American visiting London?

Not at all. Thousands of people flood into the city everyday and over three hundred languages are spoken. Being American won't cause stigma, just show others courtesy and they'll do likewise. London in rush hour can be a pain in the butt as everyone's rushing to get somewhere.

Have fun and welcome to London

P.S. Make sure you visit Covent Garden!

OK, I'm not a Brit, but I've been to London 10 times, including working at a pub for three months as a young naive student. Like you, I'm from New England, by the way. Not sure if that matters though. Everyone likes to meet and talk to people from other countries and it's the same there, whether they've been to the US, or if they have an interest in where we're from.

I've only ever met one person there who had a problem with my nationality, and even his neighbors didn't like him. Go and have a great time. Be friendly and open, let them make fun of you the way the do (because it's all in good fun), and enjoy meeting other people from all over the world, because it's one of those places where the world converges.

London is a massive melting pot of people from all corners of the world and so where you come from will be about the last thing on anyone's mind, unless you decide to make an issue out of it. We have a much more cosmopolitan outlook than you, and know more about the world than you do, because most Americans are not informed by your media about much beyond your own shoreline.

Come and join in.

Some things to remember, though ...

Our currency is Pounds Sterling, NOT Euros. Credit cards are widely accepted for purchases over £5.00, but not below. If you go down the pub for a drink with friends, we take it in turns to buy the drinks - this is called 'getting the round in', and you must take your turn, and only your turn. Rounds of drinks are paid for as they are served. Do not tip bar staff. If you plan to travel around, get an Oyster Card (Google for the website). Don't even contemplate for a second hiring a car to drive around London. You will get hopelessly lost. Public transport here is fantastic so get some train, bus and tube maps, an A to Z, your Oyster card and do some homework - Google Transport for London for info. At a pinch black cabs (which are no longer all black, but the same basic shape) can get you most places in central area, but are expensive and can be slow. Never, ever use a minicab hailed or offered from the street - they are generally unlicensed, uninsured, unroadworthy, and driven by rapists or murderers. The steering wheel in a UK car (automobile) is on the correct side of the vehicle and we drive on the correct side of the road. Trucks are called lorries. Sedans are called saloons. Not everywhere has air conditioning - we open the window. Bring a raincoat. You can talk about the weather but don't complain about it - it is how it is ! Cricket, soccer (football) and rugger are good, baseball (rounders), (American) football and basketball (netball) are bad. We are not all on daily intimate terms with the Royal Family. We have regional accents too, and are not all cockneys or from Scotland. We are not all stupid, but some are - best avoid them.

Enjoy your stay.

Had to laugh at Frank's reply re 'native Londoners'. He's right! You'll be hard put to find a Brit in London these days, it's totally multi-cultural. Hate is a strong word, and I'm sure, if you take it easy, be yourself, you will find the reaction to your American accent won't put anybody off. In these difficult economic times, people will be happy that you have come over to spend your dollars here!! You will find the Southerners are rather 'cold' however - we don't tend to speak to strangers in the street. And do be careful with your personal belongings - do not put them down, anywhere, or they will most likely get nicked (that's stolen lol). Be aware of who is around you, especially if you are female.

I hope the sun shines for you (you will need rainwear, but if you live in New England, you won't be expecting it to be dry like on the West Coast eh?) and that you have a great time.

Add - Just to say apart from the obvious culture shock, you are going to find it very, very crowded. Plan a day or two outside London if you can because you will need a 'time out'. Even if you can just get to Windsor, it's lovely down by the river.

Have you ever visited NYC or any other really big cities? No-one actually looks at you properly, people have places to be and things to do. You're not going to 'offend' anyone at all! There are much larger people about and your friend is right, you'll be fine. The only way you're going to offend people is being excessively loud in public, especially in confined areas such as the tube or any other kind of train as Americans tend to be a little louder than the English and we don't really want to hear your conversations (during the olympics i was stuck on a train with an entire carriage exchanging exasperated looks about an incredibly loud american sharing her theory with her friends that the reason kate middleton's wedding dress was displayed on a faceless mannequin at the palace was so they could reuse the mannequin if the couple got divorced) I genuinely think your worries are unfounded and I hope you have a lovely time in England :)

Hi, Well, you have attracted some interesting answers haven't you? There's lots of good advice there (and a few silly comments). One thing I would say is that the US is a very popular destination for British tourists so it is quite possible that any Brits you talk to will have been to NYC or Florida and have a good feeling about the US. If you have any specific questions feel free to email me jamesawild@yahoo.co.uk I was born in London and have and spent the last 50 years exploring London.

Omg jesus christ:))))

Mate brits are one of the most hypocrite nation on earth... ofcourse they will love you:)))

British people can never like anyone else other than themselves mate...

But they would be friendly with you;))

Because they love americans:))) because you guys look after them now:))) without the US this country would have gone bankrupted...

becarefull they are extremely hypocrite... you can never trust an english man...

They are usually cold and unfriendly... they are not like americans you cant just go and say hi... they are all as sho les...

London is a crap city... sometimes i am just shocked by how hard the british lobby in the US works...

Becarefull your wallet etc % 70 of london is a potential robber...

And dont believe whatever they say... just check once again... this includes adresses they advice...

all in all brits are an alcoholic nation with no friendship or family values

I know in the school they say UK is an ally;) but no its not... UK is just a LIAR

Given our history together (fighting side by side in the 2nd world war) we love the Americans.

You have nothing to worry about and we often feel a little grey and drab next to the colourful loud Americans with their different accents.

We do like to gently tease the Americans on the way they pronounce things differently such as herbs (we pronounce the H) and saying Edin borrow for Edinburgh. Deep down we love them and love to show off our country to them.

The only advice I would give is to try to be subtle rather than brash. We generally salute any North American who owns a passport, never mind makes it this far so you will be made most welcome.

Londoners can seem a bit cold when you first arrive because we're not in the habit of talking to strangers and would rather hide behind a book. But catch us in a pub after work and we're actually really nice.

Don't worry - you'll be fine!!

I don't think people will HATE you. That's rather strong.

However, I live in London, and tourists are quite irritating. Especially when you just stand there with your map and camera and we are trying to get on with our normal lives lol.

I suggest if you really want to fit in, don't wander round with a camera round your neck and a guide book under your arm. Just go with it. London is a beautiful city, so why not just walk round and see what you discover! There are loads of non-touristy places you can go to and you may be more respected for doing that.

You will find that there are lots of Americans in London so you won't be the odd one out. No-one will really mind where you are from. The majority of people who visit the historic places are usually tourists anyway. I've been to many of them myself but there are not often lots of Brits there. Hope it helps. :)