London Dayz
May 9th, 2008, 07:35 AM
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London Dayz
The South Bank is my favorite strolling place in London - from the Tate Modern and that once-weird 'shakin' bridge linking it to St Pauls all the way down to the Eye Over London and London Aquarium.
On nice days this popular Thames-side walk is thronged with strollers, bikers, skate boarders, roller bladers and dogs on leashes.
In early evening in summer many folks come here to relax - not unusual to smell a little cannabis in the wind and folks sit on the many benches.
By the National Theatre complex - forget its proper name - there is nearly always dozens of kids skateboarding or doing fancy tricks on bikes and also here aerosol graffitists are allowed to paint murals on the cement walls.
I enjoy sitting on a bench opposite Charing X Station and watching the trains trundle in and out and the boats glide by - from the South Bank you can see much of London's skyline to the south, including the towers of the City of London. I enjoy having a tin of cider here but now i hear that booze is banned in all of Westminster so will have to be more cloak and dagger bout them in the future.
There is always a tourist hubbub frenzy going on in front of the Eye Over London, a big observation wheel, and this area is oft very mobbed.
Anyway the South Bank Walkway is a favorite place of mine
On nice days this popular Thames-side walk is thronged with strollers, bikers, skate boarders, roller bladers and dogs on leashes.
In early evening in summer many folks come here to relax - not unusual to smell a little cannabis in the wind and folks sit on the many benches.
By the National Theatre complex - forget its proper name - there is nearly always dozens of kids skateboarding or doing fancy tricks on bikes and also here aerosol graffitists are allowed to paint murals on the cement walls.
I enjoy sitting on a bench opposite Charing X Station and watching the trains trundle in and out and the boats glide by - from the South Bank you can see much of London's skyline to the south, including the towers of the City of London. I enjoy having a tin of cider here but now i hear that booze is banned in all of Westminster so will have to be more cloak and dagger bout them in the future.
There is always a tourist hubbub frenzy going on in front of the Eye Over London, a big observation wheel, and this area is oft very mobbed.
Anyway the South Bank Walkway is a favorite place of mine
May 9th, 2008, 09:43 AM
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LONDON'S TOP TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
The Evening Standard has a list of the top 20 visited tourist attractions in London according to a survey by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. Tate Modern has taken over the number one spot from the British Museum with over 4.9million visitors last year.
The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral are both in the top ten even though they charge admission, the rest are free. The most popular place visited in the whole of the UK was Blackpool Pleasure Beach with 5.7million visitors, but really, you don’t wanna go there, don’t get curious and just leave it to the Brits.
Here are the full 20 busiest London attractions.
1 Tate Modern
2 British Museum
3 National Gallery
4 Natural History Museum
5 Science Museum
6 V&A Museum
7 Tower of London
8 St Paul’s Cathedral
9 National Portrait Gallery
10 Tate Britain
11 National Maritime Museum
12 Kew Gardens
13 British Library
14 Westminster Abbey
15 London Zoo
16 Houses of Parliament
17 Imperial War Museum
18 Hampton Court
19 Cabinet War Rooms
20 Kensington Palace
21 Greenwich Police Station
May 9th, 2008, 10:05 AM
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That is one of my favorite areas, also. In fact, I check this site several times a week, just to put myself there for a few minutes.
http://www.camvista.com/england/lond...streaming.php3
http://www.camvista.com/england/lond...streaming.php3
May 9th, 2008, 10:37 AM
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I think it is time to have David's detailed list of requirements to be a good pub. And no flip remark about 'public house' or a dictionary definition - I could look that up myself.
But what is it about a place that would make you say 'that's a fine pub?' Earnest answer, please.
But what is it about a place that would make you say 'that's a fine pub?' Earnest answer, please.
May 9th, 2008, 10:46 AM
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Well I'm actually going off to one right now - but I'll point you in the direction of George Orwell's perfect (non existent) pub:
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/ess...nder-water.htm
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/ess...nder-water.htm
May 11th, 2008, 10:12 AM
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Well there is at least one riverside pub near the Tate Modern right on the river, with terrace i think but it looks so plastic and institutional for a London pub
Yes what London needs is a string of riverside pubs - move the world's longest Champagne bar down here
THE BOOK MARKET AND BOOKINISTES (?)
