re the London Pass: &quot;<i> With this pass you can get free access to the Tower and 50+ other attractions (and avoid the long lines)</i>&quot;

- &quot;free&quot; access but the pass is quite expensive so not free at all. The Tower is about the only place (other than Madame Tussaud's) w/ lines. The LP really isn't a deal for most travelers since all the covered attractions must be crammed into the 1, 2 or 3 consecutive days of the pass.

&quot;<i>You can even order a travelcard with it.</i>&quot; And whatever you do, DO NOT buy the transport option. There are more and cheaper option available at any tube station.

Are you flying out of LHR on Sun evening? I presume that's why you're going out to LHR to rent a car. If not, have you tried Hertz location near Marble Arch? They are one of the few central London car rental offices open on Sundays.

BTW, 28 May is a bank holiday so lots of people would be travelling around that weekend. Though driving on Sunday shouldn't be difficult (traffic out of London would be heaviest Fri pm, return traffic on Mon early-late pm/night).

I went to Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, St. Pauls and The Tower. Buying a London Pass + travel option was a little cheaper and it bought me a lot of time; especially in the weekend. To me the money is not that important. I went to the Tower on saturday and I was *really* glad that I could use the gate for passholders!

Just a quick note on the Jack the Ripper walk: Several years ago, we took the Jack the Ripper tour (I was in my mid-twenties then). We really enjoyed it - it shows you part of London (the old city wall, etc.) that most tourists would not see and we learned a lot of history (it was not just about the kilings but the social/economic issues of the time). However, my mother recenly took it, based on my enthusiastic recommendation, and was disapppointed. She had a different guide and apparently, that makes a big difference. Ask who your guide will be - one is an expert of those times.

Also, I second attened the theater esp. if you are not close to NYC. We just saw Mary Poppins (in London) a couple of months ago and it was fantastic - even a 19 year old would love it! The half-price booth may be hard for some tickets though - I do not think Mary Poppins was available at a discount but it was a great way to spend an evening and very appropriate as we were in London.

Enjoy your travels!

The Red Lion got generally bad reviews at beerintheevening.com. I've never been though.

Bill