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Hey folks
My name is Tony and I am one of those that have been with this site for a long time but really prefers to just lurk as Timmy puts it. But I could use some advice for this trip I am going on next week. I am going to be in London next week. (Week of 4/1) My first time outside of the USA. Could anyone tell me of any good plays going on? I would prefer to go to the theater than a movie. Also any good restaurants that don’t cost an arm and a leg would also be nice. And what is the one must see thing in London and what is the one that most people go to but really is not worth the time. (If you know what I mean) If you know of any good pubs that welcome both gay and straight that would be wonderful. And I would like to thank-you all in advance for any info you might have to offer.
Thanks
Tony
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Well, I'll think about the rest, but to begin:
>If you know of any good pubs that welcome both gay and straight that would be wonderful.
The vast majority of pubs in the UK welcome both gay and straight. On the whole, you won't be accosted for gay behaviour any more than you will for straight behaviour (especially now that it's being introduced in law). That said, the best place to go for specifically gay pubs (so I understand) is Old Compton Street, in Soho, central London.
>And what is the one must see thing in London and what is the one that most people go to but really is not worth the time.
I'd go to the major art galleries, museums and so on. Most are free. There's nothing to beat looking at the original of a piece of artwork that you love and can't see anywhere else.
You may also be interested in the cathedrals and ancient buildings. These are often worth seeing, as they're pretty specific to the UK.
I'd avoid the purpose-built tourist attractions. They are very crowded, very expensive, and full of tourists.
There are lots of theatres -- I'll get back to you on what's worth seeing. If I were you I would avoid the musicals which you can usually see in America, and go for something more original and British. The National Theatre's good for that sort of thing.
Oh, and don't go to Stonehenge (even though it's 100 miles from London, you might conceivably be tempted to visit it) -- it's just a jumble of stones, and it's right next to a very busy road.
David
[Updated on: Mon, 26 March 2007 17:40] |
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Off the tourist trail:
Unusual indian restaurants in Drummond Street (near Euston Station)
Fabulous "all you can eat" veggie indian cafe in Chapel Market, Islington (£3 per head! Really!)
Visit Camden Market (daytimes) - great stalls and cheap eats
Climb "The Monument" (Fish Street Hill, and you get a certificate to say you have done it)
Take the Docklands Light railway to Island Gardens, get out and walk to the river's edge. Best view in London. In the gardens here is a domed entrance to a foot tunnel under the Thames to Greenwich. Take it, and see Greenwich. Walk to the observatory (free entrance) and be in east and west simultaneously
See the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington gardens. It has cute legs. There are 5, I think, globally, all the same.
Find any old looking hotel and have afternoon tea. Expensive, but a pleasant oasis and a ritual
If free for a day and good weather, take the first boat UPSTREAM fomr Westminster Pier to Hampton Court. Have lunch in a pub in Molesey, Visit the palace and go back to London by rail.
If you like royalty, train to Windsor and do the castle. Frankly it's overrated, but it looks pretty.
Never ridden the Millennium Wheel. Do not speak Arabic if you intend to do so, or you can be arrested for the new crime of being Islamic and intending to have fun.
Buy a copy of Time Out to plan entertainment.
Pubs are good fun. In general it is BAR service, not table service. Try English beers. Contrary to popular belief they are not warm, but nor frozen solid either. Cellar temperature is cold, not freezing. They are deceptive, and often very strong.
Theatres are rather tourist traps and expensive. Agree with Deej, avoid musicals. Though I am tempted to see Billy Elliot(t). Equus may be a good bet, I think there are still tickets and you get to see a naked Harry Potter  It's a disturbing play, though, very.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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as for plays that are on... you could try Equus, its been highly acclaimed.
http://www.equustheplay.com/
i won't presume to suggest entertainments and places to visit. it depends on your interests. I've spent many an enjoyable day in the science museum, and the Tower of London, personally, on the right day, visiting the Palace of Westminster can be very entertaining, but i understand politics is not for everyone (oh, i would have given so much to watch Baroness O'Cathain's performance on the Sexual Orientation Regulations in the Lords... she's quite a powerful performer!)
