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Itwasacityinwhichtheveryoldandtheawkwardlynewjostledeachother,notuncomfortably,butwithoutrespect;acityofshopsandofficesandrestaurantsandhomes,ofparksandchurches,ofignoredmonumentsandremarkablyunpalatialpalaces;acityofhundredsofdistrictswithstrangenames—CrouchEnd,ChalkFarm,Earl’sCourt,MarbleArch—andoddlydistinctidentities;anoisy,dirty,cheerful,troubledcity,whichfedontourists,neededthemasitdespisedthem,inwhichtheaveragespeedoftransportationthroughthecityhadnotincreasedinthreehundredyears,followingfivehundredyearsoffitfulroad-wideningandunskillfulcompromisesbetweentheneedsoftraffic,whetherhorse-drawn,or,morerecently,motorized,andtheneedsofpedestrians;acityinhabitedbyandteemingwithpeopleofeverycolorandmannerandkind.
Whenhehadfirstarrived,hehadfoundLondonhuge,odd,fundamentallyincomprehensible,withonlytheTubemap,thatelegantmulticoloredtopographicaldisplayofundergroundrailwaylinesandstations,givingitanysemblanceoforder.GraduallyherealizedthattheTubemapwasahandyfictionthatmadelifeeasierbutborenoresemblancetotherealityoftheshapeofthecityabove.Itwaslikebelongingtoapoliticalparty,hethoughtonce,proudly,andthen,havingtriedtoexplaintheresemblancebetweentheTubemapandpolitics,ataparty,toaclusterofbewilderedstrangers,hehaddecidedinthefuturetoleavepoliticalcommenttoothers.
Hecontinued,slowly,byaprocessofosmosisandwhiteknowledge(whichislikewhitenoise,onlymoreuseful),tocomprehendthecity,aprocessthatacceleratedwhenherealizedthattheactualCityofLondonitselfwasnobiggerthanasquaremile,stretchingfromAldgateintheeasttoFleetStreetandthelawcourtsoftheOldBaileyinthewest,atinymunicipality,nowhometoLondon’sfinancialinstitutions,andthatthatwaswhereithadallbegun.