Around the National Theatre (?) on the riverside walk is a fairly large book market - mainly used books but really quite a bit of specialization, etc.
and there is also a re-creation of Paris' Seine-side 'bookinistes' (sp?) the book stalls whose backs are anchored to the block walls of the riverside. They stay in place and just shut them up at night, etc.
these have been growing in number and again there is a surprising degree of specialization as to topics, antique books, etc.
Not sure the book market is daily but it seems to be there a lot - the 'bookinisites' seem to operate as independent businesses, opening when they want.
Yes what London needs is a string of riverside pubs - move the world's longest Champagne bar down here
THE BOOK MARKET AND BOOKINISTES (?)
Around the National Theatre (?) on the riverside walk is a fairly large book market - mainly used books but really quite a bit of specialization, etc.
and there is also a re-creation of Paris' Seine-side 'bookinistes' (sp?) the book stalls whose backs are anchored to the block walls of the riverside. They stay in place and just shut them up at night, etc.
these have been growing in number and again there is a surprising degree of specialization as to topics, antique books, etc.
Not sure the book market is daily but it seems to be there a lot - the 'bookinisites' seem to operate as independent businesses, opening when they want.
May 12th, 2008, 09:08 AM
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Well there is at least one riverside pub near the Tate Modern right on the river, with terrace i think but it looks so plastic and institutional for a London pub>>>>
The Founders Arms - a Youngs pub. Decent enough beer (Youngs is not a favourite of mine) but very souless.
If yuo're wanting a pint in that area - go to the Rose and Crown in Columbo St. Much better
There are some cracking pubs on the river a bit further down stream - and indeed upstream. However that particular bit is poorly served.
The Founders Arms - a Youngs pub. Decent enough beer (Youngs is not a favourite of mine) but very souless.
If yuo're wanting a pint in that area - go to the Rose and Crown in Columbo St. Much better
There are some cracking pubs on the river a bit further down stream - and indeed upstream. However that particular bit is poorly served.
May 12th, 2008, 10:31 AM
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thanks bailey:
weekends are a great day for the South Bank, esp if weather is fine - the walk will be packed.
The London penchant for taking things Parisian, like the bookinistes riverside stalls is also shown in the portrait artists that i've seen setting up shop here - making those caricatures like in Paris' Place du Terte in Montmartre.
Just upstream past the London Eye big wheel is Parliament Bridge (I think that's the name of it) and this is often tourist gridlock - they need to provide more sidewalk space here or kick off the chain of hotdog stands that take up most of the walkway
There is a great view back towards the South Bank from the middle of the bridge and the graceful Houses of Parliament await just across the span - along with Westminster Abbey and Big Ben's Tower (housing Big Ben, a huge bell and not the tower)
Thus a South Bank walk from the Tate Modern (linked to St Pauls cathedral by the new Millennium Bridge (name?) and then along the South Bank walk to the Eye and over the bridge to Westminster Abbey - Parliament would be no more than a few miles and let you see so many famous landmarks and people watch to boot
now if there were not a dearth of pubs along the way.
weekends are a great day for the South Bank, esp if weather is fine - the walk will be packed.
The London penchant for taking things Parisian, like the bookinistes riverside stalls is also shown in the portrait artists that i've seen setting up shop here - making those caricatures like in Paris' Place du Terte in Montmartre.
Just upstream past the London Eye big wheel is Parliament Bridge (I think that's the name of it) and this is often tourist gridlock - they need to provide more sidewalk space here or kick off the chain of hotdog stands that take up most of the walkway
There is a great view back towards the South Bank from the middle of the bridge and the graceful Houses of Parliament await just across the span - along with Westminster Abbey and Big Ben's Tower (housing Big Ben, a huge bell and not the tower)
Thus a South Bank walk from the Tate Modern (linked to St Pauls cathedral by the new Millennium Bridge (name?) and then along the South Bank walk to the Eye and over the bridge to Westminster Abbey - Parliament would be no more than a few miles and let you see so many famous landmarks and people watch to boot
now if there were not a dearth of pubs along the way.