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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Deeej wrote:
Oh, and don't go to Stonehenge (even though it's 100 miles from London, you might conceivably be tempted to visit it) -- it's just a jumble of stones, and it's right next to a very busy road.
Oh, how could they? Those idiots who raised Stonehenge should never have been allowed to build so near to a very busy road! Write to your MP about it! Even better, write to the Times! If we let them get away with it this time, next time they will set up their Stonehenge in the middle of the M25!
Hugs
J F R (also looking forward to a visit to London)
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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As for Windsor -- I mean, honestly, what was William the Conqueror thinking when he built his castle right under the Heathrow flightpath??
David
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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Coz we're dying to know
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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Hey guys
Sorry I did not get back sooner but I only got home on Monday and it is an 8 hr flight and than another 2hrs for New Jersey to North Carolina. Anyway we had a great time. Never did get to see any shows as all the good ones were sold out. We had a nice hotel near Buckingham palace. About 2 blocks away so we got to see the changing of the guard (kind of overrated if you ask me) went to Kensington palace also. Took one of those tour buses that run all over town and u get on and off as u like. (Worth it) loved the Sherlock Holmes restaurant and pub that was nice and the food was good also. Ate mostly at a place called Henrys on Piccadilly good food and beer and walking distance from the hotel.
I really loved how open the city was, I mean for gay and straight alike. Wish it were that way here. Not use to seeing people being allowed to be themselves out in public. Found one bar near china town that was nice had the gay flag out (would love to be able to find more bars here that openly display It. Would make finding a bar a lot easier)
Went to oxford for a day and saw the sites Christ church, college, Shakespeare’s home. Took your advice and skipped the trip to Stonehenge. Thought about what you said and agreed I have seen it on TV and it was such a long ride just to see a group of rocks in a circle and not much else there. Love the museums in town. As a former scout I had to go to the Baden Powell house, was a little disappointed there, felt they should have done more of a display for a man who started such a good movement.
All in all I would say it was a very nice trip. Although I must say London is very expensive. Everything was just about twice as much as it is here in the states. I am looking forward to going again. Although I think for next year it is going to be Italy have never been there either.
Again thanks for all the advice it helped make for a good trip
Tony.
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I'm glad to hear it went well, Tony.
Tony said,
>Although I must say London is very expensive. Everything was just about twice as much as it is here in the states.
Well -- it depends how you look at it. For us, America is really cheap, because the dollar's weak at the moment.
That said, London is expensive -- though it's largely the touristy parts that are particularly so. The lesser-known parts tend to be cheaper.
David
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Deeej wrote:
That said, London is expensive - though it's largely the touristy parts that are particularly so. The lesser-known parts tend to be cheaper.
David, in my experience this is not so. When I was last in England, about 4 years ago, I found everything in the UK to be much more expensive than what I was used to here. I was shocked at how (relatively) expensive the Tube had become and the cost of a rail trip to Cambridge bowled me over.
Nevertheless, I am very much looking forward to my next trip to London in a couple of months.
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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I said,
>That said, London is expensive - though it's largely the touristy parts that are particularly so. The lesser-known parts tend to be cheaper.
JFR said,
>David, in my experience this is not so. When I was last in England, about 4 years ago, I found everything in the UK to be much more expensive than what I was used to here.
Well -- hang on a moment! I was talking about London, but you were talking about the UK in general. London is expensive compared to the rest of the UK, and the lesser-known parts do tend to be cheaper, so my comment is by no means false. Everything is relative, and I would not for a moment pretend that there is not such a thing as "rip-off Britain" (the phenomenon that equivalent goods and services over here tend to be more expensive than in other countries).
David
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Rip-off Britain is officially sponsored by our government and permeates all levels of commerce and society.
