Alone in London
 

I'm a 29 year old female planning to go to London for a few days. I'll be alone - staying near Kensington/Knightsbridge. What are some cool things to do - places to go? Good tours to sightsee and maybe some nice walking pub tours to recommend (is it ok to go them alone?). Your help's appreciated! :)

Take one of the Hop on Hop off bus tours (there are at least 2 or 3), totally worthwhile and you won't feel alone. Very good commentary, get to see all the sights, I found it to be a good first look at London. Also go to Covent Gardens - an "outdoor" market, shopping area with great stores, cafes and street entertainers.

Hi ... if you like walks, you might try London Walks. You can pick up their brochure at the tourist office and at most tourist sites. It lists all their walks, the cost and where to show up if you want to go along. If I am not wrong, there are pub walks as well. You can look into www.london.walks.com for more info. <BR>

Try the Reduced Shakespeare Company's production of ALL of Shakespeare's plays in 90 minutes. It's hillarious. It was so funny that my wife went a 2nd time during a recent visit to London. They do this play nearly every night, but on Tuesday they do The History of the United States in 90 minutes (I wish I had been in London on a Tuesday). <BR>The theatre is just off the Picadilly Circus station on the Tube. Reduced price coupons can be found at B&Bs and other locations.

I did London on my own too (I'm a female in my 20's) I did one of the London Walks as mentioned above - it was the Jack The Ripper tour and it was interesting and fun. Not really spooky, especially when there are about 15 people walking around together. Definitely go on a tour at the Tower of London (it's free) The Beefeaters give the tours and they are hysterical - if he doesn't make you laugh after 2 minutes then walk away and wait for the next one. The Tower Bridge tour is a bit of a bore, unless you're into bridges, engineering and that type of stuff. Have fun. E mail me if you have further questions. <BR>

Carole, <BR>Re Visitor Travelcards for use on the buses and underground: Some authorized travel agents can secure them or you can contact BritRail Travel International, 1500 Broadway, New York, NY <BR>10036, tel: (212) 575-2667. I'm not certain they're a bargain unless you plan on an early start in your daily travels. In '96, the 3 day pass cost <BR>$25.00; a one day pass (good after 9:30 AM and available at tube stations)cost $4.50. In three days savings were over $10.00 using the daily passes. Hang on to them by the way; you need them to exit the tube stations. <BR> <BR>Re theatre, walks and interests: Contact the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10176-0799, tel:1 800 462 2748 and tell them of your interests. They have a number of brochures to satisfy specific interests. The Time Out guide lists restaurants, pubs and theatrical performances for example. The London website you can access through <BR>http://webcrawler.city.net/countries...ngland/london/ has a comprehensive West End Theatre Guide, a calendar of events and a wealth of <BR>valuable information. There is a theatre box office in Leicester Square in the heart of the theatre district that offers discount tickets for same day <BR>(evening) performances. <BR> <BR>Re St. Martins in the Fields in Trafalgar Square: It has an excellent, inexpensive restaurant for lunch. It also has a brass rubbing center, if you'd like to make your own interesting memento of your trip. <BR> <BR>Re interesting streets and markets. Consider Camden Lock Market, Buck Street NW, tube stop Camden Town on the Northern Line. The market is open 9 to 5 on Thursday and Friday, 10 to 6, Saturday and Sunday. An attractive cobbled area around the Regents Canal it features handmade crafts and antiques, street performers and hawkers. You can take a boat ride on the canal to Little Venice and return to your hotel via the Warwick Street tube station on the Bakerloo line at the end of the boat ride. <BR> <BR>Consider the Camden Passage, Camden Passage N1, tube stop Angel, also on the Northern Line. Open Wednesday 10 - 2; Saturday 10 -5. Great for <BR>browsing with bookshops, antique shops and restaurants. No bargains, this is good stuff! <BR> <BR>I think you should visit the British Museum. While it would probably take you a full three weeks to explore the entire museum, the Elgin Marbles in <BR>Gallery 8 are worth a visit and are in close proximity to the main entrance. You'll pass the Rosetta Stone in Gallery 25 on the way to the <BR>Marbles. The Marbles' display is most impressive. Directly above on the next floor is the Portland Vase, another sight worth seeing. <BR> <BR>Most of my dining experiences have been in neighborhood pubs so I'll make no recommendations. Will make a warning, however. Avoid something called "Chips and Butty" if you see it on a menu. Envision a hand full of french fries between two heavily buttered slices of white bread! That's it! <BR>Try to visit one of the neighborhood pubs rather than ones that cater to tourists. Take the underground to an outlying area, Maida Vale, for example and hunt up a pub there. You'll find pub attendees friendly and talkative. <BR> <BR>Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. <BR>see your comments upon your return. <BR> <BR>

<BR>I definitely agree with the poster who recommended the walking tours. They are very varied and include different neighborhoods and even places like Hampsted Heath. Check out their web site and you could do a few each day. At night, how about a show? You don't talk to people anyway during the show. Also, check out Royal Festival Hall (Waterloo tube) if you like classical music. Tickets are very inexpensive for back seats which is fine as you only need to hear not really see up close. <BR>Good Luck. Also to note that Hampton Court is not too far away for a day trip.