London The West End

The National Gallery, Trafalgar Sq. (020 7747 2885; www.nationalgallery.org.uk) The National Gallery presides over Trafalgar Square and is nearly as impressive as the Square itself. Founded in 1824 and moved to its current location in 1838, the gallery encompasses all the major traditions of Western European art. The more recent Sainsbury Wing was opened in 1991, and it encompasses the 13th through 15th centuries. Often, visitors are in such a hurry to see the master works, that they traverse the main steps without looking at the floor. They are ignoring one of the most impressive artworks in the gallery, Boris Anrep’s mosaics. The first landing depicts the awakening of the muses, the top landing depicts the modern virtues such as compassion, humor, open-mindedness, pursuit, wonder, and curiosity, all of which will be evoked in a thorough viewing of the gallery. The West Vestibule ponders art, astronomy, commerce, music and sacred love among others, for a start, while the East celebrates the pleasures of life (Christmas pudding, conversation, cricket, mud pie, profane love, speed). Ask for the pamphlet on the mosaics at the front desk for more details! The gallery is all-encompassing, but here are the highlights from a few rooms:
Room 4. Are there many German fans of Let’s Go? If so, this is for you: Room 4 has some works by Hans Holbein, one of Germany’s best known partners.
Room 6, 7 and 8 showcase works by Michelangelo and Raphael. If you really want to piss people off, ask them where they’re keeping the Donatellos. Room 18 was donated by Yves St. Laurent. Room 23 features Rembrandt.
Room 30. Focused mainly on religious painting, Room 30 has several famous Velázquez’s including Rokeby Venus, and La Tela Real, which depicts Philip IV hunting wild boar. It is also a must-see for any aspiring mustache-growers, see Velazquez’s 1656 Philip IV of Spain for curl, and the nearby Juan Bautista del Mazo’s Don Adrián Pulido Pareja for volume and under-lip work.
Room 32 explores the introduction of naturalism to more traditional styles of painting through works such as Caravaggio’s Boy Bitten by a Lizard, and Guercino’s famous The Incredulity of Saint Thomas which shows St. Thomas touching a post-resurrection Christ’s wounds out of doubt.
Room 34 is best seen while Rule Brittania blares loudly in the background, but the gallery assistants who are posted at each room probably wouldn’t take very kindly to that. Showcasing art from Great Britain between 1750 and 1850, Room 34 concerns itself mainly with heroic acts, huge ships and bold, grand landscapes. Especially of note are the several paintings from Turner.
Room 43 is a heavy-hitter. Manet and Monet: so much more distinct than their one-letter difference might lead you to believe. This is the home of some of Monet’s water lilies paintings and his beautiful The Grand Canal, Venice with its soft-hewn domes and gentle brush strokes. The Gare St-Lazare from 1877 may rekindle the romance of train stations for tired travelers. As if all this weren’t enough, one of Van Gogh’s famous Sun Flowers is also on display in this room.
Room 44 is for people interested in pointillism and impressionism, featuring Pissarro and still lifes from Gauguin as well as Renoir’s famous The Umbrellas. Many people have heard that the best way to view an impressionist work is by squinting and backing away from it. We share this not to advise you, but rather to explain why three people just backed into you. Room 46 will make fans of Degas happy.
The Sainsbury Wing. Fans of Botticelli, Van Eyck, and Bellini would be well-served to pay the wing a visit. Many of the paintings are taken from religious structures, so the canvases are often interestingly designed or shaped like arches. Charing Cross. Free. Audio tours in English £3.50, students £2.50. Maps £1 and are well-worth the purchase as the gallery is huge. Special exhibits cost around £10 on average. Open M-Th 10am-6pm, F 10am-9pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair accessible.

Trafalgar Square, Trafalgar Sq. People flock to Trafalgar Square like pigeons in Hyde Park to bread, and if you’re homesick for your native tongue, you’ll likely hear it here (yes, American English counts). Designed by Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square commemorates Admiral Horatio Viscount Nelson’s heroic naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Square serves as a gathering point and has hosted national celebrations and rallies of all sorts. The square is bordered by institutions from many different countries such as the New Zealand House, Uganda House, Canada House, and South Africa House. The National Gallery is north of the Square. Every Christmas, a tree is erected in Trafalgar Square. Norway has given the tree annually since 1947 as thanks for British aid during WWII.
A statue of Nelson tops Nelson’s column, which is the central point of the square. The four panels surrounding its base celebrate his naval victories at St. Vincent in 1797, the Nile in 1798, Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar in 1805 (the panel for this victory says "England expects every man will do his duty"). A bronze lion rests on each of the four corners of the block supporting the column, and on any given day, you can see children climbing all over them, and occasionally dangling from their mouths.
The Fountains. There are two beautiful fountains in the square, each with teal statues of strange merpeople holding fish. To call them strange merpeople may seem redundant, but the two tails will make you double-take. The water in the fountains is so blue that it makes the Thames look black, instead of sickly green. Charing Cross. Wheelchair access.

