>>If you've booked don't panic. It's not Detroit, but it's a bit on the challenging side. Bring your gun.<<

Just to be absolutely clear, this should have had a smiley with a very large bulge in one cheek.....

xyz123, I agree with you that no one place can be close to everything in London. But my preference is to be close (walking distance, preferably) to *some* of the things I'm going to see.

If someone asked me where to live in my city, I'd say one of the suburbs is perfectly fine; I can't afford more than a shoebox in the area where I work, and there are other positives about those communities. If someone were visiting for a few days, though, I sure wouldn't recommend that they spend an hour of their day commuting to the main tourist sites, when they could stay in a hotel within walking distance of several main attractions for the same amount or not much more.

Cholmondley_Warner, lively choice of adjectives (for the bar) and 'bird'?! Hmm, I guess it gives our American visitors a touch of real-life Cockney/London lingo! A modern-day Alfie

"Titty bar" as a London or Cockney phrase? HAHAHAHAHAHA. If that were true, every redneck in the US is a POM.

And considering that "bird" has been in the Anglophonic lexicon since at least the mid-60s ("Bird never make nest in bare tree" -- James Bond, You Only Live Twice), it's hardly an unfamiliar bit of vernacular.

I'd say there's only one Detroit, but unfortunately that's not true because Detroit has veritable look-alikes in Camden (NJ) and Oakland (Calif.).

'Bird' has of course been around for decades, Big Russ, precisely why I likened Cholmondley_Warner to Alfie, after the Michael Caine character from the 60s and mentioned Cockney/London lingo; as for 'titty', that's what I meant by 'lively' (as opposed to Cockney or London, which it sure isn't, as you point out).

and bird is of course, burd in Scotland....

bird def is not specifically Cockney or London.

And a true Cockney should be born within the sound of Bow Bells..

Just to be absolutely clear, this should have had a smiley with a very large bulge in one cheek.....>>>>

No it shouldn't. The Bush is seriously iffy. It's London's biggest robbery hotspot.

Maybe not Detroit, but worse than a lot of London.

Burd Ellen and Young Tamlane?

That's well before the 1960s

Cholmondly, I've already booked. I'll only be in the street to catch the bus across the road or walking up to the underground...not the shepherd's bush one , the other way to I think, Kensington or holland park underground on Holland Park ave.Won't be about at night... too tired after sightseeing.
moonrise
Is walking around in Holland Park, the actual park, safe?

Is walking around in Holland Park, the actual park, safe?>>>

Safe as houses.

The main thing to watch is carrying valuables on Shepherds Bush Green. It where there are a lot of robberies. Also don't venture too far down the Uxbridge Rd and for the love of all that is holy don't go on the White City Estate which you have no need to unless you are planning on watching QPR play or shopping at the huge Westfield mall.

There's a truly excellent Polish restaurant at the top of said Uxbridge Rd - highly recommended.

Thank you for your reply. I won't go in the Uxbridge direction at all... just in Holland Park Ave to catch the bus into the city centre and I think the hop on and hop off bus goes along there too. I might catch the Holland Park underground ...and get out at Holborn to join up with a walk around London tour.
BTW I'm from Australia not America.
moonrise

Actually during the day the Uxbridge Rd and Shepgerds Bush Market yo may well find interesting.

Both are basically aimed at the local ethnics. There's sari shops, african and west indian food shops, lots of stuff aimed at middle easterners and the like and it's safe during the day. But at night it's grim.

Next I'll tell you about the great Nandos shoot-out...

"<i>Cholmondly, I've already booked.</i>"

You'll probably be fine staying there -- but unless you've pre-paid, most bookings can be canceled w/i certain timeframes. If so, you can keep that booking but keep looking for someplace a bit more copacetic. If you find something, you could then cancel the Shepherds Bush place . . . .

That's what I'd do myself.

Thank you for all the help but I've pre-paid. If I ever return I'll tell you all about it in a trip report in June.
As I said I don't venture out at night but write up my day's events, write postcards, read about what I'm going to see the next day and have an early night then I'm fresh for the next day's activities.
But thanks for all your advice on this. Next visit to london I'll get some ideas about hotels from this forum.
moonrise

If you plan on using the tube alot, get yourself an Oyster Card (public transport smark card) and load a 1-week pass (zones 1-2) on it -- assuming you are staying more than 4 days or so -- also good on the buses.

SS

..."smart" card (not smark)...

(gotta learn to type)

SS