[HPFGU-London] What to see? (incredibly long)

[Neil Ward]

I'll concentrate on London, but I'd agree that there are loads of places to
visit in Britain outside the London (Bath, Stratford, Norwich, Edinburgh,
Nottingham, Liverpool etc etc, not to mention the small towns and villages).
If I had more time to spare, I'd look up the links for these references
below, but I hope you'll forgive an off-the-cuff ramble: -

ART GALLERIES/MUSEUMS/SIGHTS

My personal choice in any foreign city is the art galleries or museums, but
that's not everyone's cup of tea (especially with kids in two!).  In London,
the Tate Britain and Tate Modern are both worth a visit if you are
interested in British art or Modern Art, respectively.  The Tate Modern is
quite new and the building itself is a converted power station.

Other galleries worth seeing include The National Gallery and National
Portrait Gallery, both off Trafalgar Square. Then there is the Royal Academy
of Arts, in Piccadilly, which usually has a major exhibition of some kind
and the South Bank complex, which includes the National Theatre, Royal
Festival Hall and National Film Theatre and is right next to The Thames.
The Barbican Centre is a multi-arts centre, but it's rather hard to find, so
make sure you get your bearings!

Madam Tussaud's and The Planetarium are next to each other in Marylebone
(the road of that name).  Yes, they are overpriced... touristy... a rip off,
but they are also quite fun for the kids.  Other 'fun' museums are the
Science Museum and The Museum of the Moving Image.  The Natural History
Museum is also fascinating (to me, anyway).

I also give the thumbs up to The London Eye.  You get a wonderful view of
London and it is a feat of technology in itself - the largest cantilevered
ferris wheel in the world.  It's worth purchasing tickets ahead of time if
you can, and when you arrive, you may have to queue for a while to collect
the tickets and then queue again to get on the wheel (again, queues and kids
do not mix).  There's a Salvador Dali exhibition space right near the wheel,
if you like that sort of thing.

A trip on the river might be cool.  I've never done it, but I've heard it's
fun.  We're planning to meet in Greenwich on the 26th, which gives onto the
river, and it's possible to take boat trips to Westminster from there (it's
worth seeing the Houses of Parliament from an architectural point of view).
Also, thinking of water, the Docklands area is worth a visit if you like the
idea of contrasting the very latest architecture with the older buildings in
London.  The Tower of London is probably a must (although I've never been
there and I've lived in London for 18 years).

MARKETS/EATING OUT CHEAPLY

Markets:  Covent Garden and the surrounding area are a bit touristy and
geared towards crafts (on the market) and rather chi-chi shops (in the area
around), but there are some bargains to be had.  There's a transport museum
there.  You'll also experience street theatre and music (busking).
Portobello Road Market (bric a brac and antiques), Petticoat Lane Market
(cheap clothes and other stuff?), Brick Lane (flowers, bicycles (often
stolen), clothes, very cheap Indian cafe-style restaurants).  There are
other markets. I need to check the latest and get back to you, as I don't
visit them very often.

Cheap food: I'm not too familiar with the Kensington area, but in the West
End, you can get a decent plate of pasta for under 5 in no-frills Italian
places like Centrale (nr Cambridge Circus) or an all you can eat buffet in
some Indian or Chinese restaurants (they usually tell you this in the
window).  Some of these places aren't licensed for alcohol, but you can
BYOB, and you may have to share a table with strangers.

In other areas, the local chip shop or takeaway will do something edible but
cheap, but don't usually have seating.  Govinda's, the Hare Krishna
restaurant on the border of Soho serves very cheap veggie food in huge
portions.  I can probably come up with a list of places, given more time.
There are some very good 'gastro' pubs in London (geared towards eating as
well as drinking), some of which aren't too expensive, but much pub food is
truly ghastly, so it's worth checking the menu.

SHOPPING

Shopping areas.  Oxford Street: The main shopping street: very busy and
touristy, but full of department stores, clothes shops and regular High
Street stores.  Try some of the smaller side streets, such as St Christopher
's Place or wander a bit further to the Marylebone High Street area for some
more sophisticated shopping.  Regent Street: Very grand shops, but Hamley's
toyshop is there, and there are some chic department stores, such as Liberty
and Dickins & Jones.  Carnaby Street is just off Regent Street, but it's
lost much of its 60s charm in favour of more touristy shops.  Kensington
High Street/King's Road: Similar, but more upmarket shopping (designer
stores) - probably to be avoided unless you enjoy that kind of torture.
Charing Cross Road - lots of bookshops;  Tottenham Court Road - lots of
electrical goods; Islington High Street - some shops mixed in with eateries
and a covered antiques market.   Harrods and Selfridges seems to be popular
with tourists, but they basically over-priced department stores.

Several areas of London have large shopping areas with a High Street feel,
and there are many shopping malls (to use the US terminology), so you don't
have to go to the main areas.

Brixton and Hackney - culturally diverse focal areas of South and North
London, but very interesting for food shopping (West Indian/modern British
and Turkish, respectively).  Brixton is quite a trendy area, popular with
young people.  Blackheath and Hampstead - more upmarket, genteel areas of
South and North London, with historical interest and fairly expensive shops
(and steep hills).

NIGHTLIFE

Nightlife areas:  Essentially, the West End is the big entertainment area,
but if you hate the hubbub, stick the one of the other parts of town and
visit a local pub, restaurant or cinema.  West End haunts: - Soho and
Chinatown:  fairly bohemian mix of gay, chinese community, red light and
clubbing; Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus: the really big,
tourist-oriented areas - overpriced shops, clubs and restaurants, huge
cinemas. Between these areas is theatreland - Shaftesbury Avenue (The Strand
also boasts several theatres), and there are loads of cinemas in the area.
Islington/Upper Street: rather too many trendy restaurants and The Screen on
The Green cinema - nice buzz.  King's Cross is now the main red light
district - best avoided at night.

SEASIDE

Take a trip to a small seaside town to get a combination of olde worlde
charm and tacky tourism.  Blackpool is cool, but if you are visiting London,
Brighton is a lovely place to spend the day and it's only an hour or so on
the train (I think Al can tell us more about Brighton?).

LISTINGS/GUIDES

London is huge.  I recommend that you pick up a copy of "Time Out" as soon
as you arrive.  This is a weekly listings magazine that covers every aspect
of life and entertainment (and I think it still does a section on "Kids").
Also, a small, cheap street guide will be invaluable (either A-Z or
Nicholson's) and includes a tube map (make sure you buy a current edition).
Remember "town" is the West End (where all the shops and entertainment are)
and "The City" is the business district.

Neil

(supposed to be working all weekend, but I thought I should say something
here, since I set the list up!!)