When Travel Writing Goes Wrong: London's 'City of Villages,' in Formal Wear

Compared to its coverage of exotic, misunderstood Berlin, the international travel press doesn’t do too badly by London. Sure, there are the usual platitudes about a "city of contrasts" (which city isn’t?) and occasional howlers such as this piece that places St. Paul’s Cathedral in the East End, but generally coverage is reasonably up to the minute, not least because so many good international writers actually live here. But just because foreign coverage is barely a step behind British doesn’t mean it’s always right. British writing on London isn’t exactly a cliché-free zone, and home-grown platitudes are as debased a coinage as any. Here are five of the most widely written misconceptions about the city.

Formal London
It’s easy to spot Americans in the crowd at a London theater – they’re the ones who look like they’ve come dressed for prom night. Misled by Downton Abbey and other sepia-tinted British exports, first-time visitors come convinced they’ll find Londoners ready to faint with mortification if they see them wearing the wrong shade of evening glove. American writers feed this fascination with a London that no longer exists, leading journalists like this one who attended a London wedding to say preposterous things like "in proper English society…you never introduce yourself." It’s the same spirit that gets USA Today telling its readers that when clubbing in London "a pair of black slacks is better than jeans," as if they’re going to meet their accountant.