National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Pl. (020 7306 0055; www.npg.org.uk) In London, it’s easy to get lost in history. You have to remember names of monarchs, gossip stars, the insanely wealthy, the star-crossed lovers—and we haven’t even talked about those outside of the royal family. The National Portrait Gallery is less about the art of the portraits themselves than it is about the people behind the portraits and what they meant for England. In fact, the gallery presents excellent short histories of the subjects and organizes them by room in such a way as to trace British history through its greatest asset—its people. Highlights:
Room 2 displays Queen Elizabeth I circa 1600, and the famous "Ditchley Portrait" in which Her Majesty is depicted standing on a globe.
Room 12 shows greats of the 18th century, such as Samuel Johnson and Johann Christian Bach.
Room 14 deals with the rise of the British Empire, including a brief mention of the American Revolution in the form of a replica of a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington. It also has the dramatic Death of the Earl of Chatham, who is portrayed mid-collapse after trying to persuade the British government to go easy on America.
Room 16 documents the sordid tale of Lady Jane Grey, the "nine-day queen."
Room 18 has portraits of John Keats, William Wordsworth and Thomas Paine as well as a rather romantic depiction of Byron who looks like a mixture of Jake Gyllenhaal in the Prince of Persia and Captain Jack Sparrow.
Room 27 features Charles Darwin in cartoon and portrait form (in one of them he has the body of an ape) as well as Lost star Michael Faraday, who discovered electro-magnetic induction. The question remains, could he discover what the hell was going on with that damn island?
Room 31 has got all your Winston Churchill. Also worth noting is the exhibition dedicated to D. H. Lawrence, and its history of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. A priceless photograph of three men on the Tube shows the two men flanking the central figure (who’s reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover) gazing over his shoulder at its "obscene" pages.
Artists and Sitters has modern portraits such as the extra-large portrait of Paul McCartney.
The Ground Floor features contemporary portraits like Julian Opie’s Blur portraits (fans of the band will recognize the images from the cover of the Greatest Hits collection) and his animated self-portrait.
Room 38 houses Marc Quinn's Self. The room is set up in such a way that you enter and notice the reddish bust of a man's head sitting in a refrigerated case. Then you read the plaque and realize its made out of the artist's own frozen blood. Charing Cross. Walk down Strand to Trafalgar Square and turn right along the square. Tickets for small special exhibits £5, large exhibitions £10. Audio tour £3. Open M-W 10am-6pm, Th-F 10am-9pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm. Guided tours depart from main room T at 3:00pm, Th at 1:15pm, Sa-Su at 3pm. Certain scheduled nights open until 10pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Sq. (020 7766 1100; www.smitf.org) The beautiful church is notable for its sculptures that sit outside; for its strange, contemporary "East Window"; for its status as the Royal Parish Church which has been frequented by the queen; and for its massive organ. But St. Martin-in-the-Fields is most well-known for its long musical history. Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 1pm, they have a 45min. "lunch-time concert," which is a classical recital from students at the musical academies and colleges. In the evening, more renowned artists perform in the beautiful space. Additionally, St. Martin is a charitable organization, feeding and sheltering around 3000 homeless people annually. Known as the "church of the ever-open door" because of its use as a place of refuge for soldiers en-route to France in WWI, St. Martin-in-the-Fields is a must see for any music lover. Charing Cross. It’s to the east of Trafalgar Square. Audio tour available in English. Brass rubbing £4.50. Reserved ticket for jazz £9, unreserved £5.50. Church open daily 8am-5pm at least, but it stays open later on off-concert days. Shop open M-W 10am-7pm, Th-Sa 10am-9pm, Su 11:30am-6pm. W 8pm is Jazz night. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.

Covent Garden Piazza, Located between a market filled with tasty food and St. Paul's Church, where there is sometimes summer theater, Covent Garden Piazza is instantly recognizable from films such as Hitchcock's Frenzy and My Fair Lady. The site of the first Punch and Judy performance in 1662, the Piazza still sees many talented street performers. Once host to Mike Myers and Neil Morrissey, Covent Garden Piazza is worth a visit for its history and its entertainment. Covent Garden. Turn right down James St. Wheelchair access.

Institute of Contemporary Art, The Mall (020 7930 3647; www.ica.org.uk) The Institute of Contemporary Art is a typically British study in contrast. Located just down the road from Buckingham Palace, the ICA puts on some of the most cutting edge, modern work out there. The cinema shows independent and world cinema, has director Q and As, and has gigs with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Amy Winehouse, and M.I.A. The ICA has no permanent collection, so check the website to see what's on. Charing Cross. Turn left down Strand, under the arch and down the mall. The ICA is on your right. Partially wheelchair-accessible. Exhibits rotate out every 6-7 weeks. Free. Cinema £9, concessions £8. Hours are likely to change, so check, but they are W noon-7pm, Th noon-9pm, F-Su noon-7pm. Film screenings 6:15pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair accessible.

Seven Dials, At the intersection of Mercer, Monmouth, and Earlham St. Referring to the intersection of seven streets at the column, Seven Dials is an architectural marvel. Thomas Neale owned the land in the area and wanted to generate a profit. To maximize that, he laid out the streets so he could have the seven converge at that point, maximizing space and allowing for more shops and residences. The sundial, known as the Sundial Pillar, at the center was built in 1694, removed in 1773, and replaced in 1989 at an unveiling by the queen of the Netherlands. Leicester Square. Turn right onto Long Acre and left down Monmouth. Wheelchair access.