big Apple Car 517 7010.

Traffic

Pedestrians should take great care in traffic. Many drive carelessly and some ignore red lights.

It is easy to find one’s way around in most of Manhattan, because of the numbering system of avenues and streets. Streets are numbered west and east from the 5th Avenue. They jump one hundred at each Avenue intersection. Even numbers are on the south side, odd numbers on the north. Addresses are often given with both avenue and street numbers.

The buses are cleaner and much more comfortable than the subway, which in turn is much quicker and is operated around the clock. The fare is the same. You pay with subway tokens from attendants at stations or from automats.

Cuisines

The 10,000 restaurants of Manhattan reflect the ethnic diversity of the city. You can travel around the world without ever leaving the island of Manhattan. Especially well represented are the cuisines of Latin America and the cuisines of the nations of the Pacific rim, such as Japan and China. France is of course well represented as everywhere else.

Restaurants

New Yorkers dine out every third day, according to researchers. They consider it a way of life and do not dress up to the occasion. Many of them are well versed in good food, making it possible to operate hundreds of excellent restaurants in addition to those who are bad or impossible.

Service

Generally not as formal as in most other countries in the world and generally not as educated. “Hi, I’m Joe”, is typical of American waiters.

Wine

California wine can be very good. It covers the whole spectrum from plonk to similar heights as French classified growths.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Espagna

Andalucía

The real Andalucía is behind the coastal mountains of the south, in the river basin of Guadalquivir, around the historical cities of Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada. It is a country of endless sunshine and lassitude, fiestas and music. It is the country of bullfights and flamenco dances, lemons and sherry. The most agreeable months are March-April and September-October.

This is the home of gazpacho, the cold tomato soup with olive oil and vinegar, garlic and onions, often with bread crumbs, in endless variations. This is the home of the iced refreshment drink, sangría, containing red wine, carbonated water, fruit juice and a drop of brandy.

Sherry originates from Andalucía. The best sherry is fino, scraping dry, pale and light. It is the pre-prandial drink par excellence, emphasizing taste rather than numbing it. Real amontillado is darker and heavier, suitable for closing a meal.

Costa del Sol

The main tourist center of Spain, a Mediterranean coastline of nice beaches and garish hotels from Cabo de Gata to Algeciras. Málaga is the major city and Marbella the most stylish resort. Torremolinos is the main tourist center and we start from there.

The first leg of our Andalusia drive is 110 km and brings us from Torremolinos on Costa del Sol to Ronda. We drive on the cost east through Malaga and turn inland at San Pedro de Alcántara on the road to Ronda. It passes through the beautiful mountain landscapes of Serranía de Ronda

Ronda

The town is built on a mountain 750 meters above sea level at Tajo, the gorge of Guadelevín, which runs through the center of Ronda. The old town is on a separate rock and the newer one is on the edge of the mountain. There are two bridges between the two town parts. The older is Puente Romano and the younger Puente Nuevo. Both offer grandiose views into the gorge.

Take time to wander in the pedestrian alleys of the old town. There is an old, massive church with a Moorish minaret. Also the Renaissance Mondragón palace, the Salvatiera palace and the Moorish baths, which remind us that Ronda was the capital of one of the Moorish states in Spain. It is easy to walk between these places as the city center is only 15 hectares.

We have lunch at Don Miguel on the Tajo cliffs, beside Puente Nuevo.

Parador de Ronda

Plaza de España. Phone: 287 7500. Fax: 287 8188. Price: Pts.15800 ($126) without breakfast. 71 rooms.

A convenient abode for travelers, directly beside the Puenta Nuevo, formerly the town hall of Ronda. There are short distances from the hotel to Plaza de Toros and Carrera de Espinel and over the Puenta Nuevo to the old town center

Don Miguel

Plaza de España 3. Phone: 287 1090. Fax: 287 8377. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards.

At the cliff’s edge beside Puenta Nouvo, a perfect observation point in Ronda, offering the best food in town.

The chef, Miguel Coronel, is a specialist on old receipes from the mountains of Andalucía.

• Revuelto de setas = omelet with mushroom.

• Faisán de la serranía rondena = pheasant from the mountains.

Puente Nuevo

One of the best vantage points for viewing the gorge.

In the newer town, 100 meters from Puente Nuevo, is Plaza de Toros, one of the oldest bullfight arenas in Spain, from 1785. Spanish bullfighting got it present form in Ronda. It was Francisco Romero, born in 1698, who formulated the complicated rules. His son, Pedro Romero became the most illustrious bullfighter in the history of Spain.

A quaint street, Carrera de Espinel, with old houses, leads off the arena.

From Ronda there are 86 km to Arcos de la Frontera. We drive through a mountainous area with the famous “white” towns glimmering in the sunshine, such as Castellar, Vejer and Zahara. This was for some the frontier between Islamic and Christian Spain and many towns still have “de la Frontera” or “on the frontier” in their name.

Arcos de la Frontera

The town sits on a rock above Guadalete river. The best view is from the main square which is on the edge of the rock.

The Plateresque church of Santa María is on the square. Also the hotel of Parador de Arcos de la Frontera in Casa del Corregidor, with some balconies hanging over the edge of the cliff.

Parador de Arcos de la Frontera

Plaza de España. Phone: 70 0500. Fax: 70 1116. Price: Pts.14200 ($114) without breakfast. All major cards. 24 rooms.

One of the famous Paradors of Spain, in the old Casa del Corregidor building on the main square in town.

It has a magnificent view from the dining room and from guest room balconies on the cliff’s edge. The cooking is rather good, specializing in Andalucian food.

• Gazpacho = cold tomato soup with vegetables.

From here there are 91 km to Sevilla.

Sevilla

The main city of Andalucía and in earlier centuries the main city of Spain, a Moorish city for more than five centuries, 712-1248, as testified by the city castle and the church tower. Sevilla became rich following the discovery of America in the end of the 15th C. The river Guadalquivir was navigable to Sevilla at that time.

Voyagers like Amerigo Vespucci, Cristóbal Cólon (Columbus) and Fernao de Magalhaes (Magellan) were here. This is also the city of Don Júan, Don Quixote, Cervantes, Velázques and Carmen. It is a lively city with over half a million people and lots of tourists. The World Fair of 1992 was held on a Guadalquivir island in Sevilla.

The famous Semana Santo starts at Palm Sunday and continues with processions for a week. Brotherhoods compete in marking the most decorative wagons with towers and sculpture. People dance and sing between the wagons. Feria de Abril is a festive week in April, when people raise tents, dine and dance and sing. Sevilla is also the home of the flamenco and sevilliana dances.
We start our walk at Catedral de Santa María.

Catedral de Santa María

Avenue de la Constitución.

The cathedral dwarfs the surroundings with its powerful tower and extensive flying buttresses, the third largest church in Europe, after San Pietro in Rome and St Paul’s in London. Everything of importance in Sevilla is near the cathedral, built in Late Gothic style in 1401-1506, after the destruction of an earlier Islamic mosque.

The western front with its complicated portals is well-known.

The cathedral is entered from the other side.

Catedral de Santa María interior

Hours: Open 10:30-13 and 16-18:30.

Enormous and cold inside, 56 meters in height, with 75 stained windows, some of them the original ones from the start of the 16th C.

Capilla Real on the left of the entrance is the burial place of a few Spanish kings.

At the southern end is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, carried by four figures representing the four kingdoms of Spain, Aragón, Castilla, León and Navarra.

Giralda

Hours: Open 10:30-13 and 16-18:30.

Beside the cathedral eastern entrance, the late 12th C. church tower was originally a minaret of an earlier mosque. It is 98 meters in height, wide and rectangular, as usual in Western Islam, built of pink brick.

The style is Moorish, from the reign of the Almohads, who were religious hardliners and opponents of gaudiness. The tower is therefore very formal in design, with regular pointed arches, horseshoe windows and delicate ornaments. A decorative top floor with a Christian belfry was added in the 16th C.

A spiral path inside the tower leads you up to an excellent view of the city.

We go to the north side of the cathedral to enter Patio de los Naranjos

Patio de los Naranjos

A garden of orange trees, laid out in Moorish times, a typical part of an Islamic mosque.

To get from the cathedral to the city castle we cross Plaza del Triunfo, with Casa Lonja on the right side.

Lonja

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 10-13.

The Museum of West-Indies, Archivo General de Indias, in a palace that was built in 1572 as an exchange when Sevilla was the main city of America voyages. It was designed by Juan de Herrera who also designed the royal palace of El Escorial.

Old navigation charts and charts of towns in Latin America are in the museum.

The city castle, Alcázar, is in front of us.

Alcázar

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12:45 and 15-17:45, Saturday-Sunday 9-13.

The oldest part of the castle is from Moorish times, the wall between the outer courtyard, Patio de la Montería, and the middle courtyard, Patio del León. Otherwise the castle is mostly from the reign of the Christian King Pedro the Cruel, 1364-1366.

The castle was designed in Mudejar style, clearly influence by the Alhambra in Granada, and the craftsmen were Mudejar Moors. Pedro the Cruel did not understand Arabic and did not know that their decorative scrollwork on the walls says: “There is no victor except Allah”.

Moorish style survived in Spain in competition with French and Italian styles for a long time after the Moors had been evicted from Spain. Alcázar in Sevilla is the best and the most straightforward example of Moorish style from the Christian era.

We go from the middle courtyard to the inner courtyard, Patio de las Doncellas.

Patio de las Doncellas

The ground floor of the inner courtyard is in Moorish Alhambra style with pointed arches on all sides. An upper floor of a mismatching arcade was added in the 16th C.

Behind the palace there is a large garden with rows of shrubs and trees, ponds and flowers and the garden house of Pedro the Cruel. Another garden, less formal, is on the left side.

The district to the east of the cathedral is Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz

The Jewish ghetto in the Middle Ages became the district of nobility in the 17th C. It still is the quarter of well-off people who live in well-preserved houses with peaceful courtyards and narrow pedestrian alleys.

Lots of cafés, bars and restaurants are in Santa Cruz, especially on the squares, such as Dona Elvira, Venerables Sacredotes and Santa Cruz with a statue of Don Juan.

We walk to Plaza Dona Elvira.

Plaza Dona Elvira

The main square of Santa Cruz, a popular site of restaurants and cafés, accessible by pedestrians only. It has an Andalucian atmosphere of lassitude.

Alfonso XIII

San Fernando 2. Phone: 422 2850. Fax: 421 6033. Price: Pts.35000 ($280) without breakfast. All major cards. 129 rooms.

The classy hotel in Sevilla, a large palace 300 meters from the cathedral and just in front of the old tobacco factory of Carmen, now housing the University of Sevilla. Alfonso XIII was built on the occasion of the World Fair in 1929 and has ever since been the preferred abode of the rich and famous.

A nice tiled courtyard with a fountain and Moorish arcades graces the ground floor. There are lots of Moorish decorations. The mayor parties in town are held at the hotel. It has good parking facilities.

Fernando III

San José 21. Phone: 421 7307. Fax: 422 0246. Price: Pts.11600 ($93) without breakfast. All major cards.

A practical hotel in the old luxury district of Santa Cruz, 300 meters from the cathedral.

A modern building furnished in country style, sporting a swimming pool and rather large rooms, well equipped. Rooms with a balcony are preferable. The hotel has good parking facilities.

Albahaca

Plaza Santa Cruz 12. Phone: 422 0714. Fax: 456 1204. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.10600 ($85) for two. All major cards.

A beautiful city mansion in the middle of Santa Cruz, offering versatile cooking.

It combines beautiful ambience, good service and the best food of Santa Cruz.

• Sopa de frutos del mar = seafood soup.

• Lenguado a la naranja = sole in orange sauce.

• Entrecote de ternera grillé con trufas del olivar y verduras naturales = grilled veal entrecote.

• Mousse de queso con salsa de frambuesa = cheese mousse with raspberry sauce.

Egana Oriza

San Fernando 41. Phone: 422 7211. Fax: 421 0429. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.13800 ($110) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant of Sevilla is in the center, beautifully designed in an old house under the city walls.

The Basque cook is José Mari Egana, mixing Basque traditions and Andalusian material, such as game from the surrounding areas.

• Sopa de bacalao = saltfish soup.

• Ajo blanco = cold tomato and garlic soup with melon, a kind of gazpacho.

• Revuelto de patatas, ajetes, setas y pimientos = scrambled eggs with a potato and mushroom filling.

• Chipirones = small squid in flaky pastry.

• Pichón de Bresse asado con salsa de vino tinto = braised pigeons in red wine sauce.

• Helado de queso y miel con crema de nueces = cheese ice-cream in honey.

Hostería del Laurel

Plaza de los Venerables 5. Phone: 422 0295. Price: Pts.7800 ($62) for two.

An old and a traditional Andalusian restaurant on two floors in a Santa Cruz building and on the pavement outside.

There are tiled walls and arched doors, lamps of wrought iron and wooden sculptures.

• Espárragos = asparagus with three sauces.

• Tournedos Hostería del Laurel = beef tournedos in house style.

Isla

Arfe 25. Phone: 421 2631. Fax: 456 2219. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards.

Near the cathedral, but on the other side of Constitución avenue, in a side street, specializing in deep-fried and grilled seafood, mainly from Galicia and the coast of Cadiz.

Popular with local people, unknown by tourists, who seldom happen to be in this street. The furnishings are plain and the conversations are loud. Service is very good.

• Jamón de Cumbres Mayores = raw ham.

• Revuelto de salmón con champiñones y gambas = scrambled salmon with mushroom and shrimp.

• Tocino de cielo = crème caramel.

San Marco

Cuna 6. Phone: 421 2440. Hours: Closed Monday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards.

One of the best restaurants of town, about 600 meters straight north from the cathedral.

Situated in a beautiful town house from the 18th C., offering unusually good service. Asana Ramacciotti cocks in an Italian way in the kitchen.

• Boullabese a nuestro estilo = seafood soup.

• Couscous de pescado = fish couscous.

• Pato con aceitunas = duck in olive oil.

• Ravioli rellenos de lubina en salsa de almejas = ravioli with sea bass and shell sauce.

From Sevilla we drive 143 km to Córdoba.

Córdoba

Emirs from Damascus reigned here from 719 and kept power until 1236. It was for a long time the major Moorish city in Spain and a celebrated center of learning. It was the home of the famous Jewish physician Maimónides and the equally famous Moorish philosopher Averroes. At one time there were 300 mosques in Córdoba. The Mezquita is a memorial to this glorious past.

The city declined when the Moors were evicted in the 15th C and the Christians took over, allowing the irrigation system to disintegrate. It is now a city of 300,000 inhabitants.

The action is in Córdoba in May. The celebration is similar to the April celebration in Sevilla, with a week of music and dance. The patios celebration is also in May, with competition between house-owners on the most beautiful flower arrangements in their patios, which are open to the public for the occasion.

The Mezquita is in the center of Córdoba.

Mezquita

A true wonder of the world, built in 785 and broke at that time new ground in the history of architecture, as its horseshoe arches have a height of two storeys. It gives an impression of greater height and space. Later the mosque was enlarged several times, always in the same style.

Basically the Mezquita resembles other congregation mosques. Outside it is surrounded with powerful walls. Inside them the conventional garden of orange trees, Patio de los Naranjos, is a forecourt with an impressive minaret and a cleansing fountain.

We enter the mosque.

Mezquita interior

Hours: Open in summer 10:30-13:30 and 16-19, in winter 10:30-13:30 and 15:30-17:30.

A dense wood of 850 columns in 10 rows, seeming at places to be endless. The columns support double Moorish horseshoe arches, striped with alternate white limestone and red brick. As a whole the mosque is a silent dream world of endless refraction of light, changing at every footstep.

At the far end there is a Qiblah for prayers and the sacred Mihrab niche which shows the direction to Mecca. Also complicated series of interweaving arches.

An ugly Rococo cathedral has been forcibly erected in the middle of the mosque. The church stands in grotesque excess in comparison with the simple Moorish elegance.

When leaving the courtyard of orange trees we turn left into Torrijos and walk alongside the Mezquita to Amador de los Ríos, where we turn right and walk to the entrance of the Alcázar.

Alcázar

Amador de los Ríos. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-13:30 & 17-20, in winter 9:30-13:30 & 16-19.

The city castle is from the 14th C.

The most interesting part are the Moorish gardens behind the castle, on uneven ground with fountains, flowing water and ponds. It is a good place for resting after sightseeing in Córdóba.

We now return to the Mezquita for a walk in Judería.

Judería

The Jewish Ghetto surrounds the Mezquita with its narrow, winding pedestrian alleys and potted plants on the walls. We start our walk at the minaret corner of the Mezquita square. We enter the corner alley, turn right into Deanes and then left into Romero to the square of Salazar where we turn left and walk through a narrow alley to the square of Maímonides.

The museum of bullfighting is in Maímonides, open 9:30-13:30 and 17-20. We walk alongside the museum, past the handicraft market behind the museum and past one of the last two remaining Jewish synagogues in Spain, this one in a 14th C. house on the left side of the street, open Tuesday-Saturday 10-14 and 16-19. Finally we return by the same way to the Mezquita.

From the northern corner of the Mezquita forecourt we walk into the alley of Bosco and immediately turn right into Calleje de las Flores with beautiful potted flowers on the walls. At the end of the alley there is a small square with an excellent view to the minaret of the Mezquita. We then return the same way to the Mezquita.

Conquistador

Magistral González Francés 15. Phone: 48 1102. Fax: 47 4677. Price: Pts.16000 ($128) without breakfast. All major cards. 103 rooms.

The best hotel in Córdoba, a recent one, in Moorish style.

Maimónides

Torrijos 4. Phone: 47 1500. Price: Pts.13700 ($110) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms.

An economical hotel just in front of the Mezquita.

There is a car park under the hotel.

Room no. 208 had a wonderful view over the main street in town, the minaret of the Mezquita and the lively entrance to the popular restaurant El Caballo Rojo. The room is luxuriously outfitted with leather furniture. The bathroom is in good condition, but the air condition is rather weak.

Caballo Rojo

Cardenal Herrero 28. Phone: 47 5375. Fax: 47 4742. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards.

Possibly the best restaurant of Andalucía, in a prime location just in front of the minaret of the Mezquita.

A simple restaurant on two floors at the end of a long courtyard. The service is good and the prices are economical. The popularity is such that there are often queues on the sidewalk. Chef Francisco Medina Navarro specializing in old receipes from Moorish times.

• Alcachofas a la montillana = artichokes of the house.

• Espárragos blancos de Córdoba a la Crema de almendras = asparagus with almond cream.

• rape Mozárabe = monkfish in Moorish raisin sauce.

• Cordero a la miel = lamb in honey.

• Surtido des postres = mixed desserts.

Churrasco

Romero 16. Phone: 29 0819. Fax: 29 4081. Hours: Closed Thursday. Price: Pts.8600 ($69) for two. All major cards.

One of the very best restaurants in Córdoba, economical in price, situated in the Jewish ghetto just over 100 meters from the minaret of the Mezquita.

It is in four rooms on two floors in a beautiful city mansion with a courtyard for alfresco dining. It has also one of the best wine lists in the whole of Andalucía. It is always busy and always popular with the locals. Rafael Carrillo is the chef.

• Jamón de pato = marinated duck.

• Salmon al vapor de las finas hierbas = steamed salmon with mayonnaise.

• Bacalao al estilo del chef = saltfish of the house.

• Magret de pato en salsa de dátiles = duck breast.

• Buey churrasco = beef from the coal grill.

• Cerdo churrasco = pork from the coal grill.

• Iles flottante = meringue.

Next we drive 166 km from Córdoba to Granada. We drive through the flatlands of Andalucía in the direction of the mountains.

Granada

Mainly famous for Alhambra, the most beautiful and important monument in Spain, perched on a hill above the city center. The city of 250,000 inhabitants sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which shows its white snowcaps on a good day.

This was the last bastion of the Moors, when Christian kings pushed their power southwards. The Moors fled to Granada from Córdoba when it fell in 1236 and held on to power in Granada until 1492. Granada was an Islamic city for almost eight centuries and has now been Christian for only five centuries. Nothing remains from the time of the Moors except the palace of Alhambra.

We drive uphill to Alhambra.

Alhambra

Hours: Open Sunday-Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-20, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 9:30-20:30 & 22-24.

The apex of Moorish architecture, the sole Moorish palace to survive almost intact to the present day. It reflects the desire of the sons of the deserts for an oasis of greenery and running water. The buildings themselves are a secondary matter, deferring to the open spaces, acting as frames around flowers, brooks and fountains. In and out becomes a united whole.

The building material is light, simple and transitory, an haphazard stucco mixture of brick, refuse and plaster. The landscape architecture and delicate ornaments are the focal point. It is surprising how the weak buildings have survived all these centuries and are now as sparkling as if they were abandoned yesterday.

To enter the Moorish palace, Palacio árabe, we pass the ugly and intruding palace of the Christian King Carlos V in a strict Renaissance style, clashing violently with the Moorish elegance. It is now a museum of history and art. Behind the ticket office is the oldest part of the complex, the 9th C. castle of Alcazaba, with singular views over Alhambra, Granada and Sierra Nevada.

We enter Palacio árabe and go to Patio de los Leones in the center of the palace.

Patio de los Leones

The delicate excess of intricate decorations in the arcades around the open-air gardens is well preserved. Sunlight reflects in the mathematically exact plastering rolls, beautifully colored porcelain tiles and in Arabic sayings. The ceilings sparkle with multicolored stalactites and a riot of wood-carvings.

Some of the rooms have roofs and others are in the open. There are several windows with views over the city. The most famous roofed room is Sala de Embajadores = the ambassadors’ room. The most famous open rooms are Patio de los Arrayanes = the courtyard of myrtles; and Patio de los Leones = the courtyard of lions. Alhambra is designed around these two courtyards.

From Patio de los Leones we enter the gardens, Jardínes del Partal, who extend with brooks and orange groves along the ridge of the hill to Torre del Agua, where Alhambra ends and Generalife begins.

We enter the gardens of Generalife.

