Time alone in London - 4th visit
 

Hi.<BR>I have been to London 3 times before (all in the last couple of years)and have been to all the major &quot;must-sees&quot; that all the books talk about. I have my own list of things I want to go back to and do at more length, but I'm looking for new ideas this time. This is also my first visit alone - I am staying with a friend there and we'll spend a lot of time together evenings and weekend, but the whole week when she's at work, I'm on my own. Any thoughts on cool stuff to see in London that I may not have read about in all the books. I'm very independent, so I don't mind doing things on my own at all. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks!

Try a visit to the Handel House Museum off Hanover Square. It just opened in Nov. of '02. We found the information on the composer and his times quite interesting, as well as seeing the refurbished rooms of his home. Visit the website: www.handelhouse.com

On my own in London, I took the river trip to Kew Gardens and spent the day just wandering thru the park. I then took the tube back. There's much to see in the park (I was there in late October). And, you may scoff, but I enjoyed Madame Tussaud's and the Planetarium. Sir John Soane’s eclectic museum (a walk from the British Museum) is fun - doesn't take much time.

You might want to indicate your age and general interests for a better response.<BR>Walking tours are a nice way of seeing London. Frommer's has a book on London walking tours, each in a distinctive neighborhood, eg, Chelsea. Stop in the pubs along the way just for the atmosphere. The London Walks also have walks during the day. If you enjoy theatre, there are matinees nearly every day, and a single person has a good chance for a ticket at the half-price booth. A lot of churches have lunchtime classical concerts for a small donation - I did a search once and found a link for about 100. <BR>Reconsider some of the major sights you might have missed. One of my son's friends was impressed with the Portrait Gallery, which I had overlooked. A boatride to Greenwich on a nice day is enjoyable just for the scenery on the way. There are also so many major sights a short ride away: Hampton Court, Leeds Castle, Kew Gardens, Oxford.

Kimberly, I first went to London in 1948, am married to a former resident of London and we still won't go without our Michelin Green Guide. <BR><BR>A couple of ideas: the Florence Nightingale Museum near Westminster Bridge, Museum of Garden History near Lambeth Bridge (Admiral Bligh of Mutiny on the Bounty is buried there in the old church yard), Dulwich Picture Gallery, the foot tunnel between Island Gardens and Greenwich, attending a session at Old Bailey.<BR><BR>Now I have to work on things for my wife and me to experience March 20 to 26.<BR><BR>Have fun.

Hi. Thanks for such quick replies! Pakitty has a great point - I should have said a bit more about myself. I am a 29 year-old female; I took my first Europe trip when I was 23, and this will now be my 6th one (Norway, Italy, Switzerland, France, Monaco, Spain, England). I love art and culture, but am equally entertained by tourist stops, and I love to shop. Nancy I would not scoff at Mme Tussaud's and actually enjoyed it myself...and I'll admit I even went to London Dungeon on my last trip there. Favorite stops on previous trips to London include Kensington Palace, Harrod's, theater shows, Portobello Road &amp; Camden markets, and Freud's house. And if anyone has been around a few years, you might remember my past trip reports (last May I posted Kimberley &amp; Dan in Paris with pics at http://www.kdkdesign.com/paris/paris.html , and I posted a long one about Spain in 2001). I hope this helps give you guys a better idea of who I am, because I love your tips! Also, to anyone who really pays attention on this board, &quot;Myer&quot; is my dad and we share a lot of the same interests (including photography). And while we're talking about him, any words of support to get my dad to not worry about me going on this trip now would be much appreciated!!! Thanks!

I'll second the Old Bailey. My husband and I went there with the intention of only staying an hour and ended up there all afternoon. The cases are posted outside under glass so you can pick the one that looks the most interesting. We also asked some people in the line-up before we went in what might be interesting and the clerks are helpful too. You don't say what major must-sees you've seen so I'll add the Imperial War Museum - you could easily spend a day there. Covent Garden is fun for people-watching and if you find a spot to sit you can stay all day. What about a tour back-stage of one of the theatres or take the train for the day to Oxford or Woodstock which is a lovely village and from here can walk to Blenheim. You might do so ancestor research if you have any links to Britain - I think you can do that at Somerset House but it may have changed. There are lots of matinees in the afternoons and you can always wander through Harrods (the Food Halls are amazing!).

Thanks for the great ideas. Rickmav you nailed the kind of stuff I like and was looking for. I, also, first went to Old Bailey planning to spend an hour and ended up spending a whole afternoon. I found that experience fascinating. To everyone who's responded: thanks. These replies were exactly what I was looking for.

