1. London is a diverse city that divides into smaller, manageable areas with defined characters. The diversity is reflected in the huge range of restaurants, bars pubs and clubs. There really is something for everyone. The regenerated South Bank, for example offers many restaurants and bars overlooking the Thames, such as The Anchor Tavern and the OXO Tower. Hoare Lea's office is close to buzzy, trendy Soho. The One Tun and The Fitzrovia pubs near Tottenham Court Road are currently favoured haunts.
2. A travel network of overground, underground, buses, ferries and trams enables easy access across the city. London is a gateway to other cities in the UK and with Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, plus the Channel Tunnel, also to Europe.
3. For an engineer London is a fantastic place to study and Hoare Lea's staff have taken full advantage - from the MSc in Light and Lighting at The Bartlett to the MSc Building Services Engineering at Brunel University and the MSc in Energy and Sustainable Building Design at De Montford University - there are many opportunities.
4. London has lots of open space in gardens and parks, such as Regents Park, Richmond and Greenwich. Hyde Park is great for relaxation, open air concerts and for games of softball in the summer. Hampstead Heath, London's highest natural point has spectacular views over London and Canary Wharf.
5. There is a huge variety of museums and galleries, for example the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, the Hayward Gallery, The British Museum and the Natural History Museum as well as smaller local venues
6. There are an enormous number of attractions including the London Eye, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Kew Gardens and London Zoo, plus events such as the UK's famous Notting Hill Carnival every August Bank Holiday and the London Marathon.
7. Unrivalled performance opportunities with the West End and theatres such as the Royal National Theatre, the Barbican and the Old Vic.
8. There is shopping to suit all budgets and styles from the luxury of Knightsbridge, the department stores of Oxford Street to the specialist and local markets such as Brick Lane.
9. For football fans there is Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs; for Rugby there is Twickenham Stadium. The All England Lawn Tennis Club is of course home to Wimbledon every June, and Lord's and the Oval host regular world-class cricket matches. If you want to participate rather than watch there are fantastic sports facilities all over London from swimming pools and tennis clubs to climbing walls and karting tracks.
10. For concerts and gigs there are hundreds of venues - from the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Arena, The 02 Centre to smaller venues such as Camden's Jazz Cafe
For further information visit http://www.visitlondon.com
