Picture above: the Criterion theater, a labyrinth of interesting design, is famous for slightly risque productions.
What Piccadilly Circus Is
Piccadilly Circus is technically a traffic roundabout in the heart of London, but "Piccadilly Circus" means the life of London and the mysterious London vibe to many. Travelers are drawn to Piccadilly Circus by day while sightseeing and by bright lights by night; neon signs used to ring more of Piccadilly Circus, but sign space rent is expensive. Most signs are switching from neon to LED..
Where Piccadilly Circus Is
Just hop the London tube or a London bus from your hostel or hotel and you'll wind up in Piccadilly Circus if you watch the signs and get on the Bakerloo / Piccadilly lines. Piccadilly Circus is near Oxford and Regents Streets, homes of awesome shopping, and you can hop on the hop-on, hop-off Original Tour sightseeing bus here.
What Does the Piccadilly in Piccadily Circus Mean?
Robert Baker, a London tailor in the late 1700's and early 1800's, made his fortune selling collars with picadils, which are scalloped fabric edges, and ruffled lace borders. With the profits, he bought a piece of land in the area of what's now called Piccadilly Circus and built a house that wags called Piccadilly Mansion.
What Does the Circus in Piccadilly Circus Mean?
A cricus, as in Piccadilly Circus or Oxford Circus, is a circular open space with streets radiating out from it -- in the case of Piccadilly Circus, streets like Piccadilly, Regent, and famous theatre block on Shaftesbury Avenue.
What's the Name of the Statue in Piccadilly Circus?
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The statue in Piccadilly Circus is called the Eros. It was erected in the late 1800's as a monument to a Lord Shaftesbury. The winged guy, sculpted by Alfred Gilbert, is Anteros, but Londoners once dubbed him Eros, god of love, as his domain in the theater district and Soho was seen as a degenerate arts center.