Long Weekend in London?

[RKC]

Going to London for a long weekend in July to see my wife's favorite band Genesis. (If they play "Supper's Ready" my wife may not return to the States!)

But assuming they don't....What should we see? Never been there before. Staying downtown at the Savoy. What's nearby worth seeing for two afternoons/evenings? Where to eat? I'm a history buff and we're willing to walk for miles....

Thanks!

[alf]

Check out the Wallace collection if you like old weapons.

Eat Indian and Middle Eastern food while there, English food leaves much to be desired. Walk around Portebello, nice street fair atmosphere for antique shopping.

Be amazed at London Cabby's ability to know exactly where you need to go just by memory.

Do not forget to look right when crossing, in London unlike the US peds yield to cars.

Best shopping in London is at Heathrow Airport.

[rouxroux]

We had a restful day in Greenwich Park...You've got the Maritime Museum, the Royal Observitory, Queen's House, Cutty Sark all in a compact area. Beautiful place.

If you're an aviation buff, two great museums that are do-able in a daytrip would be the Shuttleworth Collection at the Old Warden Airfield up in Bedfordshire, and then just a ways north to the Duxford museum (up the M11 @ Duxford, Cambridgeshire just past Stansted).

[steve911]

Tower of London - go see the crown jewels first, then come back and take a tour with a yeoman warder. Explaining to my then 9 year old son that the structure was first began in 1065 and watching him do the math as to how old it was was priceless.

Churchill exhibit -- underground exhibit of Churchill's bunker during WWII - fascinating

St Paul's Cathedral - lots of kings/queens/others buried in crypts inside

British Musuem - Elgin Marbles are worth the price of admission

The London Underground is the most efficient means of getting around town and half the fun is figuring out how to get from here to there. The Jubilee line is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay deep underground.

Be forewarned - London is EXPENSIVE - VERY EXPENSIVE. But if you're flying over for a weekend to hear Genesis maybe its not as big a concern.

[JavaBrewer]

My wife got a kick out of Westminster Abby walking over those old worn stone floors that double as tombs for famous folk. Walk several blocks off the tourist trail and eat lunch in a pub. 2 pints and sausage, mash, and beans. Use the underground, tube, to get around. Hate to say this but a stop at Harrods is pretty cool too. Soho for an eye opener...

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by alf
Check out the Wallace collection if you like old weapons.

Eat Indian and Middle Eastern food while there, English food leaves much to be desired. Walk around Portebello, nice street fair atmosphere for antique shopping.

Be amazed at London Cabby's ability to know exactly where you need to go just by memory.

Do not forget to look right when crossing, in London unlike the US peds yield to cars.

Best shopping in London is at Heathrow Airport.

Ditto on the above. Also go to Harrods, and spend some time around Kensington and Pickadilly areas.

Lots of very nice museums in the area...

I may be in London June and July so PM me if you want to get together. Last time I was there got together with MFAFF there so there are some Pelicans there.

Joe

[Nostril Cheese]

is Peter Gabriel singing?

Id like to see that

[Lurker Jr.]

George Orwell's house, keep walking down that street, it is cool.
Camden, look for the man with the sign as you exit the tube, vegitarian thai food. go there.

[MFAFF]

The Savoy hey.....very nice.

OK so you are in the hear tof London, within walking distance of Soho....a very 'exciting' area, perhaps not to every one's taste, but very much part of London.

Covent Garden is nearby, a very pleasant place to hang out on cafes and watch the world go by, food places there are good, but pricey....but then again that's the deal.

If you want parks etc then St James' Park is right by the hotel as is Buckingham Palace, so lots of typical toursit places to see and do...

Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament are also quite near...

If you want to see stuff.. like Museums the South Kennsington is the place.. the Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural history Museum and Science Museum, all free and all very interesting, even if only for a couple fo hours.

The British Museum in Bloomsbury is also great...as its the Tate Modern on the South Bank of the Thames, a short walk across the Millenium Bridge from St Paul's.

Thne there is the London Eye, a huge Ferris type wheel on the South Bank, a brilliant trip at dusk to see London in lights....

Or any boat trip down to Greenwich or the Thames barrier... to see Canary Wharf and the Millenium Dome..the Globe Theatre, etc etc.....a very pleasant day out.

Harrods is near the museums, but for my money Fortnum and Masons just down the raod from the Savoy is more appealing...as is Burlington Arcade of Picadilly.....

For musical history and a sense of the 60s try Carnaby Street....just parallel to Regent's Street... a bit of a tourist trap, but home of punk etc....

Hope this helps,

[RKC]

I love this Board! Thanks for all the information! Where else could I go to learn how to do my first valve adjustment AND get travel advice!

No, Peter Gabriel won't be singing - though he almost did from what was said - but looks like Cinema Show, Watcher of the Skies, and some more good old stuff will be in the mix. My wife's going to be happy though just 'cause this was a nutty, romantic idea.... (There's a tribute band called "Slippermen" that play Montreal & Toronto that's really good, and we thought that'd be the closest we'd get to the old (up to 1978 or so) music - they are much better than the overly-wooden Musical Box, IMHO).

Her first concert in High School was Genesis with "A Trick of the Tail" so she just missed the Peter Gabriel era....

With all there is to see, I wish we were staying longer.....

The palaces, gardens, Indian food, Churchill's bunker, Crown Jewels - yikes! will have to sort it all out in the next month!

Thanks again.

[creaturecat]

Just returned from there 5 days ago. Quite a disappointment after being in France.
Prepare to pay 50/couple to enter any of the sites ( ie St Paul's), Fantastic, reasonably priced "ethnic" food, esp Indian.
Best free attractions - the British Museum,Tate Modern,British Portrait museum.
Harrods is good for a laugh. Picadilly on a weekend - crazy with people.
Get a daily tube pass - otherwise transportation is unbelievably expensive.
Hotels - standards are pretty low - we booked a 3 star (BestWestern,Paddington) digusting - refused to stay there.
Would recommend the Sheraton Belgravia. Close to Harrod's
Everything else close via the tube station.
Be prepared for an eye-opener - business people dressed impeccably, the rest dressed in rags.
The best deal in London? The Eurostar to Paris - seriously!

[Tanick]

A tie is essentiial if you want to take tea at The Savoy. The stock backup kippers are designed to humiliate. Food in London can vary between the best and worst in the world. The food at The Savoy won't disapoint, check out michelin's website - www.viamichelin.co.uk for excellent restaurants.
For sightseeing, the Tower of London is good, go on the London Eye, take a boat trip, the tour guides on them are excellent. There's more to do than you can possibly cover in a few days so just soak it up and enjoy yourselves. $2=£1 + Ouch(for you)!

[Tobra]

Look right, don't get hit by a car, it will ruin your trip