There is nothing wrong with Leicester Square, by the way. It is a great place for people watchers to congregate and watch other people watchers schlepp around in mass, short-circuited confusion. And it's good for films. But it isn't cool. Not even close.
Trouble is, what is cool is in a state of constant change.
And that choppy-changey cultural flux can flux you up good and proper if you are not one of the in crowd. So you need help, and we are here to help you. Throughout the coming weeks, LondonNet will offer invaluable ways for the everyday tourist to step off the everyday tourist track and discover the London that everybody else wishes they knew about. The best way to see any city is to tag along with people who actually live there, and London is no exception to this general rule. But if you're looking to be cool you don't want to join some cruddy pen-pal scheme, especially as practically all pen pals, of whatever sexual orientation, have an overwhelming aim to disgorge their deeply held religious beliefs before inviting you to tea with their grandparents, with a view to subsequent marriage.