May 13th, 2008, 07:14 AM
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From the South Bank from near the London Eye Big Wheel the famous Hungerford Bridge spans the Thames to carry railway tracks into Charing Cross Station.
On each side of the railway bridge are two pedestrian bridges so you cross the Thames right next to trains constantly trundling to and from Charing X.
The fact that the train tracks cross the Thames and then terminate in Charing X - much like they do downstream at some other stations dates from the heyday of railway building in London in the 1800s - the train line that could get their customers the closest to central London the more advantageous their train lines would be.
And thus we have a railway bridge over the Thames that goes nowhere but to a station, which probably could have been built cheaper on the other side of the river and had a footbridge to the other side.
(I've read this aspect of London railway builders but am not sure of all the details.)
But anyway from the South Bank Walkway it's a short hop over the The Strand and Trafalgar Square right near Charing X Station and the West End Theatre district, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, etc.
Hungerford Bridge - Wikipedia
It is a steel truss railway bridge — sometimes known as the Charing Cross Bridge — flanked by two cable-stayed pedestrian bridges that share the railway ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_Bridge
Thames Charing Cross Railway Bridge - WHERE THAMES SMOOTH WATERS GLIDE
Charing Cross Railway Bridge from 'Where Thames Smooth Waters Flow'
thames.me.uk/s00120.htm
On each side of the railway bridge are two pedestrian bridges so you cross the Thames right next to trains constantly trundling to and from Charing X.
The fact that the train tracks cross the Thames and then terminate in Charing X - much like they do downstream at some other stations dates from the heyday of railway building in London in the 1800s - the train line that could get their customers the closest to central London the more advantageous their train lines would be.
And thus we have a railway bridge over the Thames that goes nowhere but to a station, which probably could have been built cheaper on the other side of the river and had a footbridge to the other side.
(I've read this aspect of London railway builders but am not sure of all the details.)
But anyway from the South Bank Walkway it's a short hop over the The Strand and Trafalgar Square right near Charing X Station and the West End Theatre district, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, etc.
Hungerford Bridge - Wikipedia
It is a steel truss railway bridge — sometimes known as the Charing Cross Bridge — flanked by two cable-stayed pedestrian bridges that share the railway ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungerford_Bridge
Thames Charing Cross Railway Bridge - WHERE THAMES SMOOTH WATERS GLIDE
Charing Cross Railway Bridge from 'Where Thames Smooth Waters Flow'
thames.me.uk/s00120.htm
May 15th, 2008, 06:15 AM
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For a memorable oat trip along this stretch of the Thames consider taking the unique Duck Tours DUKW boats that go from land to water and up and down the Thames and then around Parliament area, etc. DUKW boats were developed for the military as the Duck Tours web site explains.
It's just fun to watch these DUKW boats full of giddy tourists going up and down the river and then emerging from the water, etc.
Kids seem to really love them.
London Ducktours
Without the DUKW supplies would have to be loaded from the large ships into smaller boats. The boats would have to be unloaded at the shore and the cargo ...
www.londonducktours.co.uk/history.htm
It's just fun to watch these DUKW boats full of giddy tourists going up and down the river and then emerging from the water, etc.
Kids seem to really love them.
London Ducktours
Without the DUKW supplies would have to be loaded from the large ships into smaller boats. The boats would have to be unloaded at the shore and the cargo ...
www.londonducktours.co.uk/history.htm
Jun 2nd, 2008, 06:30 AM
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Just beyond the London Eye is one of London's most visited sites - the London Aquarium - it occupies part of County Hall, a former government building now hosting a hotel, businesses like a McDonalds and the London Aquarium.
And though there is no dearth of Acquarium in the U.S. this one i guess is exceptional. Brits flock here like lemmings.
If you have kids looking for kid things to do this could be the ticket.
http://www.londonaquarium.co.uk/
And though there is no dearth of Acquarium in the U.S. this one i guess is exceptional. Brits flock here like lemmings.
If you have kids looking for kid things to do this could be the ticket.
http://www.londonaquarium.co.uk/
Jun 3rd, 2008, 06:12 AM
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A whole day can be spent dawdling along the South Bank walk - stopping to visit the Tate Modern Galley, in a former Thames-side Power Plant, the re-creation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre with on the premises the Globe Theatre Experience (or whatever they call this documentation center on Shakespeare).
