Going to London... advice?

[Zapak Vim]

if you have four days in London the last thing you should do is look for a game to join
check out all the medieval stuff
go to the tower of London, westminster abbey is cool too, (full of tourists and tombs)
I went to the temple church (before the da vinci code came out, its probably expensive and crowded now!) which was cool, and the british museum. All the cool stuff the British empire looted from every corner of the world is on display there. I spent an afternoon there and only had time to do the medieval europe and medieval arabic sections!

if you have time try to get to some of the stuff outside london

York is well worth a day trip if you are into medieval stuff. the city is enclosed by the original walls and gates and you can walk around them. plus the cathedral is great, with an underground crypt full of intersting displays on the history of the place, plus Jorvik which is an exhibition on vikings and stuff. I got to play on a portcullis which is something you cant do in new Zealand every day.


only after that should you go to a game shop!

 

[S'mon]

While York is great, given the vagaries of British public transport I would not recommend going there from London as a day trip. You're looking at maybe 7 hours on a train _if it all goes to schedule_.

 

[Jonny Nexus]

My other half and I went on a really good guided walk by London Walks (http://www.walks.co.uk). The format is you meet outside a tube station, meet the guide, pay your money (£6) and then get guided around a particular part of London for around two hours, stopping at lots of places for the guide to explain about that place and tell some story or anecdote. I've lived in London all my life and work in the City, and the guide took us to places I had no idea existed. We're definitely going to go on some more when we get a chance.

The walks are generally themed ("Shakespeare's London", "Old Westminster by Gaslight", "Jack the Ripper Haunts", "Apparitions, Alleyways & Ale", "Secret London" etc.) and take place in the morning, afternoon, and evening, on all days.

The website (URL above) gives all the details.

 

[Yami no Hon]

I think I spent like 3 days just in the British Museum over the course of about 2 weeks last Spring. It is every bit as awsome as we've been telling you, only more so, because we don't have enough words to tell you just how cool it is.

If you're into books, make the trip to the British Library. They have a Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, a First Folio, and a whole bunch of other nifty things written down.

If you're a Shakespear nerd, the Globe is worth it, but really pricy if you arn't. I can recomend the Blackfriars pub just across the river from it.

My big tip: if you're going to be there on a Sunday, and want to see one of the big churches (Westminster Abby or St. Paul's) go and attend a service. If you do that, you get in free. If you don't, you have to pay through the nose. (A student ticket is 7 Pounds IIRC.) St. Martin's in the Field (by Trafalger Square) has a lunch time concert series, attendance is free and it lasts about half an hour (I think they start at 1 pm). If you go to that you get free entrence to the church and a nice concert. Also, the shop in their crypt is one of the best places to make a brass rubbing in the city.

If you like Naval History, go down to Maratime Greenwich (its in Zone 2 of the Tube, so you don't have to pay extra for your ticket). The Maratime History Museum has the uniform Nelson was wearing when he died, along with tons of other cool things. The Observatory up on the hill marks the Prime Meridian of the World (there's a big red line painted up the side of the building and everything). The Cutty Sark museum is a chance to climb all over an old ship.

Wherever you go, remember to ask if there is a student rate. You'd be suprised how many places give a substantial one.

I'd be happy to answer any further questions you have for me.

Edit: the different theme guides they hand out in the Tate are some of the most brilliant things I have ever read.

 

[Nightfall]

My only sage advice, while you're at the Tower of London, don't feed the ravens. They bite. A lot. *winces in memory*

 

[billd91]

While the Tube is a good way to get around, plan on doing a lot of walking. London is an excellent city for just walking around. You see a lot of interesting things that way that you otherwise would zip by in a taxi or wouldn't see in the Tube. Use the Tube for the longer trips across the city center, walk the rest.

 

[RichGreen]

Muslims tend to give white Westerns a cold shoulder. I wouldn't stay in a club or restaurant with many. You could get roughed up and their table manners are considered rude by our North American standards (unless you like loud burps throughout your meal). Not very PC but it's honesty.

This is not only "not very PC", this is racist and offensive as well as just plain wrong. London is a cosmopolitan and tolerant city, and you should be fine as long as you are polite and use your common sense as you should in all big cities.

If you fancy a game during your stay, the London Gamers meet every Monday night upstairs at the Black Horse pub in Rathbone Place off Oxford St. The nearest tube is Tottenham Court Road, near your hotel and the British Museum (which is of course worth visiting as everyone else has said).

