Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Things you did in London but looking back would of skipped

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Things you did in London but looking back would of skipped

Anything you did in London that looking back in retrospect you would of skipped? I know it depends on each own interests but I still would like to hear...

Does going to London in the first place count?

The London Dungeon. I actually had a (usually) intelligent friend recommend it to me. What a drag! It was expensive, noisy, and stupid. My daughter dubbed it the DISNEYLAND OF DEATH… It was a complete waste of time and money. Other than that I would encourage you to prowl around a bit on your own. Take a walk through the City, particularly on weekends when it’s virtually deserted. There are some wonderfully curious things to see. I chuckled at “spoon’s” response, but London is the most interesting city I’ve ever been to, you will NEVER see it all, and I’m told this is true even for those who live there.

Change of guards in both places:palace and Downing street

IMHO London is not as intriguing as some other cities/towns, so I found Spoon's response funny. That said, the city has a lot to offer. Things I could have done without: Despite warnings we walked through "the City" (i.e. the financial district) on a Sunday, when everything was closed. Desolate and kind of boring. Also, could have done without the Pizza Express or some such chain that is big in London, with artsy pizzas that were better than, say, a Pizza Hut, but not great.

Initially, I approached London like Rome. I thought I'd walk around and "discover" it. It's not that there isn't stuff to see, I think it's just more hidden, so walking around isn't as rewarding as in other cities. Unless you know what you're looking for, it seems better to just take the Tube to get where you need to be and take some tours with London Walks to explore on foot.

Fortunately, my sister did the Dungeon (I like the Disneyland of Death reference - may I use that?) on her own years ago, so we've been spared. Okay, I'm going to have rotted vegetables thrown at me for this, but... THE TATE MODERN the best thing I can say about it "it's free and worth every penny". My two favorite works to illustrate my distaste: the wall covered in river mud, and the video of a naked guy dancing and dangling. It would have been better if the guy had been covered in the mud and the wall left naked.

Trying, Perhaps the streets you were on were desolate because everyone else was shopping the Sunday morning markets at Brick Lane and Spitalfields. You really missed out.

Elvira, No rotten veggies but a reply. Perhaps you missed the Matisse/Picasso currently showing at the Tate Modern. Not free but worth every penny.

mktshopper: Duh and Doh! Of course everyone else was somewhere else. I screwed up and went against the flow. Exactly my point. Not so much London's fault, but my own. Thanks for rubbing it in.

Yanni, I don't want to be a pest, but the proper grammar is "would HAVE skipped." The use of the word "of" as part of a verb is incorrect. Just thought I'd lend a helping hand.

Stevie: You are being a pest. Please re-analyze your own posts, which likely contains one or two grammatical errors. Most grammar-mavens live in glass houses.

would of could of...sounds awreet to me.

To pest-- It appears you couldn't even make a post without a grammar error of your own. I'm sure you won't find it, so here is an explanation: ..."your own posts, which likely contains...." The subject, the word posts, is plural. The predicate of the phrase beginning with "which" is singular. Plural subject, singular verb---lousy grammar.

Stevie: You are correct: I erred. My bad. I don't care, though. I aint (used for your enjoyment) a grammar-maven. Perhaps you should offer substantive help, rather than nit pick language. I, too, should stop razzing you for your obvious inadequacies, and try to respond to Yanni's query.

Stevie: Please help me out: Should your phrase "grammar error" be "grammatical error", or would either be correct? Also, your first sentence is redundant, isn't it? Should we use contractions if we are trying to be grammatically correct? Shouldn't "posts" in the third to last sentence be stated in quotes, to help identify it as the subject. Finally, is your last sentence really a sentence? Please help me.

mktshopper, there's a Matisse/Picasso show at the Tate Modern now? I checked the web site and the lead exhibit seems to be Lucien Freud. I'll be in London Sep 4-7.

The London Dungeon was definitely the worst. On the flip side, probably the most fascinately off-the-beaten-track thing we did was spend a morning watching a murder trial at Old Baileys.

Seems like those who found London “boring” just weren’t trying. I know of no other city where one might just be strolling along and see something thousands of years old, Cleopatra’s Needle in this case, without a bunch of hullabaloo and forty two signs pointing the way, “You’re now just 50 feet from…” No “I threaded Cleo’s Needle” tee-shirts, mugs, pennants, or shot glasses. It just stands there looking out over the Thames. Londoner’s just take it for granted. Once I was strolling in Notting Hill, headed for the Portobello Market, when I looked up to notice a nondescript little house which I’d passed many times, and noticed the blue placket telling me that this was the former home of Eric Blair (George Orwell), one of my favourite authors. I guess I’m too used to American cities which would have featured a George Orwell expressway, the Orwell Mall, souvenir photographs of my face superimposed next to George’s, a petting zoo called Animal Farm and a blow-out clothing sale at the local Penny’s where all men’s jackets were just “19.84” London sprawls. It is ugly and beautiful and artsy and lowbrow all at the same time. It was the first Western city to reach a population of one million, then 2, ,3, 4, etc. Humanity leaves scars. It is not all spit and shine and that’s fine with me. I enjoy turning a corner to find a little pub that’s been selling beer to the workingman since 1650, or whatever. I enjoy renting a room in a small hotel which is a converted town house from the 17th century. London is the heart, soul, and the guts of Western literature, science, entertainment, politics and much more. Different strokes for different folks, but among my friends who have been and who did not like London, an impromptu poll indicates that the favorite city among them was Orlando, Florida. In a way that sort of says it all, eh?

joe, the matisse/picasso exhibit ended august 18. it will be in paris from september to january and in new york from february to may.