Hallo,<BR>I'm traveling alone to London in June and I have a couple of questions.<BR>are any places which are not recommended for a single women to go there (I do't mean in the night)?<BR>Is it usual for a single women to book hersef a place in a fancy restaurant like "rules" and eat alone.

Hi Daniella,<BR>Central London/West End is the best place. Those like Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, Picadilly Cicus, Leicester Quare, kensington, Knightsbridge all great. The South Bank is also great for seeing stuff (London Eye, Tate Modern) It's very unlilely you'll head out as far as the more 'dodgy' areas, (which can include Brixton, Kings Cross). London is such a busy place that to see a women on her own is nothing new. Quite a lot of people eat alone in restaurants, so I don't think you'll be met with any raised eyebrows. Hope that helps!

Daniella---You would not at all feel unusual in Rules, the oldest restaurant in London, according to their publicist. I've eaten there many times, and I have seen single women and single men eating there. Nor would you feel out of place in most other areas, especially in the daylight hours; but I would advise you stay in the more central parts of London as advised also by Claire. By the way, another place I observed many single women and small groups of women eating was in the very nice Indian restaurant Veeraswamy. Enjoy your trip.

Daniella<BR>My last trip to London was on my own, this past Feb. I ate in Rules, as a matter of fact. I was treated very nicely. It was pre-theatre time, and they were very busy and service was a little rushed, but I had a nice table for one, right in the center of things, and I was pleased. I also ate in a couple of other "fancy" places, Mirabella and The Ivy, and I was also treated beautifully.<BR>I have a file on London; if you'd like to see it, email me.

Claire: I agree with your general trend but please can you tell me what is dodgy about being a single woman in Brixton ? <BR><BR>Wayne: Similarly, please can you say what is the trouble for single women in Greenwich, Dulwich, Hampstead, Richmond, Hampton, and indeed, anywhere but the road in front of Kings Cross Station, and the very ugly public housing estates two or three miles from Piccadilly Circus. ?<BR><BR>Daniella: Welcome to all London, with the exceptions I list to Wayne. I have on disc a guide to Brixton which I can happily send you if you so ask, though there are better uses for limited time in London. And in general, please write if I can help further.<BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR>

Daniella, ignore Ben on this one. Every month or two he gets on a kick about Brixton. Brixton is not Kanduhar - it is not terribly dangerous. But it is not somewhere a female tourist would want to find herself alone. I'll really get him riled up now - also avoid Kings Cross.

Thank you all for your edvises. I'm sure I'll enjoy being in London alone very much.

Ah, ben. Me thinks you have changed your tune about Kings Cross. I remember one thread where you argued "I ride my bike there everyday and it is perfectly safe" and now you say the road in front of Kings Cross is "trouble" for single women. But a little late to repent after you have sent several unsuspecting women visitors to their dooms.

Certainly. You do not want a pig headed correspondent, do you ? I still ride there often, but since the place has prostitutes an drug dealers I can see that nervous tourists want to avoid it.<BR><BR>Avoiding Brixton, though, is racism, so naturally I react when I see people advising avoidance there.<BR><BR>I look forward to replies from Claire and Wayne. <BR><BR>Ben Haines<BR><BR>

Why is avoiding Brixton "racism"? As a tourist, I assume Daniella wants to feel safe at all times, and although I would agree that Brixton isn't all dangerous it is an area where, if you're nervous, you might not exactly "feel" safe. There are prostitutes and drug dealers there too.<BR><BR>I drive through Brixton on the odd day when I take the car to work in Canary Wharf and don't feel particularly threatened (though I do lock my doors to avoid car-jacking when driving anywhere in London) but when I took a taxi home one night the cab driver - an Asian, incidentally - drove through Brixton at about 60mph "because I really don't feel safe here."

As a single female tourist I really wouldn't have a problem passing through Brixton in the daytime, and I have...I wouldn't do so unaccompanied at night though, I have been through there at night (accompanied). If it's your first time to London, there's probably not much reason to go over there anyway except for a different cultural view of London off the beaten tourist track which may or may not interest you or if someone really good is playing at Brixton Academy. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry much about it. <BR><BR>Otherwise, nearly all of the areas you're likely to go to as a tourist should be fine, only reason why I've passed through a lot off the tourist trail is that I've been there a lot and almost always stay with a friend in south London (south of Brixton) and I've also stayed with another friend who lives right on the London border in Essex, close to even more hardscrabble areas, but tourists *really* never go there anyway. &lt;g&gt;

If you saw the McIntyre Investigates tv program on Street Crime this week, you wouldn't be saying that Brixton is safe! OK, so he was trying to get mugged, but anywhere where everyone, including tramps, come up to you advising you to put your mobile phone away because it'll almost definitely be snatched off you is not somewhere I'd want to hang around long on my own.<BR><BR>I have been to Brixton, though it was some years ago and in broad daylight I felt unthreatened, but I was very wary. That is most likely down to what others had told me though and my expectations, rather than what I was actually seeing and feeling.<BR><BR>I definitely wouldn't go there after dark, though, unless accompanied by someone who knew the area and even then I'd be nervous.<BR><BR>Daniella - you will feel fine and safe everywhere that you are likely to want to go. I have never felt nervous being on my own in central London at any time of day (I do steer clear of Kings X at night though and if I'm in London very late I stick to the busier streets - just common sense really).<BR><BR>Plenty of people eat out alone and you will have no problem doing so. <BR><BR>Have a great time here.