01-28-2020, 08:58 PM | #23 | |
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01-28-2020, 09:37 PM | #25 |
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London is very easy to get around but I would certainly recommend a hop on/off bus tour to get the lay of the land.
Sounds like everyone has given you the normal touristy things to do. We stay in the Hotel Park Plaza which is right at Westminster Bridge. A two minute walk across the bridge and you are at Big Ben. For quick breakfast, lunch, quick snacks and coffee we really like Pret A Manger. There are a couple of good restaurants up the top of The Shard but saying that we went to Hutong and I didn't think it was that good. Almost any pub in London is good for a beer and food. I would suggest walking along the river for markets, Borough etc. I would also suggest a quick trip to Richmond and Kew Gardens. A day trip to Oxford and Cambridge is also very worthwhile. Depending on the sport you like, Lords is good for a tour. The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square in general are great. Lots to do! |
01-28-2020, 09:44 PM | #26 |
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Kew Gardens was cool, but we were there in the summer when a lot was in bloom. Not sure it would hold much interest for pre-teen boys, though.
Love the Pret a Manger places. Much better in London than they are in the U.S.
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01-29-2020, 03:44 AM | #27 |
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I'm a Brit so can offer my considered opintion.
Madame Tussauds might also be worth a visit to keep the kids entertained. There is the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station. Admittedly once you've seen it for 5 minutes that's your lot but you can get the kids excited talking about it.... In terms of safety don't worry. I'm sure you're accustomed to keeping your valuables safe. Keep valuables away from easy reach etc... The tourist areas are fine and there aren't any no go areas as such. I doubt you'll be walking through places that are a little off the beaten track at say 3am. Are you planning on renting a car and travelling outside of central London. There are loads to interesting places just outside of London. |
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01-29-2020, 04:10 AM | #28 |
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Scott Waters on his trip to England a few years ago:
Almost everyone is very polite The food is generally outstanding There are no guns There are too many narrow stairs Everything is just a little bit different The pubs close too early The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms. You’d better like peas, potatoes and sausage Refrigerators and washing machines are very small Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter People don’t seem to be afraid of their neighbors or the government Their paper money makes sense, the coins don’t Everyone has a washing machine but driers are rare Hot and cold water faucets. Remember them? Pants are called “trousers”, underwear are “pants” and sweaters are “jumpers” The bathroom light is a string hanging from the ceiling “Fanny” is a naughty word, as is “shag” All the signs are well designed with beautiful typography and written in full sentences with proper grammar. There’s no dress code Doors close by themselves, but they don’t always open They eat with their forks upside down The English are as crazy about their gardens as Americans are about cars They don’t seem to use facecloths or napkins or maybe they’re just neater then [sic] we are The wall outlets all have switches, some don’t do anything There are hardly any cops or police cars 5,000 year ago, someone arranged a lot of rocks all over, but no one is sure why Everything comes with chips, which are French fries. You put vinegar on them Cookies are “biscuits” and potato chips are “crisps” HP sauce is better then catsup Obama is considered a hero, Bush is considered an idiot. After fish and chips, curry is the most popular food The water controls in showers need detailed instructions They can boil anything Folks don’t always lock their bikes It’s not unusual to see people dressed different and speaking different languages Your electronic devices will work fine with just a plug adapter Nearly everyone is better educated then we are If someone buys you a drink you must do the same There are no guns Look right, walk left. Again; look right, walk left. You’re welcome. Avoid British wine and French beer It’s not that hard to eat with the fork in your left hand with a little practice. If you don’t, everyone knows you’re an American Many of the roads are the size of our sidewalks There’s no AC Instead of turning the heat up, you put on a jumper Gas is “petrol”, it costs about $6 a gallon and is sold by the liter If you speed on a motorway, you get a ticket. Period. Always You don’t have to tip, really! Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall really are different countries Only 14% of Americans have a passport, everyone in the UK does You pay the price marked on products because the taxes (VAT) are built in Walking is the national pastime Their TV looks and sounds much better then ours They took the street signs down during WWII, but haven’t put them all back up yet Everyone enjoys a good joke There are no guns Dogs are very well behaved and welcome everywhere There are no window screens You can get on a bus and end up in Paris Everyone knows more about our history then we do Radio is still a big deal. The BBC is quite good The newspapers can be awful Everything costs the same but our money is worth less so you have to add 50% to the price to figure what you’re paying Beer comes in large, completely filled, actual pint glasses and the closer the brewery the better the beer Butter and eggs aren’t refrigerated The beer isn’t warm, each style is served at the proper temperature Cider (alcoholic) is quite good. Excess cider consumption can be very painful. The universal greeting is “Cheers” (pronounced “cheeahz” unless you are from Cornwall, then it’s “chairz”) The money is easy to understand: 1-2-5-10-20-50 pence, then-£1-£2-£5-£10, etc bills. There are no quarters. Their cash makes ours look like Monopoly money Cars don’t have bumper stickers Many doorknobs, buildings and tools are older than America By law, there are no crappy, old cars When the sign says something was built in 456, they didn’t lose the “1” Cake is is pudding, ice cream is pudding, anything served for desert is pudding, even pudding BBC 4 is NPR Everything closes by 1800 (6pm) Very few people smoke, those who do often roll their own You’re defined by your accent No one in Cornwall knows what the hell a Cornish Game Hen is Soccer is a religion, religion is a sport Europeans dress better then the British, we dress worse The trains work: a three minute delay is regrettable Drinks don’t come with ice There are far fewer fat English people There are a lot of healthy old folks around participating in life instead of hiding at home watching tv If you’re over 60, you get free tv and bus and rail passes. They don’t use Bose anything anywhere Displaying your political or religious affiliation is considered very bad taste Every pub has a pet drunk Their healthcare works, but they still bitch about it Cake is one of the major food groups Their coffee is mediocre but their tea is wonderful There are still no guns Towel warmers! Cheers” |
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01-29-2020, 04:45 AM | #29 |
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Uber is good in London..
No one speaks to strangers in tube trains. On the tube escalators, stand on the right or walk up/down on the left. Science museum is good for kids...the V&A museum is on the same road but not so good for kids. London eye is fun. Covent garden is busy but interesting to walk round. Some sort of contactless credit card is handy especially for the underground. Ask for a quiet room in any hotel...London is a bit noisy 24/7. Leicester square/piccadilly circus/trafalgar square...plenty of shops and eating places and the National Gallery...also bucket shops for short notice/same day theatre tickets |
01-29-2020, 05:27 AM | #30 | |
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In terms of safety...it is a concern of mine...but in reality...I won’t be roaming the streets with my kids until the wee hours. |
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01-29-2020, 09:42 AM | #31 |
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I lived there a good while ago and traveled back often since. These are my favorite things...
Fish and chips. The Seashell near Marlybone Station is upmarket. Popular with tourists and Brits. Micky's near Paddington Station is a good less upmarket one, but, most all are usually good. You'll probably come from LHR into Paddington. Beer - Fullers London ESB (hard to get in the US) or Brakspears (sp?) about impossible to find in the US.
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01-29-2020, 09:46 AM | #32 |
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And so you don't think I'm a fat lush, the National Gallery. It's easy to get to and has a very good collection of art that I like.
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01-29-2020, 10:00 AM | #33 |
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^ I'll follow up the fat lush
![]() Edit: Love the Fullers as well. Stick to the local beers when in the pubs though lately I've lot's of Bud and Coor's Light which seems to sell surprisingly well with the locals.
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01-29-2020, 10:38 AM | #34 | ||
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Check the pricing though, since it was actually cheaper to fly Air France for me and land in Paris vs. going by train! You may just end up catching a flight. |
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01-29-2020, 11:20 AM | #35 |
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When my canadian cousins came over we took them on every public transport possible. You just need a 'contactless' credit card for every traveler and it will automatically stop charging you once you have reached the daily max. No need to bother with Oyster cards.
Bus River Bus Tube Overground Cable Car DLR The easiest way to get around Central London is tube & maybe Uber in the evenings. Have fun ![]() |
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01-29-2020, 11:58 AM | #36 |
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Bring spoons because in England you only get one spoon when you're born and if you lose it you have to eat your porridge with a fork unless somebody dies and wills you theirs and on the 4th of july they have to spend the day polishing their spoons because they lost the war.
And have a great trip! * I actually convinced a coworker this was true when he was going on his first business trip to London after I just back from there. He packed 20 spoons to make new friends there ![]()
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01-29-2020, 09:43 PM | #37 |
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There's so much to do.
I'm Indian and find Dishoom to be the best Indian food I've ever eaten in my life. At least 5 people told me about this place and it's reputation is well deserved. There is always a long line outside but it is 100% worth it (plus they give you free chai and wine in line). I went to the Covenant Garden location. Surprisingly their prices are not out of this world. Venchi has some of the best gelato in the world. I thought it's only in Italy but to my surprise it's in London too. Brain dump from my end: definitely do the hop on hop off if you've never done it before. Westminster area is nice to stroll around, especially along the Thames. Leicester square, Trafalgar square, Buckingham palace, Hyde park, Bond Street (for shopping), British Museum, Tower bridge, the area around City Hall, and Tower of London (if you're a history buff). These are just the major things that are nice to see. And if you're into designer goods please splurge in Europe because prices there are significantly cheaper. After conversion things like Burberry polos and Louis Vuitton belts are nearly 50% cheaper! All the stores are in London as well as in Heathrow.
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01-29-2020, 10:09 PM | #38 | |
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![]() That said, our next trip to the UK will be for a conference in Durham. We've been there before, but just for a day. This time we'll be based there. I'll be looking for recs here when we get closer to that trip.
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01-30-2020, 01:23 AM | #39 | |
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https://www.dishoom.com/kings-cross/ |
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01-30-2020, 03:50 PM | #41 | |
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01-30-2020, 04:45 PM | #43 |
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Don't forget a trip out to Windsor. It's not as crowded and you can get a great view of the changing of the Guard. There's also the crooked house there too.
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01-30-2020, 04:57 PM | #44 |
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Imperial war museum in London is a must see in my opinion.
Walk through Hyde park. Pedal boat if the weather is good and warm. London eye for a birds eye view.
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