In London, if someone tries to shiv you, they are just saying "hello". Try to direct the blow to your least favorite kidney.
London tourist tips?
- Thread starter bsj1701
- Start date
What about pizza? Or kosher delis?
As for the Tube: Bah. I've been on the Lexington Avenue line (NYC) at rush hour, and the Boston Green Line after a BoSox game. I can handle the Tube.
For best and cheapest Indian food - Brick Lane. Sort of a Bhangra town. Great example of ethnic diversity in the UK. On weekend evenings, you can see the restaurants soliciting for clients and outbidding each other with free booze etc. It's like being in another Country. You can also sometimes find electronic goods which have fallen off the back of a lorry...
Camden Stables market - For little trinkets for yourself, or to give as gifts. It's like a huge middle-eastern style bazaar. There are also upmarket/trendy bars and restaurants within it like Gilgamesh. Good for celeb spotting as well.
Covent Garden for the Royal Opera House, as well as lovely little fashion boutiques and bohemian European cafe culture. Old Compton street is similar in this regard.
Kings Road for Sloane Square and Duke of York Square - for a touch of luxury and fine clothes and food. Last time I was there, there was a Bugatti Veyron parked on the high street, as though it were a Ford Escort. It's basically a landbound airplane, and costs about $2 million.
As for ordinary shopping - I would say avoid Oxford Street, and opt instead for Carnaby street, which has exactly the same shops and more besides, but is pedestrianised... it makes for a more pleasant and civilised outing. And you won't see the endless shops selling cheap nasties like Big Ben key rings and cups etc, there's only so many of those you can tolerate.
Have fun. Be safe. And tell us how your trip went.
Camden Stables market - For little trinkets for yourself, or to give as gifts. It's like a huge middle-eastern style bazaar. There are also upmarket/trendy bars and restaurants within it like Gilgamesh. Good for celeb spotting as well.
Covent Garden for the Royal Opera House, as well as lovely little fashion boutiques and bohemian European cafe culture. Old Compton street is similar in this regard.
Kings Road for Sloane Square and Duke of York Square - for a touch of luxury and fine clothes and food. Last time I was there, there was a Bugatti Veyron parked on the high street, as though it were a Ford Escort. It's basically a landbound airplane, and costs about $2 million.
As for ordinary shopping - I would say avoid Oxford Street, and opt instead for Carnaby street, which has exactly the same shops and more besides, but is pedestrianised... it makes for a more pleasant and civilised outing. And you won't see the endless shops selling cheap nasties like Big Ben key rings and cups etc, there's only so many of those you can tolerate.
Have fun. Be safe. And tell us how your trip went.
Kosher, you say?
What about pizza? Or kosher delis?
As for the Tube: Bah. I've been on the Lexington Avenue line (NYC) at rush hour, and the Boston Green Line after a BoSox game. I can handle the Tube.
I would say, go for the Oyster Card. If you don't make many trips, it can turn out cheaper than single fares as well as the Travelcard. And if you do end up making more trips than you expect - they have introduced price-capping on the Oyster Card, so you will never ever pay more than the cost of a Travelcard. Basically, just like a Travelcard but with the possibility of paying less if you don't make many journeys.
HMS Belfast, you really need to see this ship.
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/
Entrance is cheap and you can literally spend hours and hours touring the ship.
Almost as much as you need to see this ship.
http://www.hms-victory.com/
Most illustrious tall ship ever.
Sorry, not possible any more. It's now mandatory.
What? It's good advice......
"Mind.... the chavs."
It's only about a 15 min walk between those stations, and it's one of the most wonderful walks... you can take in Trafalger Square, Whitehall (the changing of the guards), Big Ben and the houses of parliament, along the way... I would say if you have time, the weather is hospitable, and you enjoy walking, stay on the surface and use your eyes and feet!
Most of central London is quite densely packed, and you can quite easily walk from one attraction to the next... all you need is a big map and comfy shoes.