Generalife

Hours: Open Sunday-Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-20, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 9:30-20:30 & 22-24.

The summer palace of Alhambra with long walks, cordoned by cypress and laurel trees, rioting in blossoms in July and August. Otherwise the beauty of the flowers is at a zenith in May.

The small 14th C. summer palace is at the far end of the paths, offering a good view to Alhambra.

We leave Generalife and Alhambra and drive down to the city center to park near Catedral de Santa María and Capilla Real.

Catedral de Santa María

Hours: Open 10:30-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

The 16th and 17th C. cathedral is entered by a footpath leading from the main street in the center, Vía de Colón. It was started in Gothic style but mainly built in Renaissance style.

It has a nave with two aisles on either side. An unusual, circular chapel is in the middle of the church, supposed to emulate the Church of the Holy Grave in Jerusalem.

Capilla Real is alongside the cathedral. It is entered from Vía de Colón on a footpath alongside the old exchange building, Lonja.

Capilla Real

Hours: Open 10:30-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

A royal chapel in late Gothic style from the beginning of the 16th C., the burial place of Fernando and Isabel, who combined Aragón and Castilla to make a united Spain. The couple won their final victory over the Moors here in Granada and drove them out of Spain.

On the other side of the chapel is a Baroque City Hall from the 18th C.

To reach Alcaisería we walk on the footpath past Capilla Real and turn left.

Alcaisería

The ancient Moorish silk market, now a tourist bazaar with long arcades of boutiques.

The main market square in Granada, Plaza de Bibarrambla is at the other end of the Alcaisería.

We pick up the car in Via de Colón and follow signs out of town to Cartuija.

Cartuija

Hours: Open 10-13 & 16-19, in winter -18.

A Carthusian monastery on a hill above Granada, a perfect example of the exuberant Churriguera Baroque style of the late 17th C.

América

Real de la Alhambra 53. Phone: 22 7471. Fax: 22 7470. Hours: Closed November-February. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. 13 rooms.

An economical hotel at the Alhambra entrance, surrounded by the Alhambra gardens, very clean and plain, built around a courtyard.

Parador de Granada

Alhambra. Phone: 22 1440. Fax: 22 2264. Price: Pts.23200 ($186) without breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms.

A real dream of a hotel in the 15th C. monastery of San Francisco, surrounded by the Alhambra gardens on three sides. It is the flagship of the Spanish Paradors chain of hotels. The hotel is a gem inside out. The rooms are on two storeys around a peaceful courtyard and have a view to the Alhambra gardens, some of them also to the snow-capped mountains.

The cooking is also good, specializing in historical courses from Andalucía, such as: Gazpacho Andaluz = cold tomato soup; and Moorish courses, such as: Postre Albacain = Moorish dessert. Also: Habas con jamón = peas with dried ham; and: Tortilla del Sacromonte = omelet with brains, testicles and vegetables. Dinner for two costs 8500 pts.

Room no. 213 is large and with a spacious bathroom. All furnishings are luxurious.

Sevilla

Oficios 12. Phone: 22 1223. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.7500 ($60) for two.

One of the best restaurants in Granada is alongside the Capilla Real, furnished in typical Andalusian country style with large tiles, small pictures and platters on the walls, beams and lanterns in the ceiling.

Before the civil war intellectuals met here, such as Federico García Lorca, who was born in an nearby town. José Rodríguez López makes traditional Andalusian food in the kitchen.

• Sopa Sevilla = Hot milk soup with fish and shrimp.

• Tortilla Sacromonte = omelet with brains, testicles and vegetables.

• Jamón con habas = peas with ham bits.

From Granada we drive straight over the mountains to Costa del Sol and arrive at the coastal town of Almunécar. We drive on the coastal road through Nerja with its cave, all the way to Málaga. This leg from Granada to Málaga is 127 km.

Málaga

The main city of Costa del Sol, a township for 3000 years, already an important port in Roman and Phoenican times.

The twin castles of Alcazaba and Gibralfaro are on a cliff above the center of Málaga. We drive the winding road up to the cliff.

Parador Málaga-Gibralfaro

Gibralfaro. Phone: 222 1903. Fax: 22 1904. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) without breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms.

One of the famous Spanish paradors, perching on the cliffside just under the the walls of the Gibralfaro castle above Málaga.

The rooms offer wonderful views over the Plaza de Toros in Málaga and the harbor. The dining room offers traditional food from Málaga.

Antonio Martín

Paseo Marítimo 4. Phone: 22 2113. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards.

The best harbor restaurant in Málaga.

Other good harbor restaurants nearby are in the Maestranza street, Taberna del Pintor at no. 6, Nuevo Bistrot at no. 16; and in Vélez Málaga, Café de Paris at no. 8.

We are going on an Andalucía trip of several days from Costa del Sol to Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and Málaga. We rent a car and are going to drive about 700-750 km.

Alcazaba

Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 17-20, Sunday 10-14, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 16-19, Sunday 10-14.

Side by side, two Moorish castles, originally the major strongholds of the Moors in Andalucía. Alcazaba is the one which rises above the city center. It is now a museum of Moorish art. Inside the ramparts there are also Moorish gardens.

There are extensive views from Gibralfaro, the other castle on the cliff.

This is the end of our drive through Andalucía. We take a well-earned rest in Parador Málaga-Gibralfaro.

1991

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Barcelona

The capital of Catalunya is the second largest city in Spain with 2 million inhabitants, the main center of banks and commerce, more nervous and hurried than Madrid, similar to Western Europe and also the main link of Spain to the main part of the continent. People work in Barcelona and live in Madrid. They hang less out in cafés and have a quicker step on the city pavements.

Barcelona has broader avenues and more avenues than the larger Madrid. Still the traffic is much heavier in Barcelona, reaching congestion all over the center. Many famous buildings hail from the Art Nouveau period in the beginning of the 20th C. From that time we see bank palaces that seem like fairy-tale castles, different from the sober bank buildings of Europe.

Catalan is replacing Spanish as the official language in Barcelona. It is a different language, related to French, influenced by the proximity to Provençe. Free taxis use the sign “lliure” instead of “libre”. Street-signs and menus are now in Catalan. The explanations in Joan Miró’s museum are only in Catalan. The Spanish language is being evicted from Barcelona.

We start our walk through central Barcelona at Plaça de Catalunya.

Plaça de Catalunya

Plaça de Catalunya. (B2).

The large square with a fountain garden in the middle is the central square of Barcelona.

El Corte Inglés department store is at the eastern side of the square.

We walk past the department store and continue down the pedestrian Portal de l’Ángel. Gradually the street narrows to its end at Plaça Nova.

Plaça Nova

Plaça Nova. (B2).

On out left is a modern building with a large bas-relief by Picasso showing Catalans dancing Sardana, their national dance.

In front of us are two towers, the remains of the west port of the Roman city wall from the 4th C.

To the right of the towers is the bishop’s palace, Palau Episcopal. To the left is the house of the archdeacon, Casa de l’Ardiaca, originally from the 11th C. and renovated in the 16th C.

From the square we see the cathedral of Barcelona, Catedral de Santa Eulalia.

Catedral de Santa Eulalia

Plaça de la Seu. Hours: Open 7:30-13:30 & 16-19:30. (B2).

Built in the 14th and early 15th C. in a Catalan version of the Gothic style, with no aisles, only a nave with numerous chapels between the buttresses. In the 19th C. it was restored in the original style.

The white choir-screen of marble is from the 16th C.

On the right side there is an exit from the church to a peaceful cloister from the 15th C., with rambling geese.

The best time to be here is just after 12 on Sunday when the Sardana dance starts in front of the cathedral.

Sardana

Plaça de la Seu.

A complicated Catalan ring dance, banned during the Falangist regime of Franco, practiced in secret and became a symbol of the movement of Catalan independence. Arriving churchgoers, young as well as old, participate in the dance each Sunday. This happening is a moving experience, also for travelers.

We now enter the Barri Gòtic district.

Barri Gòtic

(B2).

The name of the old center of Barcelona, with its narrow and winding pedestrian alleys, lined with cafés and restaurants, derives from the Gothic 13th to 15th C. style of many houses.

We walk along Condes alley on the northern side of the church. Museu Frederic-Marès is on our left.

Museu Frederic-Marès

Condes. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14 & 16-19, Sunday 9-14. (B2).

The medieval royal palace, the residence of the counts of Barcelona, who became the kings of Aragón in 1137, the forerunners of the kings of Spain.

The palace is now a museum of Medieval art, especially sculpture.

We continue along the palace and the next one, Palau del Lloctinent.

Palau del Lloctinent

(B2).

The former Renaissance palace of the vice-king of Spain, now the National Archives.

We turn left, walk around this palace and enter Plaça del Rei

Plaça del Rei

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

The courtyard of the palace of the counts of Aragón, later kings of Aragón and finally kings of Spain.

To the left of the plaza is Palau del Lloctinent and Torre del Rei Martí. To the right is Capella de Santa Agata. In the center is Saló del Tinell.

We first observe Saló del Tinell.

Saló del Tinell

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

The 14th C. banqueting hall and throne room of the royal palace.

The steps in front are famous as the place where King Fernando of Aragón and Queen Isabel of Castilla received Christopher Columbus when he returned from his first voyage to America.

The tower to the left of Saló del Tinell is Torre del Rei Martí.

Torre del Rei Martí

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

An observation tower from the 16th C. with several levels of arcades.

To the right of the palace steps there is Capella de Santa Agata.

Capella de Santa Agata

Plaça del Rei. (B2).

A Gothic church from the 14th C.

Opposite the palace courtyard is Museu d’Història de la Ciutat.

Museu d’Història de la Ciutat

Plaça del Rei. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 9-20:30, Saturday-Sunday 9-13:30. (B2).

The Museum of City History is in the 16th C. Casa Clariana Padellòs and the surrounding buildings.

We continue along Casa Clariana Padellòs and turn left along Libreteria where we immediately arrive at Plaça de l´Ángel. We can take a detour of a few steps to the north to observe Capella de Santa Agata and the city wall from Plaça de Ramón Berenguer el Gran. Then we return to Plaça de l’Ángel, cross the traffic of Laietana, walk along Princesa and turn right into Montcada.

Montcada

Montcada. (B2).

In the 12th C. this alley of greenery on balconies was the main residence street of the nobility. The palaces on both sides are from the 13th to the 18th C.

Museu Picasso is at Montcada 15-19.

Museu Picasso

Montcada 15-19. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-20. (B2).

The museum is in three palaces. It is entered through a typical Catalan palace courtyard.

The museum exhibits important works by Picasso who came to Barcelona at the age of 15 and learned to paint.

The fashion museum, Museu de tèxtil i de la Indumentària, is opposite Museu Picasso on the other side of Montcada.

We return through Montcada, Princesa and again cross Laietana and then walk along Jaume to Plaça Sant Jaume.

Plaça Sant Jaume

Plaça Sant Jaume. (B2).

The central square of the old Gothic center of Barcelona. On the right there is Palau de la Generalitat and to the left is the Ajuntament.

We turn our attention to Palau de la Generalitat.

Palau de la Generalitat

Plaça Sant Jaume. Hours: Open Sunday 10-13. (B2).

The Council of Catalunya is a large 15th C. palace.

Before we turn our attention to the other palace on the square we walk into the alley to the right of the Generalitat palace, Calle Bisbe Irurita, to a covered gallery connecting the Generalitat and the Canonges palaces.

Canonges

Calle Bisbe Irurita. (B2).

The 19th C. Neo-Gothic covered gallery connects the office of the Council of Catalunya to the office of the President of the council in the Canonges palace.

We return on Calle Bisbe Irurita to Plaça Sant Jaume and turn our attention to Ajuntament on the other side of the square.

Ajuntament

Plaça Sant Jaume. (B2).

The 14th C. City Hall of Barcelona.

We leave the square at its southern corner and walk along Ferran to Gegants where we turn left and walk on Gegants and Avinyó, typical Barri Gòtic alleys, all the way to Moll de la Fusta.

Moll de la Fusta

Moll de la Fusta. (B2).

An extensive promenade, lined with palm trees, running along the yacht harbor.

We turn right and walk along the promenade to the Monument a Colom.

Monument a Colom

Plaça Portal de la Pau. (B2).

A giant column with a statue of Christopher Columbus at the top.

We can use an elevator to the top of the column to enjoy the view.

On the harbor side is the Custom House of Barcelona.

Custom House

(B2).

A decorative palace, recently built in Historical style.

The Santa María replica is on the other side of the palace.

Santa María

(B2).

This full-sized replica of the caravel that brought Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to America is usually moored at the quay near the Custom House.

Opposite the Custom House, on the other side of the avenue, is the Drassanes.

Drassanes

Plaça Portal de la Pau. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 10-14 and 16-19, Saturday-Sunday 10-14. (B2).

The 14th C. shipyard of Barcelona, the only existing example of an industrial building of that age.

It is now a large maritime museum, Museu Marítim.

Here at Plaça Portal de la Pau is the southern end of Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The most popular promenade in Barcelona, leading from Plaça Portal de la Pau to Plaça de Catalunya, where we started this walk. It is a broad street following the contours of an earlier river. In its center is an island of trees and kiosks, cafés and shops, including flower shops and bird shops.

We pass the wax museum on our right in Museu de Cera, on the corner of Passatge Banca. Then we take a detour to the left into Carrer Nou de la Rambla, where Palau Güell is near the corner.

Palau Güell

Carrer Nou de la Rambla. (B2).

An Art Nouveau palace by Gaudí, with typical ironwork decorations. It is now a theater museum.

This is the Chinatown of Barcelona.

Barri Chino

(B2).

The Chinatown of Barcelona with lots of shady characters, including pickpockets and whores.

We return to Las Ramblas, cross it and walk into Carrer Colom, which leads in a few steps to Plaça Reial.

Plaça Reial

Plaça Reial. (B2).

A pedestrian square closed to motor traffic. It is a completely designed square with identical buildings and a ground floor arcade in the style of Plaza Mayor in Madrid.

Stamp and coin collectors meet in the cafés in the shades of the arcade on Sunday morning. At night the square is overtaken by hobos and drug addicts.

We return to Las Ramblas and continue northward. On the left side we see Gran Teatre del Liceu on the corner of Sant Pau.

Gran Teatre del Liceu

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The City Opera from 1846, refined and unobtrusive on the outside but spacious inside. It has been restored after a fire in 1993.

Opposite Liceu the Cardenal Casanas leads north to the squares of Plaça del Pia and Plaça Sant Joseph Oriol.

Plaça del Pi

Plaça del Pi. (B2).

These two squares under the church of Mare de Déu del Pi accommodate the flea market of the city center. They are also the venue of some artistic happenings.

Bordering Plaça del Pi on the northern side is a district of shops and shopping arcades, combining the maze of an Eastern bazaar with the polished cleanliness of the West.

We return on Cardenal Casanas to Las Ramblas and continue northward. On the left we come to La Bouqueria and cross the street to enter the market.

Boqueria

Las Ramblas. (B2).

The food market of Barcelona is formally named Mercat de Sant Josep and usually called La Boqueria. It is an Art Nouveau building of glass and wrought iron from the end of the 19th C.

Inside there are colorful oceans of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat. The action is mainly in the morning and dies out in the afternoon.

We return to Las Ramblas and come on the left to Palau de la Virreina.

Palau de la Virreina

Las Ramblas. (B2).

In colonial times the Vice King of Peru lived in this palace. It now houses some museums and exhibitions.

We continue on Las Ramblas, past trees and cafés, bird and flower shops, newspaper kiosks and possibly protest marches to arrive at Plaça de Catalunya where we started this walk. We cross the square to enter Passeig de Gracìa on the north side.

Passeig de Gracìa

Passeig de Gracìa. (B1).

This is one of many avenues of the new city center from the end of the 19th C. It was then the luxury apartment district of Barcelona, Eixample, and is now the luxury shopping district.

The producers of Cava, the Catalan sparkling wine, often have tents on the spacious pavement, offering pedestrians free samples of their product.

At no. 41 we arrive at the colorful Casa Amatller from 1900 by Josep Puigi Cadafach in Flemish Art Nouveau style and at no. 43 at Casa Batlló.

Casa Battló

Passeig de Gracìa 43. (B1).

Built by Gaudí in 1905, easily recognizable from its wavy balconies and curved roof.

These buildings are all in a radical Catalan version of Art Nouveau alias Jugendstil of the years around 1900. This style had more influence in Barcelona than in any other European city.

A little farther to the north is Casa Milà or La Pedrera, also by Gaudí and also from 1905, almost sea-sick in its form. We turn right on this corner and soon arrive at Sagrada Família.

Sagrada Família

(B1).

The symbol of Barcelona, the extravagant church of Gaudí, the famous architect of Barcelona, the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Building started at the end of the 19th C. and is not finished yet. The many towers with their multicolored mosaic tips rise in a riot of grandeur above the city.

This fairy-tale construction cannot be described in text and not even in pictures, as the immense size is not properly reflected. The only way is to come here, stand in the roofless nave and gaze upwards to Gaudí’s towers.

From here we hail a taxi to Parc Güell.

Parc Güell

An amusement park designed by Gaudí. It was originally meant to be a district of 60 garden houses. The plan was never realized. What remains of the project is the pleasure garden of outrageously funny houses and absurdly amusing brick-walls, a dream world of children of all ages.

From here we take a taxi to the top of the Montjuïc hill.

Montjuïc

Montjuïc. (A2).

Accessible with a funicular from the harbor near Monument a Colom or by road, offering a good view over the city center, harbor and ocean.

A military museum, Museu Militar, is on the top of the hill. Below it is an amusement park with a Ferris wheel and diverse gadgets.

We start our walk down the northern side of the hill. First we arrive at Fundació Joan Miró.

Fundació Joan Miró

Montjuïc. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday 11-20, Saturday-Sunday 11-14:30. (A2).

The Miró museum is a modern building showing works of art by one of the main practitioners of Abstract art in the 20th C., the Catalan Joan Miró.

On our way down the hill we next come to Palau Naçional.

Palau Naçional

Montjuïc. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 9-14. (A2).

An imposing palace on the northern rim of the hill, overlooking the fairgrounds of Barcelona and Plaça d’Espanya, built for the World Fair in Barcelona 1929.

It now houses one of the world’s largest museums of Medieval art in the world, Museu d’Art de Catalunya.

On the slopes to the right and down from Palau Naçional there is the archeological museum, Museu Arquelògic, open Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-13 and 16-16, Sunday 9:30-14. Also the museum of ethnology, Museu Etnològic, open Tuesday-Saturday 9:20-20:30, Sunday 9-14.

On the slopes to the left and down from Palau Naçional we arrive at Poble Espanyol.

Poble Espanyol

Hours: Open 9-past midnight. (A2).

A living museum of folklore, a whole village composed of clusters of exact replicas of typical houses representing parts of Spain, such as Catalunya, Andalucía and Castilla. The houses are used as shops, artisan workshops, cafés and restaurants, representing town life in earlier times.

Variable programs are in the evening, dances, concerts, plays, exhibitions, performances and other entertainment.

We leave the folklore village by the northern entrance, turn right and walk to the area of Barcelona fairs. From there we have an imposing view up to Palau Naçional. We walk to Plaça d’Espanya, cross it and arrive at Plaça del Toro.

Plaça del Toro

(A2).

One of the main bullfight stadiums of Barcelona, built in Moorish style, like so many such stadiums in Spain.

We walk around the stadium and at its back arrive at Parc Joan Miró.

Parc Joan Miró

(A2).

A recreation area with a large sculpture by Joan Miró.

From here we take a taxi to the other end of the city center, to Parc de la Ciutadella.

Parc de la Ciutadella

(B2).

The World Fair of 1888 was held here. It is now a popular park for Sunday walks.

The small and modern city zoo is in the southern end of the park. To the north of the zoo is the city museum of modern art, Museu d’Art Modern, where Catalan artists are well represented.

The parliament of Catalunya is also in the park. To the south are the grounds of the Olympic Village from 1992.

This sightseeing walk in central Barcelona is finished. We are now ready for excursions in the surrounding country, Catalunya.

Catalunya

A cultural driving force in Spain, the country of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Gaudí, Salvador Dalí and Pau Casals, especially marked in the decades before the Falangist takeover. After the reemergence of democracy Catalunya has again sprung to the forefront of culture and politics, industry and commerce.

Zarzuela = seafood mixture, comes from Catalunya, also Bullabesa = a strong bouillabaisse, and rape = monkfish. A national dish is Crema Catalana = a milk pudding with caramel crust.

Catalunya is the country of Cava, a sparkling wine made in the Champagne manner. Cava is commonly sold in the streets of Barcelona and in special Xampanyerias-bars. Catalunyan wine is not as good as Rioja wine, but is improving, especially the wine from the district of Penedès.

Costa Dorada is an interesting part of Catalunya.

Costa Dorada

The sunshine coast south of Barcelona. The main town is Sitges, 30 km south from Barcelona, with a beach, cafés and a quaint old center.

Farther to the south, 100 km from Barcelona, is Tarragona, an ancient Roman town with a Medieval center and lots of antique remains, such as an arena and a city wall.

From Barcelona there is also a short way of 60 km to the mountain monastery of Montserrat with beautiful landscapes.

We can also drive north from Barcelona, to Costa Brava.

Costa Brava

One of the most beautiful coasts of Spain, with interchanging promontories and peaceful sand beaches. The town of Gerona is 100 km north from Barcelona, with the best preserved Medieval town center in Spain.

Art nouveau

Many famous buildings hail from the Art Nouveau period in the beginning of the 20th C. From that time we see bank palaces that seem like fairy-tale castles, different from the sober bank buildings of Europe.

Artists

A cultural driving force in Spain, the country of Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Gaudí, Salvador Dalí and Pau Casals, especially marked in the decades before the Falangist takeover. After the reemergence of democracy Catalunya has again sprung to the forefront of culture and politics, industry and commerce.

Catalan

Catalan is replacing Spanish as the official language in Barcelona. It is a different language, related to French, influenced by the proximity to Provençe. Free taxis use the sign “lliure” instead of “libre”. Street-signs and menus are now in Catalan. The explanations in Joan Miró’s museum are only in Catalan. The Spanish language is being evicted from Barcelona.

