There's plenty of ways to enjoy a cup of tea in London :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Travel

There's plenty of ways to enjoy a cup of tea in London :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Travel: "Any visit to Britain’s sprawling capital requires a proper cup of tea or two, or 10.
To leave London without having tea is like going to Seattle and not having coffee or fleeing Paris without having wine.
The question is this: What kind of tea drinker are you? Centuries after British nobility infused the tea habit throughout their culture, tea drinking in today’s London can be enjoyed two ways: dressed up or dressed down.
The daily teatime tradition still thrives throughout the city — unadulterated but also with some creative, sometimes wacky, twists. Whether you take your tea with pinkies out in the afternoon or at other times of day (early morning, late night, as part of happy hour) with no jacket required, Britain’s megalopolis still offers teatime tastes for every palate.
On a recent well-steeped jaunt, we found everything from classic tea at the Ritz (all silver pots and tuxedoed waiters) to more casual afternoon teas with whiskey, gin and nearly naked burlesque dancers. Old-fashioned or newfangled, here are two different paths through the world’s capital of tea."