Go East
"London's East End manages to be both compellingly multicultural and bewitchingly 21st century," states Andrew. "The multi-cultural epicentre is Brick Lane, where Bangladeshi, Afghani and Jewish communities collide, while less than a mile away rises Canary Wharf, a shimmering and shining land whose citizens also speak a language of their own: the Dow Jones."
Book in at the Hoxton Hotel (pictured), where doubles cost from £59 (020-7550 1000; www.hoxtonhotels. com). Then head out on a three-hour "East End Hip" tour (£149 per group) with Urban Gentry (020-8149 6253; www.urbangentry.com)
www.hoxtonhotels.com