Cava

Catalunya is the country of Cava, a sparkling wine made in the Champagne manner. Cava is commonly sold in the streets of Barcelona and in special Xampanyerias-bars.

Catalunyan wine is not as good as Rioja wine, but is improving, especially the wine from the district of Penedès.

Colón

Avenída Catedral 7. Phone: 301 1404. Fax: 317 2915. Price: Pts.23500 ($188) without breakfast. All major cards. 138 rooms. (B2).

The good hotel of the city center is perfectly situated in front of the cathedral, the only four-star hotel in the old Gothic town.

It is rather old-fashioned but has been renovated on the inside. Many rooms are in light and flowery colors.

A room with a view to the cathedral is preferable.

Metropol

Ample 31. Phone: 310 5100. Fax: 319 1276. Price: Pts.12400 ($99) without breakfast. All major cards. 68 rooms. (B2).

An economical hotel in the Gothic center, 300 meters from Plaça Sant Jaume.

It is a dignified hotel with agreeable staff.

Room no. 404 is elegantly furnished in taste and includes a writing-desk. The marble bathroom is unusually large.

Regencia Colón

Sagristans 13. Phone: 318 9858. Fax: 317 2822. Price: Pts.14200 ($114) without breakfast. All major cards. 55 rooms. (B2).

An economical and recently renovated hotel just 100 meters from the cathedral.

The cheerful staff is efficient.

Room no. 57 is nice and refined and has a small balcony with a view to Torre del Rei. It has a flowery wallpaper and old furniture in perfect condition. The tiled bathroom functions well.

Suizo

Plaça del Ángel. Phone: 315 4111. Fax: 315 3819. Price: Pts.12600 ($101) with breakfast. All major cards. 48 rooms. (B2).

A tired, antique but usable and economical hotel in the Gothic city center, 200 meters from the cathedral.

The cleaning staff is just as tired as the hotel.

Room no. 211 is small, well furnished in an old-fashioned manner, with a balcony. The tiled bathroom functions well.

Agút d’Avinyó

Trinitat 3 / Avinyó 8. Phone: 302 6034. Fax: 302 5318. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In a Gothic alley a few steps from Plaça Sant Jaume, one of the best restaurants of the old city center, practicing traditional Catalan cuisine.

Beautifully designed with nooks and crannies on different levels with only a few tables on each level, with lots of steps and railings. Enormous paintings from the turn of the century and lots of antiques add to the perfect atmosphere. Politicians and business-people lunch here and joke with Mercedes Giralt.

• Sopa di bogavante = lobster soup with toast.

• Chicken and vegetable puré with ham cubes.

• Bacalao = plucked salt-fish.

• Langostinos = prawns in cheese gelatine.

• Shellfish in tomato sauce.

• Pato = duck.

• Wild strawberries.

Brassiere Flo

Junqueres 10. Phone: 319 3102. Fax: 268 2395. Price: Pts.8300 ($66) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Just west off Plaça de Catalunya, a large and noisy, happy and lively brassiere, one of the best restaurants in town, with French-Catalan cooking, open for orders until 1 in the morning.

Oysters are on exhibit at the entrance, the specialty of the place. The spacious dining room has large chandeliers and numerous pillars. Old posters and high mirrors line the walls. There are many regulars from the media and opera.

• Crema de bogavante = lobster soup.

• Ostras al cava = cheese-baked oysters in sparkling wine.

• Solomillo de buey = beef filet.

• Filet mignon de ciervo = venison filet with pear, raisins and pepper sauce.

• Crema catalana = milk pudding with caramel crust.

• Macedonia de frutas = fresh fruit.

Cuineta

Paradis 4 / Pietat 12. Phone: 315 0111. Fax: 315 0798. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A double restaurant behind the old cathedral of Barcelona, one kitchen with one menu, but two entrances and separate dining rooms, owned by antique dealers.

A beautiful place, paneled in hardwood and glass, full of antiques. Guests dine in comfortable arm-chairs and receive automatically a fino sherry while they are studying the menu.

• Espáragos gratinados = cheese gratinated asparagus with ham.

• Pate higos = paté of the house.

• Bacalao Cuineta = salt-fish with spinach and raisins.

• Lenguado plancha = grilled sole.

• Pudding with whipped cream and kiwi.

• Ricotta cheese with chestnuts and honey.

El Túnel

Ample 33. Phone: 315 2759. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner, Monday. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

At the bottom of a narrow alley beside hotel Metropol lies hidden one of the best restaurants of the Gothic city center, 300 meters south of Plaça Sant Jaume.

It has been owned by the same family since 1923. Virgilio Casado cooks in the traditional Catalan manner according to the fresh food situation of the day. The restaurant is popular with locals who like the food and the quality paneling and other furnishings.

• Ensalada de judía verde con fois gras y trufas = salad with truffles and goose liver.

• Sopa de pescados con su rouille = tomato fish soup.

• Lenguado pieza grille = grilled sole.

• Turbot planche = grilled turbot.

• Cabrito = kid goat.

• Tarta Tatin = apple pie.

• Biscuit = ice-cream with chocolate sauce.

• Crema Catalana = milk pudding with caramel crust.

Gran Café

Avinyó 9. Phone: 318 7986. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A romantic, split-level restaurant in a pedestrian alley a few steps off Plaça Sant Jaume, offering traditional Catalan cooking.

The style is turn-of-the century Art Nouveau, with large windows, chandeliers and lamps. The place gets very romantic at night when dinner music is played on the piano.

• Amanida de bacalla marinat = salt-fish flakes, marinated in vinaigrette, with beans.

• Amanida de tofones i llagostins = shrimp and liver paté on salad.

• Mushroom salad with ham.

• Filet d’Ávila a la vinagreta = beef filet from Ávila with tomato vinaigrette.

• Burxets de filet al oporto = beef on skewers.

• Cheese-cake.

• Apple pie.

Neichel

Avenída de Pedralbes 16 bis. Phone: 203 8408. Fax: 205 6369. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) for two. All major cards.

The best restaurant in Barcelona is outside the city center, but included here as an exception, as it is also one of the three best restaurants in Spain. It is in the soccer stadium and university district in the west, hidden in a one-way drive behind a swimming pool. Surprisingly this is not a Basque restaurant, as Chef Jean-Louis Neichel is from Alsace in France.

The dining room is plain and unadorned and rather empty before it fills up with people. Large windows open out to lemon trees in the garden. The service is so perfect that every detail in the ultra-professional firing-up of a Havana cigar is observed. Evelyne Neichel directs the service. The cuisine is Nouvelle Française.

• Sopita de cigalas y centollo = shell soup.

• Esqueixada de atún al limón verde y bogavante con caviar de berengenas = lobster and tuna in aubergine.

• Croustillant de salmonete y hortalizas en un fumet de setas de bosque = red mullet in crust with wild mushrooms and mushroom fumé.

• Granizado de manzanas verdes y coulis de frutas silvestres = apple sorbet.

• Lomo de buey del Limousin en escalopas a las cinco pimientas aromáticas = filet slices from Limousin beef.

• La caravana de los finos postres = dessert wagon.

Quo Vadis

Carme 7. Phone: 302 4072. Fax: 301 0435. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A traditional and simple restaurant with good food and good service in a street leading off La Rambla, a few steps from Palacio de la Virreina. It is open for orders until 2 in the morning, convenient for the opera audience from the nearby Liceu theater.

The raw material is not far away, as the food market of Barcelona, La Boquería, is almost next door.

• Six different mushrooms.

• Mixed vegetables in vinaigrette.

• Shrimp, egg, fish and salt-fish, pan-fried in oil.

• Seafood plate in tomato sauce.

• Cheeses.

• Fresh berries and fruits of the season.

Seynor Parellada

Argentería 37. Phone: 310 5094. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.7700 ($62) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Near the old city walls, 500 meters from the cathedral, a large and noisy restaurant, simple and friendly, rather economical, frequented by business people. The cooking is traditional.

Mr. Parellada himself walks around and takes care of the guests, not only the habitués.

• Carpaccio = marinated salmon.

• Esqueixada con escalibada = salt-fish salad.

• Calamars = small squid.

• bacalao con samfaina = salt-fish.

• Grilled sole.

Siete Puertas

Passeig d’Isabel II. Phone: 319 3033. Fax: 319 4662. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Situated on the harbor avenue, a large and lively restaurant, French in style, always brimming with people, founded in the early 19th C., one of the landmarks of Barcelona. Chef Antonio Roca specialized in rice and paella.

Guests sit on small chairs and long benches under walls of panel and tile. Large mirrors enlargen the already large restaurant.

• Esquixada = salt-fish in tomato.

• Espárragos = asparagus.

• Rodaballo = braised turbot.

• Paella Parellada = paella of the house.

• Biscuit = ice-cream with hot chocolate sauce.

• Sorbete de orujo con pasas = sorbet with raisins.

1991

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Espagna

The heart of Spain and the fountain of the Spanish language, called Castilian by the minorities in Spain. It is a barren plateau, overgrazed and sparsely inhabited, a country of shepherds and poets, warriors and priests. Castilla is also, as the name implies, a country of castles, including Manzanares el Real, Mombeltrán, Coca, Gormaz, Peñafiel, Belmonte and Sigüenza.

Many historic cities are in Castilla, including Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca and Toledo.

Castilla has brought Cochinillo asado = braised baby pork, and Cordero asado = braised lamb, to Spanish cuisine, also kid, partridge and venison. Well known is Manchego, the cheese from La Mancha.

We are planning a tour of 580 km from Madrid through El Escorial, Segovia, Ávila, Salamanca and Toledo back to Madrid. The first leg covers 50 km from Madrid to El Escorial.

El Escorial

Hours: Open 10-13:30 and 15:30-19, -18 in winter.

Felipe II of Habsburg was one of the most peculiar Spanish kings. He was an ultra-religious Catholic and built the religious royal palace complex of El Escorial. The palace is in strict and cold Renaissance style, designed by Juan de Herrera, and built in the late 16th C., when Madrid became the capital of Spain.

The form of the palace complex is a mathematical square with a Greek crucifix inside. The crucifix has a Renaissance church in the middle. In two of the four sections is a smaller Greek crucifix. Half of the complex was a monastery, a quarter was a university and a quarter was the royal abode.

There are many works of art in the palace, including the Agony of St. Moritz by El Greco. It is interesting to compare the austere apartment of the Habsburg king Felipe II on the 1st floor with the elaborate apartment of the Bourbon king Carlos IV on the 3rd floor. Most Spanish kings of recent centuries are buried under the floor of the central church.

From El Escorial we drive 50 km to Segovia.

Segovia

A city of 50,000 people 1000 meters above sea level, rising like a ship above the highland plateau. It is mainly famous for its Roman aqueduct and the city castle.

We find Acueducto romano just before we enter the walled center of the city.

Acueducto Romano

You will not miss the immense Roman aqueduct from 100 AD, when you enter the old center of Segovia. It is one of the best preserved remains in the world of buildings from the reigns of Vespanian and Trajan.

It still carries water to the old center on 167 arches. It is 728 meters long and 28 meters high at the square, where the street passes under it. It is built from hewn granite stones without any gluing material whatsoever.

If we can say that the aqueduct is at the stern of the ship of Segovia, the Alcázar can be called the stem of that ship. Between them there is an easy walk of 1 km through the old city center. On the way we pass a 16th C. Gothic cathedral, slender and splendid, with a golden patina in the sunshine. There are many interesting houses and alleys. We continue to the Alcázar.

Alcázar

Hours: Open 10-18:30, -15:30 in winter.

The city castle from the middle of the 14th C. rises above the highland plateau. Very few castles in Spain are as imposing in the landscape as this one.

It was for a while the residential palace of Queen Isabel. It is now an armory museum.

It pays to drive around the old center of Segovia and observe the castle, especially from the bridge over Eresma river and from the Vera Cruz chapel on the other side of the river.

Linajes

Dr Velasco 9. Phone: 46 0475. Fax: 46 0479. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. 55 rooms.

The best and most interesting hotel in Segovia is in the 11th C. Falconi palace, hidden in a narrow street in the old center, just north of the cathedral and east of the city castle.

It is loaded with antiques. Try to book a room in the old style.

Mesón de Cándido

Plaza Azoguejo 5. Phone: 42 5911. Fax: 42 9633. Price: Pts.7200 ($58) for two. All major cards.

The best and most interesting restaurant in Segovia is just in front of the Roman aqueduct in a 15th C. house.

It is on several storeys in an old Segovian style, popular with travelers who are admiring the aqueduct.

• Sopa Castellana = an old Castilian soup.

• Truchas frescas Felipe V = trout.

• Cochinnillo asado = braised baby pork.

• Cordero asado = braised lamb.

• Perdiz estofada = partridge with dressing.

From Segovia we drive 67 km to Ávila.

Ávila

A completely walled town from the Middle Ages, now the domicile of 40,000 people. It is 1131 meters above sea level, the highest district capital in Spain.

The city walls are the main attraction of the town, floodlit at night, especially beautiful when arriving from the west. When we leave town on the road to Salamanca we shall stop at the viewpoint of Cuatro Postes on the other side of Adaja river to observe the town from the west.

We park in the old center, preferably near the cathedral at the eastern side of the walls. Then we inspect the Murallas on foot.

Murallas

The 11th C. walls are still intact, with their 8 gateways and 88 semicircular towers. The walls are 10 meters high. We can take a 3 km walk on the walls for a full circle.

Next we turn out attention to the cathedral.

Catedral

The fortified granite cathedral with crenellations is a part of the eastern wall of Ávila and looks like a fortress. It is one of the oldest Early-Gothic churches in Spain, built in the 12th C. Ávila was for a long time on the border of Islamic and Christian Spain and the church reflects that insecure period.

San Vicente is a little older Romanesque church from the early 12th C, just outside the northeastern corner of the city walls.

Palacio Valderrábanos

Plaza de la Catedral 9. Phone: 21 1023. Fax: 25 1691. Price: Pts.13700 ($110) without breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms.

An historical hotel in an old Bishop’s palace opposite the cathedral, with a powerful Gothic entrance from the 15th C.

The elegant restaurant El Fogón de Santa Teresa is in the hotel.

The rooms are large and comfortable, luxuriously furnished.

Parador Raimundo de Borgoña<

Old Madrid

A maze of narrow streets between Palacio Real to the west and Museo del Prado to the east, from Gran Vía in the north and the Rastro market in the south.

This is the leisure center of Madrid, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs, restaurants and hotels. Most of the interesting sights of Madrid is in this part of town, on the periphery of this part or just outside it.

Two famous squares are the center of this center, Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, 500 meters apart.

Our first walk in Madrid will start and finish at Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Plaza Puerta del Sol

Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

The geographical and factual center of Madrid. All distances in Spain are measured from this plaza. The kilometer stone of “zero” is in front of the palace of the security police on the southern side of the square. All clocks in Spain follow the clock in the tower of that palace. The square itself is surrounded with conform and cream colored houses from the 18th C.

This is the place to start from, if you want to go somewhere in the center. Madrilenos meet here at all times of the day and night, arriving by bus or metro, both of whom are centered here. The lively plaza is also the venue of protests and processions. The only relatively quiet period on the square is in the early 5-7 morning hours.

North from the square the pedestrian Preciado and Carmen lead in the direction of the fashionable shopping and traffic street of Gran Vía. Some of the best known department stores are in these pedestrian streets, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados. The main leisure part of Madrid is south of the square, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants.

Two major streets lead west off the plaza, Mayor and Arenal. The famous Mallorquina café occupies the first floor of the building between them. Under its windows there are always some women selling lottery tickets.

Puerta del Sol lottery ticket sales

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

The old people selling tickets for the state lottery are a common sight in the streets of Madrid. There are always some vendors with a sharp tongue at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

We turn our attention upwards and look for street signs on the buildings.

Street signs

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Beautiful ceramic tiles with street signs have been put up in most of central Madrid. We can see some of them where streets lead off Plaza Puerta del Sol.

From the west end of Plaza Puerta del Sol we walk along Arenal in the direction of the opera palace. Arriving at the second street to the right, San Martín, we turn right and take a detour to Monasterio de Descalzas Reales at a square with a corresponding name.

Descalzas Reales

Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:30-13, Tuesday-Thursday 16-18. (B2).

A 16th C. convent for daughters of noble families. It became very rich and collected paintings. It has now been converted into a museum, showing famous works by Brüghel the elder, David, Titian, Rubens and others.

In the middle of the monastery there is a courtyard with 30 chapels.

We return to Arenal and turn right, pass the opera palace, Teatro Real, from the early 19th C and arrive at the square in front of the royal palace, Plaza de Oriente.

Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente. (A2).

The statue on the plaza is of Felipe IV, King of Spain, made according to drawings by Velázquez. The popular Café de Oriente is on our left, when we enter the plaza. The Palacio Real is in front of us, on the other side of the plaza.

We can make a detour into the Sabatini gardens on the northern side of Palacio Real, with a grandiose view to the palace.

Then we walk along the palace front to arrive at the tourist entrance through the courtyard on the southern side of Palacio Real.

Palacio Real

Plaza de Oriente. Hours: Open 9:30-12:45, in summer 16-18:30, in winter 15:30-17:15. (A2).

Built in the 18th C. on the foundation of an older palace that burned down in 1734. This one has 2,800 rooms and has stayed vacant since 1931. It is now a museum, open to the public, except for an occasional reception. The main attraction is the Throne Room, probably the most decorated room in the world, clothed in gold and velvet, with a ceiling painting by Tiepolo.

The apartment of Reina Maria Christina is now a tapestry museum. The apartment of Princesa Isabel is a museum of painting, embroidery, porcelain and crystal, containing works by Goya, Bosco, Rubens, Greco and Velázquez. The library of King Felipe V is now a book and coin museum. There is also a pharmaceutic museum and a museum of armor.

There is a special entrance to a carriage museum from the gardens Campo del Moro on the western side of the palace. The view from there up to the palace is imposing.

We leave the palace, turn right into Bailén past Catedral de la Almuenda for about 150 meters until we come to Mayor, which leads back to Plaza Puerta del Sol. We turn left at this corner of Bailén and Mayor and continue on Mayor just over 200 meters to arrive at Plaza de la Villa, the old City Hall square of Madrid. We turn right into the square and have Ayuntamiento on our right.

Ayuntamiento

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The City Hall of Madrid, built in the middle of 17th C. in Neo-Renaissance style.

The statue in the middle of the plaza depicts Admiral Alvaro de Bazán, the Spanish hero of the naval battle of Lepanto.

Casa de Cisneros is at the far end of the plaza.

Casa de Cisneros

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 16th C. palace in Neo-Gothic Plateresque style with a noticable oriel window overlooking the plaza.

It is now a tapestry museum.

Hermeroteca is at the eastern side of the square.

Hemeroteca

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The Moorish palace has a Neo-Gothic entrance

It is now a library of periodicals.

Torre de Los Lujanes rises at the northern end of Hermeroteca

Torre de los Lujanes

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 15th C. military defense tower, the prison of Francis I after the battle of Pavia.

At the northern side of Torre de los Lujanes the Punonrostro alley leads off the plaza. We follow the curved alley all the way south to San Miguel, about 200 meters in all.

San Miguel

Sacramento. (A2).

A 18th C. Baroque church with a convex street front.

We cross San Justo in front of San Miguel and turn into Letamendi which we follow to the San Pedro tower.

San Pedro

(A3).

A 14th C. tower, one of two Moorish towers in Madrid.

We continue on San Pedro past the church south to Plaza San Andrés and the adjoining Plaza Puerta de Moros, from where we turn left into the long Cava Baja, the main restaurant street in Madrid. Near the other end of the street we turn right into Bruno and walk a short way to arrive at Toledo where Catedral de San Isidro is in front of us.

Catedral de San Isidro

Toledo. (B3).

A 17th C. church in powerful and strict Jesuit style.

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife.

We go past the cathedral to the south and turn left into Estudios and continue to Plaza de Cascorro, where the Rastro market begins.

Rastro

(A3).

The main street market of Madrid is south from Plaza de Cascorro, in the street Ribera di Curtidores and most of the adjoining streets. This is a flea market, open Saturday & Sunday 10-14. It is a lively place with some pickpockets around so you have to be careful with your valuables.

This is the oldest and most colorful part of Madrid, with lots of alleys and the thickest Madrilenos patios.

We walk back Ribera di Curtidores, Plaza de Cascorro, Estudios and Toledo to Cava Baja, turn right into that street, cross Plaza Puerta Cerrada and walk along Cuchilleros.

Cuchilleros

(A2).

The main street of good restaurants Madrid, along with its continuation in Cava Baja in the other direction.

Among the restaurants on this mile are Casa Paco and Casa Botín in this part and Schotis, Esteban and Casa Lucio in the Cava Baja part.

We continue on Cuchilleros all the way up the steps and arcade of Plaza Mayor.

Plaza Mayor

(A2).

A comfortable square, completely free of motor traffic, a chosen place to sit down at a café. This is a rectangular square built in the beginning of the 17th C. All the buildings are in the same style, all three storeys and all with an arcade on the ground floor. We can walk in the arcade around the whole square.

In the middle of the square there is a statue of Felipe III. Nine arcades lead into the square, which otherwise is closed to the outside world.

This was formerly the main square of Madrid. Sentences were passed on heretics and they were executed here. Bullfights were here and coronations of kings. Now this is the tourist center of Madrid, also popular with locals. The Tourist Board office is at no. 3.

The square is the focal point of the yearly San Isidro festival.

San Isidro á Plaza Mayor

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife. The focal point of the festival is at Plaza Mayor.

If it is Sunday morning we can observe a quaint market in the square.

Plaza Mayor stamp market

Sunday morning stamp collectors gather at Plaza Mayor to exchange, buy and sell stamps. They clutch their large albums and huddle together at small tables, absorbed in their hobby.

We leave Plaza Mayor through the west arcade at the northwestern corner of the square, pass the Mesón tapas bar and turn left into Plaza San Miguel.

Plaza San Miguel

(A2).