HMS Belfast, you really need to see this ship.
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/
Entrance is cheap and you can literally spend hours and hours touring the ship.
Almost as much as you need to see this ship.
http://www.hms-victory.com/
Most illustrious tall ship ever.
I think this one might have something to say about that, considering she's still on the active duty rolls.
I'm saving this thread, I'm planning a big trip next year for our 15th anniversary and London is one of the places on the list of possibilities.
thirdsies. When galleywest and I were there we would play "what's that?" with any interesting building that crossed our field of view, and even though said buildings would end up being perfectly quotidian (banks, shops) it was fun.
Be careful of St. Paul's Cathedral! The dome is so much higher than it looks, when you get up there it's slanted downward, and the guard rails are less than waist high. Very vertiginous.
Tell me about it. One day, on my first trip to London, I got lost while walking around, and mistook Harrod's department store for some type of important government building.
Speaking of Harrod's--it's worth a visit, even if you don't buy anything. A true temple of consumerism.
^ The food halls are affordable and decadent. *Yum*
Ah, I see.
One question, though: In places like New York and Boston, you only swipe your card once (when you enter the system). In others, such as Washington DC, you do it when entering *and* exiting. Is this how it's done in London? I ask this because I've heard people say things like "always touch out". Well, if you have to be reminded to do that, is it easy to miss? Are there some stations where it doesn't work that way? If so, how can newbies tell what to do?
I love the differing concept of distance on both sides of the pond, it's always fascinated me. To the average Brit, Stonehenge is absolutely miles from London. We'd never go to London and think 'hey, let's hit Stonehenge!'
But to an American used to a much more scaled up country, you're right, it's perfectly accessible. I've gained an American concept of distance from travellnig over there a lot, so I tend to refer to things beign 'close' which make other Brits give melooks.
However, I would warn that it's extremely boring. It's fenced off at about a 100ft radius, the visitor centre is awful, and its very overpriced. You get little or nothing from the experience that you don't get from a good photo of it, so unless you have some other things to see in the West Country at the same time, don't bother with the trip. If you're looking for something else to do, I'd recommend Salisbury which is 15 minutes down the road from Stonehenge, it's a lovely quaint city with a stunning cathedral which has a brilliant visitor centre/museum attached.
you have to think tourist-y
When you're visiting another country, chances are you don't come there again very often 
So a 100km trip with the train is fairly passable, since you're "in the neighbourhood". It's a lot more efficient to combine london and stonehenge, then to (for instance) come from america, visit london and fly back, so that later on you have to fly back for stonehenge. But I know the feeling . I tend to think of cities in belgium as far away. While they're only like an hour by train . I guess the meaning of distance changes when you travel. I myself would love to visit stonehenge, even with all the discomforts you mention. Just for saying I saw the real thing, not the photoshopped reality we are so often presented. I find it fascinating to see something for real (for instance, the mona lisa is way smaller then it often is portrayed in the media, I could only know that if I actually saw that). same for stonehenge, there is a big difference between seeing something with your own eyes and seeing the media's portrayal
.
HMS Belfast, you really need to see this ship.
http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk/
Entrance is cheap and you can literally spend hours and hours touring the ship.
Almost as much as you need to see this ship.
http://www.hms-victory.com/
Most illustrious tall ship ever.
I think this one might have something to say about that, considering she's still on the active duty rolls.
Flagship in the most famous naval action ever in the age of sail vrs fought in one of the few wars the US lost.
She certainly is your most illustrious ship and I would love to see her and sail on her, but she never saved a whole country from invasion.
As for the Tube: Bah. I've been on the Lexington Avenue line (NYC) at rush hour, and the Boston Green Line after a BoSox game. I can handle the Tube.
Here's the thing. Both of those are air conditioned.
You have to touch your card both exiting and entering. I've never seen a station without a turnstile that would prevent you from exiting if you don't touch on your way out.
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