The English writer Samuel Johnson famously said, “You find no man who is willing to leave London. No, sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” More than two centuries have passed since Johnson's age, but his words still ring true. Here, you'll find the historic Tower of London and the Tate Modern both considered must-sees. Shakespeare's sonnets（十四行诗） are still being uttered by actors. Londoners most certainly still look up to the royals, but they also rock out to Coldplay and Lily Allen. And while they still sip tea, they now drink Starbucks, too.

How to Save Money in London

    Find the free attractions. Many of London's top things to do, including the National Gallery, Hyde Park and the Portobello Road Market, are absolutely free to enjoy.

    Ride the Tube. Taking taxis will add up quickly, so buy a pay-as-you-go Oyster Card and travel on London's underground system, nicknamed the “Tube”.

    Dine smart. Corridors like Brick Lane offer fantastic cultural food for bargain prices; fish and chip shops are a cheap standby and takeaway food costs less than dine-in.

London Culture & Customs

    London is one of the fashion capitals of the world, and its residents tend to reflect that. Practically, pack an umbrella for the rainy days and a scarf for the cold ones. As for tipping, restaurants and cafes will usually add a 10-to-15-percent service charge to the bill. If a service charge is not allotted（指定）, it's customary to tip the same (between 10 and 15 percent). If you're drinking at a pub or wine bar, tipping is flexible. And in a taxicab, tip the driver to the nearest pound or about 10 percent of the cost.

London Dining

    London used to be highly criticized for its heavy and common menu items. Now, London is considered as one of the most gourmet cities in the world. And with its melting pot of cultures, it's not difficult to see why. London offers everything from modern British to Malaysian. For Indian food, we suggest visiting the curry houses on Brick Lane. If you want a real high tea experience, book reservations at the Ritz, at Fortnum & Mason, or at the Dorchester — but be sure to dress the part. Pub culture is still alive and well, so if you have a hankering for fried fish and salty chips (or French fries), you'll still find them here. And for a quick bite, exchange a few pounds for a kebab, a quick sandwich or some to go sushi, which can be found in restaurants throughout the city.

    The GRAMMY Museum is a musically fascinating journey of music in downtown Los Angeles. Turn up the beat over four floors of modern exhibits, interactive(互动的) experiences and interesting films that will give you a one-of-a-kind experience. They want to engage you, educate you, and inspire you — just like music does!

    There are over 30,000 square feet of interactive, traveling and permanent (永久的) exhibits. This includes over two dozen exhibits along that explore the greatest of the GRAMMY music! Your whole family will find something they love — rock, classical, hip hop to country…

    The Crossroads exhibition invites you to explore nearly 160 kinds of music! Open them up on the interactive table in front of you to show photos, songs and stories that describe the influence that music has on the world, as well as the music itself.

    Journey down the Songwriters Hall of Fame. How many of these songs do you know? How many songwriters have you heard of? You can also try writing a song with some songwriters in the songwriting kiosks(自助式服务设备)!

    Have you wondered how a song gets from someone's head to your radio? The third floor shows the art of recording.

    The museum always has a host of programs and events throughout the year, so make sure you keep up to date — you won't want to miss out!

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Adults: $ 12.95

Children: $ 10.95 (6-17 yrs)

Free: under 5 years old

WHEN CAN WE GO?

Mon-Fri: 11:30 am – 7:30 pm

Weekends: 10:00 am – 7:30 pm

    Sometimes shut for private events, so check before you go.

The National Gallery

Description：

    The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.

Layout：

    The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th- to 15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling．

    The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronese.

    The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer．

    The East Wing houses 18th- to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.

Opening Hours：

    The Gallery is open every day from 10 am. to 6 pm. (Fridays 10 am. to 9 pm.) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.

Getting There：

    Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).

    Would you buy a car that released calming smells into the air when you are stuck in heavy traffic? Would you buy a robot that smells like a human being?

    Many people have seen the 3-D computer-made environments of virtual reality (VR). Now these virtual worlds will not just look and sound real. Researchers have created VR environments that even smell like the real things. With the new technology, users open a virtual door and step into a new environment, like a rainforest. After they enter this virtual world, special equipment releases forest-like smells into the air to make the experience seem more real.

