IT is a city of many faces - a suburban sprawl; a tangled mass of steel, glass, limestone and more, where one can experience almost every culture in the world.

From some of the most iconic buildings in the world, to cultural masterpieces; from the word's best shops to businesses cherished as uniquely London, our capital city has much to offer, writes James Higgins .

Tourists mill among its workers and mix with its residents, but the oft-beaten track of The Mall, Oxford Street, Parliament Square and the streets of the West End paint just a miniature portrait of this glorious city.

For all the hum-drum and vibrancy of the tourist hotspots, life goes on outside of the capital city's bubble.

Evacuate the tourists on any given day, and you'd still be left with millions of people who live, work and play in London and its suburbs.

Many of those, it's fair to say, suffer from something of a reputation problem. Cold and impersonal, self-obsessed and less-than-friendly, occupants of the capital city do not fair well when it comes to perceived social traits.

It may be true of some people - but as in life, there are many shades of colour when it comes to those who dwell in the beating heart of the UK.

I was in London with my wife. We were mixing business with pleasure over four days as she bid to further the reach of her new company, while I, in between errand boy runs, made efforts to further my knowledge of the city and its many suburbs.

Of course we wandered along the South Bank, enjoyed drinks and snacks in balmy weather as a street version of Britain's Got Talent played out in front of us.

We marvelled at the grandeur of the Palace of Westminster and wondered, as so many people must, what the Queen was up to inside the walls of Buckingham Palace.

The London Eye, The Shard, the Tower of London and St Paul's were all on out to do list - and within a few tube stops of our base at the Waterloo Travelodge .

There we lay our heads and rested weary legs by night; the hotel was located just minutes from Waterloo Station and less than 10 minutes on foot from Embankment.

We had discussed going up-market - briefly. But the prices for anything approaching boutique or four star were eye watering. A three night stay at the Travelodge would come in at roughly the same price as one night elsewhere.

And so it was a no brainer. Our base was comfortable, with everything the visiting tourist/business person could want. Three nights in London for little over £300 for two was a price we deemed more than fair.

Beyond the thronging crowds, I walked the streets of Fulham, Kensington and Canary Wharf.

And so I experienced some of the polar opposites in the capital. The towering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, built of steel and coated in glass were as impersonal as one might imagine.

Head west, across the Thames and Fulham was another world.

Vibrant reds, greens; every colour under the rainbow adorned roadside market stalls as traders sold their wares. At every street corner stood locals deep in conversation. As a car stopped at lights, the driver shouted a cheery hello to a passer-by.

This might not have been the London you see on postcards, but I got the sense it was London proper. The real-life London, away-from-the spotlight.

It has not escaped the property bubble, of course. Don't expect to pick up a place for anything less than £300k on the open market - and even then expect the eat, drink, relax and sleep in a so-called studio (one room) apartment.

But away from the madding crowds, there was a charm about the place. We ticked off a few more locations in our to-do list of London during our stay.

The calories we burned walking must have more than put paid to those we ingested by night.

We'll be back, for sure, and probably with the children next time. So the Travelodge it is likely to be again. Many years down the line after the offspring have flown the nest we may try for the boutique option - though I hear in so doing, they are unlikely to cut the purse strings.

So the trust Travelodge in all likelihood, it will be for many years to come.