So me and the missus are in London this week on vacay. Packed agenda of site seeing and events (including Chelsea game this weekend!).

While there’s not a ton of room, hit me up with the main things we have to do - particularly food and bars!

Heaps to do, depending on what you're into KJ. I absolutely love London. We've been there 3 times in the last 6 years. 

Last time around, we stayed in Soho and in the evenings spent a lot of time around there, Leicester Square and China Town. Great food and drink pretty much everywhere. Camden Town is a bit of a hike, or a short train ride if you're into a grungy alternative to hanging out around the Thames and typical London-town. 

Hit up all the major sites and walk around as much as possible. Do all the nerdy London stuff - London Dungeons, Sherlock Holmes' house, anything related to the plague, Jack the Ripper, etc. Crown Jewels, the museums, Kenningston Palace, etc if you're looking for the stereotypical or comically British stuff. Plenty of history to keep you entertained. 

Also, clear your head at Hyde Park or St James park, or Primrose Hill for the view on a nice day as London does get a little hectic if you're not from an overly populated city. 

Hot tip : skip your Hotel's continental breakfast and hit up a local pub. 

Drive to Sunderland and kick WMS in the nuts.

I've only been to London for day trips and the occasional weekender, so I'm no expert on eating out and pubs in London.

NATH45 has name dropped a lot of the places I'd recommend, but I can name some more.

Many great free museums: Natural History Museum, Science Museum, British Library, Imperial War Museum, a bunch of art galleries. The Sherlocks Holmes "museum" is not worth the trip, it's a glorified gift shop. Unless you really want some Holmes memoribilia.

The Sea Life Aquarium is amazing. Not free but it's pretty big, definitely worth the entry fee. It's right on the South Bank of the Thames, near the London Eye.

If you and your wife enjoy Harry Potter, it's worth a trip to the House of MinaLima. Contains a ton of genuine items from the Harry Potter movies. Not a bad way to spend 20 minutes.

There's always lots of theatre shows on in London, if that's cup of tea. For example, I've heard great things about "The Play That Goes Wrong"

I haven't been to London since 2007 but I'm sure most of the main tourist things remain the same. We did a lot of day trips out of London the week we were there (Bath, overnight to Paris, Windsor Castle and Cotswold's, Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon and Warrick Castle). London Eye is a must. London Dungeon was good fun. Hop On/Hop Off bus tours are a great/quick way to see any city. Piccadilly Circus (not really a circus ) is a great place for pubs and great food. We also did a Sinister Tour of London in the evening which took you to places you might not have otherwise gone to or thought about; such as a pub that was the oldest standing pub in London with the original pewter bar top, the area in which William Wallace was drawn and quartered, the oldest graveyard and church in London, The Ten Bells pub (said to be where Jack the Ripper chose some of his victims) and Mitre square. It was very interesting and highly enjoyable.

Had I known this was KJ's thread I would've checked in earlier.

As it was, I thought it was like an RT or iNCY thread (or worse, a froggy) and was like "meh, later... Maybe."

Real talk though:

I'd dig checking out London sometime. Never been.

Would love to go, to finally get a determination on if Emperor is from there or Australia.

You won't find me in London unless you're very (un)lucky. Contrary to popular belief, there are other cities in England.

Oct 17, 2019 6:16:41 GMT Emperor said:

You won't find me in London unless you're very (un)lucky. Contrary to popular belief, there are other cities in England.

After spending a few days in the city ... why though? This city is amazing.

Though I admit, living in NYC was a highlight for me and i adore Washington, DC ... this feel like the two slammed together.

Oct 17, 2019 6:16:41 GMT Emperor said:

You won't find me in London unless you're very (un)lucky. Contrary to popular belief, there are other cities in England.

No way.

It's just like Australia, Africa, and Antarctica. The continent is the country is the city. London is the only thing. You all lost out on having any other options by being all confusing with your United Kingdom, Great Britain, piece of Ireland, freedom cold-feet Scotland, and whatever Wales is.

Oct 17, 2019 0:05:39 GMT 🤯 said:

Had I known this was KJ 's thread I would've checked in earlier.

As it was, I thought it was like an RT or iNCY thread (or worse, a froggy ) and was like "meh, later... Maybe."

Coincidentally, the reason I went to the UK in 2007 was to meet Rogue.  I was also fortunate enough to meet Froggy, MonsooN, The Gent, Gazza & Brezzy during my trip.  One of the best times of my life. 

