Who's visiting, who's not

With the world economy in a tailspin, it's no wonder that foreign tourism dropped by nearly 4 percent in London during 2008. The tally was released by the London tourism agency Visit London and it showed that a 24 percent drop in Japanese tourists and 18 percent fewer visitors came from the United States. But, 18 percent more Italians, and 5 percent more French visitors, came to London last year. Finally, stay-near-home British visitors made an impact too--nearly 12 percent more Brits visited their capital city in 2008 than in 2007.

Two-wheeling around London

Transport for London plans to operate a short-term bicycle rental (hire) program (scheme) in the city starting May 2010. Modeled after similar ventures in Paris and elsewhere, some 6,000 bikes will be available in Camden, Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Westminster, City of London and Royal Parks in central London.

Now...about riding a bicycle in London traffic...

For whom the bell tolls

Ben...Big Ben, that is. Named (perhaps) after a construction supervisor who helped install it, Big Ben is the clockworks in a tower in the Palace of Westminster. Perhaps the loudest voice in Parliament, Big Ben has been sounding off every quarter hour for 150 years. Ben's birthday is May 31. So that would be about 5,256,000 resounding rounds of BOINGs.

Superbowl? London? It's not even football.

News reports indicate that the National Football League (American football) is discussing the possibility of bringing its championship match (Superbowl game) to London sometime in the future. Is London ready for all the excess and hype that goes with this American pickup truck and beer advertising extravaganza? The earliest possible date is four years off...almost time to start the pre-game show on television!

London Run

The London Marathon will be held on Sunday April 26. The races start in Greenwich at 9:00 a.m. and finish in St. James's Park between 11:15 and 3:45 (depending upon groups). There are extensive street closures along the route, which passes some of London's prime historic and tourist attractions on both sides of the Thames.

They say it's your birthday

Well, happy birthday to you, Queen Elizabeth. Not that you celebrate your 83rd birthday on Tuesday. No that waits until the queen's official birthday, conveniently scheduled for June 13th this year. The official day is quite an event--marked by the highly ceremonial Trooping the Colour parade to Whitehall in central London.

More Olympian building efforts

The London Olympic Organising Committee reports that the stadium for the 2012 summer games is ahead of its construction schedule. Financing of the Olympics is also well-underway, although the current economic climate poses some challenges. This according to Olympic chief Lord Sebastian Coe (hey...it's Britain, of course the head guy is "Lord"). The London Olympics run from 27 July to 12 August 2012.

Any English major will love this

Ah, remember the classics of English literature--loved (or endured) by undergraduate English majors? Beowulf gave us limb-tearing monsters, albeit in a language we could hardly understand. The Pilgrims Progress gave us an allegorical Christian tale. The Bard gave us folios of material. And Emily Bronte gave us Wuthering Heights, through which many a (male) English major suffered. Well hold on to your hat Heathcliff, Bollywood has gotten hold of Ms. Bronte's triumph and converted it into a musical as only Bollywood can do.

The musical Wuthering Heights starts April 29 at London's Lyric theatre.

Move over Amy Winehouse...Barbie's in town.

To celebrate the 50th birthday of Barbie (everyone's favorite doll) a special shop has been set up at London's Dover Street Market. The shop is open through April 25. Click here for some scary, larger-than-life Barbie images.

Oh, Henry!

Five hundred years ago, Henry VIII was crowned king of England. The country's murder and divorce rate rose (marginally) in the next few years as the king quickly tired of various queens. A series of special events are planned to commemorate the Tudor King's coronation. They include events at Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, Greenwich, and the British Library.

Electric London

London's mayor Boris Johnson plans to help put 100,000 electric automobiles on the streets of the city...and to build a network of 25,000 charging points. While admirable, one environmentalist claims that it misses the point: electric cars are only as "green" as the source of the electricity produced. But it could enhance London's image as an environmentally-friendly destination.

Finding Easter eggs in London

Easter-related events happen at even the most un-Easter-like venues in London. Examples? The Easter Eggsploration at the Imperial War Museum or the Easter trail around the Household Cavalry Museum. More imaginable locations include Kenwood House in London's bucolic Hampstead Heath or an Easter egg hunt at Ham House (get it? Ham, as in ham and eggs? Don't egg us on, we might write in more Easter puns.)

Olympic building

Aquatics centers often become the focal points of summer Olympic games--venues where a Michael Phelps grabs seemingly endless medals, or Chinese divers battle their way to the top of the winners' podium. Construction of London's 2012 Olympic aquatics center is well underway and the structure seems destined to become an icon of the Games. The center will have eye-catching wave shaped roof.