I'm planning on a holiday in London in late February-early March. I've only been there once (and only for half a day), so I'm looking for travel advice.

Main Attractions. I won't have time to see all the main tourist sights, but which of these would your recommend? British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate British, Victoria & Albert, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Natural History Museum, London Eye...

Shopping. Like Patsy and Edina, I plan to go to Harrod's and Harvey Nicks, but what are the other good shops, shopping areas, markets?

Restaurants. Good eats for a person travelling alone?

Gay. Any gay bars or shops worth visiting? I'm not a barfly, so the gay scene is not that big an interest for me.

Theatre. One of my main reasons for going to London. I've discovered the Get Into London Theatre promotion which features discounts on weekday performances January to March and hope to take advantage of this and/or half-price ticket booth. Billy Elliot and The History Boys I will pre-order for sure (even if I have to pay full price). Any recommendations on the following:

Equus (with Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter, and Richard Griffiths, The History Boys; opening when I arrive in London). Chicago (Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet to play Billy Flynn), Cabaret, Evita, Avenue Q, Porgy and Bess (new Trevor Nunn, Broadway-bound production), The Glass Menagerie (with Jessica Lange), The Lady from Dubuque (revival of Albee play with Maggie Smith; beginning previews as I leave), Little Shop of Horrors, Wicked, Spamalot, Mary Poppins...

I don't have any. I just want to say how jealous I am. I really want to visit London sometime.

I am fortunate to have been to London many, many times over the years. I cease to be amazed how there is always something new to be discovered. One of the really interesting placec, to me, is the Cabinet War Rooms. It is just fascinating to say the least. Another really neat thing, is Camden Market. It is amazing. A short walk from there is a charming, charming place called Primrose Hill which has a specdtacular view of London.Poets Corner, in Westminster, is also incredible. Another interesting part of London is Hampstead. Take the underground to Hampstead and have a walk around. It also is really nice but quite hilly.

I have been there a few times alone and I have enjoyed it. There are lots and lots of wonderful chinese rerstaurants in Chinatown, a short walk from Leicester Square. In that area too, as well as others. are many neat little, wonderful italian restaurants.Never a problem being alone in any of them.

A neat little street for walking and window shopping is Walton Street, just a short walk from Harrods.Jermyn Street,just behind Fortnam Mason, is another delightful walk for window shopping.Kings Road is another neat area to walk around.

As for the theatre. You are doing the right thing but getting tickets for "Billy Elliot" They will be nearly impossible to come by once you get there. I saw one of the first previews of it and saw it last year again. It is outstanding in every way. One can get some really excellent seats at the half price ticket booth, especially for the weekday matinees. "Equus" is a must see too. You probably could get tickets at the half price ticket booth.I saw "Spamalot" in New York and it was very, very good. As for "Porgy and Bess" it was never a favorite of mine but I have read excellent things on that.I also saw Mary Poppins there and was plesantly surprised how well I liked it. Oh and by the way, the theater where that is playing is on Old Compton Street where there are dozens and dozens of gay bars, coffee houses and cafes.

Dont know if you are into photography, but if you are email me and I will tell you some neat little nooks and crannies for wonderful views. Even if you are not into it, the views are still spectacular.

I could go on and on but will stop here. Like they saying goes "when a man is tired of London he is tired of life" and "one can not know all of London but only a part of London as it goes on endlessly" and most of all enjoy yourself and have fun.

One of the great things about London is that many of the famous sites are within easy walking distance from each other...Buck House, the Abbey, Parliament etc, and also the great subway system which makes the city easy to get around. Knightsbridge is great for shopping.Not sure how long you are planning on being in London but all of the sites you mentioned are worth seeing. Contrary to popular belief London does actually have great restaurants so dining will not be a problem. You might want to check out the Notting Hill area as well. Canmark is right on regarding theatre in London. Its one of my favorite cities in the world. I don't know what your budget is but keep in mind that London can be expensive.

First tip: you'll want to buy an "Oyster" card to travel on the tube. That's an electronic card with stored value. Since about one year ago, the fares for people paying cash without an oyster have become even more exorbitant than they were previously (I think it's 3 pounds, about $6 for a single ride anywhere in Central London). With an oyster, it's half that, and it automatically calculates if you're entitled to the savings of a day travel card & caps your cost accordingly. You pay a deposit of 2 or 3 pounds, which is refundable if you turn in your oyster. So, staying there a week, you'll definitely save by buying one.

Also, you should know that taxis are really outrageous in cost. A couple of months ago, I took one across Central London (from the Savoy Hotel to Paddington Station), a trip of about 20 minutes, on a Sunday afternoon with no unusual traffic, and the cost was 20 pounds/$40. I'm glad my employer was paying!