The Tate Modern is the newer sister of the established Tate Gallery a bit upstream from this emporium of modern art. And since it's free even those museum-allergic folks may want to pop in to see both first-rate modern art and eclectic displays of contemporary art - a very fun museum.
The terrace on the top floor is a very popular cafe-restaurant.
The museum is in a behemoth former power plant - tall chimney still extant and this restored industrial heritage thing help makes the museum so unique.
I had the fortune to take a hard-hat tour of the place when the power plant had been gutted - it was hard to imagine how they could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but they did - splendidly so.
Take an audio-self guided tour and enjoy some of the most enjoyable IMO art anywhere.
And if you want to also see the old Tate Gallery upstream then you can hop the Tate-Tate boat that goes along the Thames between the two.
Tate Modern is open to 10pm Fri and Sat nights - nights in fine weather when the South Bank Walkway is very animated. And a stroll along the Thames after dark yields a very different perspective of an illuminated skyline
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
TBC - The Globe, Borough Market, The London Dungeon, The London Eye; Etc.
The Tate Modern is the newer sister of the established Tate Gallery a bit upstream from this emporium of modern art. And since it's free even those museum-allergic folks may want to pop in to see both first-rate modern art and eclectic displays of contemporary art - a very fun museum.
The terrace on the top floor is a very popular cafe-restaurant.
The museum is in a behemoth former power plant - tall chimney still extant and this restored industrial heritage thing help makes the museum so unique.
I had the fortune to take a hard-hat tour of the place when the power plant had been gutted - it was hard to imagine how they could make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but they did - splendidly so.
Take an audio-self guided tour and enjoy some of the most enjoyable IMO art anywhere.
And if you want to also see the old Tate Gallery upstream then you can hop the Tate-Tate boat that goes along the Thames between the two.
Tate Modern is open to 10pm Fri and Sat nights - nights in fine weather when the South Bank Walkway is very animated. And a stroll along the Thames after dark yields a very different perspective of an illuminated skyline
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/
TBC - The Globe, Borough Market, The London Dungeon, The London Eye; Etc.
Jun 5th, 2008, 12:32 PM
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Also on the South Bank walk is the Globe Theatre and Shakespeare Globe Exhibit, which surrounds the faithful re-creation of Shakespeare's original theatre that was on or near this site.
An American actor and direction Sam Wanamaker was the driving force behind its re-construction and the foundation that continues to run it.
To me the Globe is a very very interesting experience - if you have kids in tow drag them in here whether they want to know about Shakespeare and his Globe Theatre or not.
There is a season where the theatre hosts plays - not only the Bard's but his contemporaries so you can also be a 'groundling' in the cheap seats. Not sure however if all actors in these plays are male as was the case in Spearshakes time.
The Glober Exhibition document the Bard's life - and even in one panel plays the devil's advocate and casts doubts on whether Shakespeare indeed could even have written these plays - an ongoing controversy with Shakespeare scholars.
chttp://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
An American actor and direction Sam Wanamaker was the driving force behind its re-construction and the foundation that continues to run it.
To me the Globe is a very very interesting experience - if you have kids in tow drag them in here whether they want to know about Shakespeare and his Globe Theatre or not.
There is a season where the theatre hosts plays - not only the Bard's but his contemporaries so you can also be a 'groundling' in the cheap seats. Not sure however if all actors in these plays are male as was the case in Spearshakes time.
The Glober Exhibition document the Bard's life - and even in one panel plays the devil's advocate and casts doubts on whether Shakespeare indeed could even have written these plays - an ongoing controversy with Shakespeare scholars.
chttp://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
Jun 5th, 2008, 12:40 PM
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I am going to the Globe this Saturday for a Midsummer's Night's Dream. It is my favorite play that I have seen in many genres: movies, play, ballet. The tickets were a gift and I can't wait to see the performance in the Globe. I have walked around that are a few times, but never eaten around there. Any restaurant recommendations?
Jun 6th, 2008, 09:55 AM
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Man that is not my bag - as few folks are reading this thread i suggest you post that as a question and you will get IME some great recommendations. that said i don't remember much at all in the immediate vicinity of the Globe in terms of shops or restaurants.
