A double-decker bus rolls along Whitehall with the London Eye and "Big Ben" in the background.
On a long-ago first visit to London, my husband and I stayed at the British Overseas Club, a distinctively named, but modest lodging in what was once a private townhouse in Cadogan Gardens. In March, I stayed again in Cadogan Gardens ‹ at the 5-Star Draycott Hotel ‹ and no one there knows anything about the vanished Overseas Club. The Draycott occupies three conjoined red brick townhouses and from the street you'd hardly know it was there. A few stone steps lead up to a discreet front door with a simple brass plate saying Draycott Hotel. You must ring the bell and a member of the staff opens the door almost instantly. Inside, the Draycott seems more like an elegant Edwardian home than a commercial establishment. Guests sit informally at a low desk to register and if it's time for tea, they'll be offered a cup.

The 35 rooms are differently configured and decorated. They are named after British writers and actors and the furnishings would have suited the room's namesake. My room was called the Ashcroft, after Peggy, legendary British stage and screen actress, a Dame of the British Empire. She would have loved it! When I first entered, a fire burned brightly in the fireplace; the canopied bed was high and multi-pillowed; and a bowl of white lilies graced the table in front of a bay of windows that opened to a private garden belonging to residents of the surrounding houses. There was a delightful view of cherry trees just coming into blossom.

The Draycott has an intimate library with books and paneled walls with pictures of theatrical personalities, and a cozy breakfast room. But the heart of the house is a large drawing room where complimentary tea and biscuits are offered at four o'clock and champagne and nibbles in the evening before dinner. It's a deeply comfortable space, where guests (sometimes including people from the theatrical and literary world) naturally converge. One evening, we joined a group gathered by the fire and talked until well after midnight.

Cadogan Gardens is in Chelsea, almost bordering Knightsbridge, superbly located for serious shopping (or window shopping). Just around the corner from the hotel, is Sloane Street. Turn left and walk north on Sloane toward Knightsbridge and you'll find an astonishing proximity of designer shops on both sides of the street. Prada, Armani, Gucci, Fendi, Dior and all the others are crowded together, as well as Oilily for children, Jimmy Choo for shoes, Botttega Veneta and Anya Hindmarch for handbags, and Tiffany and Boodle-Dunthorne for jewelry and silver tableware.

Harrods, the world's most famous department store, is one of London's most visited attractions. Turn on Hans Crescent on the left side of Sloane just before you come to Knightsbridge and you'll see Harrods' green awnings. Harvey Nichols, pricey, but wonderful, is close by. Turn right on Knightsbridge for Harvey Nick's.

Go the other way on Sloane Street and you'll be in Sloane Square, home of Peter Jones Department Store (and also a handy London Underground "Tube" stop). If you're looking for trendy or vintage clothes, collectibles or antiques, take the King's Road from Peter Jones. If you get tired, stop at one of the many cafes or pubs. You still won't be far from the Draycott.

The West End Theatre District is part of the London experience. At Wyndham's, we saw Diana Rigg in a sad and funny play called "Honour." She was as beautiful as ever and as deliciously arch as she was when she played Mrs. Peel in TV's "The Avengers."

The next night, we walked across Sloane Street to Le Cercle, a chic, contemporary restaurant with high ceilings and billowy white draperies. We chose from an extensive tasting menu ‹ like tapas, only French. I especially remember mini cheese ravioli in a celery emulsion, filet of hare with artichoke gratin and a marvelous selection of French wines and cheeses. Each tiny portion left us wanting more, but we had tickets to a concert. We literally walked a mere half block away for a performance of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in its recently revamped new home, Cadogan Hall.

The almost 300-year-old St. Martin-in-the-Fields might seem an unlikely music venue, but this venerable church, the first building to be built on what became Trafalgar Square, is famous for concerts, from classical to jazz. On our last night in London, we heard selections from Bach played on harpsichord, flute and strings, just as they were played when they were written. Candles lighted the church and it was easy to be transported back to the 18th century. Our pre-concert dinner that night was another city tradition ‹ pale ale and crispy fish and chips in a nameless hole-in-the-wall pub on a street somewhere between St. Martin's and Covent Garden.

