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Tips for Visit to London

London Locals helping visitors and locals alike
neversay
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Tips for Visit to London

#190086

Postby neversay » December 30th, 2018, 1:06 pm

My wife and I are staying at the Landmark hotel in Marylebone for a night on Jan 3/4. It's a flying visit and we'll be without the kids (for the first time in ages) and deserve a special break after a horrid past few weeks. I wondered if any Lemon Fools could inject some ideas on making it special in terms of 'insider' things to do or places to eat and drink?

Things to do - without the kids we can cover lots ground (foot, tube or bikes) so have done the parks, south bank, etc in the past. We've done all the galleries and museums but don't mind a return.

Places to eat/drink - not too formal or OTT expensive, but somewhere special and/or memorable.

I appreciate tastes/interests vary, but if you were away from London for a number of years, where would you most want to go back to visit/dine?

Thank you,

N.

Spet0789
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190118

Postby Spet0789 » December 30th, 2018, 7:00 pm

neversay wrote:My wife and I are staying at the Landmark hotel in Marylebone for a night on Jan 3/4. It's a flying visit and we'll be without the kids (for the first time in ages) and deserve a special break after a horrid past few weeks. I wondered if any Lemon Fools could inject some ideas on making it special in terms of 'insider' things to do or places to eat and drink?

Things to do - without the kids we can cover lots ground (foot, tube or bikes) so have done the parks, south bank, etc in the past. We've done all the galleries and museums but don't mind a return.

Places to eat/drink - not too formal or OTT expensive, but somewhere special and/or memorable.

I appreciate tastes/interests vary, but if you were away from London for a number of years, where would you most want to go back to visit/dine?

Thank you,

N.


Just a couple of ideas.

If the weather is at all decent, try to work a Thames riverboat journey into your day. For a few pounds, while getting from A to B, you get a fantastic view of the city.

If you want to get a meal or two at a top restaurant, you’re going at a great (quiet) time of year as there should be some late availability. Some of the 2 or 3 star restaurants in London do very reasonably priced lunch menus - often half the price of their evening menu. Many don’t get spending > £100 on a meal, but personally I think being fed by a top chef is a huge bargain. Consider that the price difference between a meal prepared by the best in the business and Pizza Hut is about 20x and then compare that with much wider differentials in other fields.

Of course there are always changing exhibitions at the Tate Modern and the National Gallery in particular. If you haven’t been to London for a while, check out the British Museum and the wider Kings Cross area, Borough Market and the Shard and take a walk through the City ending in Shoreditch High Street. Maybe head over to Stratford to see the Olympic Park. It’s a nice ride by bicycle or you can sit at the front of a DLR train and indulge your inner train driver!

I’d say the trend in the past 10 years has been the Eastward shift in London’s centre of gravity.

neversay
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190199

Postby neversay » December 31st, 2018, 11:29 am

Thank you @ap8889 and @Spet0789 - great suggestions. I think the riverboat and amble around Greenwich is in order, wander along Southbank, the Tates and V&A. As you say, an early-bird upmarket meal plus a show at the comedy store or theatre would do the trick. (My wife is off back to her home town of New York in a week and will be picking up bling there that we picked out in the Summer.)

I'm very grateful for your replies. It has been an awful few weeks so this short break means a great deal.

TahiPanasDua
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190208

Postby TahiPanasDua » December 31st, 2018, 11:45 am

neversay wrote:Places to eat/drink - not too formal or OTT expensive, but somewhere special and/or memorable.

I appreciate tastes/interests vary, but if you were away from London for a number of years, where would you most want to go back to visit/dine?

Thank you,

N.


One of our absolute favourite things to do is probably a bit too non-mainstream. We adore Asian food and never fail to explore the Little China restaurants behind the National Gallery. Teeming Asians are testament to the quality. Try those with the fewest western customers for the very best grub.

One favourite is Rasa Sayang for genuine spicy Malaysian/ Singaporean cuisine. You'll be lucky to get in unless you fancy an early or late lunch. It's small, crowded and unsophisticated with cheap tables and chairs which makes it like a typical Malaysian shophouse restaurant.

I feel hungry just writing this bilge.

TP2.

genou
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190246

Postby genou » December 31st, 2018, 2:50 pm

neversay wrote:Thank you @ap8889 and @Spet0789 - great suggestions. I think the riverboat and amble around Greenwich is in order, wander along Southbank, the Tates and V&A. As you say, an early-bird upmarket meal plus a show at the comedy store or theatre would do the trick. (My wife is off back to her home town of New York in a week and will be picking up bling there that we picked out in the Summer.)

I'm very grateful for your replies. It has been an awful few weeks so this short break means a great deal.


