London: Part Two

[IrishSS]

Ok, so now that everything seems certain that I am actually going to London on Wednesday, I'm looking for suggestions. Places to see, pubs to visit, things to do, etc. etc. I'm staying at the Churchill, 30 Portman Square. I'll also be making frequent trips to Scotland Yard (duh) and The US Embassy. So anything that's within walking distance is definitely in as far as that's concerned.

Any must sees? Anything to avoid?

Thanks!

[Jenny]

Watch the changing of the guards. Was very cool when I was there. (Granted, that's been... 12 years or so. )

[avlena]

you must eat Indian food, frequently! it's SO good there - my co-workers and i have yet to find a place in the States that comes remotely close to the quality of the Indian food in England.

if you have time, Windsor palace is about an hour by train, and pretty neat. Picadilly Circus is fun to people watch. My co-worker saw the famous bridge (it's tower bridge i think, not london), and also saw the london tower where they held all the prisoners. Hopefully you'll get lots of free time to explore!

[AlpineJay]

If you have time during the day on Saturday, check and see if the market is going at Notting Hill. Lots of good items (maybe for the girl, cough) cheaply - we're all G|Aers so we like things cheap, right?

[TechMage]

Eat in pubs. Contrary to popular belief, they do not serve warm beer. It's all wine-cellar cooled and always cool. Guinness and Harp are a staple. Don't ask for ice in a starbucks. The palace is overrated. Spend your time having fun club hopping. You'll notice that it's a lot like new york, just much more friendly and they speak our language =P

Oh ya, definately take a ride on the Eye of London. It's an oversized ferris wheel that overlooks the entire city.

[Merlin]

Since this is your first trip there I would advise taking the red double decker bus tour. It sounds a little cheezy but it will really give you a nice overview of the city and show you most of the big sites you want to see. There are two of them...The Original Bus tour and the Big Bus tour. Either are fine.

You will want to take the tour of the Tower of London. Lots of cool history in the old castle. Tours are given by the Beefeaters who are pure comedy. Also the crown jewels are there.

If you are up for a little walking I would say to start at Picadilly and see the statue of Eros then walk the two block to Liechester Square. From there Trafalgar Square is only a couple of blocks away. See the fountains. About a block from there is the Sherlock Holmes pub - get a Guiness. Going straight from there you will pass Downing Street and then Parliment/Big Ben. Across from that is Westminster Abbey. These are several big toursit spots that you can hit all in an afternoon as they are all so close together. If you walk across the river you can ride the Eye. That is the giant ferris wheel. I've never been on it as the lines are always too long for my short attention span but it supposedly has amazing views. Of course be aware of fog if you want to do that.

The other things that are woth doing is seeing St. Pauls. If you go make sure you go into the crypt below where some very impressive people are entoumbed. Admiral Nelson is there.

London is famous for plays. I don't know if that is your thing but if it is.... Shakespere Reduced is supposed to be worth seeing. The newest Andrew Lloyd Webber play, The Woman in White is also playing. I saw it but didn't think too highly of it.

Around there are some wonderful little places to eat. London has long had a bad reputation for food. That is changing and fast. I think it is to the North of Leichester Square where most of good ones are.

The big trend in London over the past couple of years has been the Asian Fusion restaurants. The curreny cool place to check out is Hakkasans. I hope I spelled that right. Get a reservation. London is really big on dinner reservations. If you ain't got one expect to get a "what are you thinking" look from the hostess.

Go to the Sanderson Hotel for a drink. Chic place you might see on the E! Channel. Last time I was there I went to the Cafe Royale. There was a night club there that was pretty fun. Of course night clubs can come and go pretty fast.

I mentioned the dinner reservations, other things to be prepped for is that London is much more expensive than you might think. Expect to spend a lot for the littlest things. People there tend to dress a little more formaly than we do here. Jeans will not be okay in many places. Black cabs, while cool, are expensive. On the company dime use them but on your own take the tube. In London a lot of people smoke. If you are like me and want to get more than one wearing out of a shirt because you travel light, be careful or you'll be stuck with a suitcase full of clothing that smells like a pub.

I go there about twice a year on business so if I can be of any help just let me know.

[AlpineJay]

Oh ya, definately take a ride on the Eye of London. It's an oversized ferris wheel that overlooks the entire city.

It's better to go at night IMO because you're able to spot all the night lights of London - including the Big Ben and the Parliament, etc. Since there's a plexiglas window on the cars and they tend to be fairly scratched up, you can't really take great pictures onboard but it's still a lot of fun.

On the off chance you're flying British Airways, I believe you can buy cheaper tickets to LondonEye onboard their flight. Otherwise plan on spending ~12 pounds which I think is how much it was in March 2004.

If you're into art, don't forget the British Museum.

[Jenny]

if you have time, Windsor palace is about an hour by train, and pretty neat. Picadilly Circus is fun to people watch. My co-worker saw the famous bridge (it's tower bridge i think, not london), and also saw the london tower where they held all the prisoners. Hopefully you'll get lots of free time to explore!

Absolutely! All of those places. When I was there, I got to go to 3 or 4 different castles & places like that (saw the flag up one place that showed that the Queen was there). Fantastic places to visit if you like that type of thing.

Shakespeare's House was another place I visited I believe. That whole area was cool.

[Showtime]

you must eat Indian food, frequently! it's SO good there - my co-workers and i have yet to find a place in the States that comes remotely close to the quality of the Indian food in England.

