Wasp (CV 18) - Naval Cruise Book

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B til? Wt ' , V GZ Q12 Q Sli? Pff1f'f B A 'f Fl B if All QL? Q1-22 if 5'i3lQffW2Q1ff Gif ' Zaxlttiifw POR'l'SXlOl l'll, IQNCLAXD is :unafingly like Ports- mouth, Virginia, lor better or worse, richer or poorer, etc., with the exception that Portsmouth, Virginia has three Shore Patrol per sailor while Portsmouth, lingland has only two. But that linglish city, though pleasant and homelike and quite hospitable, was not so much our con- cern as was London on the last weekend ol' September ol l952. London-the stomping grounds ol' Shakespeare, Dickens, and Dick XVhittington's cat in days gone bye became the playground ol' the XVASP sailors lresh lrom that jaunty little excursion londly relerred to by the journalists as the NATO games. London played hostess that weekend and a surpris- ingly, startlingly beautilul hostess she was, lor most ol' us, it would seem, had long envisioned London as a dripping, log'-shrouded, dreary city. XfVe couldn't have been more mistaken, lor this seat ol limpire for what is lelt of Empirej is handsome and lascinating, almost as lovely and beguiling as Paris. London is a city of parks and squares and monuments, ol magnihcent public buildings, spacious boulevards and winding alleys Qknown as UIIICXVSUD, and ol more than eight million people who love their London town, who leel that not only is it a wonderlul place to visit but even a more wonderful place to live. The beauty and extent ol the parks are impressive. Hyde Park, Creen Park, St. kIames's and Kensington Car- dens are all big and tree-filled and monument-dotted tVictoria would build one to Albert, Albert would build one to Victoria, then Victoria and Albert would collab- orate on one to the Duke ol Xftfellingtony, and though New York's Central Park does not pale by comparison, still it is a case ol lour against one. Two ol the city's most prominent squares are Cros- venor and Trafalgar. The former, dominated by the American Embassy, a fine statue ol President Roosevelt, and a varied and heartening assortment ol' American cars, is quite obviously the heart ol' the American colony. The latter is a statue, pigeon, and lountain-filled tribute to British naval heroes in general and to Lord Nelson in particular. lt sits at the loot ol' the Mall, a beautilul tree- linetl boulevard stretching lrom Tralalgar to Bucking- ham Palace and inevitably inviting comparison with the Champs Llysee, an equally beautilul tree-lined boulevard stretching lrom the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. As lor Buckingham Palace it is dilhcult to decide whether it is important to sightseers because the monarch lives there, or because the monarch who happens to live there is so gorgeously guarded by the smartest young marchers since the XVASP Marine detachment. Probably synonymous with the word London is Big Ben, which, I kid you not at all, is big, and ol' course one mustn't overlook the House ol' Parliament where the Lords can hold up the legislation ol' the Commons but better not, since there isn't much at all holding up the Lords. NVestminster Abbey is a must lor the lovers of the historic and good Cothic and St. Paul's which, thanks to a lack ol stained glass windows, gets the sun in the morn- ing and the moon at night, is certainly refreshing. As for the Tower ol London, where is the tower? The Tower ol London is a lortress, the Tower ol London is a castle, but the Tower ol London is not a tower. However, it is lascinating and a rose by any other name .... ll' the Thames lacks the charm ol the lovely Seine still it is something to see and a ride along Victoria Embank- ment past VVaterloo Bridge, and the Tower Bridge and London Bridge, which, disappointingly enough, is not lalling down, will oller you a very pleasant hall hour. Finally, every traveler should become at least passingly acquainted with the more lamous high-ways ol London, because, il lor no other reason, they can always be casu- ally mentioned at a cocktail party. Park Lane once ca- tered to linglancl's wealthy, but lingland no longer has people capable ol' supporting those handsome town- houses overlooking Hyde Park, we are told. That well may be, but that uthere ain't no-body there but us chick- ens is doubtlul. And Bond Street, where the people who can no longer afford to live on Park Lane should no longer be able to shop, still manages to survive lrom day to day, but ol course, it's the tourists, no doubt, who keep the elegant houses ol lashion open. Similarly, one cannot help won- dering how the multitude ol swank and exclusive clubs that blanket Pall Mall and St. james Street keep their lacades lrom crumbling, lor certainly the people who can no longer live on Park Lane or shop in Bond Street could not begin to retain membership in these last reminders ol palmier days. Austerity is such a lrightlul bore. But austerity has no place at Piccadilly Circus, that heart ol' London so daulingly neoned, so brisk and vital and vigorous, so very akin to our own Times Square except that it is a circle. Il' Londoners do IIOI appear to believe in the mid-watch, as witness the hour that pubs close, nevertheless the city does not die at mid-night. 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