For restaurants, there are so many, but if you like Indian food, a really good, moderately priced one is Delhi Brasserie, two locations, one is on Cromwell Road in SW7 near the Gloucester Road tube, and the other on Frith Street in Soho (the theater district). At the Gloucester Road location they have a special deal every day for lunch and until 5 or 5:30 pm (not sure whether they also have this at the location in Soho), but even the regular menu prices are not bad. For London (where prices of everything are pretty ridiculous).

For an upscale dinner, a really nice restaurant is The Ledbury, in Notting Hill. Also, a couple of upscale Indian restaurants are Benares in Mayfair, and Tamarind, also in Mayfair. They're expensive, but if you savor Indian food, worth every penny.

Beware of the privately operated so-called "half-price" ticket sellers in small shops around Leicester Square. The official half price tix which is right in Leicester Square is fine, altho the selection of shows available is usually pretty limited, but these others can be rip-offs with bad seats, discounts that end up being much less than half-off, and hefty service charges.

Someone else mentioned Cabinet War Rooms, which I agree is worth seeing. There's also a Winston Churchill museum near Whitehall that just opened a couple of years ago. But if you're not so interested in WWII, you might not enjoy this. If you have good weather, you might want to go up in the "London Eye" the huge ferris wheel on the Southbank, which gives you the best view of the whole city & area. London has so much, and how to spend your time is such a personal decision, if I were you I'd go to a site like fodors.com and review all there is to do, and make your decision from there.

Kensington High Street is a great place for shopping. It's not so touristy as Regent Street or Harrod's, but if you want to mingle with Londoners and see the things they're buying (at prices about double what you'd pay at home for the same stuff), this is a good place to go. Oxford Street is really the biggest shopping street, but I find it's so crowded it's really overwhelming.

Hope this helps. I used to go to London about once a month for work, and still get there several times a year. I know you'll have a great time . . . everybody does!

Oz

Definitely Tate Modern for the space, but particularly 15 February to 7 May 07 for the Gilbert & George exhibition, if that's your type of thang. Love their work.

Edited to add:

See also the wikipedia entry on the boys. They represented the UK at the 2005 Venice Biennale.

It's hard to go wrong with any of the suggestions that have been made. I've been to London many, many times - it's one of my favorite cities.

I echo the sentiments regarding the Cabinet War Rooms; it's a fascinating place. Also, the Tower of London is kind of cheesy, but great fun thanks to the guided tours by the Beefeaters. The V & A is marvelous, with some wonderful displays of the decorative arts, and the Tate Modern has superb modern and contemporary arts installations; if nothing else the "scene" in Turbine Hall is a lot of fun. After Tate Modern you can take a walk along the riverfront there, there are lots of terrific galleries and restaurants, and you can walk to London Eye or the National Theater, or walk across the bridge back to the West End.

As for theater, I highly recommend Billy Elliot; it's very well done. The production of Evita is excellent; for the first time an Argentine actress is playing the lead role. Her singing is passable, but what's interesting is she is a great dancer and that added skill brings a new dimension and viewpoint to the show and the role. Also, I haven't seen it, but there is a production of Guys and Dolls (my all-time favorite show) with Patrick Swayze in the lead role that has gotten excellent reviews. Most of the West End theaters are a short walk to Old Compton Street, which has several gay bars and restaurants. I always make a point of going to the Admiral Duncan because they have a terrific jukebox, and because it's the gay bar that was attacked in a hate crime 7 or 8 years ago, and I always say a little prayer at the memorial they have set up.

Lastly, i strongly recommend a day trip to either Bath, where you can visit the Roman Baths and then walk through a charming, historic old town, or to Stratford on Avon, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. They always have several productions being performed in rep, and I've never been disappointed by anything I've ever seen there. Whatever you do, you'll have agreat time.

Wayne and I went to London a few years ago, and like everyone else, I agree that you need to be very picky as there is just so much to see. We had set up to see 1 thing in the morning, 1 thing in the afternoon, and dinner at a different restaurant at night. Most days, the plans went out the window.

The Tower of London iis worth the visit. Especially the crown jewels. You should be able to combine the Tower and Westminster Abbey into 1 morning. Right around the corner from the tower is a very famous pub, the Hung, Drawn and Quartered. It's built on the site where they actually Hung, Drawn and Quartered people. Food was typical pub fare, but reasonable. Lunch for 2 with a beer was about 15 pounds.

Also, I liked the Tate modern, but LOVED the V&A. It's what I think a museum should be, and it is to me, one of the top 10 museums in the world.