A beautiful and lively food market is at the 17th C. square.

We return to Plaza Mayor, cross the square diagonally and leave it to the east at the southeastern corner and walk along Gerona and Bolsa past the Foreign Ministry of Spain to the squares Plaza del Ángel and Plaza de Santa Ana.

Plaza Santa Ana

(B2).

These two squares are the center of café nightlife in Madrid. The squares are dominated by the Victoria hotel, which fronts them both.

Here are Café Central, Cerveceria Alemana, Cuevas de Sésame and La Trucha, also the restaurant El Cenador del Prado.

From Santa Ana we walk north along Principe until we come to San Jerónimo where we turn left into Plaza Puerta del Sol where we started this walk through the old center of Madrid.

New Madrid

The newer part of central Madrid covers for our purposes two avenues and their neighborhood, Gran Vía and Paseo de Recoletos and the continuation of the latter in Paseo del Prado. It includes Plaza de España in the west and the Retiro park in the east.

Most of the important museums of Madrid are in the area around Paseo del Prado. They are Museo del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Colección Thyssen. We will end our walk through this part of the center at these important museums.

We start at Plaza de España.

Plaza España

Plaza España. (A1).

The square is far from beautiful, surrounded by ugly buildings from the last decades. It is important for the memorial of Cervantes the writer and the statue of his characters Quixote and Sancho Panza.

We turn our attention to the memorial and statues.

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza

Plaza España. (A1).

The bronze statue of Quixote and Sancho Panza has become a symbol of Madrid, vividly showing these extreme rather than typical characters from the well of Castilian history. Quixote is the aristocratic idealist and Sancho Panza is the earthy farmer, both in a way divorced from reality, just as many Castilians want to think of themselves.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare in the end of the 16th C. By writing the story of the travails of Quixote and Sancho Panza he was of the same importance to the Spanish language as Shakespeare was to the English language.

We leave the plaza at its eastern corner and walk along Gran Vía.

Gran Vía

Gran Vía. (B2).

The main tourist avenue in Madrid, lined with offices of airlines and car rentals, international thrash food restaurants and hotels. The center of Gran Vía is at Plaza de Callao, where two pedestrian streets, Preciados and Carmen lead down to Plaza Puerta del Sol, passing the main department stores of Madrid on their way, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados.

A little farther to the east Gran Via joins with another traffic artery, Alcalá, which comes from Plaza Puerta del Sol. All the way to Paseo de Recoletos we are walking alongside the heavy traffic of beeping motorists.

To the south of Gran Vía is the old center of Madrid with a web of narrow alleys, lots of tapas bars, cafés and restaurants. To the north is a more recent part of the center, more frequented by young people, with louder music entering the streets from the establishments of leisure.

When we arrive at Paseo de Recoletos we observe the palatial post office on the other side.

Postes

Plaza de Cibeles. (C2).

Probably the most heavily decorated post office in the world, built in wedding-cake style at the beginning of the 20th C.

We are at Plaza de Cibeles. On the plaza there is a statue from the 18th C. depicting the goddess of fertility, Cybele, in a wagon pulled by lions.

We turn left into Paseo de Recoletos.

Paseo de Recoletos

Paseo de Recoletos. (C1).

The avenue is lined with cafés with outdoor sections on the green islands between the motor traffic lanes. Among them is an Art Nouveau glass house, belonging to Café d’Espejo. The best-known café at this stretch is Gran Café de Gijón.

When you enter the cafés the traffic noise drowns in the noise of the lively conversation. But the heavy motor traffic continues all day, all evening and far into the night.

Just before we arrive at Plaza de Cólon we pass Biblioteca Naçional, the national library.

We arrive at Plaza de Cólon.

Plaza de Cólon

Plaza de Cólon. (C1).

The plaza is dominated by a giant monument with a statue of Cólon or Colombus on top. The monument rises above fountains and a subterranean cultural center with a gallery and a theater. The entrance is at the monument.

At the back of the plaza there are monuments honoring famous Spanish explorers.

The palace to our right houses Biblioteca Naçional, facing Paseo de Recoletos, and Museo Arquelógico Naçional, the national museum of archeology, facing Serrano, open Tuesday-Sunday 9:15-13:15.

We turn our attention to the Cólon statue.

Cólon

(C1).

Columbus is a national hero of Spain, even if he was really an Italian, born in Genova. But it was Spain that was ready to finance his addiction to explorations, which enormously helped the European discovery of the Americas and made Spain for a century the major superpower on earth, amassing an empire covering most of Latin America.

It is no wonder that his memorial is a major landmark of Madrid.

We turn right into Serrano.

Serrano

Serrano. (C1).

The main fashion and antique street of Madrid, in fact the most expensive street in town, good for observing fashionable ladies walking with flourish on the pavement.

This is the Salamanca district, built by noble families in the 19th C., now a district of foreign embassies.

We continue on Serrano all the way to Plaza de la Independenzia with the Puerta de Alcalá in the center of the plaza.

Puerta de Alcalá

Plaza de la Independenzia. (C2).

A triumphal arch built according to drawings by Sabatini in the late 18th C. in memory of the investiture of Carlos III.

From the plaza we enter the northwestern corner of the Retiro park.

Retiro

(C2).

The large park is similar in size to Hyde Park in London, but much more covered in woodland. This park was laid out in the 17th C. for the summer palace of Felipe IV, converted into a public garden in the late 19th C.

We pass a marionette theater for children, fortune-tellers with Tarot cards, hot-dog stands and pickpockets.

On our left we pass lake Estanque.

Estanque

People rent pleasure boats to row around the lake.

A memorial to Alfonso XII is on the other side of the lake, designed in a wedding-cake style that is similar to the memorial of Victor Emanuel II in Rome.

We continue straight through the park, passing bridge, backgammon and chess players, excited lovers and peculiar dogs. Finally we leave the park by the southwestern corner and walk down Claudio Mayanno.

Claudio Mayanno

Claudio Mayanno. (C3).

Second-hand bookstalls line the street. The action is most interesting on Sunday morning when Madrilenos relax in the Retiro park.

We cross Plaza del Emperador Carlos V and walk a few meters southwest along Atocha and turn right into Santa Isabel where Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is at no. 52.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

The old building is immediately recognizable by glass enclosures that have been erected around new outside elevators.

This extensive museum is similar in size to Museum Pompidou in Paris. It boasts of 20th C. Spanish masters, such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso.

The main attraction is the Guernica by Pablo Picasso.

Picasso

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

Guernica may be the best-known work of art in the 20th C. It describes the effect of a German aircraft attack on a Basque town in the Civil War of 1936-1939. Picasso painted it for the Republican government, that Franco displaced at the end of the civil war.

The painting was returned to Spain after the death of Franco and demise of Falangism and became a symbol of Spanish democracy. It has a place of honor in Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

We return on Santa Isabel and Atocha to Plaza del Emperador Carlos V. There we turn left along Paseo del Prado, past Jardín Botanico and Museo del Prado on the other side. At Plaza Canovás del Castilio we arrive at Palacio de Villahermosa housing Colección Thyssen.

Colección Thyssen

Plaza Canovás del Castilio. (C2).

A museum of 787 works of art collected by the Swiss millionaire Thyssen-Bornemisza and put by him into the custodianship of Spain. It opened it doors in 1992.

Opposite Palacio de Villahermosa on the other side of San Jerónimó is the Palace luxury hotel. Behind Villahermosa on San Jerónimó is Cortes Españolas, the parliament of Spain. Opposite Villahermosa on the other side of Plaza Canovás del Castilio is another luxury hotel, the Ritz.

We cross Plaza Canovás del Castilio, turn right and walk to the entrance of Museo del Prado. If there are crowds waiting to enter the main entrance, it is often easier to walk on and enter the museum from the south side, where there tend to be less crowds.

Museo del Prado

Paseo del Prado. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-15, Sunday 9-14. (C2).

Prado is one of a handful of major art museums in the world, in the same class as the Louvre in Paris, Uffizi in Florence, National Gallery in London and National Museum of Art in Manhattan. It started as the private collection of the Spanish royal dynasty.

When browsing the museum we may notice the violent nature of many of the works of art. The paintings are more brutal and bloody than the paintings of other museums of the same stature. Destruction, death and the Devil seem to have weighed heavily on the religious minds of the extremely Catholic Habsburg dynasty of Spanish kings.

Some of the major works of Goya, El Greco, El Bosco, Raphael and Rubens decorate the walls of Prado, in addition to several other masters. The collections of Prado are so large that only a tiny fraction can be exhibited at the same time in the extensive palace. It is difficult to give directions as the placing has tended to change.

There are some important works by Goya.

Goya

Goya was a major force in the Romantic period of European painting. He lived 1746-1828, famous for his violent paintings expressing extreme feelings and abhorrence of war and its terrors.

His paintings in Prado include the two Majas, the clothed and the naked Maja, the Execution of the Rioters, and Saturnus Eating His Son.

El Greco is another major master in Prado.

El Greco

El Greco dominated the Spanish scene of painting in the Renaissance period. He lived 1541-1614, born in Crete, studied with Titian in Venice and later fled to Spain as a vehement Catholic. He is famous for his strong use of powerful colors marking the pinnacle of Renaissance art. He lived in Toledo and painted for religious patrons.

His paintings in Prado include Nobleman with a Hand on His Chest and Adoration of the Shepherds.

El Bosco is another great master in Prado.

El Bosco

El Bosco was a Dutchman, also known as Hieronymus Bosch, lived 1450-1516, a member of a fanatic group of Catholics. His weird pictures are hair-raising and surrealistic attacks on hypocrisy, greed and lust. The extremely religious King Felipe II of Spain adored them.

His paintings in Prado include Garden of Delights and Adoration of the Magi.

Velásques is another Spanish master at the Prado.

Velásques

Possibly the greatest painter in Spanish history, 1599-1660, born in Sevilla and became the court painter of the kings in Madrid.

His paintings in Prado include Maids of Honor, probably the main diamond of the museum.

Memorable paintings by other masters include the Cardinal in Red by Raphael, and the many naked and fat ladies of Rubens.

This concludes the second walk through the center of Madrid.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Corral de la Morería

Morería 17. Phone: 365 1137. Fax: 364 1219. (A3).

The Andalucian Flamenco dance, influenced by Moors and Gipsys, is at its Madrid best at this restaurant. The famous Blanca del Rey dances there in a red dress almost every evening.

The show continues from 23 in the night to 3 in the morning. Diners arrive at 21:30 and get the best tables. The food is acceptable, the atmosphere is perfect and the feeling is great, if Spaniards outnumber the tourists.

Dancers and singers sit on the stage and stand up to take solo turns. Lament and grief, pride and despair are forcefully expressed in wailing and rapid songs. The instruments are guitars and castanets, in addition to the clapping of hands. The ladies dance in colorful and substantial dresses and the gentlemen sing in high-heeled shoes.

Plaza de Toros

Alcalá 231.

The main bullfight arena in the world, built 1931 in Neo-Moorish style as many bullfight arenas in Spain, with seats for 26,000 people. Fights are performed Sunday afternoon, competing with soccer, sometimes also on Thursday. Bullfighting comes from Andalucía and has been performed since the Middle Ages. The present form is from the late 18th C.

This is not a sport or a competition between man and but. It is a ritual drama, almost always resulting in the death of the bull. Three matadors perform and each kills two bulls. There are three acts to the drama. First the matador shows some traditional movements, such as the Veronica, with the red muleta cloth. Then riding picadores come and put spears in the bull.

In the second act the assisting bandilleras put three arrows in the neck of the bull. Finally the matador arrives again in the third act with his muleta cloth, performs some ritual movements and kills the bull with a single, perfect estocada with his sword. Everything must be performed according to strict rules of conduct and etiquette. This is like a religious performance.

Cervecería Alemana

Plaza de Santa Ana. (B2).

On one of the major squares in the old and liveliest part of the center, a combination of a café, a pub and a snack bar.

This is one of the places made famous by Hemingway, a simple and straightforward café, bursting with conversation from morning to night.

The tapas snacks are popular.

Cuevas de Sésame

Principe 5. (B2).

A friendly basement piano bar in a side street leading north from Plaza de Santa Ana.

Guests sit on different levels at small tables. The walls are covered with paintings by well-known artists and the sayings of well-known intellectuals.

Sometimes he guests pick up their own musical instruments, but otherwise a pianist takes care of that.

La Trucha

Manuel Fernandez y Gonzalez 3. (B2).

The snack-bar in front of the relaxed Andalusian restaurant La Trucha is one of the more popular discussion venues in the lively Plaza de Santa Ana area, in a pedestrian alley leading off the northeastern corner.

Madrilenos stand at the bar in three or four layers and devour tapas.

Mesón

Ciudad Rodrigo. (A2).

In the arcade leading off the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, offering the best tapas snacks in town.

Try the squid, shellfish, mushrooms and some far-flung varieties.

Café Central

Plaza del Ángel 10. (B2).

An old café opposite Victoria hotel, reminiscent of French turn-of-the-century cafés, decorated with mirrors.

Jazz is often played live here at night, when people feel like it.

There are some other jazz cafés in this neighborhood.

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a café and a tapas bar and a meeting point for musicians and politicians.

The outdoor part of the café is popular in good weather.

The same name also applies to an excellent restaurant on the premises.

Círculo de Bellas Artes

Alcalá 42. (B2).

One of the most interesting morning cafés, often full of artists, on the traffic artery between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles.

You can relax with your coffee in deep leather chairs and enjoy a good view either out to the street or into the gallery with paintings and leaded window panes.

To enter the café we must buy a ticket to the current exhibition.

Gran Café de Gíjon

Paseo de Recoletos 21. (C2).

The main discussion center of politics and culture, one of many cafés on this major avenue, just north of Plaza de Cibeles.

This is a typical 19th C. café, open and noisy. Large windows open to the heavy motor traffic on the avenue. The intellectuals hang out there for hours on end and express themselves eloquently.

Mallorquina

Calle Mayor / Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

A quiet breakfast café on the first floor at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

This is the ideal place for breakfasting on café and bakeries, such as ensaimada, spiral pastry in Mallorca style.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Ainhoa

Bárbara de Braganza 12. Phone: 308 6698. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (C1).

One of many Basque places, a modern and simple restaurant with classic cooking, situated in the north-eastern part of the center, near Paseo de Recoletos.

The dining room is partioned in two by a wooden grill and covered with mirrors on one side.

• Marmitako = pea soup with turnip, potato and tuna.

• Revuelto de pisto = scrambled eggs with chopped olives.

• Merluza a la parilla = grilled hake.

• Rape a la koskera = turbot with green bean sauce.

• Tarta et truffa almondes = almond cake.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Al Mounia

Recoletos 5. Phone: 435 0828. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday. Price: Pts.9700 ($78) for two. All major cards. (C2).

The best Moorish restaurant in Spain is in central Madrid, near Paseo de Recoletos, combining cooking and atmosphere.

It is divided into a few rooms decorated from top to bottom in Moorish style, evoking memories from Alhambra in Granada and Mezquita in Córdoba. Guests sit in sofas at low sofa-tables and enjoy especially good service.

• Al Mounia panache = pancakes of the house.

• Brochette khefta = skewered meat balls.

• Chicken with almonds and meat fumé.

• Grilled lamb.

• Cordero mechoui = oven-braised lamb.

• Taginé = minced chicken.

• Alcuzcuz = Maghreb hash.

• Almond sweets.

• Mint tea.

Asador de Aranda

Preciados 44. Phone: 547 2156. Hours: Closed Monday dinner. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Castilian restaurant in a pedestrian area around the main department stores in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bajamar

Gran Vía 78. Phone: 548 4818. Fax: 559 1326. Price: Pts.15000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (A1).

The best-known seafood restaurant in town, receiving airborne fish every day, popular with tourists and businessmen, in a basement on the corner of Plaza de España and Gran Vía.

An aquarium with lobsters awaits customers when the have descended the staircase. The dining room is rather cool, sheathed in bright wood Scandinavian style, like a Norwegian hotel from 1965.

• Steamed lobster.

• Dublin Bay prawns in garlic oil.

• Baked apple.

• Torrija de la casa = rice pudding with cinnamon.

Botín

Cuchilleros 17. Phone: 366 4217. Fax: 366 8494. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Down the steps from the southwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, 100 meters down the street on the left side, Antigua Casa Sobrino de Botín, founded in 1725, one of the very oldest restaurants in the world. This was the venue of the final chapter of Hemingway’s rising sun, not surprisingly since he was a regular here. The place is also mentioned in his story on an afternoon death.

It was originally only on the ground floor but has been expanded into two upper floors. It is not only popular with tourists but also with locals. The tavern has old and quaint furnishings, including porcelain tiles on the walls and marble in the floors. The kitchen oven has been in use since the start of the restaurant.

• Black sausages Burgos.

• Ham on melon.

• Cordero asado = braised lamb.

• Cochinillo asado = braised baby pork.

• Cheese cake with raspberries.

Buey II

Plaza de la Marina Española 1. Phone: 541 3041. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the royal palace and the Sabatine gardens. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. Phone: 541 3974. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A2).

One of the very best restaurants in central Madrid, a Basque one, run by Chef Bernardo Santos, influenced by Nouvelle Cuisine. It is opposite the Royal Palace, really two places in one as you have to enter an alley to get into the better one on the left side.

The solemn dining room is wealthy and homey at the same time. Service is excellent.

• Lobster salad.

• Asparagus mousse with sea lamprey and seaweed.

• Pigeon breast.

• Sliced beef fillet.

• Nougat ice-cream flambé with timbale.

• Black-currant sorbet with blackberry sauce.

Casa Gallega

Plaza San Miguel 8. Phone: 547 3055. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Galician cooking a few steps from Plaza Major and Plaza de la Villa. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Lucio

Cava Baja 35. Phone: 365 3252. Fax: 366 4866. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch. Price: Pts.10200 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by politicians and artists, bullfighters and television people.

Its two storeys are always full to the brim. Service is good for the regulars, less so for the others.

• Melón con jamón = ham on melon.

• Jamón de Jabugó = Jabugó ham.

• Shells.

• Revuelto de patatas con huevo = omelet with chips.

• Lenguado de la casa = sole.

• Solemillo = beef steak.

• Perdices = partridge marinated in vinaigrette.

• Arroz con leche = Milky rice pudding with caramel crust.

Casa Marta

Santa Clara 10. Phone: 548 2825. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.6000 ($48) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A few steps from the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Paco

Puerta Cerrada 11. Phone: 366 3166. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9200 ($74) for two. No cards. (A2).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor along Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, a celebrity eatery with extremely simple furnishings.

The main decoration are the endless pictures covering a good part of the walls of many small dining rooms. Theater personalities frequent this place for beef and salad. Coffee is not served.

• Jamón serrano = ham.

• Cochinillo asado = braised pork.

• Solomillo de buey = beef filet.

• Flan = fruit flan.

• Tarta Santiago = tart of the house.

Club 31

Alcalá 58. Phone: 531 0092. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) for two. All major cards. (C2).

One of the best restaurants in Madrid, a kind of a ladies’ club at dinner and a gentlemen’s club at lunch, is near the corner of Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia. Ángel Paracuellos practices classic cuisine.

It is a large, dark brown room that would be bare if it were not full of noisy people all the time. The furnishings are unusual. A large carpet is on one wall, another is of cork and the third of wood. Lots of waiters keep milling around.
• Souffle de rodaballo con bacon a las finas herbas = turbot mousse.

• Cacaroles de borgona con foie en nido de patata asado = snails with goose liver on a baked potato.

• Rodaballo al horno con setas = turbot with mushroom.

• Pata azulón a la naranja y compota de membrillo = duck in orange.

• Perdiz asada en hoja de vid = partridge with baked potato.

• Venado estilo australio, ciruelas, parsas y pinones = venison Australian style, with prunes and raisins.

• Crepes de manzana al calvados con sorbete al cava = flambéed pancakes with apple filling.

• Nuestra tarta milhojas = puff pastry.

Comedor

Montalbán 9. Phone: 531 6968. Fax: 531 6191. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9600 ($77) for two. All major cards. (C2).

BetweenPlaza de Cibeles and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cuevas de Luis Candelas

Cuchilleros 1. Phone: 366 5428. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Restaurant in old Madrid style with musicians, on the steps leading down from Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Don Pelayo

Alcalá 33. Phone: 531 0031. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On the main street leading to Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Errota Zar

Jovellanos 3. Phone: 531 2564. Fax: 531 2564. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the best of many good Basque restaurants in Madrid is on the short walk between the parliament building and hotel Suecia. The cooking is in traditional Basque style.

It is in a long, green room where guests sit in noble chairs at tables clothed in green linen.

• Gratinado de ostras sobre roseta de tomate a la muselina de aromáticos = gratinated oysters with tomato.

• Milhofas de paloma y foie a la gelatina de frambuesa = warm pigeon liver and duck liver in gelatine.

• Solomillo con foie-gras a las uvas = beef filet with goose liver.

• Ragout de cievres = venison in thick prune sauce.

• Bacalao al pil-pil = salt-cod.

• Suprema de perdiz en lecho de col fresada = partridge breast.

• Pudding de arroz con leche a la crema de cirulas farsas = rice pudding with plum puré.

• Charlota de peras con caramelo al Williams = pear tart with caramel sauce.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Espejo

Paseo de Recoletos 31. Phone: 308 2347. Fax: 593 2223. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Directly on Paseo de Recoletos, one of the most beautiful restaurants in Madrid, a lively place in turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau style.

Lots of mirrors, porcelain tiles and leaded lampshades are the main attraction. The service is also very good. The cooking hails from Navarra and the Basque country.

• Espárragos Navarra = asparagus marinated in oil.

• Ensalade de langosta, melón y salmón ahumado = a salad of shrimp, melon, smoked salmon and small tomatoes.

• Escalopines de cordero = slices of leg of lamb.

• Pato e la laranja = duck in orange.

• Profiteroles de nata con chocolate = puff pastry with cream and hot chocolate.

• Flan al caramelo = caramel pudding.

Esteban

Cava Baja 36. Phone: 365 9091. Fax: 366 9391. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by journalists, media people and theater people.