Kimberley if you're a frequent visitor to this site you have probably seen Ben Haines' posts. He always has interesting, out of the ordinary ideas. I would do a search of his posts on sightseeing. One that comes to mind is a tea museum he's mentioned as a good place to find teapots but the museum sounds like fun. Have you been to the Wallace Collection? I also agree that the portrait gallery is amazing. It's not just typical oil portraits. There's a whole modern section with collage &amp; sculptures.

Kimberly,<BR><BR>I am not sure about sites off the beaten path, but my husband and I went to a really fun restaurant in Covent Garden called Belgo. It is ultra modern but serves Belgian food - beer, mussels, etc. and the servers are dressed as monks. We loved it. We are a little older and it seemed to be teeming with young, hip singles. You and your friend my have a good time there.

I have on disc three notes, London off the beaten track, walks in London and hidden London, and shall be glad to e-mail them to you if you so sk.<BR><BR>Welcome back. The reduced traffic in the West End and City is attractive.<BR><BR>[email protected]

If you like shopping, I would recommend taking the Tube to Sloane Square in Chelsea, then walk (and shop) all the way down Kings Road until you hit Fulham, cross over to Fulham Road near the Fulham Broadway Tube station (you might want to check a map if you're not familiar with the area) and then stroll down Fulham Road, wandering into all the trendy boutiques. There are some great restaurants all along the way for lunch/snacks as well. And if you feel like a rest, Bishop's Park (with a view of the Thames) is at the end of the Fulham Road. If you power walk it without stopping, it would take you about 40 mins. With shopping, well that could take all day! ;-)

Why not try Shoreditch and Hoxton. Neither is particularly beautiful, but both have become synonymous with all that is achingly hip and 'now'. In fact, there are those who say that S and H have had their day, but they're just being trendier-than-thou. There'll be shops, bars and galleries there. <BR>Or try Dulwich Picture Gallery. Take the 12 (it goes from Notting Hill through Oxford Street and past Whitehall/Westminster) all the way to Dulwich Library. It'll take about 50 mins. There's a lovely park and the gallery is very well respected. You can also take the 176 from Oxford Circus-Strand-Aldwych-Waterloo (these are the places it passes) or the 185 from Victoria. All go to Dulwich Library. An A-Z map will help. <BR>Likewise, the Horniman Gallery is good, and very much off the beaten path. 185 and 176, or train to Forest Hill ex London Bridge (Zone 3.) It's just had a revamp and is quite unlike any other museum you'll see.

On a visit to London a few years ago we made our way early to Covent Garden flower market - it was awsome seeing all the flowers and vendors etc. I don't know if one day is better than another.

Not off the beaten path but two things I enjoyed that are not too time consuming are the Dickens House and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

In Hackney (east London) is Sutton House, a complete and preserved Tudor-era house, the only one still in London I believe. Easy to reach via tube plus the Silverlink train.<BR><BR>Also, I love Spencer House, central London, overlooking Green Park, practically next door to the Ritz hotel.<BR>Open Sundays only, guided tours.<BR>Formerly the ancestral home of the Spencer family (Princess Di, et al) but the family hasn't lived there since before WW II. Completely restored and is a gorgeous miniature palace.

If you have missed the Geoffrye Museum or the Wallace Collection on past trips try and check them out this time. Another pleasant area to see is St. Katherine's Dock/Marina - shops, marina, and a feeling of &quot;not being in London&quot;, it's right close to the Tower Bridge however so you really are in London. Also, walk across the Tower Bridge and head along Shad Thames - many shops, old tiny streets and plenty of Thames-side cafe's, etc. Hayes GAlleria is also along the Thames and has some nice shops, etc. <BR><BR>Have you been to Southwark Cathedral? Many tourists never get over there.<BR><BR>I'd also suggest Hampstead Heath and Kenwood House - very pretty area.<BR><BR>Have a great time!

Covent Garden has not been London's flower and vegetable market since the late 1970s, which is a shame because the early morning there was great fun in those days.<BR><BR>

I'll second Kew Gardens and Hampstead Heath. Both worth exploring in detail. Also, if you haven't seen the Cabinet War Rooms near Parliament, it's a fabulous exhibit. We really enjoyed it on our last trip.

I second bettyk's recommendation of the Cabinet War Rooms. Be sure to get the audioguide if you go: it makes all the difference in terms of knowing what you're looking at. The Cabinet War Rooms would be a good thing to do on the same day as the Imperial War Museum, which rickmav already suggested. (They're actually a branch of the Imperial War Museum, which is in Lambeth, but in a separate, more central location, in Westminster.)<BR><BR>I also second the previous recommendations of the National Portrait Gallery. You didn't say when you're going to be in London, but if you'll be there before May 27, be sure to check out the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition of photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron (19th-century photographer and great-aunt of Virginia Woolf), which I would think is a must for someone with your interest in photography.