Visiting London!

[TexTushHog]

Also, don't forget to look the "wrong way" when crossing the street. You'd be surprised how much looking to your right before stepping off a curb in ingrained into your habits. And you can easily be killed -- literally -- by that habit in the UK. Look both ways, especially left.

And I think that many here are being much too harsh with British food. There are now some very good British restaurants. As mentioned, the River Cafe is very good.

http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/menus/ for lovers of offal and exotic cuts of meat.

http://www.thefatduck.co.uk/ Not in London per se. About 25 miles west. But an amazingly good restaurant. Arguably one of the best in the world.

http://www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk/ Not British, but my favorite French restaurant in London. Medium sized, but very well selected wine list.

http://www.boisdale.co.uk/belgravia/ Scottish ingredient driven seasonal cuisine.

http://www.marketrestaurant.co.uk/ more modern spin on traditional British food.

[slowmover]

Typical of some of the "new" areas popping up:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/08/08...adsup.html?hpw

Driving: "Look left, turn right"

[slowmover]

I meant "Look right, turn left"

Doing it the other way will result in a head-on collision.

[Guest012211-3]

LOL, British food is not that bad, but good luck finding it in London! It's not the most flavorful or inventive cuisine, but a nice Sunday roast is hard to beat. Most of the pubs have lost the traditional English fare, and focus more on fusion dishes ( mostly Thai influences) and lots of Curry.

Having said that, I love the sausages, lamb, and English mustard If I go out to eat, I usually have Turkish or Greek (don't laugh).

I still miss Tex-mex and crispy bacon.

[Red Tex]

Nicole, aren't you going to culinary school? Maybe you could introduce the British the the "Green Chile Bacon Enchilada!" Which I have never had, but now I am going to start a quest for.

[SASpurfan]

It goes without saying that there is more to see in London and surrounding areas than you will have time to see, yet you will have a wonderful time I am sure. Also, take an umbrella and have fun!

SAS

[Guest012211-3]

Originally Posted by Red Tex

Nicole, aren't you going to culinary school? Maybe you could introduce the British the the "Green Chile Bacon Enchilada!" Which I have never had, but now I am going to start a quest for.

LOL, YES!! I'm studying classic French Cuisine which is insanely overpriced here. I did manage to find some "old El Paso" enchilada, taco, and fajita kits in the supermarket, however, sour cream and green chilies are not to be found.

I hope Shae enjoys her visit to "foggy London-town".

[Charlie Brown]

Shae, pick up one of the large maps of London at Barnes & Noble.....they have them showing the train & bus stops, the attractions, etc. Something that is way under rated......plan a walking trip near some of the main attractions........the little things you see that are unexpected are memorable.

Not mentioned here as yet but head out to Windsor Castle....the Queen's family art collections are quiet impressive.....I'd skip Stonehenge....interesting but it takes a bit of time to take it in and there's not much to see.

Bath is interesting and historic..........a day trip......the 2000 year old Roman spa site is unique and the town itself is impressive with shops, etc.....as an ex rugbyplayer it was neat to catch a game in town....big sport in Europe.

Only briefly mentioned as yet..........Westminister Abbey is a can't miss.........you get to walk right over the top of Henry the 8th..........almost surreal to find the number of noted people from all of history burried in the building.....great statues.

I too don't find the London food particularly special.....actually breakfast can easily be one of the best meals to have.......a good stand by is fish & chips.

Off topic but if you can get over to Paris.........another full day trip.......there are very view places in the world that can challenge the views at the Orsay and Louvre..........if you like art & museums....they are very special......you'll remember them for life!

Lastly, as previously mentioned, very expensive place.......if you have the time......get a Capitol One credit card....they have one that skips the exchange rate surcharge plus you get a percent or two back, plus no annnual fee......it's not much but you're headed in the right direction.

[TexTushHog]

Originally Posted by Nicole Preston

LOL, YES!! I'm studying classic French Cuisine which is insanely overpriced here. I did manage to find some "old El Paso" enchilada, taco, and fajita kits in the supermarket, however, sour cream and green chilies are not to be found.

I hope Shae enjoys her visit to "foggy London-town".

Any recs for good French food in London?


Paris??!!!! Now we're talking.

How long are you going to be in London? If you're there for more than three to five days, I'd really recommend grabbing an early morning train to Paris, spending one night in Paris, and coming back on the last train the next day. That effectively gives you two days in Paris.

If you want to know what to do in Paris, I could write pages and pages on that. And I'd rather spend a day in Paris than a month in London.

[TexTushHog]

Delete. Duplicate post.

[Guest022712-3]

Ah England-- how I love it.

If you've the time and inclination, hop a train north to Coventry. LOTS of history there, such as Coventry Cathedral (its a shell of an old cathedral, bombed during WW2) and the story of Lady Godiva.

I'm not certain about London, as I lived further north in Coventry, but one of the hardest things for me to get used to was that the shoppes closed at 5PM. I believe that ASDA stays open (UK version of Wal-Mart-- owned by Wal-Mart actually). But most of your stores close far earlier than what we Americans are accustomed to.

I second the advice on taking the tube. You can get anywhere in London for pocketchange. And the "Mind the Gap" signs are always sure to bring a giggle.

Also-- if your visit is longer than a week, you can hop an inexpensive train north to Edinburgh or south to Paris. Believe its less than 30 Quid for either (about 55 dollars, depending on exchange rate). Oh-- and DO NOT exchange your money at the airport, do it at the bank before you leave. They will charge you a lot more at the exchanges at Heathrow (or Gatwick, depending on which you fly into).

