michele

First, just want to thank everyone who has responded to all of my previous posts. I'm obviously a bit of a pest about trying to make my first London trip as close to perfect as possible!!<BR><BR>I'll be in London the first week of Sept. with a friend. We're both straight single women (she's late twenties, I'm early thirties) who enjoy nightlife but aren't much for singles scenes or terribly noisy clubs.<BR><BR>Can you recommend some things we'll be able to do after the sun goes down? (nothing prurient, please! LOL!) We're staying in Kensington not far from the V&A so anything nearby would of course be great. We've heard it's somewhat dangerous to be out in London at night of you're not familiar with the city so we're a bit apprehensive about which neighborhoods are safe, although I can't believe it can be as dangerous as a US city after dark!<BR><BR>Thanks again for all of your help!!

love London

London is very safe after dark. no worries.<BR><BR>a poster here named Beth Anderson had done a great thread on museums which are open late and on which nights of the week. it might still be up, do a search... (sorry not sure of the details in it)

anna

I loved a National Royal Theatre! I wind up going there four times.

Vita

Hi, Michele. I traveled to London on my own a couple of months ago (single female, late twenties). I just stayed in well-light, populated areas, and I had no problems at night. <BR><BR>I did a lot of theatre in the evenings. If you're not particular, go to the TKTS stand in the middle of Leicester Square for half-price tickets. Also, London Walks (www.walks.com) offers some great walks at night. As someone mentioned, some of the museums are open late at certain nights of the week as well.

Simon

Usually when I travel, and often when I'm at home, I prefer to sleep at nite. That way I'm wide awake during the daytime so I can go out and see things.

xxx

Generally speakig,it is quite safe for single female to wander around in London,just beware of your belongings.<BR><BR>If you care for music(contemporary or classical)and other types of performance,try South Bank Centre-a huge complex with many different programs day and night,many of them world class. I usually spent every night over there during my London visits.<BR>

kkj

Pubs, theatre and the Jack the Ripper/Ghosts tour. I've done each several times and always enjoyed them.

Karen

Michele<BR><BR>You said you didn't like noisy clubs, but that you liked night-life... do you like wine bars or cocktail bars? A really good place to go for bars in the evening is Covent Garden. It's very touristy during the day but at night you'll find it's mostly commuters having a drink after work (especially Thursday and Fridays). Also, I find it safe to walk around, even after Midnight, as it's always very busy. There are a lot of restaurants in this area also and if you don't want to drink at a bar or pub you can usually camp out at a restaurant table for 2-3 hours if you want, especially if you eat later on. <BR><BR>If you are staying close to South Kensington tube station you can even pick up the Piccadilly line from Covent Garden to get back. I travel on the tube at night by myself sometimes and have never felt un-safe as even at 11pm it is still very busy.<BR><BR>Let me know if you want any specific recommendations.

andrew

Michele <BR><BR>The best advice I can give you is to pick up a London listings magazine such as "Time Out". This will let you know what events are on at clubs, theatres etc and also the inside guide on bars, pubs and restaurants. You could both even join in on a salsa dance club which might be fun.<BR><BR>I agree with Karen that Covent Garden is not to be missed - it is like a continental (i.e Italian) piazza with all sorts of things going on like street theatre, some great shops (my guess is you'll enjoy the hand made soap and cosmetic shop Lush)and some great restaurants. Check out the website www.coventgardenlife.com for more information.<BR><BR>You'll be fine in all of the main central areas of London and I hope you have fun<BR><BR>

xxx

Theatre in London is great and the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square is great. That being said, I usually have the concierge get tickets beforehand for us as we don't want to have to wait in line - cost is still less than theatre in the US. <BR><BR>A couple fun places to go for drinks (they're noisy, but hip and fun for a couple cocktails) are the bars in Ian Schrager's hotels - the Sanderson and St. Martin's Lane. Although noisy, they're not like a dance club, more like the Whiskey in NY or the Mondrian in LA.<BR><BR>Only unsolicited advice is I'm a planner also, but go with the flow and don't get too set on this being the "perfect trip". Too high of expectations can make the trip itself disappointing. Have a great time, London is alot of fun.

Nycer

Just went on a trip to London last year. Luckily, I have some good friends there and they showed us around. You'll find that London appears to be closed down after 11:00 PM, since bars cannot serve alcohol after that. So many people belong to "private clubs", which are basically like nice nightclubs with lounge areas etc. similiar to what we pay a $25 cover charge to get into here in NYC. The only problem is, you have to be with a member to get in, so try to make some cool friends real fast! <BR><BR>If not, a hopping area right now is Shoreditch. Tons of restaurants, bars, music clubs. It is true that it may seem to be a seedy area of town, but its very hip and fairly safe. If you don't feel safe, just call a taxi for pick-up or just stay in the immediate Hoxton Square area. <BR><BR>Another area we hung out in was on Fulham Road in Knightsbridge. This area tends to be very upscale with lots of ex-pats, but you will feel very safe! The bar at the Barkeley hotel was also very nice, but it can be a bit of the velvet rope scene.

topper

Michelle,I topped the Beth A thread about things to do in London at night.

london

Walk up and down Kings Road, it's not too far from Kensington; there are lots of cool places there, among them shops, restaurants, pubs. It's very safe there, and is around Chelsea area. Eat at Vama, a north-Indian restaurant, on the "other end" of Kings Road (away from Sloane St. end): you won't be disappointed!