RT's okay. 

So jealous of PW posters that have met up. I’ve been posting on PW for half my life yet i would have no idea if 90% of the posters walked straight by me.

My sister lived in England and various places in Europe while teaching, I’ve never really been that interested in going though...much more fascinated by the USA.

I didn't mean to suggest it was unlucky to be in London, just that the chances of seeing me there are slim, because I'm not there often, therefore you would be fortunate to see me there. That's all.

Still, I dislike the idea that London is the be-all-and-end-all about England/UK for non-Brits. Of course it is the best city, especially for tourists, but there is so much more out there. So many wonderful scenic spots all around the island, and beautiful cities like Bath, Oxford and York.

Oct 17, 2019 18:56:22 GMT Emperor said:

I didn't mean to suggest it was unlucky to be in London, just that the chances of seeing me there are slim, because I'm not there often, therefore you would be fortunate to see me there. That's all.

Still, I dislike the idea that London is the be-all-and-end-all about England/UK for non-Brits. Of course it is the best city, especially for tourists, but there is so much more out there. So many wonderful scenic spots all around the island, and beautiful cities like Bath, Oxford and York.

York is a nice little stop over. I’ve also been to Oxford, and a few little places on route to Edinburgh - which is great, mind you. I love London, and describe it to people as everything you love about Melbourne x 100. Except the weather is nicer in Oz, and Melbourne is a nicer looking place. Edinburgh is second to London as my favourite cities I’ve been to outside of Australia, trailed closely by Amsterdam.

Oct 17, 2019 18:56:22 GMT Emperor said:

I didn't mean to suggest it was unlucky to be in London, just that the chances of seeing me there are slim, because I'm not there often, therefore you would be fortunate to see me there. That's all.

Still, I dislike the idea that London is the be-all-and-end-all about England/UK for non-Brits. Of course it is the best city, especially for tourists, but there is so much more out there. So many wonderful scenic spots all around the island, and beautiful cities like Bath, Oxford and York.

If I had a six-month holiday, I’d explore everything. Unfortunately with just a week it has to be a clip show, and so London makes the most sense because you can see so many different things in a day.

iron maiden - We rode the London Eye yesterday right at sunset. Spectacular.

We saw Ian McKellen’s one-man show tonight in the West End. The first half was the story of his life up to coming out at 47; the second was a tribute to Shakespeare. Beautiful work all around.

Tomorrow our marquee activity is eating at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. I cannot wait.

Oct 17, 2019 18:56:22 GMT Emperor said:

I didn't mean to suggest it was unlucky to be in London, just that the chances of seeing me there are slim, because I'm not there often, therefore you would be fortunate to see me there. That's all.

Still, I dislike the idea that London is the be-all-and-end-all about England/UK for non-Brits. Of course it is the best city, especially for tourists, but there is so much more out there. So many wonderful scenic spots all around the island, and beautiful cities like Bath, Oxford and York.

I lived in Oxford for 6 years and it is an amazing city! Only an hour or so from London, definitely worth a day out (obviously depending on how much time you have in England)

Don't ever visit my home city, Wolverhampton is not a nice place.

Is London expensive?

KJ- since you lived in NYC, how do the prices compare?

Oct 18, 2019 14:39:57 GMT KING KID said:

Is London expensive?

KJ- since you lived in NYC, how do the prices compare?

I hear housing is brutal.

It’s definitely more expensive food-wise. I thought NYC food was surprisingly affordable. On surface prices seem the same, but given pounds-dollars conversion is nearly 1.5:1; I’m actually paying about 50% more on everything.

Oct 18, 2019 19:28:12 GMT KJ said:

Oct 18, 2019 14:39:57 GMT KING KID said:

Is London expensive?

KJ - since you lived in NYC, how do the prices compare?

I hear housing is brutal.

It’s definitely more expensive food-wise. I thought NYC food was surprisingly affordable. On surface prices seem the same, but given pounds-dollars conversion is nearly 1.5:1; I’m actually paying about 50% more on everything.

Ouch.

KJ - Camden is always worth a visit, one of my favourite places in London to spend time at. Brick Lane if you fancy a curry (ruby murray as the cockney lot call it). Usual tourist stuff like Tower Bridge and the London Eye obviously worth visiting too. Enjoy the Chelsea game - they’ve got a young exciting team this season so should be fun to watch!

Westminster Abbey is also worth a look if you’re into history, along with Tower Bridge and the Crown Jewels.

