I used to live there. It's a great place to visit, but it gets old to live there. The weather and food suck (except for the Chinese, which is way better than in the States).

do you really need to ask this?
I've never been to London and I can tell you, yes, it's worth checking out.

The food in London can be great if you make an effort to eat in decent places. Stick to McD's and greasy cafes and of course it's crap. The weather isn't actually that bad compared to some parts of the UK, especially the NW. But then it depends on your tatses - if you like to send the whole day sweating then there are far 'nicer' places to live weather wise. Enjoy a decent mix then there's FA wrong with it.

As for living there to be honest I miss it. I prefer the edge of the M25 to central London as you have some greenery and are still only 30 mins from the city but having spent all my childhood there it sort of grows on you.

Best answer yet :) Same can be said of NY, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona etc etc etc :)

Yeah, rent one of those short-term furnished apartments. I've done it before. Good times.

yeah check it out, hit up the pubs, get drunk, do some shopping, go to Fabric nightclub and have a dance, check out a soccer match, lots to do

Don't forget to shag a slapper, but watchout for mingers!

Bring a lot of cash. things are very expensive there. But I had a good time anyway.

Don't even consider staying in Heathrow - it's 20 miles from central London and is a dump, basically.

Anywhere in central London will be fine to stay in. Popular areas for hotels include Russell Square, Totteham Court Road, Holborn, South Kensington (more expensive). I imagine you'll be spending most of the time sightseeing from South Kensington across to Green Park, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Leicester Square, Picadilly Circus, Westminster (in terms of tube stops - useful landmarks even if you don't travel by tube).

I live about 400 yards from the Marriot you mention overlooking Westminster (I actually have a spare room too heh). I have a nice view of the river and The Houses of Parliament (being South of the River isn't anywhere near as bad as it used to be 30 years ago). This area is known as the South Bank and is pretty nice, but I'd suggest you look at somewhere vaguely in the centre of the areas you're likely to sightsee; that way you can easily walk from one thing to the next (taxis aren't expensive - figure on spending the equivalent of $12-$25 when getting from A to B, but walking is a good way to get around in town. I walk everywhere).

The Covent Garden Hotel in Monmouth Street is very nice - it's not cheap, but good value for the money. London is a bit like NYC in terms of hotels - most of them are expensive, and not very nice at all.

Food is expensive if you want to eat well. Best place to eat is Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, though you're looking at about $200 a head. You can have a great value Sunday lunch at the Savoy (about $40 + wine), a bit of an undiscovered secret for the majority of Londoners. There's a cool wine cellar bar called Gordon's near Embankment tube. Musty, cheap and full of character.

Take a boat from Westminster to Greenwich - takes about an hour. Nice way to see London (from the river). The big wheel is quite good. There are tour buses which seem a bit cheesy, but are actually good too. If you like musicals (I don't), shows are about half the price of Broadway.

Mark

yes its boring

Im excited after reading this thread - and Ive lived here most of my life....

Oh - I almost forgot - you won't find a pub open at midnight - they close at 11pm. There are (few and far between) bars that stay open till 1am and 3am, though, but they're not "traditional" pubs. Most, but not all, places that are open after 11pm charge an entry fee as it's so difficult to find anywhere open at that time. Wretched licensing laws.

Soho (Leicester Square/Picadilly Circus area) is a good place to find a concentration of late night places still serving drinks. Before 11pm, there are thousands of pubs to choose from all over London.

Mark

Hehe not often people speak about London and Whitby at the same time. The north east coast is superb, notleast as its less touristy.
Whitby has a big Goth festival on this weekend :))

Ignorant comment. Are you even a Brit?

Cockneys (the true East End of London) are some of the most genuine people you could ever meet.

Thread starter (venus) spending time in the city is really overpriced (typical tourist trap). It`s worth checking out the counties outside London if you get a chance (Essex, Herts and further North).

This is a decent link worth checking out: http://www.londontown.com/London/Pla..._go_in_London/

What did you do paint the hotel walls or something?
London kicks ass

Never been to london before

youre telling me :1orglaugh - let's go downtown for a hotdog!

as for the cockneys "are some of the most genuine people you could ever meet"... well, its the same as anywhere really. some are nice some are crooks... trust them as much as you would any other friendly stranger, i.e. not very much.

generally, im sure you'll have a great time.

IMO, London is great for Indian food, if you're into that.

Some of the best Indian food can be found around Brick Lane - but if you dont like it REALLY hot make sure you tell them.

I've never been down to London, its so close compared to some other places I've been.

My girlfriend wants to go soon tho, she's been once and loved it. I might take her soon.

London is a great city, but expensive. Except for the beer and ale!

Take the tube. Much faster and less expensive than taxis. Just take a couple minutes when you enter the underground to get your bearings.

Most pubs close at 11:00 as has been posted.

