Date: Fri, 06 Jul 2001 19:46:47 -0100
Subject: Re: Two things endlessly fascinate me about the USA


Steve wrote:

The cultural diversity of London has always been so great that it always
seems
to function on the basis of indifference - but the divergent faciality
between
groups seems quite broad but I'm not sure I can tell...

Peter Ackroyd who I think is the best writer on London at the moment
describes
it in a million different ways throughout his work but my favorite
descriptions
come from the last pages of his biography of London: "... London manifiests
all
the possibilities of humankind, and thus becomes a vision of the world
itself. "
An image of heaven and hell...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ackroyd might say the same of New York City, but Los Angeles is quite
different.

NYC  is becoming so expensive that except for the wealthy, only the poor and
homeless can afford to live there..

I seldom read novels, but recommend "White Teeth", now published in
paperback.

Hugh