Barbican Center, London
 

My husband and I(retired New Yorkers) are staying at a friend's apt here during the second week of June.
Can someone offer advice as to restaurants, markets for breakfast items, take-out. how to get from Heathrow..best travel options from here.or anything relevant to this area? We've been to London but, never stayed in this area. Thanks,

I'm truly puzzled why you think a website 99% populated by people living thousands of miles away can offer any useful advice your friends can't on this

If you asked your friends, they'd tell you The Barbican is an almost entirely shop-free residential complex. There are reasonable, though scattered, shops to the east, west and north. The nearest proper supermarket is Waitrose in Cherry Tree Walk,EC1Y 8NX, off Whitecross St. THe M&S food dept at 151 Moorgate (EC2M 6XQ)is fine, but has slightly erratic opening hours. That's just about it, though there's a smattefing of (generally rotten) convenience stores up and down Aldersgate

There are lots of decent restaurants to the east, around Moorgate. Almost all are open only for weekday lunch, though most pubs in the area that serve food also serve it in the evenings. Practically nothing except churches east of the Barbican functions at weekends - though the area is fabulous to walk round at weekends

To the west, the area round Smithfield is a major restaurant centre, and is open lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, with a bit of Sunday opening. South: not a lot.

Though I imagine that's what you've already been told. The estate lies between Moorgate and Barbican tube stations. DON'T get the Heathrow Express or Connect to Paddington and change onto the tube: the connection at Paddington is London's nastiest.

Whether you choose to get the tube to Kings Cross then change to the Circle/District Line to whichever tube station is nearer for you, or book a car, make sure you've got a detailed map of getting to the flat from the entrance to the estate. I'd say the tube's more convenient: even black cabdrivers hate the estate and will probably drop you off somewhere there are no maps (ALL flats involve lengthy walks from the estate entrance). There are maps constantly handy to the walking routes from the tube stations.

But again, on this: your friends - who, unlike any of us, know where they live - will give infinitely better information than any of us can.

It is great your friends are offering their flat.

Can't really add anything to the info flanner has provided -- except to stress that you need to know <u>exactly</u> where the flat is. The Barbican is a <B>VERY</B> confusing estate/development.

You will be walking distance to St Paul's, and the Museum of London is located right there in the Barbican.

Aren't you glad you asked????

Of course there are some British posters on here so the assumption that you might not get useful advice puzzles me.

What's a board like this for, if not to ask questions. If you don't like the question, you don't have to respond. Lectures on the "appropriateness" of the question seem a little over the top IMHO.

CarolA: And did you have any helpful info to throw in the mix -- instead of slamming those who actually do know something about the Barbican and offered useful advice? Like asking their friends?

The OP now has lots of info to work w/ . . . .