Everybody seems to know each other. People amble between tables exchanging greetings just as at a party. The furnishings are old and dark and amusingly accidental. Old beams are much in evidence. The cooking is very old-fashioned.

• Alcachofas con almejas = artichokes with shells in a soup.

• Pimientos rellenos de bacalao = salt cod in paprika.

• Solomillo de corzo = venison filet.

• Rabo de toro estofado = ox tail dressing.

• Cordero asada = braised lamb.

• Torrijas de leche frita = rice pudding.

Grillade

Jardines 3. Phone: 521 2217. Fax: 531 3127. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In a short street between Gran Vía and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gure-Etxea

Plaza de la Paja 12. Phone: 365 6149. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A Basque dining room situated in a half-timbered house on a small church square just west off the Cava Baja restaurant street.

The quality furnishings fit the excellent service and the premium cooking.

• Piperrada vaxca = omelet, green peppers and ham.

• Shrimp in crab soup.

• Besugo al estilo de Beneo = whole sea bream in oil.

• Merluza al horno = baked hake.

• Leche frita = pan-fried milk pudding.

• Flan de la casa = caramel pudding.

Ingenio

Leganitos 10. Phone: 541 9133. Fax: 547 3534. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.6100 ($49) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between Gran Vía and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Julián de Tolosa

Cava Baja 18. Phone: 365 8210. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mentidero de la Villa

Santo Tomé 6. Phone: 308 1285. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Restaurant with old furnishings near Museo Arquelógico Nacional and Paseo de Recoletos. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mesón Gregorio III

Bordadores 5. Phone: 542 5956. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: Pts.8200 ($66) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between the opera and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mi Pueblo

Costanilla de Santiago 2. Phone: 548 2073. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: Pts.6300 ($50) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ópera de Madrid

Amnistía 5. Phone: 559 5092. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Paradis Madrid

Marqués de Cubas 14. Phone: 429 7303. Fax: 429 3295. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza Canovás del Castillo and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Platerías

Plaza Santa Ana 11. Phone: 429 7048. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On a main square in old Madrid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Posada de la Villa

Cava Baja 9. Phone: 366 1880. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Antique restaurant in Castilian style on the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rasputín

Yeseros 2. Phone: 366 3962. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.6400 ($51) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Russian restaurant near the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Robata

Reina 31. Phone: 521 8528. Fax: 531 3063. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Japanese restaurant near Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Schotis

Cava Baja 11. Phone: 365 3230. Hours: Closed Sunday evening. Price: Pts.7800 ($62) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, specializing in beef steaks served on sizzling bricks.

It is long and narrow, with large paintings covering the walls, filled with local customers.

• Revuelto de trigueros = scrambled egg with green peas.

• Tomato salad.

• Merluza = hake.

• Solomillo = beef steak on brick.

• Flan de huevo = egg pudding.

• Two ice-creams with pineapple and whipped cream.

Sixto Gran Mesón

Cervantes 28. Phone: 429 2255. Fax: 523 3174. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Castilian restaurant near Plaza Canovás del Castillo. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taberna del Alabardero

Felipe V 6. Phone: 547 2577. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.10300 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a restaurant in 19th C. style, probably too elegant to be called a tavern. It has spawned descendants abroad.

The best atmosphere is in the innermost room, furnished with antiques. The cooking is a combination of Modern French and Basque, offering some imaginative courses.

• Tomatoes with crab filling and egg sauce.

• Paprika with wild mushroom and spinach filling and tomato sauce.

• Bacalao “Club Ranero” = salt-cod.

• Corazón de solomillo de toro = beef filet.

• Grouse with potato chips.

• Duck slices in orange sauce.

• Rice pudding.

• Melone and cream soup with raspberries.

Toja

Siete de Julio 3. Phone: 366 4664. Fax: 366 5230. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A2).

On the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, a popular and lively tavern offering Galician food.

The simple and large dining place is equally popular with locals and foreigners.

• King prawns in egg sauce.

• Crab.

• Shellfish.

• Merluza gallega = grilled hake with white potatoes.

• Grilled lamb shoulder.

• Tarta Toya = Napoleon pastry.

• Strawberries with cream.

Valle

Humilladero 4. Phone: 366 9025. Hours: Closed Monday dinner & Sunday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A few steps from Descalzas Reales. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Viridiana

Juan de Mena 14. Phone: 523 4478. Fax: 532 4274. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Exceptional cooking at a relatively economical restaurant between Plaza de la Lealtad and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Zalachaín

Álvarez de Baena 4. Phone: 561 4840. Fax: 561 4732. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.19000 ($152) for two. All major cards

We include Zalachaín even if it is not in the city center, near the corner of Paseo de la Castellana and Maria de Molina. It is the best restaurant in Madrid and one of the top three in Spain, a Basque restaurant as the other two. It combines content with form, cuisine with ambience and service. A tie for gentlemen is obligatory.

The dining area is in a few venerable rooms of hardwood, a few tables in each, loaded with exquisite crystal and porcelain. The service matches the dignified atmosphere. The cooking of Chef Benjamín Urdáin is in a Basque version of French Nouvelle Cuisine.

• Ensalada de gambas con maíz dulce al sorbete de tomates = shrimp salad with sweet maize on tomato sorbet.

• Raviolis rellenos de setas, rufas y foie gras = mushrooms and goose liver in ravioli.

• Bacalao Tellagorri = salted cod.

• Pato azulón al chartreuse verde = duck in liqueur.

• Ragoût de bogavante con alcachofas = lobster ragout with artichokes.

• Escalopes de lubina con salsa de almejas = sea bass fillets with shellfish sauce.

• Biscuit glacé con chocolate fundido = coffee ice with chocolate sauce.

• Frutas del tiempo con sorbete = season’s berries with sorbet.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Ambassador

Cuesta de Santo Domingo 5. Phone: 541 6700. Fax: 559 1040. Price: Pts.20800 ($166) without breakfast. All major cards. 163 rooms. (A2).

Near the opera and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Atlántico

Gran Vía 38. Phone: 522 6480. Fax: 531 0210. Price: Pts.11400 ($91) without breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms. (B2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

California

Gran Vía 38. Phone: 522 4703. Fax: 531 6101. Price: Pts.7900 ($63) without breakfast. All major cards. 26 rooms. (B2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Carlos V

Maestro Vitoria 5. Phone: 531 4100. Fax: 531 3761. Price: Pts.12500 ($100) with breakfast. All major cards. 67 rooms. (B2).

A small hotel on a peaceful pedestrian street in the shopping area between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía.

The staff is helpful and cheerful.

Room no. 209 has a balcony overlooking the street, where a violinist and a flutist alternated in producing soft and gentle notes for hours on end. It is smallish and comfortable with old furniture and a neat bathroom.

Casón del Tormes

Rio 7. Phone: 541 9746. Fax: 541 1852. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) without breakfast. All major cards. 63 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from Plaza de España and Jardines de Sabatini. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Condes

Los Libreros 7. Phone: 521 5455. Fax: 521 7882. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) without breakfast. All major cards. 68 rooms. (B2).

Near Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cortezo

Dr. Cortezo 3. Phone: 369 0101. Fax: 369 3774. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) without breakfast. All major cards. 88 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza Benavente and 300 meters from Plaza Major. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Emperador

Gran Via 53. Phone: 547 2800. Fax: 547 2817. Price: Pts.14100 ($113) without breakfast. All major cards. 232 rooms. (A2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Europa

Carmen 4. Phone: 521 2900. Fax: 521 4696. Price: Pts.8200 ($66) without breakfast. No cards. (B2).

One of the best buys in town, an inexpensive hotel with friendly staff a few steps from Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Half the rooms have a sideways view to the Puerta del Sol and the others overlook a flowery atrium. Breakfast is not served and there is a breakfast café next door.

Room no. 214 is large and quaint with a sitting area near a balcony that has some view to the square. There is no motor traffic in the street and the windows are double-glazed, ensuring peace. There is no TV set and no air-condition. The large bathroom is fully tiled and functions well.

Francisco I

Arenal 15. Phone: 248 0204. Fax: 542 2899. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) without breakfast. All major cards. (A2).

On the street connecting Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza Oriente. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Inglés

Echegaray 8. Phone: 429 6551. Fax: 420 2423. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza de Canalejas. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Italia

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada 2. Phone: 522 4790. Fax: 521 2891. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) without breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Liabeny

Salud 3. Phone: 532 5306. Fax: 532 7421. Price: Pts.17900 ($143) without breakfast. All major cards. 224 rooms. (B2).

A comfortable hotel on a pedestrian street in the shopping district between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía.

The hotel is Mexican owned and has many guests from Latin America. There is no traffic noise around it.

Room no. 201 is of a normal size, unusually well furnished. It has a luxurious bathroom of marble and tiles.

Mayorazgo

Flor Baja 3. Phone: 547 2600. Fax: 541 2485. Price: Pts.16100 ($129) without breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (A2).

Well situated in a quiet location a few steps from Gran Vía, near Plaza de Españja.

The picturesque furnishings emulate a Castilian castle, both in the public areas and in the guest rooms. Prices of rooms are variable.

Room no. 323 is of the more inexpensive type, rather small and well furnished with a parquet and good carpets on the floor and equipped with a trouser press. The marble bathroom functions well.

Mercator

Atocha 123. Phone: 429 0500. Fax: 369 1252. Price: Pts.11400 ($91) without breakfast. All major cards. 89 rooms. (C3).

A few steps from Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and Jadrín Botánico. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Moderno

Arenal 2. Phone: 531 0900. Fax: 531 3550. Price: Pts.10500 ($84) without breakfast. All major cards. 100 rooms. (B2).

A practical hotel a few steps from the main square in central Madrid, Plaza Puerta del Sol.

The clean and faded hotel has parquet floors and polished furniture. Breakfast is not served, but the best breakfast café in town, Mallorquina, is around the corner.

Room no. 412 has an inside location. It has a parquet floor and all the amenities in the bathroom.

Palace

Plaza de las Cortes 7. Phone: 429 7551. Fax: 429 8266. Price: Pts.40000 ($320) without breakfast. All major cards. 436 rooms. (C2).

The two luxury hotels of Madrid face each other at Cánovas del Castillo square. Ritz is higher in class, being the abode of visiting dignitaries. Palace is the parliamentary hotel, handy for the next door parliament on the other side of Carrera de San Jeronimo. Prado Museum is on the other side of Paseo del Prado. Palace is thus in the middle of the action in Madrid.

There are extensive and luxurious saloons on the ground floor, including a circular coffee lounge with a glass roof. On the upper floors there are several lounges in the corridors and near the elevators. The building is from 1912 and has been refurbished according to the latest demands and fashions. Service is very good.

Room no. 106 is old-fashioned, rather large, furnished with inlaid wood, leather chairs and an exclusive carpet, in addition to all the comforts. The large bathroom has lots of tiles and mirrors. There is some noise from the street, but more quiet rooms at the rear are also available.

París

Alcalá 2. Phone: 521 6496. Fax: 531 0188. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) with breakfast. All major cards. 1204 rooms. (B2).

Perfectly situated just on Plaza Puerta del Sol, the center of Madrid, with many rooms overlooking the square.

It is also inexpensive, partly due to the lack of an elevator. It is gleaming with cleanliness and polish. The rooms which do not have a view to the square, overlook a flowery atrium.

Room no. 221 overlooks the square. The balcony is a perfect spot for observing the constant goings-on in the square from 7 in the morning to 5 in the morning. It has no TV set and needs none. The double glazing prevents noises entering the room when the window is closed. The parquet floor is well polished and the fully tiled bathroom functions perfectly.

Prado

Prado 11. Phone: 369 0234. Fax: 429 2829. Price: Pts.16500 ($132) without breakfast. All major cards. 47 rooms. (B2).

Between Plaza Santa Ana og Plaza Canovás del Castillo. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Regina

Alcalá 19. Phone: 521 4725. Fax: 521 4725. Price: Pts.11900 ($95) without breakfast. All major cards. 142 rooms. (B2).

On the main street leading to Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ritz

Plaza de la Lealtad 5. Phone: 521 2857. Fax: 532 8776. Price: Pts.49500 ($396) without breakfast. All major cards. 127 rooms. (C2).

The two luxury hotels of Madrid face each other at Cánovas del Castillo square. Ritz is higher in class, being the abode of visiting dignitaries. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Santo Domingo

Plaza Santo Domingo 13. Phone: 547 9800. Fax: 547 5995. Price: Pts.17500 ($140) without breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (A2).

Between Gran Vía and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Suecia

Marqués de Casa Riera 4. Phone: 531 6900. Fax: 521 7141. Price: Pts.20000 ($160) without breakfast. All major cards. 119 rooms. (B2).

Just behind the parliament building, on a quiet square with light traffic, one of he first hotels in Madrid to offer non-smoking guest rooms.

A quaint coffee bar is on a platform inside the foyer. The personal gives a warm welcome.

Room no. 201 is on the small side, with sound-insulated windows out to he square, furnished with potted plants and some mirrors. It is in light, summer blue colors. The bathroom is very good.

Victoria

Plaza de Santa Ana 14. Phone: 531 4500. Fax: 522 0307. Price: Pts.23000 ($184) without breakfast. All major cards. 195 rooms. (B2).

Well situated at the two squares of Santa Ana and Ángel, two noisy centers of the main district of cafés and bars just south of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

This was formerly the lodging of bullfighters and Hemingway. Now it has been modernized inside. The facade though is a protected monument. An immense and luxurious lounge is on the ground floor. Most rooms have bay windows to one of the two squares.

The spacious room no. 306 has a bay window overlooking Plaza del Ángel. The quality furnishings are tasteful and the bathroom is luxurious.

Washington

Gran Vía 72. Phone: 541 7227. Fax: 547 5199. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) without breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (A1).

A few steps from Plaza de España. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Cafés

The primary pastime of Madrilenos is to express themselves at cafés and bars, loudly and quickly. These marathon speechehe demise of the Falangist regime at the death of Franco in 1975.

The busy café and bar hours are 12-14 ands blossomed after the demise of the Falangist regime at the death of Franco in 1975.

History

The highest capital of Europe, 646 m above sea level, with 3 million inhabitants. The name comes from the Moors who called it Magerit. It was conquered by the Christians in 1083 and accidentally became the capital of Spain in 1561 when the Habsburg emperor Philip II decided to build the royal palace of El Escorial in the vicinity.

Madrid continued to be a dirty rural town for a while. It began to acquire cosmopolitan atmosphere after the access of the French Bourbons to the Spanish throne. They built the royal palace in the city center, laid out avenues and parks.

With the opening of new art galleries in addition to the famous Louvre, such as Colección Thyssen and Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid has become one of the artistic and cultural centers of Europe.

Life

Since the fall of Franco the capital of Spain has changed from a peaceful, oversized village into the most lively capital of Europe. The Madrilenos are adapting to democracy and freedom so enthusiastically that they seen to be making up for half a century of Falangist yoke.

Bars and cafés seem to be full of people most of the day and night. The center is on full blast from morning to morning, with quiet periods in 5-7 and 14-16 for morning and afternoon siestas.

Movida is the Madrileno name for this. Work and leisure come first and sleep comes later. Research shows Madrilenos to sleep less than inhabitants of other capitals in Europe. The abandon is such that people come to restaurants and clubs after midnight with toddlers in cradles.

Spaniards

Spain is not a single country. It is inhabited by several peoples. The central part is the landlocked Castilla, the Land of Castles, which has provided the aristocracy and the Spanish language, called Castilian by other peoples in Spain. To the south of Castilla is the poor and happy Andalucía, heavily influenced by the Moors and relatively deferent to the center.

More centrifugal are the peoples of the East and the North. The inhabitants of the active Catalunya and Valencia in the East have their own languages, related to French. The inhabitants of Galicia and Euskadi in the North also have their own languages. Galician is related to Portuguese; and Euskera, the language of the Basks, stands alone in the world, unrelated to any language.

To set Spaniard apart from other Europeans we can describe them as egocentric anarchists. They are trained to express themselves rather than to give and receive information. They will not be herded. Usually several talk at the same time at café conversations. They are arrogant and friendly, cantankerous and generous, especially fond of children. And they produce lots of artists.

Spanish history

The Iberian peninsula is both isolated and a crossroads. In prehistoric times it was populated by ancient European people like Iberians and Celts. Greeks and later Carthaginians were temporarily influential, but Romans later got a good foothold. They made Iberia one of the cornerstones of their vast empire and even imported famous emperors, poets and philosophers from Spain.

Then the Moors from Africa took over and reigned for eight centuries. They made Spain a cultural center of Islam, leaving important footprints. That period was followed by a strict Catholic period of five centuries. In the 16th C. of Discovery Spain became the most powerful country on earth, exporting the Spanish language to the major part of Latin America.

At the end of the Falangist reign of Franco Spain had again become poor and backward, with an internationally despised regime. After the re-introduction of democracy it has made up for lost time and is now a stable pillar in the Western World.

Embassies

Australia

Avenida del Generalísimo 61. Phone: 458 7200.

Canada

Núñez de Balboa 35. Phone: 225 9119.

Eire

Padilla 20. Phone: 225 1685.

South Africa

Claudio Coello 91. Phone: 225 3830.

United Kingdom

Fernando el Santo 16. Phone: 419 0200.

United States

Serrano 75. Phone: 276 3600.

Accident

Phone: 092.

Ambulance

Phone: 091.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with the services of a hotel or a restaurant you can demand a complaint form, “hoja de reclamaciones” in triplicate that the establishment is required to have. A demand for this form can often solve problems as the complaints of travelers are taken seriously in Spain.

Dentist

Fire

Phone: 091.

Hospital

Phone: 061.

Urgencia Médica, Barco 26, tel. 531 8847, is an emergency hospital in Madrid.

Medical Care

Pharmacy

Pharmacies are open Monday-Saturday 9-14 and Monday-Friday 16-20. Look for the sign: “Farmacia”. They usually put out signs with information on the nearest pharmacy on night duty. They are allowed to sell some medicine without prescription.

Police

Phone: 091.

Precautions

Don’t use a handbag. Keep money in inside pockets. Use cards as much as possible. Don’t keep passports in the same place as money. Don’t leave valuables in a locked car. There is some petty crime, but very little violent crime in Madrid or Spain generally.

Banks

Most banks are open Monday-Friday 9-14 and Saturday 9-13. Some open for currency change 17-19.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Eurocard, Access) have the largest circulation.

Electricity

Spanish voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Some old hotels have an older 120V system.

Hotels

Spanish hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing, if they are recommended by editors of guides like this one. Small hotels can also be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays.

We only include such hotels, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our Mediterranean afternoon naps. The price ranges from 4,700 pts to 32,000 pts, excluding breakfast.

We try to avoid breakfast at hotels as in Spanish hotels it is as insubstantial as in French hotels. More tasty and economical is a café with bread on the corner café patronised by the locals. Breakfast is in most cases included in the stated price, as that is the normal price quoted.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some many-starred hotels in Madrid are in fact worse than our selection of two-star hotels.

Money

There are notes for 5,000, 1,000, 500 and 100 pesetas, pts, and coins for 100, 50, 25, 5 and 1 pts.

Most hotels and restaurants accept both Visa and Eurocard (MasterCard, Access)

Prices

Prices tend to rise a little more in Spain than generally in the European Union. Spain is not a cheap country any more.

Shopping

Shops are generally open Monday-Saturday 9-13/14 and Monday-Friday 16:30/17-19:30/20 and even longer on Monday-Friday. Department stores are open during the siesta, also on Saturday.

Tipping

Service is included in hotel and restaurant bills and on taximeters. Some restaurant customers even amounts up. Porters get 50 pts per suitcase.

Toilets

There are toilets in cafés, restaurants, museums and department stores. In some places there are attendants who expect tips.

Tourist office

The Oficina de Turismo is at Plaza Mayor 3, tel. 221 1268 and 266 4874; and at Princesa 1 (plaza de España), tel. 241 2325.

Water

Tap water is drinkable, but many use bottled water to be on the safe side.

Accommodation

Accommodation offices at Barajas airport and Atocha and Chamartin railway stations find hotel rooms for travelers.

Ask for a room with “twin bed” as such beds and rooms are often larger that those with “double bed”. Rooms on the outside are often more bright and airy but also more noisy that those on the inside. Rooms with a view are generally not more expensive than ones without.

Airport

Barajas airport is 13 km from the center, tel. 205 4090 and 205 8384. A taxi drive takes half an hour and costs 1,000 pts. A train is quicker than an air-conditioned bus that leaves every 20 minutes from Plaza de Cólon and gets to the airport in 45 minutes.

News

International Herald Tribune is widely sold. El País is a Spanish daily with lots of international news.

Phone

The Spanish country code is 34. The local code for Madrid is 1, 3 for Barcelona and 5 for Sevilla. You add 9 in front of calls between Spanish areas. The foreign code from Spain is 07.

Coin phones are common in bars and cafés.

Post

Post office are usually open Monday-Saturday 9-13 and Monday-Friday 17-19. The main post office in Madrid is open until midnight.

Railways

The Spanish railway system is reliable.

Taxi

Cabs are on special stands in the center. They can also be hailed in the street. If they are free they have a green light on top and a sign in the front window with the word “libre”. They use fare meters. There is a supplement for travels from and to the airport and for suitcases.

Traffic

Rush hours on the streets and in the metro are 8-10, 13-14, 16-17 and 1).30-20:30. The metro is clean and fast, but can become warm in summer.

Cigars

Spain once ruled over most of Latin America, from where many of the best cigars come. Therefore Spaniards are traditional cigar smokers and prefer good cigars, such as real Havanas. Premium cigars are widely available and less expensive than generally in Europe.

Coffee

Most establishments have espresso machines. Most Spaniards drink their coffee black (café solo). In the morning some prefer it with milk (café con leche).

Cuisine

The best cuisine in Spain is Basque and most of the famous chefs come from that region. They have the same exact attitude as French chefs. Elsewhere in Spain the cooking is relaxed, without any generally accepted rules. It is a charming, pastoral cuisine, which is at its best when simple. The ingredients are plentiful as Spain is a great agricultural and fishing country.

