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While the view from Steinbeck’s win- ous tax levied on the colonies, is seen as
dow certainly is stunning, I had already one of his finest moments.
visited these places. On this trip, I
wanted to pursue a different tourist ex- With the prospect of revolution, and
cursion, one that followed in the foot- growing hostility in Britain toward him
steps of fellow Americans — including and the colonies, Franklin returned
Benjamin Franklin, Joseph P. Kennedy, to Philadelphia in 1775, when he was
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Wallis Warfield appointed a delegate to the Second
Simpson — who had resided in London Continental Congress.
for key periods of their lives.
Several generations later, perhaps
That’s a pretty big task. So where to no one captured the mood of Lon-
start on my quest? don during World War II better than
Edward R. Murrow, the veteran CBS
My ace card was an invaluable refer- News broadcaster. For most of the war,
ence, published in 1986, “Americans in Murrow and his wife, Janet, lived in
London,” by Brian N. Morton. The book a five-room flat on the second floor of
offers enlightening vignettes on a vari- Weymouth House, 84 Hallam St. Today,
ety of American Londoners. A series of a blue plaque marks the building.
maps show where they once had lived.
As backup, I had a purchased a more Murrow remarked that his home was
detailed London street guide. “500 paces” from the nearby BBC head-
quarters on Portland Place, from which
Many American luminaries lived just he broadcast his famous radio reports
off the main thoroughfares of central that opened with the dramatic phrase,
London that are tourist meccas, and “This (pause) is London.” He covered 57
the homes of the more prominent consecutive nights of Luftwaffe attacks
figures have been marked with the on the city from Sept. 7 to Nov. 3, 1940.
historically designated blue plaques on It was from here that Murrow made
their facades. one of his most famous broadcasts,
standing on the rooftop describing a
And so it was with Benjamin Franklin, bombing raid on the city.
whose London home is a brief walk
from Trafalgar Square. The townhouse After his broadcasts, he’d make his way
at 36 Craven St. today is the Benjamin through the blacked-out city back home
Franklin House museum, with inter- — the 500 paces — where he’d often be
esting presentations on the American joined by other correspondents.
statesman’s life in London. When he
arrived in 1757 with his son William “With a fire burning, coffee on the
on Craven Street, according to author stove, sandwiches in the kitchen and
Morton, little did he realize that he a bottle of scotch, as London awak-
would live on this street in two periods ened to another gray morning, a
for nearly 16 years, in two different poker game would usually be ending,”
houses run by the same landlady, the Morton writes. Among those Murrow
widow Margaret Stevenson. All the entertained at this flat were American
time, Franklin’s wife and other children ambassador John Winant, Eleanor
remained in Philadelphia. Roosevelt, Clark Gable, and prominent
British political figures.
In London, Franklin lived a comfort-
able life among scientists, politicians I didn’t have far to go on the second day
and philosophers, and was known for of my adventure. Leaving the Athenae-
his eccentricities. Each day, he’d throw um Hotel, I headed a few blocks north
open the windows to take his tonic to Grosvenor Square. No place in Lon-
bath — exposing himself to the cold don has more apparent ties to Ameri-
air in the nude for up to an hour while cans than the immediate area around
reading or writing. this leafy refuge in posh Mayfair.
Franklin at first represented the British The square at one time was called Eisen-
colony of Pennsylvania, but became a howerplatz or Little America because
de facto ambassador or representative it was from buildings facing the square
for all the American colonies. As a that much of the American and Allied Many famous American’s have made their mark on
statesman, his eloquent opposition in planning during World War II took London including Ben Franklin, Glenn Miller, Edward
Parliament to the Stamp Act, an oner- place under Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhow- R. Murrow and John Steinbeck as shown clockwise.
Wine Dine & Travel Summer 2014 87

