London Calling - Need UK Advice/Suggestions

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

Ok, so I just found out I might be going to London for this:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2732567

A good friend of mine parents are Giants fanatics, so they are taking us with them for the game.


I need to know:

1. What MUST I see in London?
2. What tourist traps should I avoid?
3. How much money will I need on average for 4 days?
4. What good bars should i hit up?

And finally....


WHO IS MEETING ME FOR DRINKS!?!??!?!?! :D :D :D

[Ridgeback]

1. what transport would you have available ie hire car?
2. depends on the answer to 1
3. from what i've heard about your drinking, about $5000 :hehe:
4. where would you be staying? also, have a look here http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubs-bars.aspx

When is this likely to happen?

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

1. what transport would you have available ie hire car?
I'm guessing taxis and public transport?
2. depends on the answer to 1
3. from what i've heard about your drinking, about $5000 :hehe:
Noted. I'll take out a mortgage against my house for booze!
4. where would you be staying? also, have a look here http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubs-bars.aspx

When is this likely to happen?

We are going around October 25 - 29.....I think the game is on the 28th. As soon as I find out where I am staying, I'll post again so I can get more specific suggestions for the area I am in.

But honestly...on average how much is a meal and a few drinks? How much are taxis? And I really want to know what are the MUST SEE, CANNOT MISS things to do while I am there? It's hard to tell form a guidebook.....I'd rather get the locals opinions...

i.e: Where would you take your friends who visit?

[Smokie]

gotta go to the tower :)

[Jacx]

We are going around October 25 - 29.....I think the game is on the 28th. As soon as I find out where I am staying, I'll post again so I can get more specific suggestions for the area I am in.

But honestly...on average how much is a meal and a few drinks? How much are taxis? And I really want to know what are the MUST SEE, CANNOT MISS things to do while I am there? It's hard to tell form a guidebook.....I'd rather get the locals opinions...

i.e: Where would you take your friends who visit?


http://www.londontoolkit.com/briefing/london_cost_of_living.htm

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/travel/23affordable-london.html

this is a good site: http://www.londontourist.org/#skip

i know there are quite a lot of londoners on here...but remember people have different intests etc...why go to a castle when u went 29 times as a kid etc.

Check the websites out and I along with others will give u some personal feedback too!

Im helping someone with a issue right now so will post stuff later!


in terms of travel...try and use the tube, taxis cost lots lol.

http://www.londontourist.org/transport.html

[Ridgeback]

If you're staying in London, taxis are expensive, so use the underground - here's a TUBE MAP (http://www.tourstolondon.co.uk/london-underground-map.gif)

As for the MUST SEE things, that depends on what you like - museums, castles, palaces, cathedrals etc etc. there's shitloads to see

now meals. i haven't really eaten out that much in central london, but i'm sure you could have a nice meal with a couple of drinks for £20 - £25, but with the current exchange rate, i guess that'll be expensive for you :S

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

OK...I did a little research. Rate the following for me (1 to 10) with 10 being a MUST SEE!

London Eye
Tower of London
Parliment
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
National Gallery
Tower Bridge
Covent Garden
Portobello Rd Market
Piccadilly Circus (Is this a tourist trap?)
Soho
Millenium Bridge
Kyoto Gardens

[Santo]

you need a good Curry stop Maija.




Yes im watching you

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

Most def. Curry and kebab are two stops on my list ;)


None of that meat pie shit though....... or bangers and mash

[dave]

thats like a 20 min drive from were i live, there are a few places in in that area, i think there is a bigish night club somewere, but if u wanna see the better stuff you can get a travel card and get the tube anywere in london, that will clost £10ish and a pint cost £3 useally at most depending on were you go

[Ridgeback]

OK...I did a little research. Rate the following for me (1 to 10) with 10 being a MUST SEE!

London Eye - ok if the weather is clear, so 7
Tower of London - 9
Parliament - never been, so can't comment
Westminster Abbey -7
Buckingham Palace - 8
National Gallery - never been, so can't comment
Tower Bridge - you can walk across this going to the Tower of London
Covent Garden
Portobello Rd Market
Piccadilly Circus (Is this a tourist trap?)
Soho - hmmm, porn
Millenium Bridge - errr, why?
Kyoto Gardens

i've added something about some of the things. I'll look for some other things to see as some of those choices seem crap to me :S

there's always Harrods if you want to see what you can't afford to buy! actually, have a play with this site Visit London (http://www.visitlondon.com/areas/search?category=attractions&postcode=SE1+2UP&id=459828&px=533595&py=180025&title=Tower+Bridge+Exhibition&distance=30min) and make sure you move where it's measuring from

[kizkiz]

Round the other night in outer london:
2x WKD blue (small bottles)
1x pint of guiness
= £10 (-10p)

Let us know when there, am sure a few will come into town fro a few beers

[Uganja]

avoid leicester square, picadilly circus and oxford street, they are all tourist traps, packed full of chinese people with big cameras and really not worth the time (although maybe picadilly if you have a spare moment)

Buck palace is worth a visit, then you can walk through green park and up to mayfair (conveniently where i work ;) ) - another good visit would be camden market, and maybe even stay for drinks in the evening, its got a good drinking culture and a very current music scene which is awesome (although watch out for crazily dressed people).