Desserts

Spaniards like rice for dessert, cooked with milk and spiced with cinnamon (arroz con leche). There are many varieties, some of them innovative.

Meat

Very good beef (buey) is usually available everywhere in Spain. Game is abundant, such as venison (corzo and venado), partridges (perdiz) and grouse (codorniz).

Beef is best when simply cooked, such as grilled (a la parilla) og braised (asado). Rare (poco hecho) is often better than medium (regular) or well-done (muy hecho).

Restaurants

Restaurants are generally open for orders 13:30-16 and 21-24. Many close in August and some on Sunday. Guides and concierges often try to push you into establishments that give them a percentage of your patronage.

Rioja

In Spanish restaurants many people ask for Rioja wine, which is generally the best one in Spain, Castillo Ygay and Vega Sicilia being the most famous ones.

Rioja is made by French methods and aspires to heights. The bouquet reminds you of vanilla and oak, but nowadays less definitely so. These wines age well and are kept for a long time before coming to the market. Ready now are 64, 70, 75, 78, 81, 82, and 85. 1989 and younger should be kept. Well-known Riojas are Marqués de Murrieta, Marqués de Cáceres and Marqués de Alella.

Seafood

Madrid is well-known for good seafood in spite of being an inland city. The catch arrives by air from the fishing harbors of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Oceans. The chefs get up early in the morning to go to the fish market.

Seafood cooking is on par with the rest of Europe. It is the variety that astounds, combining Mediterranean and Atlantic species. There are oysters (ostras), many types of shells (almejas), many types of shrimp (gambas, cigalas, langostas, langosinos), lobster (bogavante), and fish such as turbot (rodaballo), red sea bream (besugo) and hake (merluzo).

Ask for simple cooking such as grilling (a la parilla) og braising (al horno). Do not forget salted fish (bacalao), which is available in some of the best restaurants.

Sherry

Cocktails are not drunk in Spain. Their place is taken by scraping dry Sherries from Andalucía, such as Tio Pepe and La Ina, which do not dull the palate. Similar and saltier are Manzanillas from the Atlantic coast of Andalucía.

The driest and finest sherries are called Fino. A little less dry are called Palo Cortado, a category that is not very common. Sweeter sherries are called Oloroso. Amontillado is a term used for blended sherries which are not quite as sweet as Olorosos. Popular abroad are very sweet Cream Sherries, which are dessert wines and not appetizers.

Sherry is produced in the area around Jerez in Andalucía. The vineyards are classified and the producing bodegas are required to use the best areas for 85% of their blends.

Tapas

As Spaniards dine two times a day and at the most outrageous hours, they need snacks in between meals. They call it “tapas” and devour it at wine and snack bars at 13-14 and 20-23, when they are waiting for a suitable time to visit a restaurant.

Tapas bars are very lively and noisy. Many tapas are deep-fried and fattening. Some tapas often have an excellent taste, such as squid circles (calamares), red and small sausages, heavily spiced and doused with alcohol (chorizo), shrimp (gambas, cigalas), shells (almejas), anchovies (anchoas), snails (caracoles), cheese (manchego) and raw ham (jamón serrano)

Wine

Spanish wine is generally good, though sometimes tending to be rather neutral in taste. Chateau or denomination wines are definitely not as common as in France. Most people ask for the wine of the house or for Rioja wine, which is generally the best one in Spain, Castillo Ygay and Vega Sicilia being the most famous ones.

Rioja is made by French methods and aspires to heights. The bouquet reminds you of vanilla and oak, but nowadays less definitely so. These wines age well and are kept for a long time before coming to the market. Ready now are 64, 70, 75, 78, 81, 82, and 85. 1989 and younger should be kept. Well-known Riojas are Marqués de Murrieta, Marqués de Cáceres and Marqués de Alella.

Cocktails are not drunk in Spain. Their place is taken by scraping dry Sherries from Andalucía, such as Tio Pepe and La Ina, which do not dull the palate. Surprisingly many Spaniards drink still or sparkling mineral water with their meals, especially at lunch. Water is served in the wine glasses and the bottles are put in the wine coolers.

Surprisingly many Spaniards drink still or sparkling mineral water with their meals, especially at lunch. Water is served in the wine glasses and the bottles are put in the wine coolers.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Greenwich

Greenwich is downriver. It is not only famous for the meridian of zero longitude in geography. It also has woodland surrounding the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, open 10-17 and the racing quick tea clipper Cutty Sark. The boat trip to Greenwich takes 45 minutes each way.

Kew

Upriver the Kew gardens with the Royal Botanical Gardens are open 10-16/17. They are graceful, covering over 120 hectares with over 25,000 different plants. The boat brings you to Kew in 75 minutes.

Hampton Court

Farther upriver than the Kew gardens, there is the elegant Hampton Court, the palace of Cardinal Wolsey, expropriated by Henry VIII, including a lot of paintings and objects of art now shown to the public and some of the most glorious gardens in the world.

Windsor Castle

Hours: Open 11-16, except Friday 13-16 and Sunday 14-16.

Just beyond Heathrow airport is the small town of Windsor with Windsor Castle, a summer residence of the Queen.

It is the oldest and greatest residential castle in the world, built by William the Conqueror as a circular tower, but added on during the centuries. The most famous part is the St George’s chapel, one of the best examples of English architecture in the 15th C.

The castle houses some collections, open to the public, such as the Queen Mary’s Dolls House and the State Apartments, when the queen is not using them herself.

With children in tow it is now time to visit the Windsor Safari Park.

Windsor Safari Park

An open wildlife park where we can see, partly through closed car windows, some lions, tigers, elephants, zebras, rhinos, camels, monkeys and deer, to name the best known examples. The porpoises and dolphins perform at regular intervals.

Another amusing place for children is on the way back to London. It is Thorpe Park in Staines, just south of the Heathrow airport.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Shopping

Most shops are open 9-17 Monday-Saturday. Some open one hour earlier and close one hour later. Some close earlier on Saturday. Covent Garden shops are also open on Sunday. Late shopping until 19 or 20 is on Thursday in the West End, elsewhere on Wednesday. In many shops foreign visitors can fill out a form for later refund of VAT.

London really shines when it comes to specialty shops. Some of them date from the last century or even before that. Antique shops as an example are categorized in dozens of special subjects, epochs or countries. Most of these shops are in the St James’s district and the eastern part of the Mayfair district.

It is a joy to shop or window-shop in old, famous and often expensive shops, not maybe for buying anything but for sightseeing them as other important landmarks of the city. And ancient commerce in London is no less interesting than old churches, museums and sculpture.

We start our guided tour through London shopping in front of St James’s Palace, on the corner of Pall Mall and St James’s Street.

Hardy

61 Pall Mall. (D3).

One of the most famed sport fishing shops in the world is on the Pall Mall side of the corner, at no. 61. You can buy there the most expensive rod-wheels obtainable, of course specially made by hand for the establishment as most other things on display, such as rods of fiberglass and carbon threads.

Almost at the other end of Pall Mall, near Haymarket, is the other famous house for sport fishing, Farlow, at no. 56, which has an edge in being a purveyor to the Royal Court. Even those who do not believe in royalty must admit that it knows a lot about salmon fishing.

We walk around the corner into St James’s Street.

Berry Brothers

3 St James’s Street. (D3).

The oldest wine boutique in London, from the 18th C., at no. 3. The furnishings are ancient and the floor is far from horizontal. Inside there is the famous scale where renowned customers and weighted.

Two other things are of note here: All the wine is available on the premises. And it is less expensive than in most other wine shops in London. On our last visit Chateau Langloa-Barton 1971 did only cost £12 and Kiedricher Sandgrub only £7.

Alongside there is another important shop.

Lock

6 St James’s Street. (D3).

A hat shop from 1765, at no. 6. One of the landmarks of London is the ancient equipment resembling an old typewriter, which is still used to record the shape of the clients’ heads. After measurement a suitable hat is heated and then molded in a form fitting the client.

This is the place where the first bowler in the world was made. But nowadays they also sell sixpensers. The shop also boasts of an unique collection of old hats.

A few steps farther along the street we come to another shop of note.

Lobb

9 St James’s Street. (D3).

This shop at no. 9 has made shoes for the royal family for several decades. In the small shop there is a thrilling smell of leather and we can observe the shoemakers at their work. Replicas of customers’ feet are cut in wood and all shoes are handmade.

They cost at least £150 the pair and you have to wait for them for six months. But they are also supposed to last for a decade with proper maintenance.

Next we turn right into King Street.

Christie‘s

8 King Street. (D3).

One of the two world-renowned auction houses, at no. 8. Mondays they usually auction pottery and porcelain; Tuesdays drawings, coins, glass and antiques; Wednesdays jewelry, books and weapons; Thursdays furniture and wine; and on Friday they auction paintings. The auctions normally start at 11. The items are usually exhibited for two days before the auction.

We walk back a few steps and turn right into Bury Street, which we walk all the way to Jermyn Street.

Turnbull & Asser

71 Jermyn Street. (D3).

We have come to the main shopping street for men, Jermyn Street. On our left corner, at no. 71, there is a shirt shop for men. It sells both ready-made and specially cut shirts, which you have to wait six weeks for. The establishment is always fashionable even if it was founded in 1885. Both service and prices are in the sky.

On the right side we have Hilditch & Key, the other famous shop for men’s shirts. This one has also shirts for women.
We now work to the east along Jermyn Street and soon arrive at other interesting shops.

Floris

89 Jermyn Street. (D3).

On the right side of the street, at no. 89, an 250 years old outfit, offering perfume since 1730. Everybody can afford to buy bathing salts here in order to use the occasion to have a look around in one of the great perfumery shops of the world.

Do remember that Chanel and other Parisians are only 19th and 20th C. upstarts. This is a delightful and of course an especially fragrant shop.

Just a little farther on the same side we come to another shopping landmark.

Paxton & Whitfield

93 Jermyn Street. (D2).

The most celebrated and most enjoyable cheese house in the city, at no. 93. It has operated since the end of the 18th C. Here you can buy all the best English cheeses, both Stilton and Cheddar, in addition to 300 other types from all corners of the world.

They also sell the cheese in thin slices. If they do not have the cheese you ask for, they will deliver it before the end of the tenth day.

Now we cross the street and walk back a few steps until we arrive at Princes Arcade to the right, leading to Piccadilly. It is one of a few pedestrian shopping arcades in the metropolis. In Piccadilly we turn left and immediately we arrive at a gem of a shop.

Hatchards

187 Piccadilly. (D2).

The oldest book-shop in London, located here at no. 187 since 1767. Over 350,000 titles are on four floors. The atmosphere is enticing for bookworms with plenty of time on their hands.

We continue a few steps along Piccadilly and enter one of the major landmarks of London.

Fortnum & Mason

181 Piccadilly. (D2).

Here at no. 181 is the traditional gourmet shop in town and the Queen’s grocer at the same time. The specialty of the house is preserves and jams in jars and tins. The shop is gastronomically really not comparable to Harrods, but it is worth a visit because of the unique atmosphere accented by attendants in coat-tails.

Above the ground floor there are normal department store goods for sale.

A few steps farther along Piccadilly there is Piccadilly Arcade, a nice little pedestrian lane, leading like Princess Arcade to Jermyn Street. Then we cross Piccadilly as on the opposite side is the most famous arcade of them all.

Burlington Arcade

Burlington Arcade. (D2).

The most elegant and famous pedestrian passage in London, built 1815-1819. Many renowned, small shops are in particularly relaxed and comfortable surroundings in the arcade.

The least we can do is to walk back and forth in the passage. Arriving again at Piccadilly we walk a few steps to the right. Then we turn right into Old Bond Street.

Charbonnel et Walker

7 Old Bond Street. (D2).

The disco Embassy is on this side of the street, at no. 7. A little farther on the other side is the best known chocolate boutique in London, Carbonnel et Walker, where customers can have their initials on the sweets they buy.

Alongside the shop we see one more pedestrian passage, Royal Arcade. Almost opposite on the other side of Old Bond Street there is a famous establishment.

Truefitt & Hill

23 Old Bond Street. (D2).

The most famed barber in town, at no. 23, has the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales among the clients, also half the House of Lords. It is also the oldest barber in London. You will have your hair nicely cut at a price which is not higher than elsewhere in the center.

Here the street changes it name to New Bond Street. On the other side we soon notice one more famous shop.

Asprey

167 Old Bond Street. (D2).

One of the better known jewelers, at no. 167, with many imposing windows facing the street. And of course this shop is a purveyor to the Royal Court.

Please note that we are only mentioning a few gems among lots of other shops of interest.

We continue north along New Bond Street and make a short detour to the left into Bruton Street.

Holland & Holland

33 Bruton Street. (D2).

At the gunsmiths at no. 33. you can, as the Duke of Edinburgh, get terribly expensive hunting guns with a waiting time of three years and a half.

We can also look to the south side of the street to observe how the old tavern Coach & Horses contrasts with the faceless modern buildings around.

Back in New Bond Street we continue to the north.

Wildenstein

New Bond Street. (D2).

The king of antique paintings dealers in the world has his world central premises on this side near the corner of Bruton Street. Here paintings change owners for enormous sums.

On the opposite side, at no. 26, there is Tessiers, one of the oldest and most revered antique jewelry shops in London.

Antiques enthusiasts should know that we are only skimming the enormous antiques scene in Mayfair.

Farther along the right side we come to a landmark.

Sotheby‘s

35 New Bond Street. (D2).

One of the two London auction houses of world fame, at no. 35. This one is the older one and probably the better known one. It is also bigger, holding about 500 auctions each year. The items are on exhibition for one week before the auction and catalogues are available one month beforehand.

Mondays are for books and glass, Tuesdays for books and porcelain, Wednesdays for paintings, Thursdays for silver and jewelry and Fridays for furniture and objects of art.

Here New Bond Street is changing from a street of classic English shops into a street of the subsidiaries of the international fashion houses of Paris and Milan. We soon cross Grosvenor Street and continue on New Bond Street to a shop on the right side.

Smythson

54 New Bond Street. (D2).

The paper shop on the right side, at no. 54, is a purveyor to the Royal Court. It specializes in innovative and outrageous letterheads and Christmas cards. You will find there some charming gifts.

Next we turn left into Brook Street to the west and immediately after that to the right into South Molton Street.

South Molton Street

South Molton Street. (D2).

A lively pedestrian street with small shops and pavement cafés.

On the right side we enter an establishment.

Molton Brown

58 South Molton Street. (D2).

The hairdresser at no. 58 is the most celebrated one in town, decorated in a turn-of-the-century style.

We walk a little farther on this side of the street.

Higgins

42 South Molton Street. (D2).

One of the best coffee shops in London, at no. 42, gleaming of copper and fragrant of beans from all corners of the world, including beans from Higgins’ private fields on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Here around 30 types of coffee are sold in an atmosphere of bygone times. Please note the big scales.

Almost alongside there is one more gem.

Prestat

40 South Molton Street. (D2).

The best chocolate maker in the metropolis, at no. 40. The sweets are made by hand on the premises and sold fresh over the antique counter. Originally this shop was in Paris but moved here in the beginning of this century. Without doubt you can get here the best sweets in London, especially truffles and cherry brandy.

We have now reached Oxford Street.

Oxford Street

Oxford Street. (D2).

Most of the amusing shops are behind us and now the seriousness of the department stores is in front of us. Oxford Street is one of the main shopping streets in London and by far the most important street of department shops.

First we turn westward on Oxford Street on its south side until we have passed the imposing Selfridge palace on the other side. There we cross the street and enter a store on the left side of the palace.

Marks & Spencer

458 Oxford Street. (C2).

The main store of the famous chain, at no. 458, one of the best department stores in town, if you compare quality and price and want value for money. 30 thieves are said to be apprehended here per day.

We return on Oxford Street and have a look into the big palace.

Selfridges

Oxford Street. (C2).

The immense and trustworthy department store often offers better choice than the famous Harrods. As it will take a whole day to inspect the store we save it for a special trip later, given time.

While strolling east along Oxford Street we do some window-shopping. On the far corner of Oxford Circus we come to another famous department store.

Top Shop

Oxford Circus. (D2).

In the cellar of the Peter Robinson department store. It is one of the most spacious fashion floors in Europe. Many well-known fashion houses have their private stands there. This is a good place for trying on the newest fashion without paying outrageous prices.

Now we turn south along the eastern side of Regent Street and continue our window-shopping. Soon we reach one more department store.

Liberty

210 Regent Street. (D2).

A captivating department store, at no. 210, rather more expensive than most of the others. It also boasts of a beautiful half-timbered facade toward Great Marlborough Street. That part is built from the timbers of the last two timer ships of the navy in 1924.

Here you can get famous, printed cottons and Eastern rugs, fine silk and furniture. The items range from antiques to high fashion.

Behind Liberty, on the corner of Great Marlborough Street and Carnaby Street there is an interesting shop.

Galt

Great Marlborough Street. (D2).

A special shop for educational toys, many solely produced for this shop. Wood is much in evidence in the appealing toys. This is a good shopping place for parents who wish to keep standards in their gifts to the children.

We ignore Carnaby Street and its tourists as its days of fame have long since passed, blessed were they. Instead we return to Regent Street and turn south past Liberty to a large shop of interest.

Hamley’s

200 Regent Street. (D2).

One of the giants of toy shops of this world, at no. 200.

Here we cross Regent Street and go into Conduit Street and then turn left into Savile Row, the address of the best-known bespoke tailors in the British Empire.

Huntsman

11 Savile Row. (D2).

The top bespoke tailor, at no. 11, the tailor of kings and lords. Around 1800 this shop changed from a glove shop into a sportswear shop, since then evolving into a general clothes shop. But its specialty is still sportswear.

You can have whatever sewn here, both for women and men, even clothes from denim. But you have to expect a waiting of twelve weeks and to pay at least £400 for the privilege of clothes which should keep for a quarter of a century if you can take care of your lines for such a long time.

At the south end of Savile Row we turn left into Vigo Street, cross Regent Street and go directly into Brewer Street.

Slater & Cooke, Bisney & Jones

67 Brewer Street. (E2).

The butchers’ shop with the long name, at no. 67, is from 1860 and is still one of the most thrilling meat shops in town. Every type of meat is displayed at its special counter and the displays do a lot for your saliva. Therefore it is high time to use the occasion to finish our shopping spree and enter one of the many restaurants in the area.

A few shops in addition are worth a visit, but do not fit into our recently finished stroll through St James’s and the eastern part of Mayfair. One of them is Foyle.

Foyle

119-125 Charing Cross Road. (E2).

The largest bookshop in London with four million titles. It has often proved to be a safer bet than some of the specialized bookshops. It is rather disorganized though, and it is advisable to ask the way on the ground floor not to get lost on the higher storeys.

In the eastern side streets of Charing Cross Road, such as Cecil Court, are many good merchants of antique books, where you can while away the days.

We continue to seek out stores in London.

Purdey

57 South Audley Street. (C2).

The royal gunsmith, the perfect place for buying a firearm for your fox-hunting, if you have £ 30,000 available and can wait for two years. If you become bankrupt in doing so you can always sell the firearm at a profit, as there are always buyers waiting. Every gun is handmade according to the measurements of the client and only 100 are made each year.

Whittard

11 Fulham Road. (B4).

The traditional tea-shop of the metropolis, near the South Kensington station. It offers over fifty different types plus many blends and herbs. Here civilization is kept intact after the invasion of tea-bags.

King’s Road

King’s Road. (C4).

A great shopping district centers on King’s Road, from Sloane Square to the southwest, but it does not quite keep the style it had in the sixties when this was the fashion center of London.

The district moving upwards and upmarket at the moment is Covent Garden. The restoration of the market has pumped blood into shopping in the surrounding streets. That is the place where to search for interesting, new shops.

We finish by visiting a temple of shopping, the Harrods department store.

Harrods

Brompton Road. (C3).

A celebrated landmark. The reason for us liking it is not that they sell you live elephants. The choice of goods is in many cases inferior from that of Selfridges. And thrice in a row we have been reduced to go elsewhere, as a top product was not available here.

What is really ravishing here is the food department on the ground floor. It is far better than Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly and comes near to the gourmet magazines of Paris. It does not lessen the impression that the meat hall resembles a cathedral. Here you can get three different types of real caviar and fresh goose-liver to go with you champagne for breakfast.

In the neighborhood there is a good shopping district around Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, the north end of Sloane Street and Beauchamp Place, which is a charming street leading off Brompton Road.

We end by having a quick look into Beauchamp Place.

Beauchamp Place

Beauchamp Place. (C4).

A charming shopping street leading off Brompton Road.

Tower

(I2).

One of the main landmarks of the metropolis, the Tower of London, was built in 1077 and the following years by William the Conqueror, more as an admonition to the population than a defense against external threats. Its White Tower is one of the oldest substantial castles in Western Europe, a good example of the rectangular, towerlike castles of the Normans.

At that time the Romans had been away for over six centuries. London make few ripples in world history during Anglo-Saxon rule. The city first began to grow as a commercial center after the Normans had taken over. Richard the Lionhearted started to build ramparts around the White Tower late in the 12th C. At the close of the 13th C. it had acquired more or less its present look.

It was a royal residence all the way to the 17th C., an arsenal and a treasury. The royal jewels are still kept there and exhibited. The jewels and the Tower are guarded by the famed Yeoman Warders, better known as Beefeaters, in 16th C. Tudor costumes.

We enter through the Middle Tower gate, cross the moat between the inner and outer fortifications, and continue to the central grounds of the castle, dominated by the central White Tower.

White Tower

(I2).

White Tower rises from the grounds with over four meter thick walls and towers on all four corners. It is the original part of the castle, from 1077. Inside there is an interesting collection of armor and arms on the two lower floors. Above them is the Chapel of St John from 1080, still looking much the same as nine centuries ago, a perfect example of early Norman architecture.

In the grounds we see the waiting line for the crown jewels exhibition. The line moves quickly. but it is advisable to be here as soon a possible after the Tower is opened at 9:30 to evade the crowds. Among the jewels is the greatest diamond in the world, the 530 carats Star of Africa from the Cullinan stone, and the historical 109 carats Kohinoor diamond.

