Dear me at 15,Please let mum and dad take your photo outside Big Ben. You are prettier than you think, and you will regret those empty pages in your holiday albums when you are older. And please get out of Topshop on Oxford Street. You have spent the past three days swooning over the same camisoles and t-bar heels, when revolving outside the door is a city that will continue to define your life.You will spend this afternoon trawling behind your parents at the Tate Modern. Only when you get to Andy Warhol’s canvas of Marilyn Monroe on level five, will you stop moping and become mesmerised. Why? Because of her fame. Because she seemed so happy in the spotlight, while you are still too scared to tiptoe away from the darkness. So this will please you, your next big trip to London will be in four years, interning at the fashion and beauty department of a celebrity magazine. Through the glass facade of your sky-scraping office, you will see the London skyline slip across the grey Thames, from the Gherkin to the Westminster. Just like you saw yesterday, trapped in a dome on the London Eye. But you will feel wrong in that office. Because you have stopped hiding, stopped caring about the famous and started caring about art.Good art makes you think, great art makes you feel. And the Tate will soon become a cocoon of inspiration to you. Every time you cross over the snaking river towards this converted factory, you will search the graffiti splashed walls painted by Blu. And before you even reach the art, the huge yet simplistic entrance to the gallery will make you feel, alive. You loved Portobello Road the other day, with all those ice-cream coloured town houses and bohemian market stalls. They could lift even the darkest soul. And in four years, the quaintest street in Notting Hill will lighten your life. You will find the best green curry this side of Bangkok, at Thai Garden and Grill (253A Portobello Road). But more to the point, can you guess who you savoured those delicate lemongrass juices with? Nobody. You sat under the colourful canopy and read a book, drank steaming tea, and watched in contented warmth as the heavy rain soaked the market goers who scuttled beneath you. And as the sky turned black, you realised that it is possible to be smiley and chatty, as well as more than happy in your own company. That day, you found out who you really are. You are too young for clubs just now. But give it a few years and you will love London nightlife, especially Camden’s Koko club. Once one of the largest theatres in London, it has become a decadent haunt that maintains its red and gold baroque fittings, while playing the best in Indie and Rock. You may claim it now but trust me, you will not love Britney Spears forever. She shaves all her hair off, seriously. London will always chart where you are in life. I am writing to you aged 22, before flying to the capital en route to Tel Aviv in the morning. And when I arrive back in London, I will remember and be proud of you. Because you will buy a sheepskin jacket on the last day of your holiday. That takes guts, knowing you will get bullied for it by the tough girls in Fred Perry jackets back home. And that is the beauty of this city. In London, you are you! And if you want a cup pf tea…

**This short Travel Story was submitted as part of the Holiday Travel Writing Competition. All short-listed entries such as this one are published in our online Travel Guide**

Story written by Alisa Ross | Since 2006 Holiday Velvet offers London accommodation.