London bound

[Ninot]

I'm going to London and its surrounding areas for the first two weeks of August. I've never been, and I really don't know what is worth seeing.

What are worthwhile tourist attractions and hip happening pubs?

[Zkribbler]

The big mofo ferris wheel near Parliment is supposed to be spectacular.

[Cort Haus]

It depends what you like doing. Camden is good for nightlife and I prefer it to the West End but then I'm biased because I live here. Not that I have much money for nightlife these days, but that's my problem. I'll take you round a few places if you buy me a drink or two. My recommendations are biased towards North London - Molly can doubtless advertise the East for you.

I'd say visit Parliament Square & Trafalgar Square, but if you like walking and architecture then Bloomsbury, where the British Museum is, is worth a stroll round the Georgian squares. Visit the City for St Pauls, London Wall, the Museum of London, and lots of little hidden nooks and crannies down alleyways of ancient streets, and visit Kensington for the Science & Natural History Museums.

The parks are nice - St James's Park in Westminster, Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, and my local - Regent's Park (with London Zoo) between the West End and Camden. Primrose Hill - just north of Regent's Park has a good view, and nearby Primrose Hill 'village' is beatiful to walk around near Chalcot Square. There's a Russian restaurant called Trojka on Regent's Park Road in Primrose Hill that does amazing goulash and also has great live music most weekends.

Upper Street, Islington has lots of pubs and restaurants, and if you like Douglas Adams you should certainly go there. And St Pancras station has a huge neo-gothic frontage - the Midland Grand Hotel, which also starred in a Douglas Adams book.

Hampstead and Highgate, with the Heath between them are good to walk around, and Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath offers fine views.

Don't go to Buckingham Palace. They need their heads chopping, that lot.

[Ninot]

Thanks Cort

[Asher]

Re: London bound

Originally posted by Ninot
I'm going to London and its surrounding areas for the first two weeks of August. I've never been, and I really don't know what is worth seeing.

What are worthwhile tourist attractions and hip happening pubs?

Umm. If you go to St Thomas you can see where Jumbo died.

[Cort Haus]

Re: Re: London bound

Originally posted by Asher

Umm. If you go to St Thomas you can see where Jumbo died.

[Asher]

I've been there. They actually have a large gift shop.

[Cort Haus]

I expect it would have to be large, with all those elephants in it.

[Asher]

Did you know what Jumbo was or did you have to google it?

[Ninot]

Hey, what's with the threadjacking?

[Asher]

Jumbo is a tourist attraction in the London area...where's the jacking?

[Ninot]

Was that thing done by a taxidermist? Then maybe I'd visit it.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Asher
Did you know what Jumbo was or did you have to google it?

I had to cheat, I'm afraid. When you said "St Thomas" I was wondering though, because there's a St Thomas's Hospital on the South Bank of the Thames, opposite Parliament. There also used to be an elephant called Jumbo at London Zoo, many, many years ago, ISTR. I wondered if it was just possible that they couldn't find a vet's large enough for some treatment and ... well, it was a long shot.

I was not too surprised to find a Canadian Tourist attraction.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Ninot
Hey, what's with the threadjacking?

That wasn't a threadjack it was a bump. We need to keep this alive so Molly can recommend some places to see in Stepney and Limehouse.

[Ninot]

Molly! Save us!