On our way back out of the grounds we first enter Bloody Tower.

Bloody Tower

(I2).

Tower was the prison of well known enemies of the sovereign, such as Anne Boleyn, Mary Stuart and finally Rudolf Hess during the 2nd World War.

In the Bloody Tower Richard III is said to have had the little princes put to death.

We leave by the Traitors’ Gate, through which prisoners could be brought on boats into the castle. We pass the Bell Tower from the early 13th C. and cross the moat again to exit by the Middle Tower. Out of the castle we walk down to the Thames embankment, where we have an excellent view of the castle, and also of Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge

(I3).

This bridge is the one farthest downriver, built 1886-1894 in a Gothic imitation in Victorian style. It is a drawbridge, surprisingly quick in letting ships pass through.

From the bridge there is a splendid view over the river and the battleship Belfast, which is moored and on exhibit to the west of the bridge.

We continue along the embankment, go past the Tower hotel and arrive at St Katherine’s Dock.

St Katherine‘s Dock

(I3).

The dock was made in 1827-1828 and was then one of the main harbors of London, and the harbor closest to the City. Now a few old ships have been collected there, among them the Discovery, used by Scott on his journey to Antarctica.

A disused warehouse has been renovated and changed into the Dickens Tavern, a fine place for a pint after this sightseeing walk.

Then we take the shortest way along a walking path on the north side of the harbor up to Tower Hill underground station, where we see remains of the ancient London Wall.

London Wall

(H2).

From the pedestrian subway under the street from the station to the Tower we can see remains of the London Wall, built by Romans around the city after queen Boadicea of the Celts had destroyed London in the year 61. Then Londinium, as the Romans called it, was a young city, only about two decades of age.

The remnants of the wall can be seen elsewhere around City and are mainly from the 2nd D. Some streets in City still show in their names where there were gates in the wall: Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Moorgate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate.

The wall was not moved when the city grew. Instead it was repeatedly rebuilt in the same place during the Middle Ages. Most of the present-day City, except for the Fleet Street area, is inside the limits of the old wall.

This walk is at its end.

City

Ancient London was built in the area that now constitutes the City. It was always a commercial town. The kings moved to neighboring Westminster in the 11th C. to build their palaces there. An ensuing battle of power between City and Westminster reflected the battle of power between merchants and aristocrats.

Ever since the City has retained a special position, both in London as a community and in relation to the Crown. Its system of liveried societies of merchants and tradespeople, who elect a mayor, has survived until this day.

Now City is best known as one of the great world centers of banks and other financial institutions. It is also known for its many churches, with the immense St Paul’s as the primary example.

When we embark from the Bank underground station we are on a famous corner where seven of the main streets of City radiate in all directions. The Bank of England is on our left side.

Bank of England

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 10-17 and in summer Sunday 11-17. (H2).

The bank was founded in 1694 to raise money for military campaigns. It evolved into the central bank of England and its currency bank. The present building is from 1788. It is now a museum displaying items from the history of the bank.

The Stock Exchange can be seen behind the Bank of England. It is a modern building that houses the third biggest stock exchange in the world. A stock exchange has been here since 1773. The public gallery is not open to the public any more.

On the corner in front of Bank of England is the Royal Exchange.

Royal Exchange

(H2).

The Exchange has been in operation since 1565 as a center for commercial exchange of goods and money. The present building, from 1844, has a Greek colonnade front of classical proportions.

The name of the street between the Bank of England and Royal Exchange is Threadneedle Street reminding us of the market that was here in olden times, as other neighboring streets do: Cornhill, Poultry, Cheapside, Eastcheap and Bread Street. And these street names are almost the sole survivors from earlier times. All around we see appalling post-war bank architecture.

But wait. We can get a glimpse of bygone times if we walk about 100 meters into Cornhill and then take a dive to the right into the second or third pedestrian passage leading toward Lombard Street.

Lombard Street

(H2).

Between Cornhill and Lombard Street we find a surprising maze of alleys reminding us of earlier days. These passages also lead us to cozy places like the neighbors George & Vulture and the Jamaica Wine House who are like oases here. The former tavern boasts of six centuries of age and the latter of three of them.

If we continue along the mews and cross Gracechurch Street, we arrive at the Leadenhall market.

Leadenhall Market

(H2).

The market has been here since Roman times. It is now a retail market for meat, fish, vegetables, fruit and cheese. Its pride is the wildfowl. This is the place where to buy quail and grouse for Christmas.

From the market we return to Gracechurch Street and turn left along the street down to the Monument.

The Monument

(H2).

Built in memory of the Great Fire of 1666, when almost the whole of City burnt down. Once there was a good view from the top of the Monument, but it has largely been spoiled by the surrounding concrete towers of the post-war extremes in architectural ugliness.

We can continue to stroll around in City to inspect some of the churches built by the architect Christopher Wren in the years after the Great Fire. His fans can find 29 churches in City built by him, but we shall on our next walk make do with one.

We can also stroll west over King William Street, into Arthur Street and from there along pedestrian lanes to the Cannon Street underground station. A few steps from Arthur Street we stumble upon the wine bar Olde Wine Shades in a house from 1663, preceding the Great Fire. We end his walk there.

St Paul’s Cathedral

(G2).

Christopher Wren built the cathedral in the years after the great fire of 1666. In the same place there had earlier stood at least two churches, the first built in 604. The medieval church was probably even larger than Wren’s church, in spite of the latter being one of the very largest cathedrals in the world.

St Paul’s has a plan of an English Gothic church, a cross church with a very long chancel, but built in Renaissance style with Romanesque colonnades. Wren tended to the Baroque style and quarreled with the building committee who found that style too Catholic and forced him to develop the church in the Mannerist Renaissance style of Protestantism.

Over the crossing there soars a 30 meter wide dome, rather Gothic in form, resembling St Peter’s in Rome. In addition Wren was able to build the western towers in Gothic style.

We enter the church and walk along the nave to the crossing.

St Paul’s interior

The crossing is bright and spacious. It is carried by eight strong arches. Behind the ceiling there is a brick wall which carries the lantern on the top of the dome.

Where the nave and the southern transept meet there is a spiral staircase leading up to the famed Whispering Gallery with a good view down into the church, and to the Stone Gallery with a view over London. Those who do not feel dizzy at heights can continue upwards to the Golden Gallery at the feet of the top lantern and have a thrilling view in clear weather.

It seems a miracle that St Paul’s was spared during the air raids of the 2nd World War when the surrounding district burnt down and only the cathedral stood above the flames.

Inns of Court

The Inns of Court are the four legal associations in London, dating back to the 14th C. They built their offices around hidden gardens that still are gems in the western part of City.

We start at the Chancery Lane underground station. From High Holborn we walk through one of three gates, no. 21 or Fulwood Place or Warwick Court to enter Gray’s Inn.

Gray’s Inn

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 12-14, longer on Friday. (F1).

We are in a maze of alleys, courtyards, proportioned houses and fragrant gardens, a sublime oasis hidden from the tumult of the town. Here are the offices of the lawyers in Gray’s Court, one of the four legal associations of London.

This one was founded in the 14th C. The oldest houses are from the 17th C. and the gardens a little younger, designed by Sir Francis Bacon. They are open to the public 12-14 on weekdays and further into the afternoon on Friday.

We return to High Holborn through one of the passages. On the other side of the street, a little to the left, we see Staple Inn.

Staple Inn

(F1).

A row of houses, which are four centuries old, built 1586-1596. This front is the only example in London of how the finer streets looked like in the days of Elizabeth I. Do notice the half-timbering with beams and gables and overhanging storeys. In the middle an arcade leads to the courtyards behind.

A little more to the west High Holborn meets Chancery Lane to the south. We turn into that street and walk along the eastern facade of Lincoln’s Inn, go past its Stone Buildings Gate and arrive at the Gatehouse of Lincoln’s Inn.

Lincoln‘s Inn

Hours: Open 12-14:30. (F2).

The Gatehouse still has its original oak doors from 1518, almost half a millennium old. The brick building has square towers in the corners.

Behind it there is the Old Square with buildings from Tudor times, restored in 1609. The Old Hall is from 1490. The chapel at the north end of the square dates from 1619-1623.

The proper gardens are to the west, elegant and pleasant, surrounded by the old and traditional architecture from those times when good taste had not gone out of fashion.

From the gardens we stroll south New Square and through a gate from 1697 to Carey Street where we are behind the palace of the Royal Courts of Justice. We walk around the eastern side of the palace to arrive at its front end in Fleet Street.

Royal Courts of Justice

(F2).

An ornamental Neo-Gothic palace from Victorian times, housing the main civil courts of London, often with television crews in front. The public is admitted to all the proceedings in the courtrooms.

On the other side of Fleet Street we see a gateway. Prince Henry’s Room is alongside the gateway.

Prince Henry‘s Room

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 11-14. (F2).

The original, half-timbered building was built in 1610, paneled with oak.

We enter the gateway to the Middle Temple.

Middle Temple

(F2).

One of the legal villages in City. The gatehouse of red brick from 1684 is by Christopher Wren. Behind it we find a new maze of passages, courtyards and squares, with less greenery than we saw in the other Inns of Court.

Of special interest is the Middle Temple Hall from 1562-1570, especially the roof beams and oak partitions. The hall is closed 12-15. The story goes that Shakespeare performed himself here in The Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1602.

To the east there is an alley to the Inner Temple, one more of the legal associations leading us to the Templar Church.

Inner Temple

(F2).

This is the village of the last of the four legal associations dominating this walk through the western part of City.

We come to the circular Temple Church.

Temple Church

Hours: Open 10-17. (F2).

The most important building in the Inner Temple. It is the Templar Church, circular like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was built 1160-1185 and is one of the oldest Gothic buildings in Britain.

The church was the center of a great monastery founded by the Templar Knights about 1160. That order was disbanded in the 14th C. Then the lawyers took over and have since then been in charge.

We walk Inner Temple Gateway through a half-timbered gateway from 1610 in Tudor style, restored in 1906. Here we are again in Fleet Street.

Fleet Street

(F2).

It is at the western end of City, the great street of journalism in the earlier decades of the century, but now most of the media have moved elsewhere. Just by Middle Temple Gateway there is Temple Bar, which the Queen is not allowed to pass into City without a special permission from the Lord Mayor of London, who is elected by the livery companies or trade guilds.

If we walk Fleet Street to the east, past Inner Temple Gateway, we soon reach el Vino wine bar. From the north side of the street numerous alleys lead north, among other places to Dr. Johnson’s House from about 1700. On the same side of Fleet Street is Cheshire Cheese, an old pub from 1667.

From here the newspaper and news agencies buildings dominate the street all they way east to Ludgate Circle where we see St Paul’s cathedral towering on the hill beyond. Under the rails at Ludgate Circus is the wine bar Mother Bunch’s If we walk west along New Bridge Street to the Blackfriars station, the Black Friar pub is opposite the station.

This walk is at its end.

Covent Garden

(E2).

London has as other cities and towns and villages of the world got a city center life, its human centerpoint for locals and visitors. A decade ago the famous fruit and vegetable market was moved out of Covent Garden and a human desert was left behind. But now the market and its surroundings have been given a new lease of life with systematic civic action.

It is now pulsating in pavement cafés and pubs. The market building itself is from 1832 and the iron and glass roofs are younger. Now it houses cafés, pubs, wine bars, small shops, fashion boutiques and outdoor markets. The balcony of the Punch & Judy pub is an optimal observing point for the happenings in the square below.

Inside the market there is the outdoor Cafe Delicatessen and at the other end the good wine bar Crusting Pipe. All these places are suitable for resting your feet between visits to the shops in the market and in the neighborhood. Covent Garden has refuted the fallacy of London being such a rainy place to make sidewalk cafés impossible. Restoration has succeeded above all dreams.

We start by going to the square between the Covent Market buildings and the church of St Paul’s.

The Piazza

(E2).

Usually there are happenings here at lunch time when the human flow is at its heaviest. There are also happenings at other times, but lunch is the best time. We observe at one single lunch time a man with a marionette doll, a rock band and a contortion artist.

The optimal observing point is the balcony of the Punch & Judy bar as from there you can see over the heads of the crowd.

The streets leading west from the piazza, King Street and Henrietta Street are interesting restaurant streets, full of life. Even more agreeable is the pedestrian New Row, a continuation of King Street.

We observe the church in front of us.

St Paul’s in Covent Garden

(E2).

The 350 years old church was designed by the famous Palladian architect Inigo Jones. It is the most beautiful and the first Neoclassic district church in London. Now it is the funeral church of the theater set.

We walk past the Covent Garden market buildings and the short and pedestrian Russell Street to Bow Street, where we turn left, go past the Floral Hall of glass to the Royal Opera building.

Royal Opera

(E2).

The present building has a portico and pediment facing Bow Street, but the opera itself has been here since 1728, starting with The Beggar’s Opera. It houses both the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet. It is one of the most important opera houses of the world and has been a magnet for other theaters in the same district.

We continue on Bow Street, turn left into Long Acre and right into the pedestrian Neal Street.

Neal Street

(E2).

19th C. warehouses have been converted into boutiques, galleries and restaurants, many of them specializing in health. The best known part of the street is north of Shorts Gardens. On our left there is Neal’s Yard with the Wholefood Warehouse, overflowing with health foods.

We walk Shorts Gardens to the southwest and turn left into Monmouth Street which soon changes into St Martin’s Lane.

St Martin’s Lane

(E2).

The area around St Martin’s Lane has many theaters and restaurants. One of the streets leading off it, to the right, is Garrick Street, with the literary Garrick Club, and right off Garrick Street, we have Rose Street with the oldest pub in London, Lamb and Flag, from 1623.

Further down St Martin’s Lane there is a boutique and restaurant street leading to the left, New Row.

Arriving on St Martin’s Lane to Trafalgar Square, we come to St Martin-in-the-Fields on our left.

St Martin-in-the-Fields

(E2).

This beautiful and Neo-Classic church was built in 1722-1726, resembling a Roman temple with the addition of a tower and a spire. This design has been very influential in America, where it lay the groundwork of the Colonial style.

Inside the church is unusually wide and bright. It has for decades been and still is a social center and a shelter for drug addicts and vagrants, providing free soups.

On the other side of the street the National Gallery overlooks Trafalgar Square.

National Gallery

2 St Martin’s Place, Trafalgar Square. Hours: Open 10-18, Sunday 14-18. (E2).

One of the greatest art galleries in the world, well organized, well labeled and well lit. The paintings are over 2000 and cover the whole history of art except for modern art and British art which are in Tate Gallery. This one is in the forefront in the world in scientific restoration of paintings. It is also famous for changing exhibitions around themes in the history of art.

To the left Italian paintings are in more than twenty rooms, covering the whole way back to the Renaissance. There you can see works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Rafaelo, Titian and Tintoretto. To the north in the same wing are the Dutch and Flanders paintings, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Dyck, Rubens, van Eyck, Hieronimus Bosch and Brüghel.

The French are in the Eastern wing, among them Delacroix and the impressionists Manet, Monet, Renois and Pisarro, and the younger Degas, Cézanne and van Gogh. There also the Spanish Velasques, El Greco and Goya, and the English Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable and Turner.

In the same block to the back the National Portrait Gallery has over 5000 paintings of famous people from the history of Britain, with recent additions of photos and cartoons.

Trafalgar Square

(E2).

The geographical center of London. Roughly speaking it has Covent Garden to the east, Soho to the north, St James’s to the west and Westminster to the south. On the southern corner of the square there is an equestrian statue of Charles I, from where all distances and roads are measured in Britain.

We go to the middle of the square.

Nelson Monument

(E2).

On the middle of the square a statue of admiral Nelson towers on a granite column of 52 meters, surrounded by four bronze lions and thousands of living doves which a favorite with children. Above the square is the long and low facade of the National Gallery.

From the column we turn northeast into The Strand.

Strand

One of the major theater streets in London, connecting Trafalgar Square with Fleet Street.

We can continue on Strand or turn back to Trafalgar Square where there is a short walk north to the start of the next walk, at Leicester Square.

Soho

(E2).

Soho is a district of many faces, a district of cinemas and sex chops, of bookshops and Chinatown. It has the quiet Leicester Square with its greenery and the noisy Piccadilly Circus with its neon signs.

In olden times Soho was a sleazy district full of danger. Now it is relatively safe, but still somewhat vulgar.

We start our walk at Leicester Square.

Leicester Square

(E2).

A quiet garden with hospitable benches for resting tired bones. It has a statue of Charlie Chaplin in the center, probably to remind us of the many cinemas around. A very popular kiosk is selling theater tickets at reduced rates on the day of the performance.

From the northwest corner of the square we take Coventry Street to Piccadilly Square.

Piccadilly Circus

(E2).

A noisy traffic knot surrounded by noisy neon signs and shopping malls. In the middle there is a statue of Eros, one of the main landmarks of London. Visiting young people traditionally gather at the statue, some of them stoned.

Halfway on the way back Coventry Street crosses Wardour Street which leads us north into Chinatown.

Chinatown

(E2).

The area around Wardour Street has lots of good Chinese restaurants, especially in pedestrian Gerrard Street with Chinese street-lamps, leading off to the right.

We are still on Wardour Street, cross Shaftesbury Avenue and continue on Wardour Street, turn left a few steps and then to the right into Rupert Street with its continuation in Berwick Street.

Berwick Street

(E2).

These two streets are the venue of a colorful market of vegetables, fruits and flowers which has been here since 1778.

From the north end of Berwick Street we thread through side streets and peaceful Soho Square to Charing Cross Road where there is Foyle and other bookshops. The nicest street of antique bookshops is Cecil Court, leading east off Charing Cross Road, full of treasures for book lovers.

St James’s

The classy, British and quiet district of central London, reaching from The Mall to Piccadilly, from Trafalgar Square to Green Park, centered on St James’s Palace. This is the district of the most venerable shops from bygone centuries and most of the best known gentlemen’s clubs in Britain.

We start at the Trafalgar Square end of the street and work our way westward.

Pall Mall

The main street of the classy St James’s district. When we have crossed Haymarket we see the first St James’s club on the opposite side of the street. This is the Institute of Directors.

Then we pass Travelers Club at no. 106 and Reform at no. 104, from where Phileas Fogg was supposed to have started his journey around the world in 80 days. The big palace is the Royal Automobile Club and then comes Oxford & Cambridge Club at no. 71. Opposite it on the north side of the street there is the Army & Navy club.

The British venerable tradition of gentlemen’s clubs has been in decline for several years, forcing clubs to combine or to fold. A tradition of activity has replaced a tradition of inactivity. Nowadays rich people don’t have time to hang out in clubs for hours on end.

At the end of the street we come to St James’s Palace on the left side of the street.

St James‘s Palace

(D3).

The real royal palace of the British Empire, where the Queen receives foreign ambassadors. From that tradition comes the wording “to be accredited to the court of St James’s”. Buckingham Palace is only a royal residence, not the royal palace.

In this low and strange-looking pile of a palace from Tudor times, built in 1532, the kings of England lived from 1698 when Whitehall Palace burned down, to 1837, when Buckingham Palace was preferred. From the balcony of the gatehouse of red brick with octagonal towers new monarchs are proclaimed.

A part of the royal court lives at St James’s Palace. Connected with the palace on the west side is Clarence House, residence of the Queen Mother. On both sides to the back there are mansions, Marlborough House to the east and Lancaster House to the west, now a conference center.

In front of St James’s Palace we turn right from Pall Mall into St James’s Street.

St James’s Street

(D3).

This is concentrated clubland. On the left side there is Carlton, the best known conservative club. A few steps later we find a narrow street leading to the hotels Dukes and Stafford. Still farther up, on opposite sides of the street there are the clubs Brook’s at no. 61 and Boodle at no. 28. Finally near the Piccadilly crossing we have the White’s club.

We turn left into Piccadilly.

Piccadilly

(D3).

The address of quality shops dealing in luxury items.

The best known landmark in Piccadilly is the Ritz hotel on this side of the street. A little further on, Piccadilly marks the northern boundary of Green Park and reaches its end at the Hyde Park Corner.

We can walk back on the northern side of Piccadilly until we come to the next alley on the west side of Half Moon Street, leading off to the north, a short distance to Shepherd Market, marking the beginning of our next walk.

Mayfair

A district of money and elegance, built up in Georgian style, giving a unified look to much of the area. It is a district of city mansions circling around small parks, and of many of the most famous shops in London. Its best known squares are Grosvenor, Berkeley and Hanover.

The southwestern part of the district was the venue of an annual cattle fair which was closed down in 1706 and has given its name to the district.

We visited some of the shops in the eastern part of the district on our 1st walk in London. This time we shall concentrate on the western border, where the district meets the spacious Hyde Park. We start at Shepherd Market.

Shepherd Market

(D3).

Founded in 1735 to replace the former Mayfair market which had been closed down some years before. It was a food market for fish, fowl, fruit and vegetables.

Now there is a 19th C. village of passages with white, little houses, old shops, restaurants and outdoor cafés, one of the many oases of the modern city.

From the market area we walk west along Curzon Street to Park Lane where we turn right.

Park Lane

The avenue of grand hotels like Dorchester and Grosvenor House, facing the immense Hyde Park.

We walk north past the hotels all the way to Marble Arch.

Marble Arch

(C2).

Originally the entrance to Buckingham Palace but moved here due to lack of space. Here the public of London came in olden times to amuse themselves by witnessing hangings and quarterings.

From Marble Arch we go through a pedestrian subway to nearby Speakers’ Corner.

Speakers’ Corner

(C2).

In 1872 it was decided to have here freedom of speech for anybody to talk about any subject without being arrested. For a long time this was mainly a place for religious fanatics and other eccentrics, but lately there has been again an influx of serious speakers, mainly emigrants from states which do not practice free speech. Speakers’ Corner is liveliest on Sundays.

We now walk into Hyde Park.

Hyde Park

(C3).