Hugs
N
I dream of boys with big bulges in their trousers,
Never of girls with big bulges in their blouses.
…and look forward to meeting you in Cóito.
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17.5% VAT for instance...
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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VAT is higher than that in most other EU countries, but their products are still usually cheaper overall.
http://www.vatliaison.com/vatinfo/eu_vat_rates.html
Personally, I am rather glad that it's not 25% or something instead. That, of course, might be too obvious for New Labour, as it could hardly qualify as a stealth tax, of which they are rather fond.
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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We did have a far higher VAT rate or 25% many years ago on "luxury goods", and a lower rate for "necessities" which I think was 12%. VAT replaced Purchase tax, though, which was also high.
The USA has sales tax, though.
The real issue is that items in the USA in $US come here and the $ sign is replaced by a £ sign. The numbers stay the same.
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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I think they have a harder time getting away with it now that it's pretty close to $2 USD to the pound. More common at the moment is about $1.50 to the pound (+ VAT on top), which is harder to calculate in your head, and sounds reasonable to people who aren't aware how poor a rate that is.
It depends what you're buying, of course. Particularly bad are cheapish things that are imported. If you're in a hurry or can't be bothered to look you won't look too carefully at the rate. More expensive things you'd be more likely to work out first.
David
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Quite coincidentally, the magazine section of my English language weekend paper had a supplement on holiday travel. The editor, probably thinking it was a brilliant ploy (which it isn't), gave the article on travelling to and in the UK the following headline:
Blimey! How much?????!!!!
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
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I don't remember the last time I heard "Blimey". Perhaps he should have said "Blighty"?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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when told the cost of train fares... i'm liable to say it lol...
its ridiculous, rail fares... its cheaper to fly to span from manchester airport, than it is to get a tran from manchester to london.
i can drive to keele and back from MK for less in petrol than a return ticket from stoke to MK...
how on earth does labour expect people to use public transport when its cheaper to use a car? of course, labours answer to that is simply to raise petrol taxes again, rather than actually solve the problem
fed up of tax and spend? vote tory...
Odi et amo: quare id faciam, fortasse requiris.
Nescio, set fieri sentio et excrucior
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... for the British to go to America. There are now more than $2 to the pound (for the first time since 1981)! Pecuniarily speaking, it's probably not a good time for Americans to come to the UK, unless they don't mind expensive exchange rates.
David
[Updated on: Wed, 18 April 2007 11:58] |
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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HAHAHA.......
Commerce is great.......
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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The fact of the matter is.....
If a person knows how to travel it can be done quite frugally.... By kiiping clear of tourist areas and eating where the working class eat a trip can be done for not alot more than living here from day to day....
If transportation is planned ahead a brit-rail pass can be had for the duration of your stay and that will get you anywhere a train or bus travels in the UK.... only stipulation is there can be no round trips....
Planning is the Key.....
in 1976 we did europe for 11 months at $26.00 per day..... for 2 people and that included gasolene for the car and lodging..... Of course it took a solid year to plan the trip..... and it was over all too fast.....
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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$26 (£13) would get you 100-120 miles in the UK these days, and that includes petrol for the car and absolutely nothing else.
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Yup.... Without planning.... you are precisely correct.......
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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How would you plan to make petrol go further? Import it from America?
(That's not meant to sound sarcastic. )
The cheapest way to get round the UK, as far as I know, is to book tickets at somewhere like megabus.com, but of course, in that case, you don't get a car.
David
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marc
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Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
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Why is a car important?
Public transport can do all the driving while having the added advantage of knowing the way there......
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
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Because I made an offhand remark about not being able to get far in a car, and you said that, without planning, that was correct. That implied that you could get further in a car with planning.
Ignore me.
David
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Though, to be honest -- even when planned months ahead -- it is often (though not always) cheaper to use a car in the UK than to use public transport. That's not because cars are cheap but because public transport is very expensive.
David
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Re: trip to london england 