There is more to see in London than most of the world's great cities. Get a good guidebook like a Rough Guide, and try and see as much as possible.

Cheers



Richard

 

[SteveC]

I have actually stayed at the hotel you're going to be at. It is not all that great, but it was at least tolerable. Bring some extra towels, or expect to buy some! The Russel Square stop has elevators that will take you up to street level, and they can be quite busy. As you walk by the sign to the stairs that comments on the 183 steps, have a laugh at my expense: my first trip out I carried all my luggage up those stairs!

Okay: at Russel Square you're within walking distance of a number of different places of interest. Start with the British museum, which is mostly free (they charge for some of the exhibits, but it's mostly a free stop). Right across the street from the museum is a gaming store, which I stop at every time I am in the area. You've already had Forbidden Planet mentioned, which is also awfully good.

You can get to most of the touristy things on foot in London from where you are (I know, I'm not in great shape and I walked all of them) but the Tube is your friend. Get a tube map, and buy a non prime hours day pass for zones 1 and 2. That's all you'll really need.

Some other specifics:

The tower of London is extremely expensive to see, but it is also worth it, in my opinion. It's the sort of thing you do once. They have a rotating exhibit, which was on the Gunpowder Rebellion when I went there a few years ago, but expect to generally see all the weapons and armor you'd ever care to see.

Outside of that, what are you interested in? I'd recommend Covent Garden, a large market shopping area and Leischter Square, the theater district for walking tours. Oxford Street is the book district, where you can see small bookstores that could likely sell tomes of Arcane Lore a little bit off the main street.

I also would tell anyone who goes to London to see the Globe theater. Get some tickets to see whatever they're playing at the time...you won't be disappointed.

As far as food goes, if you're not in love with currey, stick to the Pubs. Pub food is amazingly bad for you, but it is the one contribution to food that the English have made that's worth a darn in my opinion. On the Currey front: Indian food is likely to be very good.

Here's some general advice if you haven't traveled abroad much: McDonalds and Starbucks are your friends overseas. If you're looking for reliable basic food, and a clean bathroom, they're worth their weight in gold. Oh, and McDonalds cooks their food the way they used to in the states, oh, 15 years ago, meaning it is less healthy for you, but better tasting.

I'd be happy to give you some other advice as well, if you have some specific things that you're interested in. I had to go to Westminster and Saint Paul's, for example, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.

Oh yes, order tea there! The British are ordering coffee more and more, but from an American perspective they can't seem to make it properly in many places. Order the tea, even if it marks you as an American.

One more thing: a lot of people will tell you that it is tough to travel as an American these days, that people are very angry at us. That could not be further from the truth, at least in London and the surrounding areas. The people of London don't like annoying people any more than we do, so just try and be on your best behavior. I can't count the number of times that I encountered genuinely friendly and helpful people, just purely at random as I stayed there. I asked a lot of questions, and learned a lot from my trips!

I hope you have a GREAT time...feel free to ask any other questions and I'll try and help!

--Steve

 

[JVisgaitis]

Pack your own food. London is awesome and all, but I never ate so poorly anywhere. The food was awful. I'll never forget finding a place called The All American and ordering a cheeseburger. Turns out my cheeseburger came with mayonnaise and prawn. Not only that, but the dessert was some sort of weird yellow pudding with nuts and some type of fruit in it.

When the manager came over to ask us how everything was, I was so frustrated with the whole food experience that week I asked him what the hell they were serving. He tells me its American. I was like, guess again. I'm from the States and we don't have anything like this. I asked him about the dessert and he said the same thing and I said did you ever hear the song baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and chevrolet?

I still left a good tip and I wasn't obnoxious or anything, but man do they eat bad over there. The day we get back, on the news Angus Steak gets fined a million pounds for violating all kinds of health and safety food regulations. I ate their too and I'll save you the details on that one. Not fun...

I'm not sure on the gaming scene, I was more into Warhammer back then, but make sure you check out the Tower of London. It's very cool. Also, Leed's Castle was really awesome too. I'd kill to get back there again, but next time I'm packing my own food.

 

[Piratecat]

Not very PC but it's honesty.

It also comes across as racist. Everyone, please refrain from such generalizations when at EN World.

While I'm here, I'll slide this into OT. Everyone bring their passports?