Bear in mind that the riverboat runs between Tate Britain and Tate Modern..... Burne-Jones was completely bonkers at the former, and Annie Albers is good at the latter.

Other ideas might be , depending on your tastes , Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War at the British Library ( https://www.bl.uk/events/anglo-saxon-kingdoms ) or the National Gallery has both Mantegna/Bellini and the Courtauld Impressionists ( https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions )

Slarti
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190263

Postby Slarti » December 31st, 2018, 4:43 pm

Spet0789 wrote: the Shard


The viewing platform at the top of The Shard is massively expensive, IMHV, but going for a drink at https://www.the-shard.com/restaurants/gong/ only costs a couple of £ more and you get a drink and a view.

Slarti

monabri
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190282

Postby monabri » December 31st, 2018, 6:13 pm

Walking across the Tower Bridge ( inside ..glass floor..see link)
https://www.towerbridge.org.uk/whats-on/

Photo opportunity on the (not so) wobbly bridge ( St Pauls)
https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-d ... ium-bridge


https://www.visitlondon.com

todthedog
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190284

Postby todthedog » December 31st, 2018, 6:24 pm

If heading for Greenwich a trip to the orangery at the fan museum is great for a cup of tea.

Still love the original Tate and the natural history museum.
Have a great trip

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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190290

Postby wydffa » December 31st, 2018, 7:17 pm

dinner with music?
Jazz Cafe, Pizza Express Jazz, Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec, Crazy Coqs cabaret at Zedel (nice venue for lunch too), Le Quecumbar (gypsy jazz in Battersea) and many others

neversay
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190461

Postby neversay » January 1st, 2019, 8:04 pm

Wonderful responses. I like the exhibitions and the Asian and musical cuisine. Thank you all!

UncleIan
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#190581

Postby UncleIan » January 2nd, 2019, 3:36 pm

neversay wrote:I appreciate tastes/interests vary, but if you were away from London for a number of years, where would you most want to go back to visit/dine?


A number of years? How many? If the last time you went to the British Museum it had an open courtyard, go there. Not only is the building from the outside the grandest of grandiose statements, the courtyard roof is a sight to behold, plus there's all that really old stuff. Hmm, mind you, it opened in 2000, so you've probably been since, if not, go.

neversay
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#191818

Postby neversay » January 7th, 2019, 9:58 pm

Just to say thank you all for your helpful suggestions. We had a wonderful time, had a great stay in an executive room at the Landmark in Marylebone, walked for miles covered the Tates, enjoyed Asian food, had cocktails in the American Bar at the Savoy and the Chiltern Firehouse. Very sore feet afterwards but just a perfect antidote to an awful end to 2018. Thank you for taking the time to provide all your expert tips. We are looking forward to visiting again soon to do the rest!

UncleEbenezer
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#213849

Postby UncleEbenezer » April 9th, 2019, 11:38 am

Don't forget to check out the famous echo in the British Museum's reading room.

Howyoudoin
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#213875

Postby Howyoudoin » April 9th, 2019, 1:00 pm

UncleEbenezer wrote:Don't forget to check out the famous echo in the British Museum's reading room.


Not sure how you 'stumbled' on a post over 3 months old but I think it's a little late for suggestions to the OP now.

:)

HYD

neversay
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#213893

Postby neversay » April 9th, 2019, 2:03 pm

Howyoudoin wrote:
UncleEbenezer wrote:Don't forget to check out the famous echo in the British Museum's reading room.


Not sure how you 'stumbled' on a post over 3 months old but I think it's a little late for suggestions to the OP now.

:)

HYD


Well, I'm heading back in a few weeks as it happens for the Women's Cup Final but was considering a quick stop by the British Museum - so the timing was uncanny! :)

N.

Howyoudoin
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#213908

Postby Howyoudoin » April 9th, 2019, 2:55 pm

neversay wrote:
Howyoudoin wrote:
UncleEbenezer wrote:Don't forget to check out the famous echo in the British Museum's reading room.


Not sure how you 'stumbled' on a post over 3 months old but I think it's a little late for suggestions to the OP now.

:)

HYD


Well, I'm heading back in a few weeks as it happens for the Women's Cup Final but was considering a quick stop by the British Museum - so the timing was uncanny! :)

N.



Ha ha, love it.

HYD

robbelg
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Re: Tips for Visit to London

#214587

Postby robbelg » April 12th, 2019, 10:05 am

neversay wrote:
Well, I'm heading back in a few weeks as it happens for the Women's Cup Final but was considering a quick stop by the British Museum - so the timing was uncanny! :)

N.


Note that The British Museum now doesn't allow in any wheeled bags ( even airline carry on size ) AND they don't have a cloakroom/left luggage


Rob


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