London long ago outlived its reputation for bland food. For a long time now, the city has been known for its excellent restaurants. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one other ‹ called Cocoon - on busy Regent Street at Piccadilly Circus. Open just a year and a half, it's been a notable success, due to its Pan-Asian cuisine as well as an atmospheric decor that's both edgy and tranquil. A series of insubstantial cocoons partially envelops diners by means of translucent fabrics, Plexiglas and subtle lighting. All manner of sushi, sashimi and dim sum are on the menu, along with such delicacies as wasabi prawns and date and water chestnut fried dumplings, all served family style on platters.

In addition to dining and entertainment, we caught up with some of London's new attractions. The most recent is the renovation of one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city ñ‹the house on Craven Street where Ben Franklin lived for 16 years while he was the representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly. He was an able ambassador and was popular in British society because of his intelligence and wit until the American Revolution became inevitable and he was forced to return to Philadelphia. Franklin also charmed his landlady's household, in particular her daughter, Polly Hewson whom he regarded his "second daughter."

Craven Street is just off The Strand next to Charring Cross Station and in this once derelict building, you'll find a very different sort of presentation. Original floors and walls were removed and then replaced in order to install the wiring necessary for a state-of-the-art multi-media show. You tour the empty rooms. There's no "period furniture" in place. A costumed, remarkably authentic 18th century Polly Hewson is your guide but she completely ignores her modern tour audience. She seemed to look right through us as she spoke to Franklin and others while invisible projectors and speakers made the scenes come alive. As word gets around, the Benjamin Franklin House will be a popular central London tour destination ‹ especially for Americans.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is 10 years old, but this was my first visit. The reconstructed building on ground only 200 yards from the original site is made of lath and plaster, probably very like the original, but there were no photos or blueprints to help the modern builders. Nevertheless, they did as much research as possible and I think today's Globe comes close to the real thing. Our tour was insightful and entertaining and among other things, we learned that Chicago actor Sam Wanamaker was the initiator for the re-creation of the Globe. Catch a performance if you're in London during the May to October season. You can combine the visit with one to the Globe's next-door Bankside neighbor, the Tate Modern (Gallery of Art) that opened its doors in 2000 to continuing rave reviews.

Visiting the Globe when the stage is dark is a lot like taking a ride on the London Eye when it's raining ‹ just a fact of life in London in March. We wanted to do this in spite of rain, because we'd seen the Eye rising above the city roofs from vantage points all over town. And to be honest, there was something fit and proper - even romantic, about looking down at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey through the raindrops. Built to celebrate the Millennium, the Eye is a giant ferris wheel (which makes the wheel at Navy Pier look positively puny). Instead of strapping into a seat, you can sit, stand and walk around in one of 32 high-tech glass pods that can each hold 25 people. The "flight" takes half an hour and the view of the city is stupendous. Bring a camera and binoculars.

But this is London after all. Be sure to visit some of the well-loved sites that tourists have flocked to for hundreds of years. In my sentimental youth, on my first trip to Europe, I wandered into Westminster Abbey's Poets" Corner. Seeing a memorial to T. S. Eliot, I was so moved that my eyes filled with unexplainable tears. When I visited again last March I found a new marble slab memorializing my other favorite poet, Dylan Thomas.

Too grown up for tears this time, I spent two hours among the tombs of kings and I revisited the Henry VII Chapel where 15th century wooden choir stalls have wonderfully shocking scenes carved beneath the seats. I made new discoveries too ‹ like the tiny Royal Air Force Chapel behind the sanctuary with new stained glass windows, each one depicting a blue-uniformed young officer witnessing important occasions in the life of Christ. And the Coronation Chair, used at coronations since 1308. Built by Edward I, it has an empty space beneath it meant to hold the Stone of Scone, the seat of Scottish kings, which Edward had stolen in 1296. Kept at Westminster until it was returned to Scotland in 1996, the Stone will be brought back temporarily for future coronations. If you go to London, have a look inside the Abbey. It's a vivid reminder of the convolutions of English history, both long ago and modern.

I'll go back to London. I'll revisit Westminster Abbey, the Tower, the British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Harrods and Hyde Park. I'll walk down Whitehall to the Horse Guards, up The Mall to Buckingham Palace and all around Chelsea on a sunny afternoon.

London is huge. You could go there 20 times and each time only visit places you'd never been before. But why would you do such a thing?

For information: Draycott Hotel: www.draycotthotel.com, Phone: 800-787-4942

My airline - bmi: /www.flybmi.com Phone: 800-788-0555. For a good deal on comfort, check Premium Economy Class.