Just back from England, Scotland & Wales--Can I help?
May 24th, 1998 | 05:33 PM
#21
Guest
Posts: n/a
Off the beaten path in London? You have to realize that London IS the beaten path!
Seriously, the best way to see London is to decide what you are .Are you a theater nut? Locate yourself near the West End, get theater schedules off the Net before leaving home, go to the half-price ticket booth. You can see THREE plays most days: A noon-time theater performance, a matinee (in London, there are matinees almost every day, something they could learn about in New York). Are you a history buff? Read about it in advance. Get materials from British Tourist Authority's New York office. Are you a Holmesian? There is a grand replica of 221b at 221b Baker Street. Across the street is a SH souvenir store. The nearby Baker Street tube station has neat murals on the tile walls. Look in Time Out, the best entertainment magazine, for announcements of walking tours of SH locations.
Get the point? Know what you're interested in, and specialize in it. London truly has something for everyone--but you have to know where to look.
And, as lagniappe to the above, here are 5 London things I never miss: The National Portrait Gallery. The (fairly) new Theater Museum at Covent Garden and the nearby Transport Museum. A walk along the Thames near Whitehall. And at least one play by that country boy from Stratford named Shakespeare (not a tourist play at Stratford, but at a real theater in London).
And, finally, the walk across Waterloo Bridge late at night after a performance, any performance, at the National Theater. Look for Robert Taylor.
Damn, now you've made me want to start packing!
Seriously, the best way to see London is to decide what you are .Are you a theater nut? Locate yourself near the West End, get theater schedules off the Net before leaving home, go to the half-price ticket booth. You can see THREE plays most days: A noon-time theater performance, a matinee (in London, there are matinees almost every day, something they could learn about in New York). Are you a history buff? Read about it in advance. Get materials from British Tourist Authority's New York office. Are you a Holmesian? There is a grand replica of 221b at 221b Baker Street. Across the street is a SH souvenir store. The nearby Baker Street tube station has neat murals on the tile walls. Look in Time Out, the best entertainment magazine, for announcements of walking tours of SH locations.
Get the point? Know what you're interested in, and specialize in it. London truly has something for everyone--but you have to know where to look.
And, as lagniappe to the above, here are 5 London things I never miss: The National Portrait Gallery. The (fairly) new Theater Museum at Covent Garden and the nearby Transport Museum. A walk along the Thames near Whitehall. And at least one play by that country boy from Stratford named Shakespeare (not a tourist play at Stratford, but at a real theater in London).
And, finally, the walk across Waterloo Bridge late at night after a performance, any performance, at the National Theater. Look for Robert Taylor.
Damn, now you've made me want to start packing!
May 24th, 1998 | 06:53 PM
#22
Guest
Posts: n/a
GREG......we visited Beatrix Potters house a couple of years ago....early in the season, flowers not blooming etc, but darling baby lambs etc (April).
After driving the car off the ferry it leads right into a lovely narrow winding road several miles to Sawrey??I believe. The 'gift shop' is right at the road and the home just up the hill perhaps 50-75 yards/ It wasn't open the day were there, but the setting is beautiful,( and also continuing on the road through some of the lake district.)
After driving the car off the ferry it leads right into a lovely narrow winding road several miles to Sawrey??I believe. The 'gift shop' is right at the road and the home just up the hill perhaps 50-75 yards/ It wasn't open the day were there, but the setting is beautiful,( and also continuing on the road through some of the lake district.)
May 28th, 1998 | 12:01 PM
#23
Guest
Posts: n/a
GREGG: We went to Beatrix Potter's Hill Top house last August. My mother was "concerned" that it would be very touristy but was pleasently surprised - the visit was one of the many highlights of our trip to the Lake District. We stayed in Keswick and took the coach to Hill Top which is located in the village of Near Sawrey. Bus dropped us off near the inn and it was a short walk to the car park and Hill Top. People were parking everywhere, which isn't saying much as Near Sawrey is a tiny village. Tour groups were being dropped off in vans and buses to avoid the parking crush (remember - this was August). Am so glad we went - best to arrive early as there are only a certain amount of people who are allowed in Hill Top per day (if you like, I can check my guide books). Blinds in the house are kept drawn to keep out the light and preserve the interior of the house. For anyone planning on going to Hill Top (which I highly recommend) I would also suggest you check out the biography on Beatrix Potter by Judith Norton Taylor to read before hand. It will help you appreciate this remarkable woman.