If you want sex check out Punter Net and go to one of the "parties". Typical is three girls over three hours for 120 pounds.

Visit Soho (just beside Piccadilly station) to check out the sleeze. Great bookshops as well. Short fast sex with lovely young women can be had for 30 pounds. Look for the "model" signs in the open doorways.

*Do not* go for the "Private Shows". They will roll you for 100-200 pounds.

Have fun!

I vote for this post as being the greatest contribution to this thread.

Yeah, I hear it's a real BLAST!!! :disgust

i stayed at the landmark when i was there and it was like 400 pounds a night. london is a fucking expensive city.

You wanna travel up North then where the Kormas end up like Vindaloo. :Oh crap

London freaking rocks. Been here since July and I ain't leaving...oh wait my passport says i gotta leave in Dec. Nevermind.

I guess I should say on average the food's not very good, but there are some really great exceptions. All the Chinese is good, as is the Indian if you're into that kind of food. I found one French restaurante that had no prices: you literally paid what you thought the meal was worth, but it was so good, you typically paid more than if there were prices. I did anyway.

I was there for about a year and a half, and there was about 1-2 weeks that were really nice, meaning sunny and warm. I just went there for a visit about a month ago, and I was surprised that it was again sunny and warm for the first few days. Then I went to Leeds and it wasn't so good anymore, and overcast by the time I got back to London.

The country side can be beautiful, though, and the women are great. :)

you all are a riot...thats why I am visiting London :)

and no, not going for sex or strip clubs, just interested in see the local culture.

yeah, I've been there once or twice

A touch of cynicism there Sarah? :winkwink:

London has some of the top resturants in the world. If you don't like traditional English food then don't worry because except for fish and chips you aren't likely to find it anyway. A resturant without prices? Where was that because I never even heard of that but it does show that you can get just about anything you want to eat in London.

The number one eating tip in regards to London is don't go near the Angus/Aberdeen Steak Houses. They are ONLY for tourists that don't know any better.

Also, it always kind of pisses me off when people go on about the weather. Firstly, London gets such little snow or really cold weather that it makes up for lack of constant sunshine for me. It is true that this isn't the sunniest city in the world but then again it isn't California. That said, the summers are starting to get hotter and hotter here...I would rather they didn't.

It does however have some of the most incredible history and culture you will find anywhere. It is also one of those cities that someone either loves or hates. If you love it then it will get under your skin and become a part of you.

Similar to New York, it is a city where you can find whatever you want to find and make the city suit whoever you want to be. Is there bad stuff here? Hell yeah! Is there great stuff here? You better fucking believe it.

A friend said that I am proof that not all Americans are born without the sarcasm gene.

Or be like me and go the Korma route...yes I am a wimp.

:1orglaugh :thumbsup

I am always saying that the one dish that you can not get a good version of here is pizza. I had to go to Belgium to get a good pizza they way I would expect to get them back home (I haven't checked out Italy yet...lol). I was actually happy when Pappa John's opened up here.

Yeah..don't stay near either airport..they aren't even really in London. It would be like flying into Newark and staying there to visit NYC.

Go to http://www.lastminute.com and check out the deals they have on hotels and shows. Even Londoners use that site.

You're simply wrong about the food as Sarah pointed out. It's just a matter of taking the time to look and explore. There's a HUGE range of very good quality food available from every part of the globe often at reasonable prices. Again it's a matter of looking. If you find yourself in London again spend a little more time finding good places to eat as there's plenty. If you're stuck read a food guide ot two.

And yes to the weather in Leeds. I really can't understand why people say the London weather is bad because to be honest it isn't. Again the only people who have any justification for bitching are people who like living in temps of 90+ and sweating all day. Personally I'd find weather like that horrible. However, travel to some places up North and dry days really are the exception :(

You think that about the north? I'm from Sheffield, but now live in Cardiff, and it is much much wetter here than the north ever was.

And yeah, the food is London isnt crap. there is just about everything and anything you could want, and at just about every standard.

Everywhere outside of London gets so much more rain. I think the problem is that outsiders (re: Americans) see everywhere in the UK as London and so lump everything into it.

Every time I have been to the midlands it pissed it down.

Culturally and historically its magnificent. If you like the arts and museums then its great for that too. Also, look out for little gems that dont get mentioned too often like Borough Market which has been around for about 8 or 900 years and is superb. Shoreditch and all around that area its a rich mix of cultures, so if you dig on that scene then that area is great, especially for food (be more careful at night though lol).

If you stay at the old County Hall you have the London Eye outside, its a five minute stroll across Westminster bridge to Parliament Square which has Westminster Abbey as well. Then its a 10 to 15 minute stroll up to Trafalgar Square from which you are central to everything.

Plus points: History, sights to see, culturally diverse, food (yes it is good in general).

Minus points: Expensive, Tube is shit, people arent generally the friendliest.

In a nutshell, yes it well worth a visit.