Food wise-- you have to try Fish and Chips and Bangers and Mash--- beyond that, theres nothing worth mentioning as far as local cuisine. Lots of excellent Indian and Thai food to be found though.

Have fun-- and if you have any questions feel free to ask. England is a home away from home for me.

[Shea Veile]

The trip was rushed. Flew in to Heathrow Airport and spent part of the day & afternoon in London, then took the evening train (King's Cross Ln.) to Cambridge. A couple of days in the small, quaint city and rode on the afternoon train (same one) back to London to stay overnight and catch the next day's flight. 5 days, 4 nights.



London is old, crowded and busy but historically interesting. Lots of walking or taking the cab. The streets are narrow, some don't have lanes which causes drivers to take turns getting around each other.

The pedestrians don't share the sidewalks very well. You have to shoulder thru them to pass. Do not forget to wear your best walking shoes! I noticed most of the women wore flats or sneakers.

Other people will use bicycles (they're everywhere!), may have their own cars or crowd onto the trains. (Btw, the train stations are filthy and charge for using the restrooms.)

Trust the taxi cabs to manage the streets. Even though they're constantly on & off the gas & brakes, they're very adept and nimble.

The crime has risen by leaps & bounds due to European immigrants. Lots of Polish, Hungarians, Serbs, Russians, etc. Whatever isn't nailed down is taken anyway.

Because of the potential theft and fuel is very expensive, no one fills the tanks of their cars. It's $1.60 to the British pound. It's 1.96 pounds per liter of petrol. (4 liters/1 gallon = approx. $12)

The cars are in good mechanical & physical shape. No dents, dings or clunkers. I imagine the British are required to keep their vehicles in top condition due to the cramped population and their traffic issues.

According to one of the taxi drivers, the media isn't reporting accurate numbers ... they're much higher. The London population is more than 11,000 people per square mile. The city is only 50 miles to the north - south & 50 miles to the east - west. At least 300 languages are spoken.

There's some really strange looking English people! I was told it was from all of the imbreeding. Uummm yea I can see how that's possible. It's not just bad teeth and mis-shapen faces ... there's crossed eyes & wandering wall eyes too!

I noticed a woman across an intersection. She was very tall and thin with a small, pinched head. It looked like someone had squeezed her by the temples & held her by the feet and pulled in opposite directions, as if she'd been stretched vertically. I dunno what caused it but - Wowzers!

Yes, the food is terrible. Very bland and basic. And ... peas are served with every meal. *Yuck!* The only good edibles were bakery items and fish & chips. Oh, and they can't make ice cream right. I bought a soft serve cone, thinking it would be yummy. *Bleh!* It was the equivilant of tasteless Cool Whip.

The architecture is astounding! So many old buildings and monuments, the city has developed around them. The carved statuary, gargoyles and gates. It's hard to believe they still exist.

I was mainly in the Westminster area, not far from Hyde Park, Marble Arch and Victoria's Gate. I saw Westminster Abby & Big Ben, the Sanctuary, Buckingham Palace, St James Park, Parliment, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum (not as big as I thought it would be but packed with lots of kewl exhibits), Picadilly Circus, SoHo, the London Eye (2nd tallest ferris wheel in the world, which stands next to the London Aquarium), James J. Fox Cigars (Est. 1787; small museum downstairs that also has guest books with Winston Churchill's signature written across one of the pages) and the best for last, St Paul's Cathedral (1400 yrs old).



Cambridge is old, charming and based on the universities. Lots of colleges and students. More walking involved. You can go anywhere on foot or bicycle. Again, narrow streets.

The people are more receptive, especially to visitors. Many art & gift shops, cafes & restaurants, parks and a small indoor mall. Yes, they close the shops early at 5 or 5:30pm. Only the pubs & clubs are open late.

The British are very avid gardeners. Signs are posted on almost every lawn 'Keep off the grass!' The gardens & courtyards are gorgeous! They're extremely well-manicured and you'll never see drooping flowers.

I walked thru the streets of Market Square and across the grounds of the universities. Each one more breathtaking than the next but all were equally beautiful! King's, Queen's, Clare, Trinity, St John's Colleges and Ely Cathedral. Don't forget - the Bridge of Sighs!

While visiting Trinity College, my main goal was to see the wonderful treasures in the Wren Library. The original handwritten copy of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, the notes by Sir Isaac Newton of relativity & gravity, one of the first printed volumes of Shakespeare's first 20 plays, a copy of Queen Anne's Book of Hours (specifies & provides prayers for various times of day), as well as a few other intriguing items.


Most British establishments don't have air conditioning. The hotels definitely will. The businesses that do will post signs in their windows.

During the summer, the daytime temps are low-mid 70's and the nights are chilly low 50's. An umbrella is advised since it rains frequently.


The flights are 8 hrs to get there and 9 hrs to return. England is 6 hrs ahead of US standard time.



I truly enjoyed the art, architecture & culture. Amazing!

[Chainsaw Anthropologist]

Excellent synopsis!

Now..........regarding San Francisco.

[Guest012211-3]

LOL Shea! You just described all my favorite things about living in London! Sounds like you had nice visit, and hopefully you will want to come back soon!

So you think it's crowded now? I just can't wait for the 2012 summer olympics!

[SweetAterPie]

Nicole its great to here from you, when will you complete your studies and are you returning to the states?