Copying subdirectories into another directory

[Cheryl Homiak]

I can't seem to find the right way to do this.
I have compiled linux-2.4.20 and now want to copy the completed source tree to a
directory linux-2.4.20-sp. I don't want to just move it, because I still also
want the copy that is linux-2.4.20. If I use "cp" with -a -r or -R, the
subdirectories are copied but so is the top directory. So I end up with
linux-2.4.20-sp but with linux-2.4.20 beneath it; I want everything under the
linux-2.4.20 copied recursively to linux-2.4.20-sp; but without linux-2.4.20 at
the top. I know this may sound confusing. To put it another way, I want to copy
to the new directory everything you would get if you did an "ls" of the old
directory, plus I want to copy recursively; I just now want it all to be under
linux-2.4.20-sp with no linux-2.4.20 directory present. but I still want to
maintain the original tree from which I am copying. Without  having to go
into linux-2.4.20 and copy each file in that directory and each directory
recursively over to linux-2.4.20-sp, Is there a way to do this?

Thanks.

Cheryl