Changing of the guard was a disappointment.

If you have the time, take the train to Windsor from Waterloo Station. It's only about 30 minutes, and the tour of Windsor Castle is abso - freakin - lutley amazing.

As well, Hampton Court was worth the visit. Totally incredible, and there are many places in Hampton Court unchanged from Henry VIII's time.

Harrods is a must visit. If you get there when it opens, visit the food hall first. The sheer selection, and artistry in the presentation makes it worth while. If you like archetecture, take a good look at the central escalators. They are done in an Art Nouveau Egyptian theme, and have been lovingly restored.

Harvey Nicks is okay, but basically a pricey Holt Renfrew. I bought my cousin a bottle of his favorite wine there as a thank you for using their condo (at Canary Wharf). All I did was say his name, and they knew his wine. 250 FREAKIN POUNDS. But since we stayed 2 weeks for nothing, I figured we got of cheap.

As for places to eat, there are so many incredible restaurants, that it's hard to say which one. We ate at pubs mainly, as I could smoke. One restaurant that we went to on our last night was on the top floor of the OXO building. I'm not sure if it's still there, but food was good, and the view was even better, but that was before they built the giant Gherkin.

Have a great time.

Oh, and Soho is worth walking around in, but we found it was just another gay village, albeit one with an accent.

Be careful: London is addictive! I've been going almost every year since I was young, and never get enough of the place.

I rent an apartment - a Google search will bring up any number of agencies that rent apartments. An apartment is usually cheaper than a hotel, plus you can sleep in and do your own breakfast, etc.

Important: Buy an A to Z street guide and never let it out of our hands; indispensable for finding you way around. I usually get the "inner London" version - no need for the outlying areas - and it fits very nicely into a pocket.

Walk lots. An Oyster Card is a great way to get long distances or get there fast, but walking in London is one of life's great pleasures. One of my favorite things to do is "get lost" between X and Y - and I ALWAYS find some wonderful new spot.

Start with a visit to the City of London Museum; it's a very well-presented walk through London's history, and a great way to get oriented.

Try Kudos bar at the top of Adelaide ST, just above Charing Cross; nice (gay) bar, and a good place for drinks before the theatre - more of a meeting point than an all-night bar.

Favorite places:

Covent garden & environs - where I rent my apartment
Hatchard's Bookshop in Piccadilly
London Silver Vaults - Chancery Lane (walk back west through Lincoln's Inn Fields - the gate is just across Chancery Lane & 20 yards north)
National Portrait Gallery (just up St Martin's Lane from Trafalgar)
Gay's the Word bookshop in Marchmount St
Jermyn St. - and Rowley's restaurant a the East end of the street - good, traditional, and for London, cheap
Chandos Pub, St. Martin's Lane & William IV St, Charing Cross - good pub food
Spencer House - the only remaining great townhouse of the 18th century; tours Sunday only
Westminster Abbey: sign up for a Super Tour; you'll learn 10 x as much
Rule's restaurant (maiden Lane, near Charing Cross): oldest in London, pricey (but not astronomical); try the venison
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese: other "oldest" restaurant; very 18th century; good food - Fleet St.
Old Compton St is the gay street; a bit sleazy, but worth a walk-through

Note: get lost in Soho, find an interesting-looking restaurant, and eat there. Endless great little off-beat places to eat

Day (or half-day) trip: take a boat down to Greenwich; you’ll learn a lot from the talk they give, and at Greenwich you can see Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory (great museum with the ith Harrison’s “Longitude” clocks running and on display), and the Royal Naval Museum. Take the train back, at the other end of the Thames Tunnel, which starts near Cutty Sark. Note: the pubs are all tourist traps.

Don't over-plan; let some of it just happen.

Have a great time! My turn comes in late April...

Nat

Travelling alone? Well that just won't do. Send me a ticket and I'll happily be your Patsy!

Thanks for the tips, guys! I think I may only be going for 5 days, so I'm going to need to plan out my itinerary carefully. I've been reading Time Out London, various guidebooks in the bookstore, VisitLondon.com, trying to familiarize myself with the place names and such. Will comment further when I have more time.

Just make sure you sample many beers and scotches, my friend.... It's almost impossible to get a bad drink in the UK....

"The Tower of London iis worth the visit. Especially the crown jewels."

Is that Prince Charles, William or Harry? I didn't realize any of them had moved in.

I don't know about William or Harry, but a few years ago saw a papparazzi photo of
Charles taken at Highgrove (through a telephoto lens) of him walking outside to what
was considered a private garden (since walled in to make it VERY private).

