London visit advice

[ChicagoTroy]

I was just there for a week where I knew jack about London ahead of time.

Get a Fromer's Guide. I found it invaluable. If you are flying over night, getting in the city and taking a Big Bus Tour is a good way to get your bearings.

2nd vote for Veeraswamy. Excellent Indian food, if pricey.

[Nicholasp27]

go to hampstead village and get a Crepe at the Crepe stand

take an open-air bus tour around the city; u can get on/off wherever u find interesting and they do multiple routes around the city

[El Diablo]

Custer,

You there for business or pleasure? How much free time will you have and where will you be staying?

[Slow Play Ray]

London is a cool city, I had the best time just wandering the streets pretty much aimlessly.

Why is everyone recommending Indian food? Or maybe, why are Brits so obsessed with Indian food? Seems like every night I spend there, whoever is hosting me (or whatever you want to call it) is in the mood for "a nice curry." Bangers and mash FTW! Or Steak + Ale pie. Mmmm I had a great Guinness Pie there too, but I think that was in Windsor.

[El Diablo]

SPR,

"Why is everyone recommending Indian food?" - that one's easy, I'm gonna go with this quote from OP: "I'm particularly craving Indian."

"Or maybe, why are Brits so obsessed with Indian food?" - because British food is traditionally not that flavorful, so when Indians brought their delicious food to England, it was a big hit. It is pretty much the best type of ethnic food you can get in England - decent Chinese is much less common than in the US and you can pretty much forget about Mexican.

[Custer]

"What are you interested in, museums, historical sites, architecture, etc? Most stuff will have some tourists, but some things are less touristy than others. "

I'm a big history buff, but I'm also a travel buff. I like to do things that I can't do anywhere else, or do anywhere else in the same way. But I don't do crowds and lines unless its a sporting event or a concert.

I'll be there 3 and a half days, and have 1 informal meeting. I figured as long as I was stopping there I might as well take a few days.

I didn't even know how much I liked Indian food until recently. I've eaten it in the US a couple of times with mixed feelings. However, I found a great Indian place in New Zealand a few months ago and realized that I hadn't been eating it in the right places. I figured if Nelson, New Zealand had good Indian, London would have great Indian.

I like the bus tour idea. I'll look into that.

Yeti, Is the Science Museum you're referring to the British Museum?

Analyst, thank you very much. That's exactly what I was looking for.

[jackflashdrive]

I spent two months in London last summer. Fing expensive city, so I was always happy to find cool things to do for very cheap. Here are two suggestions:

(1) You have to see the British Museum and Tate Museums. My God the British Museum has items tucked away in the corner that any other museum would place in the center lobby with spotlights on it. Cost: FREE!!!

(2) In the summer the BBC sponsors concerts called "Proms" at Royal Albert Hall. Look it up on the web and see if one is happening while you are there. It's a really unique experience.

To understand what happens I have to tell you a little about Royal Albert Hall. It is a circular concert hall with three levels of seating around the center area. The orchestra is in the middle but the hall is so big that the orchestra takes up relatively little space. If you ever learned about Shakepeare's Globe Theater in High School you'll have an idea what I'm talking about.

So what they do is -- just as with the Globe Theater in Shakespeare's day -- they sell cheap tickets to the open space in the middle for those who don't want to spend the 50 pounds and up to sit in a reserved seat. Ya, we could have spent the money but I thought being in the 'plebes' area was actually much more fun. I saw two Proms while in London and enjoyed both. Cost: 5 POUNDS.

The highlight of my trip to london was seeing Langhorn Slim play in a WAY overcrowded basement bar (this show happened to be free -- why I don't know). If you like music you'll find a great scene in London and you should pay the 5 pounds or whatever for The Gaurdian's weekly guide to arts and music (I don't remember the name maybe someone can help me out). If you are into film you might find a film festival or two going on now (I went to a Robert Mitchum film festival while in London that was really fun).

[Ship Ship McGipp]

make sure you see westminster abbey, [censored] sweet.

but seriously, the best advice you can get is: don't go there.

[jackflashdrive]

[ QUOTE ]
make sure you see westminster abbey, [censored] sweet.

but seriously, the best advice you can get is: don't go there.

[/ QUOTE ]

sounds like there is a story behind this hostility.

[jws43yale]

The science museum is separate and cool, but nothing special fi you have seen similar like the Smithsonians. I definitely recommend the British Museum and the National Gallery. Saying you are a history buff, I found the Churchill war rooms and museum really interesting and it is much less traveled then the others. I liked Westminster abbey, but I went for a 5 PM service which does not have the crowds.

Tourists are going to be present at any of the major musuems, castles, or palaces. I enjoyed just walking through London. I was taking a class at LSE and lived in Marylbone. I would definitely recommend going to the Covent Garden and Theatre District and just exploring as much of it is old and not as much traffic by tourists.