Traveling to London

[Tim Regan]

Hi All,

--- Michelle wrote:
> My family and I will be in London from June 3-11.

I've been asked for London recommendations by a few American friends 
visiting London recently. Here's my highly personal response (I hope 
it's not too late).

Try a walk starting in St Katherine's Dock, then past the Tower of 
London (check out Henry VIII's armour with the extra bit at the 
front - he wasn't a modest man ;-) up to a church garden (sorry 
forget the name, realy blib - nice garden and understated fountain), 
up to St Paul's. Then cross the river on the new Millennium 
Footbridge <http://www.arup.com/millenniumbridge/>, past the Tate 
Modern <http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/>, the reconstructed Globe, 
the reconstructed Golden Hind (Drake's ship), past the steps that 
are the setting of Nancy's death in Oliver Twist, stop off for tea 
and cake at the beautiful Gothic "Southwark Cathedral", and then 
cross the river at Tower Bridge to get back to the starting point.

Boat trips: Down the Thames to Greenwich (the Imperial War is good 
and the Greenwich Observatory museum is good and includes the clocks 
described in <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140258795>). 
Or there's a longer trip West to Henry VIII's palace at Hampton 
Court which is really beautiful.

Blue Plaques: English Heritage put up blue circular plaques on 
buildings that famous folk once lived in. There are walks linking 
them. My favourites include Virginnia Woolf's  (29 Fitzroy Square, 
behind the British Museum); Jimi Hendrix's (23 Brook Street W1, near 
Mozart's at 20 Frith Street!) and the Texan Embassy (from when it 
was a country not a state, in the building that's now Berry Brothers 
wine store on St James Street).

Galleries & Museums: On the South Bank the Tate recently refurbished 
a huge power plant to house their contemporary art collection. It's 
amazing stuff in an amazing space and has become an icon for the 
resurgence of London as a hip place. Their older gallery on Milbank 
has great collections of Turner and of Blake too. The National 
Gallery has a beautiful collection of mediaeval art in their new 
wing on Trafalgar Square. All the London museums are good. My 
favourites are The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert 
Museum. (Actually, they have recently restored the huge statue of 
Prince Albert that Queen Victoria had made soon after his death. 
It's in the park near The Albert Hall (sorry, I forget the name) and 
looks amazing as it is newly clad in gold leaf.) The British Museum 
has just re-done their courtyard so that the famous British Library 
Reading Room is open to the public. It's a beautiful light and airy 
atrium, and loads of famous people hung out in the Reading Room e.g. 
Marx wrote "Das Kapital" there. The British Museum's collection of 
Egyptian Mummies is great fun but my favourite pieces are the Sutton 
Hoo burial finds, the Isle of Lewis chess set, and of course the 
contentious Elgin Marbles (now called the Parthenon Marbles. Greece 
want them back but like all good thieves we're keeping them). The 
V&A has some lovely work in it. Some great William Morris and an 
incredible collection of dresses, spanning Elizabethan, through 60's 
minis, to a case showing the development of the designer black dress.

Pubs: Develop a taste for room-temperature, flat, English beer. It's 
the greatest beer in the world and will reward your patience! CAMRA 
<http:www.camra.org.uk/> publish "The Good Beer Guide". One to try 
is "The George Inn" on Borough High Street near London Bridge 
Station. Shakespeare and Dickens drunk there so you'll be in good 
company! 

I've heard the view from the new London Eye is amazing too.

Cheers,

Dumbledad.