Hey all,

Happy Travels to all of you! I have always gotten great advice when posting here, and i am sure this time will be no different.

I am off to London out of New York City, flying to London (with a short layover in Madrid) then will be there from Sat. 11/20 through Saturday 11/27, leaving at about noon on Sunday 11/28.

My hostel is on Bolsover Street, very near the bottom of Regent's Park, and nearest to the Great Portland St. station.

I am not very good at organizing when to do things, rather I clump a lot of things together and then see when they come up in the trip...that said here is a sampling of things I want to do:

Tate Modern-EVERYONE I know that has been to London says it is a must-see..
National Theater-Hamlet is playing there, since the Globe's season is over, Shakespeare in England.
Westminster Abbey
Wellcome Gallery-Euston St. My friend sent me a link, really quirky art-meets science gallery..
Tower of London
London Eye
Portobello Market
St. Martins in the Fields-maybe catch a concert.
Soccer game??? Don't know how realistic this is, nor have i researched yet.
Hampstead theatre- Athol Fugard play showing there, I am an aspiring actor, so theatre is one of my loves.
Possibly the British Museum or the Victoria and Albert museum
Piccidilly

I am not much of a drinker anymore, more of a workout junkie now. So there are some excellent gyms i intend to hit as well, like Crossfit Central London.

What am I missing? Lots I know, but please chime in, Thanks!

Oh and one more question, should I exchange pounds before leaving or after?

Really really appreciate any and all input.

Best regards,
Eric

Also was typing rather fast so apologies for any spelling errors in names or otherwise, thanks.

esl,
There's a very nice restaurant/shop near you on Great Portland, called Villandry. The more formal (and, I expect, more expensive although I was treated) restaurant is at the back but there's a more casual cafe in front.

Also, walk down Marlybone High Street to Oxford Street. It's a charming street full of small stores and restaurants. Visit Daunt's Bookstore there.

The Tate Modern has a good cafe. The Gauguin show is on at the TM right now. Even if you don't see it, take a few minutes (14 to be exact) to watch the film called "Gauguin: In His Words".

The Wellcome Collection is one of our favourite places here. They have great free talks. They're not long so if you can get a chance to go to one, it's worth the hour or two. Here's the website: www.wellcomecollection.org. Nice bookstore and cafe there too. It's also close to a pleasant, well-priced restaurant called Prezzo, if you're looking for lunch or dinner in the neighbourhood.

Also right there is the British Library which has a fine permanent collection. Also the Evolving English exhibit there now is lots of fun.

The Victoria & Albert is a lovely museum but be sure to have a meal or at least coffee in the cafe there. It won't look like much when you step in but the three seating rooms are spectacular.

(I think I've become obsessed with museum cafes!)

The National Gallery has a Canaletto show on now and three tremendous paintings by Clive Head. These two shows are related and if you see both and then watch the two short movies in the Canaletto exhibit, you'll understand how. The NG is right across from St. Martins so maybe you can do it before the concert in the evening. St. Martins also has some lunchtime concerts, if that suits your schedule better and I think they're free. http://www2.stmartin-in-the-fields.o...home/home.html

I like museums well enough and there are great ones here but at best you'll only be able to see a few rooms in each so don't expect to 'do' a whole museum. Be sure to leave some time just for walking around and just getting the feel of the place.

You can see a lot in a week's time in London, and there are scads of things to do. Given that people's tastes on attractions vary widely, it's really tough to just offer up ideas. We don't know what appeals here.

I'd recommend doing some research here (this forum has loads of threads on it with London itineraries of varying lengths), plus a look at attractions at the Fodor's or Frommer's websites to get a good idea of things to see. Then draw up a rough itinerary and post it. We'll be more than happy to make suggestions from there.

"Be sure to leave some time just for walking around and just getting the feel of the place."

Um, I meant to walk around and get the feel of the city, not of the museum. (Must remember to re-read my posts before hitting submit!)

Don't change money before leaving. I would highly suggest using your ATM card there for the best rate. They don't charge a fee on their end.

thanks for all the insight, really appreciate it. goddesstogo, I love museum galleries too...and great trip report by the way!

bachslunch, I should probably be more organized, but generally I try to just list stuff I want to do then check it off as opportunity arises.

I do like a lot of theatre, and galleries, that is probably going to be my number one interest there. But also a lot of ethnic cuisine, not only the food but the environs as well, as London I am sure is just as diverse at NYC.

