Because Wanderlust: London

Behind Todd, you can see tarps and scaffolding on Parliament

London Bridge really isn't falling down, but you might think it is based on the amount of construction equipment around it.

Its no secret that I believe London is one of the coolest cities in the world. The first time I laid eyes on Big Ben overlooking the gothic spires of Parliament 10 years ago, London shot to the top of my Best Places list. But this visit, I was a bit less enchanted with England's capital.

Not so attractive view from our apartment

First off, rents have escalated as demand has increased in an already expensive city; nothing in our price range was available anywhere near Westminster, where we have stayed before and wanted to be again. Where we ended up was, well, I won't say it was the least attractive neighborhood in London... Alarmingly, wifi was absent in the building. Worse, there were no nearby pubs to pop into for a neighborly pint. Inconveniently, we had to hop on the DLR (extension of the tube) and change to the tube in order to get someplace we'd even want to walk around. (Chalk that up to a lesson learned: stay in a place where, when you walk out the door, you're happy to be right there.)

Construction cranes

More cranes

More construction

Secondly, and most annoying, it seems half the city is torn up or under construction. It was hard to frame a photograph free of building materials. Many of our favorite strolls (including along the Themes between Tower Bridge and Parliament) were blocked by construction barriers. Beautiful facades and historic edifices throughout the city were obscured by tarps and scaffolding. A once gorgeous skyline was marred by dozens of huge cranes as old stone buildings were being replaced by towering, modern glass and metal structures. Plus, there were a lot of tube station closures due to maintenance, further disrupting and eating precious time from our daily journeys. Add to that the cacophony of construction-related noises everywhere you turn, and it sometimes became near drudgery to move around portions of the city.

Oh, I get that such construction indicates strong infrastructure and investment and jobs and booming economy, and I expect to encounter maintenance of centuries old structures, it was just a bit overwhelming that so much of it was happening throughout this grand city, all at once.

But, what was intact in London was very fine indeed! The stunning British Museum is free to enter. A gigantic and well endowed institution, we spent several hours in only the Egyptian and Greek history galleries, leaving most of the museum for future visits. The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace, fantastically curved Regent Street, numerous pubs, Selfridges on Oxford Street, public gardens, and various corners around the city remain delightful, picturesque and blissfully free of construction. Pubs and beer are abundant, numerous stately churches and cathedrals are available to visit, plus, the normal touristy spots (the London Eye, The Globe Theatre, Tower of London, etc.) are emphatically open for business.

So, overall, it's never bad to be in London. But, next time I visit this wondrous city will be after many of those cranes have gone.