This problem occurs once you get out of the underground enclosed system and into the stations which are served by the underground lines such as Chorleywood or Rickmansworth, which have Oyster readers but no turnstiles.
London tourist tips?
- Thread starter bsj1701
- Start date
This problem occurs once you get out of the underground enclosed system and into the stations which are served by the underground lines such as Chorleywood or Rickmansworth, which have Oyster readers but no turnstiles.
Are those easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for?
Planning is everything. Pick somethings you want to see in advance.
Get an AtoZ or other map. Get a tube map.
An Oyster card is a must, If you have money left on you can keep it till you come back and the money will still be on or give it to a friend.
Go on the London Eye that is brilliant I have been on it about six times including at night which is nice too.
For places to stay try gumtree.com but watch out for con artists.
Watch out for pick pockets.
see a reader here http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Transport/London/Underground/OysterCardReader.jpg
Kennsington high street is nice.
Have a nice time
SR
Get an AtoZ or other map. Get a tube map.
An Oyster card is a must, If you have money left on you can keep it till you come back and the money will still be on or give it to a friend.
Go on the London Eye that is brilliant I have been on it about six times including at night which is nice too.
For places to stay try gumtree.com but watch out for con artists.
Watch out for pick pockets.
see a reader here http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Transport/London/Underground/OysterCardReader.jpg
Kennsington high street is nice.
Have a nice time
SR
Fairly, I guess. But they all look like this and if they're not on a gate they'll be fairly noticeable.
By the way, I already posted this last time the London travel tips topic came up, but it's important piece of safety info, so I'll recopy it:
You will notice a high presence of British Transport Police on the underground, and you may be asked to submit to a search of yourself and your baggage under s.44 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act - This is a legal power and you must submit to the search. Failing to do so will either get you forcibly searched, or more likely, arrested. Any officer searching you will be in full uniform or will present a warrant card (the card, not the badge or 'shield', represents the qualification in Britain). If you are in any doubt about the veracity of an officer, no genuine officer will resent you phoning to check his collar number (displayed on their shoulder or on the warrant card) on the BTP non emergency number, 0800 40 50 40. I'm telling you all this because there has been a few instances of London's more... enterprising citizens posing as "plain clothed policemen" and "searching" tourists, pocketing their valuables. You must submit to a genuine search, but take steps to make sure it is genuine first.
well why not try a guided walk from these guys
http://www.walks.com/
i can recommend them they are pretty good and know their stuff
as to cheap hotels try here
http://cheap.hotels-london.co.uk
there are two hotels I'd recommend near padding ton station they aren't posh ones but they are cheap and clean one is the Cardiff arms the second is the Ashley hotel me and my other half stayed in the Ashley hotel beginning of October its a nice place to stay
as to places to visit well theres tower bridge and the tower of London they are pretty good otherwise I'd recommend the natural history museum science museum and the RAF museum in colindale though that one is a 15 minute walk from the nearest station
i usally go up to london three times a year love the place though wouldnt want to live there
http://www.walks.com/
i can recommend them they are pretty good and know their stuff
as to cheap hotels try here
http://cheap.hotels-london.co.uk
there are two hotels I'd recommend near padding ton station they aren't posh ones but they are cheap and clean one is the Cardiff arms the second is the Ashley hotel me and my other half stayed in the Ashley hotel beginning of October its a nice place to stay
as to places to visit well theres tower bridge and the tower of London they are pretty good otherwise I'd recommend the natural history museum science museum and the RAF museum in colindale though that one is a 15 minute walk from the nearest station
i usally go up to london three times a year love the place though wouldnt want to live there
they are for me anyways took me a few days to relise you need to look for a yellow disk on the wall somewhere
^ Well, my relatives live in Clapham Common (which is in Zone 2) so I probably would not venture *further* out than that. So I should be safe. Although I'm glad I've been through the 'gauntlet' of rush hour in New York and Boston - sort of a baptism of fire, as it were. 
And thanks for the link to kosher delis. I hope at least one of them serve pastrami like Katz's in NYC does, with so much meat that (and I quote): "It's like a cow with a cracker on each end" (Mitch Hedberg).
And thanks for the link to kosher delis. I hope at least one of them serve pastrami like Katz's in NYC does, with so much meat that (and I quote): "It's like a cow with a cracker on each end" (Mitch Hedberg).
John Lewis on Oxford street sells Kosher food in its food halls.
First of all, DON'T GO.
Secondly, if you absolutely must go, don't expect any food to be worth eating. Don't even expect McDonald's to taste how you would expect it to.
