I've found what looks like a good apt. in Chelsea. I know it's residential, and we're close to the tube, but will we find not- too- fancy restaurants and shops that fit the budgets of teens and preteens? Any other suggestions of things to see and look for in the Chelsea area? Thank you!

Nancy, <BR> <BR>As I recall Chelsea is a very, very nice part of London. Most of the places we went too were expensive, but on the other hand, the $ was very weak. <BR> <BR>That entire area, Chelsea, Belgravia and Kensington are expensive. I do believe however that you can eat more reasonably in the Kensington area. <BR> <BR>Hope that helps somewhat.

You'll be fine in Chelsea and you're close enough to the stores on Kensington High Street to explore with ease. There are clothing stores your kids will love and the price range goes from high end to "by London standards" low. <BR>Remember that you're basing in Chelsea only. You certainly don't want to go to London and spend all your time in one area! You'll be taking the tube all over London so you'll shop and eat in other areas. By the way, the kids might enjoy Piccadilly Circus because it's noisy, bright and very "New York" like. That's were they'll find the Pepsi Trocadero Center & Segaworld--horrible for adults, but the best place to see a "young teen" crowd if you're kids want to compare cultures. Take the free Beefeater tour at the Tower of London--they're amusing and irreverent and the kids will get a kick out of it. For meals you might want to try some of the techno trendy places like Wagamama Noodle Bar in Soho and Belgian Centraal near Covent Garden. This is just a beginning--you and the kids will never be bored--just get out of Chelsea--it IS residential (but lovely)--and explore! Have a great trip!

Fodors <BR> <BR>Dear Ms Meier, <BR> <BR>As people have said, in general Chelsea, like Kensington, has expensive shops, restaurants and cafes.On the other hand, much of Chelsea is fairly green, with places to play. If you'll tell us the road you'll be on we can help further. <BR> <BR>You won't compare teen cultures anywhere near Piccadilly Circus. It's just a mash of music that sells well. Rather, the cutting edge in music and dress is down in Brixton, on the Victoria tube line. For clubs there are age limits: you can buy Time Out magazine at your arrival airport and look over the field. But for the rich street scene anybody can go. <BR>Why your family should want techno trendy places I don't know. They have theuir own tastes, not those given them by large multi-nationals. So in Chelsea they might well like some pubs. <BR> <BR>The Anglesea Arms, 15 Sellwood Terrace, Chelsea, SW7. Phone 7373 7960. South Kensington tube. Thai lunches Tuesday and Wednesday, English lunches other five days and English suppers daily. Children welcome throughout. Good for visits to South Kensington Museums -- though in fact there are plenty of fairly cheap ethnic restaurants beside and opposite South Kensington station. <BR> <BR>The Coopers Arms, 87 Flood Street, Chelsea, SW3. Phone 7376 3120. Full lunches daily and evening bar snacks daily. From October there will be full suppers too. Children welcome to full meals, but not sat at bar snacks. Tube to Sloane Square and bus along the Kings Road. Good for visits to the National Amy Museum. <BR> <BR>And in Belgravia The Nags Head, 53 Kinnerton Street, and the Wilton Arms, 71 Kinnerton Street. Both of these have evening meals. Knightsbridge tube station. Children are welcome in summer only outdoors at a street table. <BR> <BR>Nowhere in Chelsea is close to a tube station. But as I say if you'll tell us your street we can say more. <BR> <BR>Please do this, and write if I can help further. If you do, notes on ages, and on interests of the teenagers, would take things further. Welcome to London. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>

Ben beat me to it - Chelsea is a wonderful area but not one I would first think of taking children to since it is probably the one area worst served by tube. The nearest Undegground stations are in South Kensington, Victoria, Sloane square. From most parts of chelsea you have yo walk a very long way to the tube.