I will try to put together an itinerary though...

esl, no question that different people have different travel styles. Some folks like to not plan anything at all and just wander into whatever strikes their fancy, and it seems to work for them. Not my approach, of course -- I'm a big believer in planning ahead of time.

Planning an itinerary can make your sightseeing more efficient -- in London, for example, it can be useful to know that Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street, Banqueting House, the Cabinet War Rooms, Parliament, St. James's Park, and the Horse Guards are all close by each other, and that it makes some sense to do them the same day. The same is true of the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. And itineraries can be adjusted, too -- sometimes out of necessity for such things as an unexpected closing of an attraction, weather issues, subway worker strikes, your own unexpected health issue -- or just because you feel like doing things a little different today. Providing an itinerary here helps us help you better.

But whether you ultimately use an itinerary or not is your call, of course.

You don't know me, but the Tate Modern is not a must-see. I did, however, like the look on one old gent's face when he looked at the sculpture that resembled a large pile of elephant scat.

At last check, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace are each just outside London. They're also not on your list. Neither are the Cabinet War Rooms or the Imperial War Museum.

What's "exchange" mean? Why do that when there are ATMs everywhere? That said, NEVER WITHDRAW CASH WITH A CREDIT CARD, use your bank debit card for that.

What's "Piccidilly"? Piccadilly Circus? Yeah, sure, you can visit that and see all you need to in a matter of minutes.

You need to do research before even attempting to go to a football match -- there are about a 8-10 teams in the top two levels of English football in the London area but you'll have a hard time finding tickets for Arsenal, Tottenham or Chelsea. Those three are in the Premier (top) League and are in the top half of the table or higher (Chelsea and Arsenal are currently 1-2).

Fulham (low in Prem league), West Ham (Prem league, but SUCK), Crystal Palace (in the #2 league called the "Championship" but more suck b/c they're at the bottom) or Queen's Park Rangers (near top of Championship) are probably better bets. Millwall is a team near London in the Championship, but the fans are notoriously rough -- I wouldn't go. Matches are Saturdays with some games on Sunday. Chelsea and Tottenham have home matches next Tuesday and Wednesday in the European Champions League (go wiki check it) and those have probably sold out months ago.

Great advice by all thanks! Yes I won't exchange currency before I leave, I will just use ATMs to get cash out once I get there.

Here's a very very rough itinerary:

Sat. 11/20-Will be getting into London around 5pm, enough time to explore the Regent's Park area, and get acclimated.
I love to walk, and so it may be a matter of wandering and seeing what I find. Many of the main sites will be closed by the time I get out there, so I will really just be feeling out the area.


Sun. 11/21-London Walks tour, starts at 10:30am. "THE LONDON TOUR - Westminster & the West End" caught my eye, this will cover: the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, the quintessential Royal Park, St. James's, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, and Covent Garden.

Then I will probably break off and go possibly do the London Eye.

Monday 11/22-The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's. And then after investigate Crossfit Central London, in the South Bank.

Tuesday 11/23-The Tate Modern in the morning, then off to CF Central London for a great workout.
Possibly something at St. Martin-in-the Fields as well later.

Wednesday 11/24-
Seeing an exhibit at the Wellcome Collection, as well as the cafe.
Hampstead theatre- Athol Fugard play showing there, I am an aspiring actor, so theatre is one of my loves.


Thursday 11/25-
Thanksgiving Day in the US, but obviously not something the English celebrate. I would actually like to find a church that does some sort of service though, handing out meals to homeless people etc.

Friday 11/26-
Possibly the British Museum or the Victoria and Albert museum

Saturday-Portobello Market for sure, Notting Hill area.

Then Sunday, back to NYC...

Yes, LOTS of time in between things, as one of the things I love to do is walk and take pictures.

Anyway, please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Also, on Friday I thought of possibly taking a train out to Southall, to experience great Indian food.

great trip it was, thanks to all for input!!!!

I went to the Portobello market last trip. I'm not sure that I really enjoyed it. There were a few good food places, and a couple of interesting shops. But the CROWDS!! I went late morning and from the moment I exited the Tube it was shoulder to shoulder.

Have a look at London Walks, they are quite good. I liked the Hamstead Heath ones the best.

Michael_Paris: "<i>Have a look at London Walks, they are quite good. I liked the Hamstead Heath ones the best.</i>"

The OP's trip is over and he's back home - see the post directly above yours . . .