We lined up twice for the Churchill War Room, but after 30 minutes both times, left the line. Must be popular.

If I had my wits about me and a bigger set of balls I would have moved there when I was in my early 20s. And in hindsight, my wife and I should have taken a year off, put off buying another house and lived in the UK for a year - work free - and travelled rather than fly over every few years for short stays.

But totally agree, London isn’t the only town to visit. If you’re fit and got a month, cut a lap up to Edinburgh, Glasgow over into Belfast and to Dublin, Cardiff and everything in between. Ive been excessive drunk in most of those cities. And famously nearly threw up in Bath, in the Bath - the towns most sacred site. And testify to this day, the power of Stonehenge cured my hangover.

On this trip we’ve seen Westminster Abbry, Churchill War Room, The London Eye, Greenwhich Market, The Observatory with the Prime Meridian origin, The Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe, Ian McKellen’s one-man show in the West End, had dinner at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (the greatest meal I’ve ever had in my life), and then today Chelsea Futbol).

Our pace has been slowed a lot because the missus got food poisoning eating shitty good at this speakeasy we went to, so we didn’t get to St. Paul’s Cathedral or the Tower of London like we planned the last two days.

We leave for Paris midday Monday, and between Sunday all-day and Monday a.m. we want to see British Museum St. Paul’s, Buckingham, and Tower of London. Not sure we’ll make all four, but we’re gonna hustle.

Paris will be all about history: Eiffel Tower tickets and then all the Museums for a few days, with an emphasis on The Louvre.

Skip the Lourve. Unless it’s a hit a run, it can be time consuming.

Another walking city, if you’re fit. Although the city isn’t a playground of cheap sights and attractions, it’s more a city to experience. Beautiful architecture. History. Eat. Drink.

The second time in Paris, we stayed around St-Germain de pres.. I think. Heaps of food and drink and spent the evenings eating, sitting outside of a restaurant listening to jazz bands playing and enjoying a much more Midnight in Paris feel. My previous time in Paris, was a backpacker’s special - drinking under the Effiel Tower, riding bikes around like maniacs and general mayhem.

Oct 19, 2019 20:06:22 GMT NATH45 said:

Skip the Lourve. Unless it’s a hit a run, it can be time consuming.

Another walking city, if you’re fit. Although the city isn’t a playground of cheap sights and attractions, it’s more a city to experience. Beautiful architecture. History. Eat. Drink.

The second time in Paris, we stayed around St-Germain de pres.. I think. Heaps of food and drink and spent the evenings eating, sitting outside of a restaurant listening to jazz bands playing and enjoying a much more Midnight in Paris feel. My previous time in Paris, was a backpacker’s special - drinking under the Effiel Tower, riding bikes around like maniacs and general mayhem.

History and art mean too much to me. The Louvre has been a bucket list item for years; I’m one million percent not skipping it.

Evening will be as you described though.

I’d suggest going to the Musee d’Orsay rather than the Louvre. The impressionists are a lot more interesting than wall after wall of renaissance/religious paintings.

Oct 20, 2019 8:50:26 GMT @admin said:

I’d suggest going to the Musee d’Orsay rather than the Louvre. The impressionists are a lot more interesting than wall after wall of renaissance/religious paintings.

We plan to do both.

Wife and my favorite part of Paris, besides food and drink, were the catacombs and going to the top of the Eiffel Tower for champagne at sunset.

Louvre we literally sprinted through beautiful because it was so meh. The Mona Lisa is the dumbest fucking thing in the world. The painting hanging opposite was infinitely more interesting.

Agree the modern art, Picasso, and one RagnarokMike mentioned (if it's the one that's a former train station) were way more fun and interesting.

Oct 20, 2019 13:38:13 GMT 🤯 said:

Wife and my favorite part of Paris, besides food and drink, were the catacombs and going to the top of the Eiffel Tower for champagne at sunset.

Louvre we literally sprinted through beautiful because it was so meh. The Mona Lisa is the dumbest fucking thing in the world. The painting hanging opposite was infinitely more interesting.

Agree the modern art, Picasso, and one RagnarokMike mentioned (if it's the one that's a former train station) were way more fun and interesting.

Thread's name reminds me of old poster Froggy.

Boat ride down La Seine is nice. My favourite place in Paris was the Opera House. It is beautiful. Then again architecture can make me crazy with its beauty.

Though not in Paris, Versailles is a place I missed and definitely want to go back to see.