The biggest open space in London, if its western end, Kensington Gardens, are included. This is a terrain of 158 hectares of grassland, majestic trees, sublime flower beds and the lake of Serpentine. This is where to relax in bucolic charm, idling in an outdoor café.

Contrary to French and Italian gardens which are strictly designed, Hyde Park is an English Garden, an informal and loosely laid out garden with freer flora.

Originally Henry VIII had the garden hedged in and made it his hunting ground. But for three centuries and a half it has been open to the public.

We arrive at the Serpentine.

Serpentine

(B3).

Created in 1730 and popular for renting rowing boats to idle on it.

We continue to the southeastern corner of the park and arrive there at Aspey House.

Aspey House

(C3).

The house between the traffic lanes is reached through pedestrian subways. Built in 1778 it later became the home of general Wellington who was victorious over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. It has the honor of the simple address: 1 London.

It is now a museum for Wellington.

From the house we can see the Wellington Arch.

Wellington Arch

(C3).

Erected in 1828 in honor of general Wellington’s victory over Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.

This is the end of the walk. We are near Hyde Park Corner underground station.

Buckingham Palace

(D3).

An imitation from the 19th and 20th C. of styles from bygone ages. It has been the royal residence since Queen Victoria moved there in 1837. The palace is coated in Portland stone and matches the Victoria monument in front of it and The Mall.

The palace is now open to the public. It has some curiosity value but visits to other historical buildings in London are more interesting.

We turn our attention to the monument in front of the palace.

Queen Victoria Memorial

(D3).

A white marble statue from 1910 with a bronze statue of Queen Victoria. It dominates The Mall and the Buckingham Palace.

This is a very good viewpoint. Looking around we see Green Park to the northwest, The Mall leading northeast, St James’s Park to the east and Buckingham Palace to the southwest.

We await the Changing of the Guards.

Changing of the Guards

The colorful ceremony occurs at 11:30 all days in summer and every other day in winter. A little before that the guards march from Wellington Barracks at Birdcage Walk to the left of the palace. We move a little along the pavement to see better. They march in step in tune with the military music.

First there is a prologue. Just before 11 we see the Horse Guards arrive at the square. They come from Knightsbridge and cross the northern part of the plaza into The Mall. This is the royal regiment in dazzling finery. It passes on its way to Horse Guards Parade at the other end of the park. This happens every weekday in summer, weekdays with even month numbers in winter.

We go directly into St James’s Park.

St James’ Park

(E3).

Henry VIII had the park laid out in 1536. In the east end of the lake in the garden there is Duck Island where pelicans, swans, ducks and other birds have their nests. From the bridge over the lake there is a good view, both west to Buckingham Palace and east to the Whitehall government district.

We leave the park on the north side and enter The Mall.

The Mall

The street of pomp and pageantry in London. it leads from Trafalgar Square to the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the Buckingham Palace. It is the traditional avenue of parades and triumph processions, lined with trees and gardens son both sides.

We end this walk by passing through Admiralty Arch and entering the Trafalgar Square. We can take a sharp turn into the Whitehall to start our next walk in London.

Westminster

Westminster is the old royal center of London, as opposite to the City center of commerce and trade. The kings moved here from Tower in the 11th C. to build their palaces there. An ensuing battle of power between City and Westminster reflected the battle of power between merchants and aristocrats.

The division continued after London had engulfed both City and Westminster. The latter is the home of government and parliament, the center of political power in the United Kingdom. The former is the home of banking and finance, the center of financial power in the United Kingdom.

We start in the southern end of Trafalgar Square and walk into Whitehall street.

Whitehall

(E3).

The name has become synonymous with the business of government carried on in the buildings around the street. In public usage the word Whitehall means the Permanent Secretaries of government and their retinue, as the word Westminster denotes the Members of Parliament and their retinue.

The street was named after an old royal palace, Whitehall. It was first owned by the archbishop of York, but Henry VIII took it from cardinal Wolsey in 1530 and made it his own royal palace. It remained so until 1698 when it burned down and St James’s took its place.

We pass The Admiralty buildings on our right side. When we have crossed the Horseguards Avenue on our left side we arrive at Banqueting House on our left side.

Banqueting House

(E3).

The most graceful house in Whitehall, the sole survivor of Whitehall Palace, built 1619-1622 by Inigo Jones, one of the most elegant houses in London, in Palladian Renaissance style, strictly mathematically proportioned, the depth of the house half of its length. The facade is classical, conveying the image of two storeys, with Ionic pilasters downstairs and Roman ones upstairs.

But inside the house only one single room with giant baroque paintings by Rubens. It was the reception hall of the former palace and its center. Now the house is rather lonely in the crowd of bigger, younger and uglier government buildings.

Opposite Banqueting House we see the Horse Guards building.

Horse Guards

(E3).

The low building from the 18th C. is guarded by the royal cavalry in red and white. Behind the building are the parade grounds of the Horse Guards. The daily ceremonies on the parade ground commence at 11:00 weekdays and 10:00 on Sunday in summer.

We continue on Whitehall until we come to Downing Street on our right.

Downing Street

(E3).

A closed street with the residences of the Prime Minister, at no. 10, and the Minister of the Exchequer. No. 10 Downing Street has been the official residence of the Prime Minister since 1731. The government cabinet meets there in the Cabinet Room.
We continue on Whitehall to the Cenotaph monument in the middle of the street.

Cenotaph

(E3).

A slim and white memorial to British soldiers who died in the 1st World War.

We continue on Whitehall to Parliament Square.

Parliament Square

(E3).

An imposing statue of Churchill by Ivor Roberts Jones dominates the square. Other statues in the square are of Palmerston, Disraeli, Peel, Lincoln and Queen Boadicea among other dignitaries.

This is the heart of Westminster, where the kings wanted to stay at a safe distance from the unruly mobs of City.

We turn our attention to Westminster Hall.

Westminster Hall

(E3).

This is the site of the first royal palace in London, built about 1000. In front, alongside Parliament Square, are the remnants of this old palace, Westminster Hall, built by William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, in 1097-1099.

Westminster Hall is the most important secular building from Gothic times in England. At that time it was the biggest hall in Europe. In 1397-1399 it got its present look. Royal banquets were held there in the Middle Ages. Later it housed the royal court with many famous trials and the death sentence of Charles I.

Most famous is the wide hammerbeam roof made of oak. Hammerbeam roofs were an English invention making it possible to cover wider spaces with wooden roofs than had been possible before that.

Westminster Hall is a part of the more recent Westminster Palace.

Westminster Palace

(E3).

Usually called Houses of Parliament, the palace is custom built for the parliament of the United Kingdom. It covers an enormous site, built 1840-1865 in mock Gothic style. From Parliament Square we mainly see at the northern end the slender Clock Tower with the Big Ben and at the southern end the broader and bigger Victoria Tower.

The palace has been cleaned and shows well the mild and light colors of the golden and light-brown limestone. The best view is from the Thames bridges on the other side of the palace, Westminster and Lambeth bridges, and from the opposite embankment. Seen from there the palace forms a whole, with the formal riverside facade the dominant one.

Westminster Palace houses both chambers of the parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, both offices and meeting halls.

We retrace our steps to Parliament Square and have a better look at Big Ben.

Big Ben

(E3).

This is the name of the bell itself, not the tower, which is called Clock Tower. The tower and the bell are from 1858-1859. The bell weights over 13 tons and the clock mechanism weights 5 tons. The tower is one of the main landmarks of London.

The sounds from Big Ben were first broadcast on radio in 1923.

We again walk south Parliament Square and continue on Margaret Street and Old Palace Yard between the Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey and come to the Jewel Tower on the right side of the street.

Jewel Tower

Hours: Open daily 10-18 in summer, Tuesday-Sunday 10-16 in winter. (E3).

Formerly the royal treasury. The tower was built in 1366 for that purpose. It is now a museum of palace relicts. For a while the tower was also used as the weights and measures office and a part of the exhibit is devoted to that purpose.

We go back to Parliament Square and turn left between Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church.

St Margaret’s

Parliament Square, SW1. (E3).

An early 15th C. Tudor church, used for society weddings.

We turn our attention to Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

(E3).

Turning its back with the Henry VII chapel to Westminster Palace, the church is the crowning, marrying and funeral church of British sovereigns and a memorial for national heroes. As St Paul’s is the cathedral of the city, Westminster Abbey is the cathedral of the state.

First the church was a part of a Benedictine monastery. Building started in 960 and its pace was quickened after 1055, initially in Norman style but after 1220 more in Gothic style. It is a French church, higher and narrower than English churches. The nave is 31 meters, the highest in England. The western towers are the youngest part, in mock Gothic from the early 18th C.

The cathedral shows well the mild colors of the stone. At the back we can see the arches and buttresses from the time of Henry VII. The north side is even more beautiful, with an immense rose window surrounded by stylish buttresses. Before we enter the church we drop into the quiet Dean’s yard to have a view to it from the south side.

We enter the church from the west front.

Westminster Abbey interior

(E3).

We have a stunning view along the nave. In front is the memorial of Winston Churchill and behind it the grave of the unknown soldier. Both aisles are loaded with memorials. We can enter the inner part of the church through a gate in the northern aisle.

After having inspected the northern transept we pass through the ambulatory into the chapel of Henry VII which is elaborately decorated in Gothic style, with over 100 statues.

From that chapel we walk over a bridge back to Edward the Confessor’s shrine and chapel behind the altar.

St Edward’s Chapel

(E3).

The shrine contains the English coronation throne from 1300, where all English kings from William the Conqueror have been crowned. Under the throne is the Stone of Scone, the Scottish coronation stone from the 9th C, used at coronations of all Scottish kings, including Macbeth.

From here we go to the southern transept with memorials of many of the best known writers in the English language, the so-called Poets’ corner.

The southern transept has a door to the monastery which we enter to get into Chapter House.

Chapter House

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9:30-18:30. (E3).

A symmetrical octagonal from 1250, used in medieval times as an occasional meeting place of the parliament. The beautiful floor tiles are the original ones. The walls are decorated with medieval paintings.

And that is the end of this walk.

Museums

London is an international museum city. A few other world cities have single museums in the same class as the best London museums, but the variety of museums in London is unusually great. Some London museums are quite extensive, such as Victoria & Albert Museum with its 11 kilometers of walking.

Knightsbridge and Brompton Road are continued in Cromwell Gardens, where we start this walk in front of Victoria & Albert Museum.

Victoria & Albert Museum

Cromwell Road. Hours: Open Monday-Thursday & Saturday 10-18, Sunday 14:30-18, closed Friday. (B4).

This enormous hodge-podge is probably the biggest museum in the world. The walking distance through it measures over 11 kilometers. The exhibition rooms are 155 in number. The museum is lively and informal and concentrates mainly on applied art from all epochs and all cultures.

There is no way to explain a tour through the museum, but good maps are available at the main entrance. In half of the museum the items are categorized according to subjects, such as pottery, glass, iron and textiles. In the other half the items are exhibited according to epochs in the history of civilization.

The museum has always in store some surprises for you, even if you are a regular visitor. It is really at least a month’s work for enthusiasts of applied art.

From the museum we turn right into Cromwell Gardens, cross Exhibition Road and enter the Natural History Museum on the other side of the street.

Natural History Museum

Cromwell Road. Hours: Open 10-18. (B4).

A part of a great complex of great museums in South Kensington. The palace of this museum is now glittering in original colors since it has been cleaned. The delicate light brown and blue colors of the stone can be seen. It is Neo-Romanesque and looks almost like a Medieval cathedral.

The big foyer is dominated by a skeleton of a dinosaur. In the galleries to both sides there are a few millions of exhibited items out of a total collection of about 40 million items. Every year about 350,000 thousand items are added. Most popular is a modern exhibition about the body of man and the whale gallery with giant skeletons.

We go out, turn left into Cromwell Gardens and then again left into Exhibition Road. We have the Geological Museum on the left side.

Geological Museum

Exhibition Road. Hours: Open 10-18. (B4).

Behind the Natural History Museum, a fascinating collection of crystals, gemstones and ordinary stones. Most enjoyable is the ground floor with uncut and cut gemstones, such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.

We go out, turn left on Exhibition Road and enter the Science Museum on the left side of the street.

Science Museum

Exhibition Road. Hours: Open 10-18, Sunday 14:30-18. (B4).

A giant museum about science and inventions. Children have fun in the electronic department, having a lot of gadgets, and in the children’s department, which also has a lot of levers and push-buttons. The most famous item is the pendulum in the lobby. By deviating from the vertical it shows how the earth rotates.

We leave the museum, turn left on Exhibition Road and walk all the way to Kensington Road which runs alongside the southern rim of Hyde Park. On the corner we turn left wand walk to Royal Albert Hall.

Royal Albert Hall

(B3).

An enormous round hall of red brick for giant assemblies, conferences, pop sessions and concerts for up to 7000 spectators.

Next on our museum itinerary is Tate Gallery on Millbank at the Thames riverside. A taxi would be convenient.

Tate Gallery

Millbank. Hours: Open 10-18. (E4).

Since it was expanded some years ago it can put on exhibit about one third of its 10,000 paintings at the same time. And there are still plans to add buildings. This is the gallery for British painting and international modern painting. It is famous for its purchasing policy, as sometimes it buys paintings before the colors have dried on the canvas.

In three big galleries in the middle there are usually changing exhibitions around certain themes such as the evolution of styles of painting. To the left the British painters are, including Hogart, Gainsborough and Turner.

To the right the modernists are, among them Monet, Pisarro, van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Degas, Picasso, Braque and Rouault; then Mondrian, Kandinski, Munch, Moore, Arp; then Chagall, Klee, Dali, Miro and Pollock; and finally at the back the youngest paintings from 1960 to the present day.

We do not forget the excellent lunch restaurant with a unique wine list in the cellar. Next we take some transport north through the West End of London into the Marylebone district where we arrive at the Wallace Collection.

Wallace Collection

Manchester Square. Hours: Open 10-17, Sunday 14-17. (C1).

One of the best

100 Club

100 Oxford Street. Phone: 636 0933. (D2).

One of the two famous jazz clubs in London, simply fitted out. Modern jazz is for Monday and Friday, classic jazz on other days. The atmosphere is perfect.

Annabel‘s

44 Berkeley Square. Phone: 629 5974. (D2).

For three decades the top club in London, the place where princes of the royal family and the aristocracy mix and amuse themselves. For a while the place was invaded by oil-rich Arabs but they have now for the most been evicted. The walls are decorated with cartoons of famous people. There is dancing in the cellar.

It is extremely difficult to get in. The membership fee is £ 300. The best way is to know somebody who can invite us with him. A good dinner costs £ 60. This is an attractive and a civilized place with no signs on the outside.

Barbican

(G1).

In 1956 it was decided to build up Barbican, a desert from World War II air attacks and to have there modern apartments, shops, schools and cultural institutions. The building-up was finished in 1982 when the largest social and cultural center in Europe was opened. It is the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and famous are galleries.

Pedestrian life is absent and the architecture is dead, but sometimes, when something important is happening, Barbican fills up with life. This is a specialized place for culture. You come here for it and then leave, without making a stop at a café or restaurant in the area.

Ronnie Scott’s

47 Frith Street. Phone: 439 0747. (E2).

For three decades one of the ten best jazz clubs in the world. Almost any name in jazz has performed here. It is usually crowded and the atmosphere is unusually agreeable. On the floor above there is Upstairs at Ronnie, the best known rock place in the center of London.

Stringfellows

16 Upper St Martin’s Lane. Phone: 240 5534. Hours: Closed Sunday. (E2).

The dance floor is enormous at the best disco in town. The guests are lively and the music matches. The food is acceptable. Temporary membership costs £ 5 Monday to Wednesday, £ 6 Thursday and £ 8 Friday and Saturday.

Bill Bentley‘s

31 Beauchamp Place. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C4).

In a beautiful Georgian house in an elegant shopping street. The wine bar is on the ground floor, an oyster bar in the basement and a restaurant upstairs.

Seafood is good and also cheeses. Wine and port are very good, some available by the glass.

Black Friar

174 Queen Victoria Street. (G2).

The unusual City pub is opposite the railway station with the same name. It is decorated with murals depicting drunken monks; marble, bronze and alabaster. As it is near Fleet Street it is an oasis for journalists and authors, who feel comfortable surrounded by the Art Nouveau decoration. Do notice the small nook behind the main bar.

Bunch of Grapes

207 Brompton Road. (B4).

Midway between the Harrods department store and the great museums of South Kensington, a ravishing Victorian pub boasting of extremely well cut mirrors and glass.

Charco’s

1 Bray Place. Hours: Closed Sunday. (C4).

In the heart of Chelsea, quite near King’s Road, a pleasant and a popular place.

The cooking is good, offering tasty salads and some warm dishes. There is a good choice of wines and more so of port.

Cheshire Cheese

Wine Office Court, Fleet Street. (F2).

A friendly tavern at the north side of Fleet Street, one of the most famous pubs in the world. The authors Johnson and Boswell caroused there once upon a time. Today it still is one of the most effective grapevines in town. One of the bars is reserved for special journalists.

The house is from 1667, the year after the great fire. The atmosphere is full of British history, even if tourists are now in the majority among its guests.

Coach & Horses

5 Bruton Street. (D2).

In Mayfair, near Bond Street, a beautiful Tudor pub with two bars and an elegant clientele.

Cork & Bottle

44 Cranbourn Street. (E2).

Very well situated where the districts of Soho and Covent Garden meet, with theaters and cinemas all around. It is one of the best wine bars in town, the domain of the New Zealand couple Jean and Don Hewitson. The entrance is not very conspicuous and you have to walk down a narrow staircase to get to the basement bar. In spite of this the place is almost always full.

The guests are happy and the service is quick. Here you can order well prepared seafood, salads, patés, cheeses, courses of the day and puddings. Of about 120 wines about 20 are available by the glass. Almost half the bottles cost less than £6.

Downs

5 Down Street. (D3).

In the southern end of Mayfair, a refined bar offering service at tables. The clientele is mainly the young employees of the rich companies in the vicinity. In the evening people dine here at reserved tables.

Ebury

Ebury Street. (D4).

Near Victoria Station, one of the best wine bars in London, crowded with business people at lunch.

It sells good salads, grills, English puddings, cheeses and also courses of the day for £5. The wines are 50, thereof 10 available by the glass.

El Vino

47 Fleet Street. Hours: Closed Saturday evening and Sunday. (F2).

An old and famous wine bar in Fleet Street, crowded with gentlemen of the law and the press. In front there is a heavy Victorian bar, where only males were allowed until recently and only those males sporting a tie. Women had to sit in leather chairs at the back or in the restaurant downstairs.

The sandwiches are solid and the wines are good and varied, especially the port.

Globe

37 Bow Street. (E2).

Well situated near Covent Garden this lively Victorian pub is best known as the location of a shot in the movie Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock.

Grenadier

18 Wilton Row. (C3).

Generally accepted as the most genuine pub in London. It is in an alley, which is difficult to find, just behind the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge. In the cellar there is the original tavern, a private ghost and a corridor for darts. Drinking is performed in three rooms, decorated in a haphazard way. This is a haven for elegant Belgravia regulars.

Guinea

30 Bruton Place. (D2).

Mayfair has its own special tavern. It is a small and simply appointed pub in a back street in a quiet part of Mayfair. It is usually crowded with people, spilling out in summer. The beef comes from the neighboring kitchen of Guinea Grill Room, one of the best steak houses in the center.

Lamb & Flag

Rose Street. (E2).

To the west in the Covent Garden area and conveniently near Soho, this ancient pub is in an alley which strangers sometimes have difficulty in finding. The tavern dates from 1623 and is one of the oldest in town. It is now mainly a hangout for actors from nearby theaters.

It is small and popular and the food is above average, so that customers often spill out into the alley.

Loose Box

7 Cheval Place. (B4).

From Brompton Road it is possible to enter the place by the back door. The main bar is on the ground floor and a restaurant upstairs. The bar is decorated with equestrian outfitting. Service is friendly and personal.

This is a good place for salads, cold cuts, cheeses, pies, steaks and puddings. The different wines are about 50 and 15 of them are available by the glass.

Mother Bunch’s

Old Seacoal Lane. Hours: Closed Sunday. (G2).

Under the railway at Ludgate Circus at the end of Fleet Street. It is a big and a comfortable wine bar, formerly full of gentlemen of the press. It has wooden walls and a wooden floor. There are amusing lamps on the walls and sawdust on the floor.

Here you get a good, cold buffet at lunch, good wines and port.

Olde Watling

29 Watling Street. (G2).

Just behind St Paul’s Cathedral, an old and oaky pub from the first years after the Great Fire of 1666. It is designed by the famous Christopher Wren, so that his cathedral builders could have a bite and a pint between working rounds.

A tavern has been here from the earliest time of civilization, as Via Vitellina, the Roman road, was alongside, leading to Dover and France. Now bankers dominate the alehouse. The food is better than the usual pub fare.

Olde Wine Shades

6 Martin Lane. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. (H2).

An historical wine bar from 1663 in City, between the Monument and Cannon Street railway station. This is one of the very few houses that withstood the Great Fire of 1666. It has dark wood paneling and a secret passage in the restaurant basement.

At lunch bankers crowd this place, putting down good sausages and cold cuts with especially good wines and port, both types available by the glass.

Red Lion

2 Duke of York Street. (D3).

The top pub of St James’s. It is a small and exquisite Victorian tavern with dainty glass partitions. This is the perfect pub decoration which has been imitated the world over.

Salisbury

Cecil Court, St Martin’s Lane. (E2).

One of the loveliest pubs in London, situated where the districts of Covent Garden and Soho meet. It is especially popular with theater people and other unusual types. Glass, mirrors and brass dominate Edwardian decorations. Many clients are also rather colorful, both in talk and fashion.

Do not forget that the best pub grub in central London is exactly here.

Shampers

4 Kingly Street. Hours: Closed Saturday evening and Sunday. (D2).

In a good location just east off Regent Street, offering a very good and extensive wine list, with many wines available by the glass. The bar is on the ground floor and downstairs a restaurant with warm dishes.

Cold courses are good, salads, cheeses and sausages.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson