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2011-03-11 4:16 PM

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Master
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Subject: London To-Do's

Suggestions, COJ?

Will be staying near Regent's park. Have the better part of two days to cruise around. I will not have rented car.

Likely to hit a pub or two. WWII is an interest, so thinking about the Imperial War Museum. Tower of London holds some interest for me (been reading some Tudor period mysteries lately).

Wouldn't mind some people watching too, some sidewalk pub/eatery/cafe...

 

 

 



2011-03-11 4:46 PM
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Champion
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
My favorite things were out of town, but I am guessing you don't want to spend time going to Windsor.

I liked the Tower of London, especially as a Tudor fan myself. Give yourself a lot of time there, it's big and lots to see.  Do the tour.

You could do a lot of people watching in Hyde Park, although don't let me tear you away from the pub   Do both!

I thought Harrod's was lame.
2011-03-11 5:46 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
The Winston Churchill museum is a hidden gem. It's located in the WW2 underground barracks where he worked.
2011-03-11 5:57 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Tower of London is pretty cool and I enjoyed seeing the Temple Church of "The Da Vinci Code" fame.

Definitely see Westminster Cathedral, which is near Big Ben. Many noteworthies buried there, not the least of which is Sir Isaac Newton.

Spend some time just walking around down by the Thames-- it's a good walking city. Much of the architecture is amazing, too.

2011-03-11 6:18 PM
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Iron Donkey
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Tony and Monica haven't chimed in yet?
2011-03-11 6:38 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's


2011-03-11 6:47 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
The Absolut Ice Bar is really cool to check out.
2011-03-11 8:35 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Theater (if you're into it) is great. Harrod's. The original Hard Rock cafe. Chelsea (flower show might be going on). Eat a great Indian meal. And the cabinet war rooms are indeed cool.
2011-03-11 8:58 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

kofian - 2011-03-11 6:46 PM The Winston Churchill museum is a hidden gem. It's located in the WW2 underground barracks where he worked.

x2 on the Cabinet War Rooms......fascinating.

And definitely the Tower of London. I spent an entire day there, listened to every bit of the walkabout headset, going in and out.  It's a return trip everytime I visit.

2011-03-11 9:07 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Adding: have a steak w/ stilton and a yorkshire pudding for dinner. A ploughman's for lunch. A Strongbow cider. Ride in a true Hackney cab. Get your £ from the ATM (hole in the wall) and not from Thomas Crook.
2011-03-11 9:18 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

DerekL - 2011-03-11 6:38 PM mr2tony

You want enFORCEr to do Tony??  You're a sick, sick man.



2011-03-11 11:50 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
kofian - 2011-03-11 5:46 PM The Winston Churchill museum is a hidden gem. It's located in the WW2 underground barracks where he worked.


Gah!  Can't believe I forgot that!!! It was relatively new when I went.  Truly, top of the list.
2011-03-12 7:55 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

DerekL - 2011-03-11 6:38 PM mr2tony

Um.... no. 

Though maybe if the price is right, I'd consider pimpin' him out...

2011-03-12 11:05 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
blueyedbikergirl - 2011-03-12 7:55 AM

DerekL - 2011-03-11 6:38 PM mr2tony

Um.... no. 

Though maybe if the price is right, I'd consider pimpin' him out...

Don't be selfish.  Everybody can use a little Muppet in their lives.

2011-03-12 11:31 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Step one: Land in London.
Step two: get cab to nearest train station
Step three: purchase ticket for Glasgow Queen St. Station.

Problem solved .

Kidding, kidding.

British Museum, for sure. A collection that can't be matched, truly. And it is free! It's a multi-day kinda thing, so you can break it up and do...say Egyptian collections one day, then go and do something else, next day do another area, etc.

the V&A is fantastic. And free.

And if you want to train...you can go swim outdoors at the Hampstead Heath Swimming Ponds. People swim there all year round!
http://www.timeout.com/london/venue/16656/hampstead-heath-swimming-...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampstead_Ponds

Edited by phoenixazul 2011-03-12 11:34 AM
2011-03-12 11:51 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
I don't remember which book I bought when I went to London but it had heaps of walking tours of London mapped out.  It would have most likely been Lonely Planet or Frommer's.  I could have spent much longer there because there was so much to do.  Much of the cool stuff has been posted already.


2011-03-13 12:45 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
I thought the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory in Greenwich were fascinating, but I'm a geography nerd.

If it's still playing and you can get tickets, the musical based on Queen's music is awesome, and I'm not typically a fan of musicals. http://www.wewillrockyou.co.uk/
2011-03-13 7:15 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

We enjoyed seeing Westminster Abbey and the changing of the guards at the palace.

 

BTW, you don't need a rental car in London.  The tubes are a great way to get around.

2011-03-13 7:38 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Hugh in TX - 2011-03-13 8:15 PM

We enjoyed seeing Westminster Abbey and the changing of the guards at the palace.

 

BTW, you don't need a rental car in London.  The tubes are a great way to get around.



Tubes and bus. Driving in London is an exercise in frustration. Plus, to enter the city proper, you have to pay a congestion toll. Really, Britain's transport systems are excellent. In all my time there I never had a "Dude, I really need a car" moment. Between cheap and frequent buses, the underground, and the overground train, and bike lanes, I was set. Look for multi-day passes to save cash. If you're taking kids, they get a discount for being minors.
2011-03-13 7:45 PM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

I lived in London several months and never had a car. The London Underground can get you wherever you want to go faster, cheaper and with no parking.  They have a thing they call an Oyster card which looks like a credit card that you pre-pay, that lets you get on any train or bus.


If you're a history buff the Churchill museum is a must.  Also, If you know of the speeches Churchill gave at Hyde park then go there.  I felt like I could almost feel history walking there. The Tower of London is well worth while and Parliament (where Big Bend is) is across the street from Westminster Abbey.  So, both can be done quickly.  


I've been to almost every museum in London and the Royal British Museum is probably the best unless you're into more modern art in which case the Tate Modern is the best.  St Paul's Cathedral is cool if you're into architecture.

 

Regents park is my favorite park, it's a great place to go for a run.  Even in the winter it's pretty.  Walking along the River Thames is great and most folks like seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace (I didn't care so much).

 

And finally, since you're close to Regents park you might want to check out a small museum on Sherlock Holmes at 222b Baker Street (of course). Glad to answer any questions.

2011-03-14 8:21 AM
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2011-03-14 8:25 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

The tourist buses are a great way to see lots of the city in a day and you can hop on and off all day long and into the night.

British Museum is excellent as is the tower of London. For people watching go to Covent Garden or aim for the London Eye (ferris wheel) and stroll along the south bank of the Thames until you get to the reconstructed Globe Theatre (shakespeares theatre).

Also the river cruises give you the best view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

Steer clear of Oxford Street it is very trashy now and frequented by gangs of pickpockets.

 

Enjoy

2011-03-14 9:11 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
There's nothing for tourists to do here, especially along the South Bank. Please, please don't go down there! And avoid the North Bank if you can! Of course all this pertains to `after 6pm' because that's when I get off work and go for my run.

Really, though, if you wanna go running my route takes me past the Bank of England, past the Tower of London, across Tower Bridge (the one that everybody thinks is London Bridge that's falling down) along the South Bank, past the Globe Theater, the Tate Museum, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben then back along the North Shore.

Feel free to shoot me a msg if you'd like and we can gather. Always nice to have fellow DONKAIS in town.
2011-03-14 10:09 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's

I love London.  Most of these are listed above, but here's my list off the top of my head:

Buckingham Palace/changing of the guard

Victoria Station

Tower of London

Harrad's

Boat tour on the Thames

Westminster Abbey 

Trafalgar Square

British Museum

Piccadilly Circus

If you're a tennis fan Wimbledon is a short train ride.  They have a museum, restaurant and you can visit Center Court.

Used to go there a lot on business and stayed in the center of the city.  When I've gone on vacation I've stayed at one of the tourist hotels in the Kensington Park area close to the  Earl's Court tube station. 

Forget any idea about trying to drive.  The tube & buses are the only way to get around.  Try to buy a rail/bus pass before you go, you can usually get a better deal here than you can over there. 

If you can spare a entire day, there are a lot of one-day guided bus tours to places like Dover and Canterbury.

I was never big on going out to dinner in the evenings,  so I usually try to find a pub close my hotel and kind of use that as a base of operations.  I love a place called the 'Rat & Parrot', but unfortunately it had closed the last time I was there.

Have fun.

Mark



Edited by RedCorvette 2011-03-14 10:11 AM
2011-03-15 11:33 AM
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Subject: RE: London To-Do's
Go to platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross station
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