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Move Over, New York Why London Is The World's Greatest City
Move Over, New York Why London Is The World's Greatest City
But
not only is it more exciting now than its ever been, its the most
exciting city in the world, writes Dylan Jones.
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By Dylan Jones
9 May 2016
And if its not 1966 that was said to be the year in which London
was at its cultural, most fashionable height, then its the London of
punk rock, 1977. Or perhaps it was in the mid 90s, when Britpop
and the YBAs seemed to rule the city.
But the proposition is wrong. London is more exciting now than its
ever been.
The mid 60s may have been a period in which the city became a
mecca for American tourists and an international symbol of
cultural upheaval. It may have been the time of the Beatles, the
Rolling Stones, the Kings Road, Carnaby Street, dolly birds and
swishy nightclubs like the Ad Lib. But the Swinging 60s were only
swinging if you were one of the lucky 500 who frequented the right
kind of discotheques.
In fact, all of these periods pale when compared to London as it is
today. Not only is London the greatest, most dynamic city in the
world, its never been better than it is now.
People gather at a wine bar in Shoreditch, east London (Credit: Kevin George/Alamy)
tonne of gold? but right now, there is no other city in the world
like it.
Willem De Kooning's Untitled XXI is displayed during Frieze in 2015 (Credit: Tristan
Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby's)
There is more building work in London than in any other city in the
world, barring those in China. This makes it a proper showcase for
the citys creativity: the new confluence of money and art means
that the city now hosts the most important art galleries in the world
as well as the most important art fair, Frieze.
And while 30 years ago it was difficult to find a good steak in the
city, and nigh impossible to eat well on a Sunday evening, London
now has by far the greatest number of top-class restaurants of any
city in the world. While London might still fall short of Paris and
NYC in the Michelin-star category, that way of judging restaurants
is fundamentally old-fashioned, and if you want to look for
ingenuity and panache, you come to London.
Women stroll in Shoreditch past the citys shared bicycles, a scheme that launched in
2010 (Credit: Nicola Ferrari/Alamy)
This was made easier after 2000, the year a dedicated, singular
leadership for London wa`xs instituted before, it was just the 33
boroughs, each with a different mayor. London would never have
won the 2012 Olympics without a mayor of London. How would
you have got 33 local boroughs to agree on a bid to the
International Olympic Committee?
The Vaisakhi (Sikh New Year) celebrations, organised by the Mayor of London, take place
at City Hall in April 2015 (Credit: Stephen Chung/Alamy)
Guests arrive at the Hunter ready-to-wear fashion show during London Fashion Week
2015 (Credit: Wayne Tippetts/Alamy)
Children pose during Londons Rathayatra, the biggest festival of the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness, at Trafalgar Square (Credit: Keith Erskine/Alamy )