I love drinking in old street (which is slightly north, but still fairly central) and while you're there you may as well visit hoxton square which is great fun, quite trendy too so you'll fit right in! Soho is worth a visit too i'd say, but best visited during the week as its quite small and can get busy during the weekends. Also nearby there is chinatown (which i know every major city has) but its a really nice place to visit.
Walk along the river (south bank, from waterloo up to london bridge) is also great and there are things to see along the way such as the oxo tower.
well worth a visit if you can book it in time is tower 42 (http://www.vertigo42.co.uk/) very pricey for drinks, but you can book just half an hour there for absolutely breathtaking views of the city and a nice coctail.

Definately head to covent garden too its very "english" and lots of street performers to watch (or laugh at).

Oh.


And i'm definately up for drinks ;) - holla at your boy!

[kizkiz]

U just reminded me mate

When in london, always remember to take your girlfriend up the oxo tower ;)

[Todd]

(http://www.vertigo42.co.uk/) very pricey for drinks!

£1500 for a bottle of wine?!:| Thats not steep, it's fucking vertical.

[Uganja]

its moet dude, not wine :)


(and a 1.5 litre bottle at that...)

[Ridgeback]

its moet dude, not wine :)


(and a 1.5 litre bottle at that...)

psst, Jay, a nebuchadnezzar holds 1500cl = 15 litres, not 1.5 litres :hehe:

[Buckledmac]

LOL

[Uganja]

pmsl :$

[CrayZii-InDiaN]

here is something you should look at..

in our TV Channel there was a show name called

Things To Try Before You Die

and todays episode was about UK :D

here are the things that you can try it out while ur at UK


#1 Aerobatic flight
#2 Princess Di pilgrimage
#3 Stonehenge
#4 Loch Ness monster
#5 Eat haggis and blow a bagpipe in Scotland
#6 Chatsworth
#7 Cardiff
#8 York
#9 High tea
#10 Swim the English Channel
#11 Have a pint in a traditional English pub
#12 London's West End
#13 Manchester
#14 Go to the home of Beatlemania in Liverpool
#15 Sing with the famous London community gospel choir
#16 St Andrews
#17 See a soccer match
#18 Wimbledon
#19 Cricket at Lords
#20 Drive a Ferrari at Silverstone
#21 Spend a night in a haunted castle
#22 Bath
#23 Mumbles — South Wales
#24 Stratford upon Avon
#25 Buckingham Palace
#26 Oxford University
#27 Big Ben
#28 Westminster Abbey
#29 London Eye
#30 Spy school


each one of them have description and Video of their experiences

so check it out

http://things.ninemsn.com.au/thisweek/


hope this is enough to keep you busy while ur their :D

[kizkiz]

#1 Aerobatic flight
#2 Princess Di pilgrimage - for a sad, sad royalist only
#3 Stonehenge - long way to drive for a couple of rocks in a field (yes, i have been there)
#4 Loch Ness monster - a non existent myth?
#5 Eat haggis and blow a bagpipe in Scotland
#6 Chatsworth
#7 Cardiff
#8 York
#9 High tea - wtf?
#10 Swim the English Channel - yeah, right :hehe:
#11 Have a pint in a traditional English pub
#12 London's West End
#13 Manchester - do you like burberry?
#14 Go to the home of Beatlemania in Liverpool
#15 Sing with the famous London community gospel choir
#16 St Andrews
#17 See a football match
#18 Wimbledon - tennis? pointless unless the tourney is on
#19 Cricket at Lords
#20 Drive a Ferrari at Silverstone
#21 Spend a night in a haunted castle
#22 Bath
#23 Mumbles — South Wales
#24 Stratford upon Avon
#25 Buckingham Palace
#26 Oxford University
#27 Big Ben
#28 Westminster Abbey
#29 London Eye
#30 Spy school


each one of them have description and Video of their experiences

so check it out

http://things.ninemsn.com.au/thisweek/


hope this is enough to keep you busy while ur their :D

I added some comments

[dave]

hampton court palace, not far from twickenham.
http://www.hrp.org.uk/webcode/hampton_home.asp
its a stone throws from my house and were kiz use to live, also right near nicky and sw house, and dident phu use to live round here aswell :S

more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Court_Palace

[Alf uckem]

since when do they wear burberry in manchester? i thought it was all you cockerneys with your burberry caps and hackett t shirts with the collars up. On that note i wouldnt bother coming to manchester when your visiting its a long way to come for nookie:P

[Smokie]

try and get the royal guards to move :P Royal Jamacan Regiment this month i think but it changes so who knows, good luck though

[swiss miss]

one thing to pick up on what Ian said... if youre using the tube a lot, get an oyster card - the tube pricing is somewhat set to rape tourists so could save you some cash as well as making the tube faster and easier to use.
https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do
as for curries = brick lane, dont miss it - dirt cheap and lovely curry

[Pirate Hooker with Monkey]

Oi! So I talked to my friend's family that I am going to London with, and they let me know exactly how expensive things are there. Last time they were there, they took a cab into the city from the airport for dinner and it cost them $75 (US) each way :|


He also said that you won't get a decent dinner for less than $125 (US)

Anyhow...I think I've narrowed things down to Buckingham Palace, Tower of London (maybe), London Eye (just for the photo op), Soho, The British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, and The Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre.


Also, I need suggestions for a good old traditional English pub with beer that will knock me on my ass.

Maybe one where cute footie players congregate??? :hehe: :hehe:

[kizkiz]

You'll find a decent pub anywhere you may be going.
Be more specific about location and you'll get a few specific suggestions