Have to agree with Ben and Janis, if you could give the road it would help. South Ken and chelsea kind on elt together, King's Rd has all sorts of shops teenagers would love, and there are loads of reasonable restaurants, Bella pasta, Dutch Kitchen, some chinese and Indian. And as Ben points out lots of Green space. it would be particularly nice as you are renting a flat, there are groceries, dry cleaners, laundries , etc.available. <BR> <BR>And as long as you are close to a tube, the rest is there for the taking.Also excellent bus service at least along Kings Rd.

Fodors <BR> <BR>In a helpful e-mail Ms Jordan has shown me that I have left some things unexplained, and have not attended to the shopping question. <BR> <BR>I failed to say that shopping and window shopping in Brixton for clothes and music takes children to more current and more surprising products than they'll find around Piccadilly (or Covent Garden). I also failed to say that I named the pubs with pub meals as an experience new to the children but with food the know, not as places of historical note. <BR> <BR>Other good places for cheap shopping are the street markets, especially Portobello Road and Camden Town. Time Out magazine gives days for these. <BR> <BR>It would still be useful to have the name of your proposed street in Chelsea. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>

Ben: <BR>As usual, your recommendations always make sense and are on point. You allow me to just keep adding to my file of things to do and areas to wander that I know will add to my experiences of London. I've never been to Brixton, but I will now make it a point to do so. <BR>Thanks very much!

Ms Meier replied, and I wrote: <BR> <BR>Dear Ms Meier, <BR> <BR>You're right: Draycott Place is very near the District and Circle Line underground. Technically I suppose we'd say it's "around Sloane Square", since it's border territory between Belgravia and Chelsea. <BR> <BR>Your two-zone Londion Travel Card works for bus as well as tube, so you can use it to take the 137 bus from Sloane Street to Ranelagh Gardens, a reasonable park. Busses 19, 22, 137 and C1 run from Sloane Square to Knightsbridge. Walk straight on and you're at the lake, the Serpentine, which has open-air swimming, which we're going to need until mid August. We are promised Meditteranean temperatures. If you're coming soon, please pack swimming gear, and walking shorts (ideally not in a violent colour). <BR> <BR>Also at Knightsbridge is Harrods department store, where the toys section, young people's clothes section, and food hall might please the family. And bus C1 runs from Sloane Square through Knightsbridge to South Kensington, where your folk might like the Science Museum -- at least it's not historic. <BR> <BR>As ever, please write again if I can help further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR>Mel: Thank you <BR> <BR>

Ben, thanks for all the great info on Brixton. I will be travelling to London on August 2nd with my 16year old daughter and my 65 year old parents. Any suggestions for restaurants in Brixton? Thanks

Angela - Brixton is a very vibrant area - but one I would be VERY careful wandering around - especially w/ elderly parents and 16 year old daughter. <BR> <BR>Just as with interesting ethnic areas in most large US cities, folks who are not familiar with specific streets, clubs, etc should probably not wander around without specific guidance from locals. It is easy to get into places one would not be comfortable.

Fodors <BR> <BR>I'm afraid I don't know the restaurants around Brixton. <BR> <BR>I'm sorry, too, to have to disagree deeply with Janis. I'm 64, so I'm old ("elderly" is a weasel word), and much of an age with Angela's mother. Brixton is not an interesting ethnic area in a US city. It is Brixton, a place of its own character. Brixton is not so much ethnic as multi-ethnic, and old Caribbean families now find a mix of yuppies living beside them on their roads. Especially with the new tube line Brixton is doing well. In London we are used to living with people of many colours, most of then born and bred here. We do not have the assumption which I find in parts of Paris and hear of in parts of the USA that people of another colour are ipso facto dangerous. I wonder whether the word "comfortable" carries this racial assumption. If not, what assumption does it cover ? Clubs are staffed with good numbers of muscular men in black suits, whose task is to quell violence. But anyway, I think Mrs Mayer's daughter is too young to get in. I suppose that in a nearby large estate of social housing you might be attacked at night, but can't even promise that. And in fact such places are too dull to visit, and you'd go to the markets, shops, pubs, and cafes around Brixtion station and along Coldharbour Lane, including St Matthew's meeting place and the bar in the Ritzy cinema. <BR> <BR>I write with more feeling than usual. I am proud of where London has got to, and we advance by avoiding assumptions that others make. We cannot love our neighbour if we don't pop in to buy his CDs. <BR> <BR>I look forward to further discussion. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

<BR>Bravo!!Mr.Haines!