All I can say is that he may be one of the ugliest men I have ever seen, but the man
as a d**k that would give a lot of porn stars a run for their money. And it was soft.



That said, you can never really appreciate the Crown jewels until you see them, and realize
that yup, those aren't Swarovski crystals. They're the real thing.

Owned by the "Crown" in trust for the British people. Just like Windsor Castle, Bessie's art collection,
St James Palace, etc. Which means if they ever get rid of the Monarchy, title of it all reverts to the
current King or Queen, (and no, I don't mean Prince Edward).

Thanks for all the tips, guys.

I've got one part of my trip set, I've ordered theatre tickets to 4 shows: Avenue Q on Wednesday, Billy Elliot on Thursday, The History Boys on Friday and Evita on Saturday (mat). I ended up paying full price, but was able to get good seats (all within the first 11 rows of the orchestra, or stalls, as they call them). I'm thinking of doing a theatre tour, too, as the National Theatre does a tour of their facilities, and also two of the Delfont Mackintosh theatres, the Prince Edward and Prince of Wales theatres (where Mary Poppins and Mamma Mia are playing).

Really??? I thought if they got rid of the monarchy the crown jewels, Windsor Castle, etc. remain property of the British state. (Balmoral and Sandringham castles actually belong to the royal family.)

You are correct, although figuring out which contents of Buck House and Windsor belong to the family and which belong to the "Crown" would be a forensic accountants nightmare. Highly unlikely the need for such a division will ever arise though given that the polling numbers of the monarchy and of the monarch are so high that British and US politicians can only dream of such numbers,

Did you get tickets to see Equis starring "Harry Potter". From the promo pics young Daniel Radcliff has grown into a fine looking young man.
"Harry Potter" In Equis

I did, indeed. I will see Equus on Saturday night.

The way the show is staged, there are actually audience seats on a raised platform at the rear of the stage--so that the actors on stage are surrounded by a sort-of chorus. I was tempted to order one of those seats (the idea of actually being on the stage of the John Gielgud Theatre), but thought, What if I have a coughing fit or something and make a fool of myself while everyone is watching? So I've got a regular seat, at the very far side of the theare. Hopefully, it'll be OK.

I've also ordered my Oyster card for the Tube, and my Heathrow Express ticket.

London calling!

Daniel Radcliffe's birthday is listed as July 23, 1989 on imdb.com. That makes him 17 years old until this coming July.

Does that mean we've all just committed a crime because we looked at erotic pictures of someone under age?

Just think of it as supporting the arts

I just came across a couple of recent articles on Gilbert & George. They sound like quite an eccentric pair. Am looking forward to the exhibition.

The Guardian: Just the two of us

The Telegraph: A bombshell from Gilbert & George

If you like their work, keep an eye out for signed exhibition posters in the gallery shop. We have one from their Dirty Word Pictures series which looks fantastic framed.

I LOVE London, and you can't go wrong with any the suggestions here. Well, except for Billy Elliot. Loved the movie, HATED the show. Ugh. Anyway... only 5 days? I've been there twice, each for 9-10 days, and I still haven't seen everything I want to see. Of course, last time I went, I took a day trip to Paris on the Eurostar and a day trip to Edinburgh via one of those low are airlines they have all over England... so that took away some of my London time.

Victoria and Albert and the British Museum are a musts. Harrods. A short trip just outside London to Hampton Court. A highlight for me was Highgate Cemetery... an old Victorian cemetery that is half restored, and half straight out of a Universal 1930's horror movie (or, since you're in England, a Hammer Films remake... LOL). St. Pauls Cathedral is wonderful (enjoyed it more than Westminster) and you must do the climb up inside the dome (it's wild, climbing stairs between the inner and outer dome layers) to get to the top and the views from the outside... there's a tiny walkway outside at the top of the dome. To really appreciate Big Ben and Houses of Parliament, cross the Thames... or at least go out to the middle of the bridge and turn around for a wonderful view... puts it into a perspective you don't get when you're right up on top of it.

The gay bars almost all close around 11 PM. I found this odd, coming from NYC where most places just get started at that time! LOL I can't say I was really fond of most of the bars I checked out though. But then, I didn't go to London to hang out in bars, so...

Have fun... if I think of anything else to add, I will... but since you're time is limited, you probably already have a full plate.

Since there are a lot of us who have been to London, and all seem to want to go back,

I think we should have a

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!

We can follow Canmark around and be his entourage, unless of course he's going to do
something boring, then we kidnap him and take him somewhere interesting.

I have an entourage now?

Actually, a friend suggested I might see some minor celebs in the audience at Equus, seeing as I'll be going on the opening week. I hope so.