I was there last November... Indian food was excellent.... but I have had decent indian food here also. Tandoor used to be good here but now it's below average imo.
Fish & chips in UK = hamburger & fries here. I made the mistake of saying, "not fish & chips again" and one of the locals seemed to take some offense and sent us to an American style pub. Ah, to be a rude American.
Dinner roast is a big deal and they seem to eat in a lot more. So if you are invited to one, go and enjoy a family dinner. Be careful of breakfast. Not so good imo. Blood pudding is neat, but not something I would not order again. Also ask them not to salt the eggs.... McDonalds and Starbucks are everywhere so go there if you get stuck. Remember the dollar is weak and to get your money from a ATM when you can. I got the best rates doing that.

Gl and enjoy your trip.

-j

[AlpineJay]

There's great Chinese food in London, too - the place I went to is called Phoenix but unfortunately I'm unable to tell you where it is because I totally forget.

Tower Bridge is a tube ride away. If you think you'll have a lot of time, consider buying an Underground TravelCard - much cheaper than paying for individual trips. The Zones 1-4 pass should do you just fine - Zone 5 I believe is Heathrow.

[ufcrusher]

First things first.....if you are going to be there this weekend, do everything you can EVERYTHING you can, to go to the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. The tickets were given out in a lottery system, so you will need to find a way to get one, but you MUST....MUST...MUST try to go. Hell, I was debating about flying in for the show. In case you are wondering why its so important....let me just say one name, PINK FLOYD with both Gilmour AND Waters together. This is a holy grail. I am still thinking of trying to find a ticket to the show and buy a plane ticket. (Yes, I am serious.....I havent seen my favorite band in over a decade and never witnessed the glory of Waters playing with them in person)

Secondly, skip the marmite. Ok, so you should try it once, but be prepared to make an ugly face. I cant stand the stuff and I dont know anyone outside of the british isles who likes it.

Third, pick up a fodors guide for the city. It will give you places to see, descriptions, and even places to eat. The standard things to do are all fun, such as seeing the Tower Bridge, Tower of London with crown jewels, the towers ravens, buckingham palace, changing of the guard, big ben, parliment, double decker bus tour, etc. Just enjoy it all and take lots of pictures.

[avlena]

First things first.....if you are going to be there this weekend, do everything you can EVERYTHING you can, to go to the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. The tickets were given out in a lottery system, so you will need to find a way to get one, but you MUST....MUST...MUST try to go. Hell, I was debating about flying in for the show. In case you are wondering why its so important....let me just say one name, PINK FLOYD with both Gilmour AND Waters together. This is a holy grail. I am still thinking of trying to find a ticket to the show and buy a plane ticket. (Yes, I am serious.....I havent seen my favorite band in over a decade and never witnessed the glory of Waters playing with them in person)

My boss is desperately trying to go, but can't find tix anywhere.

[Yossarian]

yeah, get into see live 8, thats all.

[Jeffbx]

Remember the dollar is weak and to get your money from a ATM when you can. I got the best rates doing that.

As of today, one pound sterling is going for $1.82 - VERY expensive versus the dollar. Don't do a lot of shopping for stuff you can get back here in the states.

Don't use those currency conversion places at the airport. Like Jel says, just head to the nearest ATM when you get off the plane & get some cash. All of the major ATM systems are very global these days, so you shouldn't have any problems doing this.

I've been to the UK, but I go to Manchester, not London. I must say that it's one of my favorite contries to visit - everyone is very friendly, and they're OK with the American Tourist. Have a good time!

[Showtime]

My boss is desperately trying to go, but can't find tix anywhere.

Tell your boss that there should eventually be a reunion tour. It's like the eagles... they also hated each other, but money heals...

If Floyd does have a reunion tour, tickets are going to be very hard to get. Good thing my fd works for ticket bastird and owes me one.

-j

[IrishSS]

As of today, one pound sterling is going for $1.82 - VERY expensive versus the dollar. Don't do a lot of shopping for stuff you can get back here in the states.

Don't use those currency conversion places at the airport. Like Jel says, just head to the nearest ATM when you get off the plane & get some cash. All of the major ATM systems are very global these days, so you shouldn't have any problems doing this.

I've been to the UK, but I go to Manchester, not London. I must say that it's one of my favorite contries to visit - everyone is very friendly, and they're OK with the American Tourist. Have a good time!

Dont the ATMs use the same/close currency conversions?

[zippyjuan]

I saw Roger Waters with his own band in London when I was there. Shop around on currency exchange- there are places everywhere. If you want to catch a play while you are there and don't know what to see, go to the half price ticket booth at Leicester (pronounced "lester") square. Movie theaters and clubs there too. They have ticket to all but the most popular shows that evening that didn't sell out. If you want to go to clubs, dress the part. It is like New York and some are very strict on dress code. Buy a day or three day or however long you are going to be there pass for the Underground. It will take you anywhere you want pretty quickly. Second doing the double decker tour. Hit that first and decide what you want to see more of later. Shakespear's House is out of town so I probably wouldn't go there. If you do want a quick train ride to see the countryside, go to Windsor to see the castle. Saturdays has Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. Many things are closed on Sundays so that is a good day to just wander around. For just one museum- hit the British Museum. Harrods is where the rich and famous shop. I saw Rod Stewart and Michael Cain in there (not together!). Grab a tourist map at the airport.

[Merlin]

....Grab a tourist map at the airport.

The consierge (how ever the hell you spell that word) at you hotel should have maps and be able to tell you the easiest way to get places. They are used to tourists so don't be afraid to ask him questions.

[Jeffbx]

Dont the ATMs use the same/close currency conversions?

Yes - very close if not the same. Dunno about your bank, but my credit union didn't charge anything extra for it.