Don't expect anyone to be friendly at all.
Your hotel will suck. Unless you're rich. Then, it just won't be great.
Expect to see balls on the tube, and get used to that annoying computerized British accent warning you to "mind the gap".
Don't try to blend in with the locals, or hang out where any of the locals would hang out, they all hate you. Stick to the tourist traps, but keep your wallet close! Lots of thieves are lurking, keeping an eye out for pretentious Americans whose things they can swipe.
Don't ask anyone where the bathroom is. They don't know what that means. You also can't ask them in a British way (i.e. WC or loo) because that pisses them off. Just don't ask. If you can't find it on your own, go in the street, it's not all that uncommon.
Visit Leeds castle, since you've already doomed yourself to going. It's just about the only thing worth seeing in England.
Secondly, if you absolutely must go, don't expect any food to be worth eating. Don't even expect McDonald's to taste how you would expect it to.
Don't expect anyone to be friendly at all.
Your hotel will suck. Unless you're rich. Then, it just won't be great.
Expect to see balls on the tube, and get used to that annoying computerized British accent warning you to "mind the gap".
Don't try to blend in with the locals, or hang out where any of the locals would hang out, they all hate you. Stick to the tourist traps, but keep your wallet close! Lots of thieves are lurking, keeping an eye out for pretentious Americans whose things they can swipe.
Don't ask anyone where the bathroom is. They don't know what that means. You also can't ask them in a British way (i.e. WC or loo) because that pisses them off. Just don't ask. If you can't find it on your own, go in the street, it's not all that uncommon.
Visit Leeds castle, since you've already doomed yourself to going. It's just about the only thing worth seeing in England.
McDonalds tastes exactly the same. And why the hell are you going half way round the world to eat McDonalds?
They're as friendly as in any other metropolis. If you want friendly, chat in the street go somewhere smaller, just as in America.
see balls?
And it's not computerised, it's a person.
That's a lie. There isn't an Englishman in this country who wouldn't know what an American meant by 'bathroom'.
Try 'toilet'. That's what you want, isn't it? Ask for what you want. And no-one says 'WC' anywhere.
If you want an £80 fixed penalty notice, follow this piece of advice!
Any other nonsense you'd like to share?
Urm...actually...
In Dutch we use the term 'WC' (pronounced [Way-Say] ) to refer to the toilet.
This concludes today's lesson in hygienical facilities around the world
.
Urm...actually...
In Dutch we use the term 'WC' (pronounced [Way-Say] ) to refer to the toilet.
I meant in English countries, but I stand corrected
Americans seem to glean from somewhere that we use 'WC' to refer to the toilet, I've had several American tourists try it. I usually reply "Yeh, the bog's over there."
McDonalds tastes exactly the same. And why the hell are you going half way round the world to eat McDonalds?
They're as friendly as in any other metropolis. If you want friendly, chat in the street go somewhere smaller, just as in America.
see balls?
And it's not computerised, it's a person.
That's a lie. There isn't an Englishman in this country who wouldn't know what an American meant by 'bathroom'.
Try 'toilet'. That's what you want, isn't it? Ask for what you want. And no-one says 'WC' anywhere.
If you want an £80 fixed penalty notice, follow this piece of advice!
Any other nonsense you'd like to share?
I ate McDonald's as a last resort because everything else was revolting, and as a matter of fact it tastes even worse than in the states.
I don't chat with random people in the streets, but you'd expect store clerks and vendors to maintain some standard of friendly banter.. and not look at you like a lunatic when you ask which way to the nearest tube station.
I don't know why London is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world if men there are so uneducated in what length of shorts doesn't expose their testicles when sitting. The voice is a recording, that's what I meant by computerized.
I'm not going to call it a toilet because the entire room is not a toilet. There's also a sink and hopefully a mirror. Americans usually don't go into detail about which they're using when they go into a bathroom, restroom, washroom, or whatever you want to call it. As for WC, I've never heard anyone call it that either but I'm not up to date on British slang and was only using that as an example. However, when people give me a look that plainly says "what the fuck are you talking about" and don't answer my question. I assume they have no clue what I'm talking about.
Also, I was obviously joking about going in the street.. but a lot of streets there pretty much smell like piss.
I'm not as hostile as my post makes it seem, I was mostly exaggerating, but I don't care for London at all.
So basically act like a stereotypical American tourist? No wonder your visit sucked...
Don't go to one of the most historic and important cities on Earth. Okay.