    Suzanne Fisher-Murray said, “it is a really wonderful experience that you have because you're exploring this environment and you have smells with it.”

    In the United States, Smell-O-Vision was designed to provide smells during the showing of a movie. The Smell-0-Vision system was once popular in the 1960s. Now, Emanuela Maggioni says it is close to becoming popular again. “The connection with emotions, memories, and…the sense of smell,” Maggioni said. “It is unbelievable what we can do with technology.”

    The uses for smell technology are not just limited to films and the performing arts. Researchers showed a computer program where users could imagine themselves driving a car. The system included a special smell-spraying machine. Dmitrijs Dmitrenko said, “We want to deliver the smell of lavender（薰衣草）every time the person drives over the speed limit. We choose lavender because it's a very calming smell.”

    Scientists are experimenting with smell instead of sounds or image-based alerts on telecommunications equipment. And businesses are already using smell to influence people's behavior. “Not only.…in stores…But on the other side, you can create and stimulate immediate buying,” Maggioni said. “So you're in a library and you smell coffee and actually you are unconsciously having the need to drink a coffee.”

    American writer and former president of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, has died at the age of 95. The legendary comic book author died at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to a family lawyer.

    Lee was born in 1922 to working-class Jewish immigrants from Romania. He began working at the comics section of Timely Publications—a company that would eventually transform into Marvel Comics – and became comic editor there at age 18. At age 40, Lee decided to give up on comics. But his wife Joan urged him to create the characters he always wanted to write as his comic swansong. And in 1961, Lee and artist Jack Kirby created 'The Fantastic Four'—fascinating characters with individual personalities and the golden age of comic books began. Many Marvel characters were groundbreaking at the time. For example, Black Panther was the first black superhero featured in a mainstream US comic. Other characters he created include the Ant Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America and Doctor Strange. In its heyday (鼎盛时期), Marvel sold 50 million copies a year. Lee was also known for appearing as a cameo (配角) in every Marvel film. Fans are very happy to look for Stan Lee in the films and after watching, they will definitely have a discussion online.

    Celebrities and fans have been sharing across social media how Lee and his work affected them. The CEO of Lee's Pow! Entertainment, Shane Duffy, called him "a true iconic pioneer with no comparable second". Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the X-Men films, called Lee a "pioneering force in the superhero universe". Evangeline Lilly, who portrayed Ant Man's superhero partner, the Wasp, also shared his respect on Twitter. Chris Evans, the star of Captain America, wrote on Twitter: "For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He expressed love and kindness and will leave an unforgettable mark on so, so, so many lives."

    This may be sad to hear, but the number of Britain's famous red telephone boxes has been falling for decades. The phone box is well-known to foreign fans of Britain and visitors to the country. There are still many left to enjoy, however.

    There is deep feeling for the bright red boxes with the Queen's coat of arms (盾形徽章). The places that still have the red box are mostly small and in the countryside. In these places, the phone box may be a symbol of community, as well as a landmark (地标).

    But there are still several cities, including London, that still have original red phone boxes in place.

    For tourists, they probably make the perfect place for a selfie (自拍照). Visit London any day in the summer and you'll see people with their smartphones taking photos with the red box behind them. People who receive the photo will have no trouble guessing where the selfie was taken.

    Ever since mobile phones became more widespread, there has been less and less point in public phones. But although the red boxes are no longer popular places to make a call from, new uses are being found for them all the time. The famous design created by Giles Gilbert Scott back in 1924 lives on, but in ways the British architect (建筑师) would never have imagined.

    Some of the new ways the phone boxes are being used are quite unusual. For example, some have been changed into tiny coffee shops. Others are hat stores. In one distant area of the country, a red box that had not been used for a long time has been turned into a small lending library.

    Even back in their heyday in the last century, phone boxes were put to other uses. Some people even used them as toilets in an emergency.

But for many, they were a safe place to hide if you were caught up in the rain. Britain's weather is unpredictable: sun one moment, heavy rain the next. So if you are planning to visit the UK and want the perfect British selfie, standing inside a red telephone box in a rainstorm may be your best bet.