Going to London, England -- need input
 

Going on a business trip to the London area for three weeks next Saturday and was wondering if any Londoners could offer up some tips / input on what to do.

I'm taking my wife and we'll be staying in a flat in East Dulwich. I'll be working during the day while my bride gets to putz around the area. So, I was curious if I could get some ideas on some places to see, channels to watch that won't make us want to shoot ourselves, food to eat / stay away from, yadda yadda yadda. Note, we'll be on a budget for the trip so ideas that aren't too extravagant are more than welcome.

Thanks for the help :)

So sorry to hear that :(

There's a pretty good restaurant (Turkish) by Waterloo Station you should check out, i forget its name but its located at The Cut, which is about 2 miles from the station itself.

Soho on a Saturday night is a must see, make sure you check out Madame JoJos :thumbsup

Regards,

Lee

Is it a bad area?

Heres a link to that restaurant i mentioned:

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/info_restaurant_5887.html

Regards,

Lee

The one review makes me sad..

Busaba restaurant in Wardour street is great.

Harrods and Harvey Nichols are fun for shopping and not as expensive as you'd expect.

London taxis - the proper black ones - (don't call them cabs, they get VERY huffy) are good, they really do know where they're going and are fast as they can use bus lanes, etc.

The millenium wheel is fun and a good way to get you bearings on the centre.

Other than that, London is very expensive, has nowhere near enough aircon, the exchange rate sucks and we're a miserable bunch in general.

Enjoy!

The Tower Of London was my favorite place to visit when I was there.

Then take the train out to Greenich where the Cutty Sark is.

the Design Museum is great, as is the Tate Modern if you're into art.

Go to kings cross for the night. Its happening there.

East Dulwich? GHETTO!

well, there are worse places in london (mostly the areas surounding dulwich, e.g Catford, Peckham, Lewishum, etc.) but its still considered pretty bad, like most of south east london. Just um.. don't go out alone.

Well that just sucks, then. :(

But thanks for all your replies thus far.

this should help you get a feeling for daily life in south east london......

just some recent news...

"Mr McKenzie, of East Dulwich, was attacked after talking to a man waiting at a bus stop." - innocent man stabbed to death while waiting for a bus in east dulwich
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4901084.stm

young lady from dulwich stalked then shot in the face at work, the attacker then turned the gun on himself
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4749940.stm

kid at a dulwich school brutaly beats his own teacher
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4401486.stm


it's such a nice place. LMAO

whatever you do DONT - I repeat DONT - buy a hotdog at one of them dodgy lookin hotdogcarts.

These carts are made in 5 mins, its crap food, spoiled, expensive, no license, the police fine them and for 1 thats taken in 10 rise from the ashes.

I agree with the suggestions already given. Tower of London, London Eye (Millenium Wheel/Huge Ferris Wheel) - you might also want to take a look at Buckingham palace, Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament. All a bit obvious but probably have to be done while you are in London.

Thanks folks.

yes Westminster Abbey is fascinating

Just be warned that this is the tourist season, so at the popular places like The Tower and Westminster Abbey, you can be in for long queues. And although there are exceptions (most of them expensive and fairly well hidden) eating in the West End is a bad idea.

A couple of places (if you like the food involved) would be Selfridges' "Brass Rail" for a lunchtime salt beef sandwich and an amazing Thai restaurant (despite looking totally unprepossessing from outside) The Blue Elephant in Fulham. They even have displays of orchids in the washrooms :)

The "Rough Guide To London" is worth buying.

This time of year it is nice to get a boat from the pier at the Tower Of London all the way down to Greenwich. Nice way to do it. In Greenwich, check out the Royal Observatory and see the Prime Meridian. Also, there are a lot of resturants there. A nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I have never understood why anyone would. Anyway, they are all at war with each other anyway.


Check out Lastminute.com for good deals on resturants and shows, etc.

Give me a break. Lewisham, etc are perfectly safe to anyone with one drop of street sense. Of course, at midnight I would watch my back anywhere but compared to any comparable place in the USA, for example, they are safe.

I live in that area of London..Thamesmead...and there is nothing at all to fear from those areas.

Thanks Sarah for your input.

Ive lived in London all my life...... east dulwich isnt all that bad. A friend of mine from there had his teeth pulled out one by one with pliers by a gang there.

Rent & accommodation should be on the cheap side though id imagine (mainly cos no-one wants to live there).

You might also want to research who your neighbours are likely to be:

http://www.gun-control-network.org/INS0106.htm

"a gunman fired at an unarmed policeman during a chase in Dulwich."

http://www.gun-control-network.org/IN1105.htm

"suspected gunman and the victim of a failed gangland-style hit in East Dulwich are both being sought by police. The man who was shot at had not come forward."

http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/engla...es/3594541.stm

"The court heard she was recruited by 39-year-old Jamaican national Lincoln White, of Dulwich, south-east London, who was told he faced up to 25 years in jail."

So i guess you could say, its a lively place....

K.

Never stayed around London. Only time I've been to GB was for a month when I was 13. Stayed in Norwich. Seemed like a nice place from what I remember. But from what I'm hearing here, Dulwich is a crime-laden shithole? Seriously? Is it really that bad? Or is it pretty much like any other city around the world where acts of crime happen to random people and if my bride and I aren't retarded we should have an ok time?

Also, anyone know the train / underground commute time from Dulwich to London?

tourist trap #1 they keep unions cookin on them forever, you smell it, get hungry and buy the stuff. Ive seen guys who dropped raw meat on the pavement pick it up and put it back in a not regfrigerated box.

lastminute is nice, but every corner has a pret a porter if you want a salad or so

lol, look likes its where the action is at!

You can go to London Bridge... 20-odd minutes.... but that's best for the City and only likely useful if you go to the Tower (unless you go visit Camden Lock, in which case just stay on the train)... otherwise go to Victoria... that puts you near Buckingham Palace, Westminster in about 30 minutes and another 10 minutes from the West End, Kensington, etc.

Cheap and convenient thing is to buy a weekly tube pass btw...

PS: check whether any engineering works on at weekend: they can add a lot of time, but during the week not usually an issue.

Whew! Glad that Sarah had my back!

ggod info
 

I might just go myself

south east london is a safe place. dont listen to those hyped up news bulletins.
heck - I live in a small hick town and some gang got some kid and rode over his arms with their bikes, yet that never got reported coz it aint in london.

also some head was found in a pond in my town. oh no national news.

shit happens - it wont happen to you

Try the Thames River tour. I was in London in '03 and loved that city. Also, checking out the historic areas like Buckingham Palace, the Old Tower of London, Parliament building, and the many museums definitely made for a memorable and culturally enriching trip.

Id rather ask the question about whether youd like your bride to be toothless?

Some people reckon teeth just get in the way of a great blowjob :1orglaugh

Norwich is in the sticks, up here we're all laid back and the worst crime we have is people stealing combine harvesters and tractors. London is a different cup of tea, as long as you don't go out too late at night and into areas like Brixton and Feltham you'll be fine an dandy.

London overall is a pretty safe place compared to the States. You should have no problems anywhere as long as you don't make trouble in the pubs.

Pretty much sums up my vacation there a few weeks ago :1orglaugh

If you're on a budget make sure you get to the museums which are free. Seek out art and architecture since it's everywhere, and also free.

The bus tour is about $30 US but a good way to get started if you don't mind acting like a genuine tourist. We didn't do the eye, but felt that the bus gave us enough of a bearing on our tour.

Now this is sad, but funny:1orglaugh