If McDonalds is your benchmark, you fail at food. We have some of the best restaurants in the world and food from anywhere you choose.
We are friendly. We're just not friendly to tourists who don't realise that London is not a theme park. It's a living, breathing city full of people with jobs and lives who don't have time to be patient because you can't read a map.
London has some of the world's finest hotels.
I assume you mean the little things you hold on to that hang from the top of old Northern Line trains. They got rid of those ages ago.
The train announcements are voiced by a real woman. Shockingly, being British, she has a "British" accent - whatever that sounds like.
Everyone hates Americans. It's nothing personal. London, however, is no more tourist intolerant than anywhere else.
Whereas I am totally convinced that America's major cities are totally crime free. It's sticking to the tourist areas that will get you in trouble.
Absolute crap. Everyone will know what you're talking about.
Leeds Castle is fine, but if you think that's the only thing worth seeing you're displaying your ignorance somewhat.
While I agree that lordrey has posted a pretty inaccurate assessment of London, I don't think it's necessary to say that "everyone hates" Americans. I have a number of British friends from my time overseas and one of my American friends married a British man while there. It might be more accurate to say that most people don't like ignorant jerks, and Americans can sometimes do a good job of being really noticeable ignorant jerks (I'm sorry, but I have seen it with my own two eyes). I will also just say this: the entire year and a half I lived in England, I only ever saw two individuals give up their seats on an overcrowded Tube to someone more in need of it. Both times they were Americans. So we're not all rubes.
For travel in England in general, just keep in mind that things may not always go as planned. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--just choose to roll with whatever comes and you'll be fine. You may feel that some people seem very rude but keep in mind that its just a cultural difference in how they interact with strangers in general. Remember that ideas about customer service are different. While in the U.S. you may be asked six times if you need help finding anything (drives me crazy), chances are you won't be asked even once in the U.K. They figure if you need help, you'll ask. And they do see a lot of tourists, at which they may well roll their eyes. Don't take it personally. I found that being polite and understanding usually gets similar treatment in return.
Having said that, you will have a good time in London. There is a lot to see and do! Almost anything you choose will be exciting, but I can't stress how much I enjoyed the Victoria and Albert Museum, especially the fashion section (which may or may not be your thing).
For travel in England in general, just keep in mind that things may not always go as planned. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--just choose to roll with whatever comes and you'll be fine. You may feel that some people seem very rude but keep in mind that its just a cultural difference in how they interact with strangers in general. Remember that ideas about customer service are different. While in the U.S. you may be asked six times if you need help finding anything (drives me crazy), chances are you won't be asked even once in the U.K. They figure if you need help, you'll ask. And they do see a lot of tourists, at which they may well roll their eyes. Don't take it personally. I found that being polite and understanding usually gets similar treatment in return.
Having said that, you will have a good time in London. There is a lot to see and do! Almost anything you choose will be exciting, but I can't stress how much I enjoyed the Victoria and Albert Museum, especially the fashion section (which may or may not be your thing).
London is very friendly, especially to Americans, who apparently like it best:
http://londonist.com/2004/12/london_just_kee.php
http://londonist.com/2004/12/london_just_kee.php
I wasn't being entirely serious when I made that comment. I don't think it's unfair to say that America is not the most popular nation on Earth right now. Britain isn't either. America's popularity with us Brits has gone up in the past month or so, something to do with that Muslim Kenyan guy.
Brits don't travel well either. I've rolled my eyes in embarrassment when I've seen Brits drunkenly smashing up other people's cities, shouting and waving their hands as if that makes the poor person suddenly understand English and ordering egg and chips everywhere they go.
I did mean, however, what I said about conducting yourself on public transport and stations.
Don't stand on the left hand side of the escalators, don't walk slowly in groups down narrow corridors (single file people!). If you think Londoners are grumpy, try making one of them miss their train. (The not walking slowly in groups thing applies to busy streets as well)
Don't block the platform or the carriages with large items of luggage. There are places on some Tube trains for luggage. In fact, if you bring a big suitcase on to a train you should probably stand if you can. Do not put bags of any description on the seats or on your lap.
On train platforms, move along the platform, don't stand by the entrance to it blocking it up. Too many people do this and it causes one carriage to be packed solid while the others are half empty. Let people off the train first when it arrives, don't try to get on before.
Also, some more important rules - it is illegal to smoke on public transport and you are not allowed to consume alcohol on London public transport either. You are also not allowed to take photographs inside Tube stations without prior permission from Transport for London.
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