To Ben and others - I am not being racist - Race has nothing to do with it. You are the one who put a racial twist on the conversation. I go into Brixton and other neighborhoods often and enjoy them. I have a good aquaintance living in Brixton - and she always gives me warnings about potential problems. I would give Angela the same advice if she was going south of Market in San Francisco, areas of south Florida, parts of Glasgow. There is a lot to enjoy in all of those areas -- BUT do not put a "happy face" on it. Brixton does have some VERY rough streets. I just advised her to get advice from trusted locals before heading there. <BR> <BR>Not because of the colour of the residents - but because of the conditions in some areas. One street will be fine while a block over might be a no-go area. <BR> <BR>

For Janis: Ah, fine: that's a relief. I'm sorry for my misapprehension. Someday soon I'm going to cycle all the central streets, to find the very rough streets and the no-go areas. I'll report back. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines

Janis -- thanks you for "taking on" Mr. Haines on Brixton -- as much as I appreciate the generous contributions he makes to this forum, I find his opinions often are disparaging of those to do not share exactly his view of the world. He doesn't always seem to allow that different people may have different levels of safety and comfort concerns that are legitimate.

Okay -- just reread the stuff about racism -- Mr. Haines -- that's hogwash. I quote you -- <BR>&lt;&lt;In London we are used to living with people of many colours, most of then born and bred here. We do not have the assumption which I find in parts of Paris and hear of in parts of the USA that people of another colour are ipso facto dangerous&gt;&gt; <BR> <BR>This is YOUR view of matters -- I seem to recall some rather recent "race riots" in your country -- are these people as comfortable as you are? Again my statement. Your views are YOURS -- they do not represent either the situation in your country, which is becomming more and more polarized, as we [US] are and your advice is dangerous advice to give to culturally different and unaware people. I know I will get flamed for taking you on -- so be it. But you need to remember that not everyone you are advising is as experienced as you are.

Not a flame, but I am in my 60s and have never felt uneasy in Brixton. I'd agree that some housing estates are better avoided but tourists are very unlikely to go there and even if they did they'd probably feel more depressed than threatened. <BR>There was an incident some time ago when a racist placed a bomb in Brixton Market and was amazed to see how many white people were there. <BR>Yes, there has been racial trouble but in places in the North where unemployment is high. Extreme right wingers have managed to cause trouble by setting white against Asian but on the news there were white people protecting asian properties and asian people helping to repair damage to white owned businesses. <BR>The UK is the most racially integrated country in Europe and possibly the world. I've read that 40% of black men have a white partner. <BR>My daughter lives in Bethnal Green a "rough" area of London. I've never felt uneasy there and in fact the streets are a lot cleaner than some in the posh West End.

Nancy, <BR> <BR>Interesting discussion, but it seems to have evolved into the political realm...Back to your original question, though, I can report that my kids, one preteen and one teen, thought Chelsea was "OK", but it was certainly not the highlight of their visits. <BR> <BR>We parents really enjoyed visiting the <BR>Chelsea Physic Garden (http://www.cpgarden.demon.co.uk ) and strolling through some of the residential and shopping areas. Lots of restaurant choices too, from the basic Pret A Mangier to more expensive places. <BR> <BR>As others have noted, much of Chelsea proper is a long way from the nearest Tube stop. But if your flat is near transportation, Chelsea could serve as an acceptable home base while visiting London. <BR> <BR>Dave White <BR>http://www.KidsToLondon.com <BR>[email protected]