Just got back from a week in London. Ben Haines is most grateful for the outpouring of good wishes from this board. He is a marvelous conversationalist on many topics. My husband and I consider it an honor to spend even a few hours with him!
For those looking for a great play to see in London currently, I recommend "Journey's End," about British soldiers in a trench during WWI. The script and acting were top-notch.
Lunchtime concerts held in churches all over the city are worth investigating--high quality classical music in superb venues. We still have two Bach piano suites floating through our memories as experienced in St.Martin's-in-the-Field.
Weather was cold, even a little snow. I wore my wool winter coat this trip and was glad I did. Temps were 35-41?F during the day and down to 28-32?F. at night. Quite chilly for this time of year, I think.
Check toptable.co.uk and lastminute.com for some specials on restaurants before you leave for London. Have a great time!

Thanks for the report, I'm going to London next weekend for three nights. I envy you your conversation with Ben Haines, that would be a real highlight.

How did you learn about the lunchtime concerts in churches? Do you think there are concerts on the weekend?

Could you recommend any memorable restaurants that you enjoyed while on your trip to London? We live in Charleston,SC and are spoiled with outstanding restaurants.

Thanks!

Nikki

St.Martin-in-the-Fields has wonderful concerts.
Fri 12 March
1 PM Royal Academy of Music Series (Free)

7:30 PM Sacred Voices
London Muscial Arts, Baroque ensemble.

Sat 13 March

7:30 PM Baroque Festival
New London Soloists Orchestra

Web site stmartin-in-the-fields.org
for more details.

You can use a search engine to find any web site for London. I have several bookmarked. Great for making advance plans. Enjoy your visit!

Bob

Thanks Bob. We're arriving Friday and have tickets to see Judi Dench in All's Well that Ends Well Friday night, but that Saturday evening concert might work for us.

Actually, we found most of the concerts as we followed Ben Haines' walking tour of Westminster and the West End. Search for that on this board. Several wonderful churches were in the area of St. Paul's(use that tube stop). Also, just up Cornhill Rd. from the Bank tube stop is St. Michael Cornhill--very historic with great acoustics for an intimate concert. Many concerts are on Fridays. We were surprised to find a few on Monday(St.Agnes and St.Anne church, etc.).
Regarding restaurants--I well remember the fabulous restaurants of Charleston,SC. Given the weak dollar, I looked hard for lovely food for a doable price this time. We truly enjoyed the Brasserie Roux(in the Sofitel St.James). This place is just down the street from the Royal Haymarket Theatre. Very elegant cuisine and a decent pre-theatre menu. A great Italian place recommended by a local is Ciao Bella(Lamb Conduit St., tel.0207-242-4119, tube:Russell Square). Our waiter Felice couldn't have been more accommodating and the food(especially the cartoccio) was terrific. Good wine list too. Listen to the waiter's suggestions.
Nikki, I am envious about your seeing Judi Dench. We weren't able to get tickets to "All's Well." Last year, she and Maggie Smith were enthralling in "Breath of Life." Hope my info is helpful.

Thanks Schildc1, I think we'll be doing lots of indoor activities. Just checked the weather. It's supposed to snow the day we arrive and doesn't look a whole lot better the rest of the weekend. So theater and concerts look really good to me.

Schildc1 - Do reservations for lastminute.com restaurants have to be made thru their web site to get the special price or can I call them while I am in London?

That's a very good question. I've always gotten the reservations online at home. However, it seems to me that we found pretty much the same special menu prices at places I had checked out at lastminute.com even if we didn't have a res. There are some deals on line that specifically say "lastminute special" which looks like a deal only they have negociated. Anyone else know more about this?

Oh dear: American courtesy strikes again, and I do not know how to reply. Except to
draw to your attention the web site http://www.cityevents.co.uk/ which under March, then City Concerts and Events, lists nearly all of these church recitals.

[email protected]

Thank you Ben Haines for the web site. I feel more completely ready to hunt out the music in London this weekend.