London geography/activity question
 

Of these activities, which is best from a geographical standpoint between an 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day service at St. Paul's Cathedral and a 5:30 p.m. afternoon tea at the Ritz?

Covent Garden
St. Martin-in-the-Fields church
Natural History museum
British Museum
Globe Theatre
Westminster Abbey
Buckingham Palace
Harrod's

You could do any of them - they're all only a short trip on the tube or bus.


But Harrods? Leave it out. It's full of fat yanks, eurotrash and poodlefakers.

I liked Harrods but then I love to shop. Wish I could have had more time there.

Have you been invited to lunch at the Palace? Otherwise, there's bugger all to see there on a November afternoon, except its Mews art gallery, but there are lots of better galleries around (though it's only five mins' walk from the Ritz if you want to look at the outside from a considerable distance, though it'll be dark by 4.30). Westminster Abbey's closed on Sundays unless you want to attend another service.

Ignore Horrid's. You can't see all the others in the time, and the Natural History Museum's the most away from your route. If you walk across the river to the Globe, along it to Waterloo Bridge, through Covent Garden and past St Martin's to the Palace/Ritz, you won't have time to see the British Museum.

But you can perm any four of that group if you want to see the British Museum. Personally, I wouldn't bother with a bus or tube.

I also like Harrod's (and am far from fat), but it's not where I'd spend my one and only afternoon either.

>>Westminster Abbey's closed on Sundays unless you want to attend another service.<<

I thought the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul's was on Thursday, in which case, wouldn't Westminster Abbey be open?

Hi bakerstreet-

Here's what I would suggest (assuming you've got lots of stamina):

From St Paul's, cross the Millenium bridge over to Tate Modern & Glove Theatre, and head over to Borough Market for lunch.
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

You can then either walk along the Thames Westbound until you arrive at the London Eye. Alternatively, you can pick up the RV1 bus from the Borough Market and get off at the Eye.

You'll have a good view of the Parliament (Big Ben) from that spot. Then walk across Westminster Bridge and visit Westminster Abbey. Last time I checked, Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so don't concern yourself with what flanner said (ie, closed on Sundays).

From there, walk across St James's Park. If you still have time and energy, you can head towards Buckingham Palace (for a photo-op really). If not, you can head to the Ritz.

Alternatively, instead of crossing Westminster Bridge, you can cross on Hungerford Bridge which will take you to Charing Cross & Trafalgar Sq. There, you can visit St Martin in the Fields, and then go visit Covent Garden from there.

Am I the only one wondering why St Paul's is having a Thanksgiving Day service ? Were they glad to get rid of the Pilgrims?

We celebrate it too. We also give thanks....

St Pauls has a service for the yank ex pats (it's quite a fund raiser if nothing else).