David writes…
Okay, yes, this is a teaser. Necessarily so.* But it’s also
a really good recommendation.
The recommendation – this one’s especially for my (David’s)
compatriots (my fellow Americans) – is this: if you’re on my Shakespeare’s& Dickens’s London walk on a Sunday afternoon make sure you ask me about
the sensational American connection in Smithfield. You’re going to have to ask
me because I keep this one close to my chest. It’s not a card that I play every
time I do that walk. It’s a request job. And I want the request to be floated
my way on chewy dipthongs.
Not going to say more than that – for the very good reasons
asterisked below. Just make sure you ask. You’re not going to find this out on
any other tour. And certainly not in any guidebook. And believe me, it’s worth
finding out – especially if you’re
from the other side of the pond.
*Necessarily so
because we’ve called time on handing our best stuff – hard earned** all
of it – on a plate to the knock-offs.
**Hard earned in this case being very wide reading that
yielded up a slender lead. A slender lead that stumped Professor Google but
wasn’t proof against some serious digging in a research library. The dig was
fun. Well, you tell yourself that. Keeps you going. But when you hit it – if
you hit it – well, that’s rainbow rainbow rainbow. You’re not putting a brave
face on it – telling yourself “this is fun” – it really is fun. Better than
fun, actually – hugely rewarding. The research equivalent – for an American – of
finding the Hope diamond. Stunned reaction. Wow and double Wow. You mean right
here, in Smithfield? How neat is that? Talk about a frisson – mainlines you right
back to that very special April day, to what was arguably
the most important moment in American history.
Shakespeare's & Dickens's London meets at St Paul's tube at 2pm on Sundays
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.










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