And no offence to Daniel Radcliffe (too young), but the semi-clad actor I'm looking forward to seeing is Tom Hardy, who plays Dorimant in the National Theatre production of The Man of Mode.

I've ordered so many theatre tickets now--six shows in four days--that I need to scale back some of my plans and choose judiciously amongst the various attractions of the city.

I have returned from London. What a great place! Outrageously expensive, though. After my first meal of a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke cost me over $20 (and a later $30 bill for fish & chips and a smoothie), I had to clamp down on the food expenses. I made good use of my Oyster card on the tube, did lots of walking. I saw 7 shows in 4 days (two standouts were Evita and Avenue Q; Cabaret was a big letdown) and did the tour at the National Theatre. I had to give short shrift to some of the museums I visited (V&A, British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern), and breezed through some of the shops (Harrod's, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Liberty). Loved roaming around Soho, enjoyed walking along the southbank. Borough Market and Spitafields Markets were very nice. Hotels were very good (stayed at both the Holiday Inn Express Swiss Cottage and the Hyatt Great Eastern Hotel). People were nice, although no affairs to remember. Biggest thrill was being frisked by the security man at the airport. He even asked me to unbuckle my belt... and I didn't even know his name! I highly recommend London, a really great place to visit.

And you said you had no affairs.

Why did you stay at 2 hotels?

I so want to go to London. Who wants to go to the Olympics with me in 2012?

I stayed in two hotels for economics (cheaper weekday/weekend rates) and to be in two different parts of the city. Will try and post my pics soon. I'm trying to figure out how to upload them to Yahoo Photos.

JiP, you'll have a great time in London. I'm sure the boys will love you on Old Compton Street.

A recap of the theatre I saw in London:

- Evita (A): A triumph! Loved the new orchestrations and over-miked, pumped up sound. Petite Argentinian Elena Roger made a very good Eva. At times her phrasing was odd, but I attribute that to English not being her native language. Matt Rawle was a fetching Che, although accent and phrasing were also odd at times (he sometimes sounded British, sometimes American). Direction, choreography, sets, lighting, costumes, all served the show well, illuminating the story.

- Avenue Q (A): Funny and very well done. I had the original cast CD and so was familiar with the songs, but loved the performances. I very winning show by a likeable cast. Jon Robyns as Princeton/Rod is a guy you could take home to mother (and an excellent performer). And Gabriel Vick, who I saw as Nicky/Trekkie Monster (he's actually the understudy to the adorable Simon Lipkin), was terrific and a hottie, to boot.

- Billy Elliott (B+): Enjoyable all ages show. I had expected to love it, but only liked it a lot. One wasn't exactly humming Elton John's tunes, and the sets and costumes weren't terribly attractive and seemed cheap given the scale of the production. The boy who played Billy (there are 4 in rotation) was great, though. I prefer the movie, however.

- The History Boys (B ): Decent cast and production, but having seen the movie version several times I couldn't help long for the origninals. I think the movie version edits (modifying Irwin's and Posner's future lives) improves on the story, too.

- The Man of Mode (B-): Solid modern-dress version of Restoration Comedy. Tom Hardy totally hot as Dorimant. Rory Kinnear steals the show as Sir Fopling Flutter (who lives up to his name). Might have done better in a smaller venue than the vast Oliver stage at the National Theatre. (And ditch those awful dance interludes between scenes.)

- Equus (C+): I'm still wondering how this talky show was a big hit in its initial run in the '70's. It has some ideas but is much better when it shows us than tells us. Daniel Radcliffe is OK, if a bit stiff and monotonic (same for Jenny Agutter as the magistrate). Joanna Christie who played Jill was the best of the lot. Due to illness, the understudy Colin Haigh went on as Dysart--reading the script disguised as his doctor notes! Producers hope to bring this to Broadway in fall 2008 (after Radcliffe does the next Harry Potter film).

- Cabaret (D): Not up to West End standards, this production of a truly great musical did not work for me. Direction, choreography, sets, costumes, lighting... nothing worked. I suppose the orchestra played the music well.


My pics from the trip!

Nice pictures! Maybe you should go with me when I go to London and be my tour guide.

You're being kind. The production was horrible.




Some really nice shots... what size lens did you use? It doesn't look like you were using a 35mm. Oh wait, you probably were using a digital... I'm old school, I still use film!

Great shots indeed! Now you have me champing at the bit - my turn in just over 4 weeks!

Nat

Canmark, you may be the only person to goto London and take pics of their hotel bathrooms. Guess it does make a change from the usual pics of St Pauls, the Abbey and the Changing of the Guards, LOL.