On the 8th August. Thankfully unfortunately the show I didn’t want to go to has been cancelled, so we must now find alternative entertainment! I think my son has a boat trip in mind & maybe the Imperial War Museum, What else is ‘unmissable’ & won’t cost an arm & a leg (if this is even possible)?
Also, where’s good for VFM food? (my lad doesn’t do ‘VFM’ he just coughs up!

The Natural History Museum is world class and is free.

Wahaca Southbank for eats. reasonable VFM (if you swerve the margharitas) but frickin amazing.

there are about a trillion threads on London amongst these vaults btw…

Went to the newly reopened IWM on Saturday and I was most disappointed. Nothing is labelled in the main exhibitions. Instead there are a few big boards up with the briefest of descriptions on them. For instance, there’s a fuselage of a Japanese Zero on display. It’s clearly a wreck and preserved as such. There must be some interesting facts around it, but the only info is a big board with outlines on it to represent the objects and it just says ‘Japanese fighter’ and that’s it!

By comparison. HMS Belfast is ace

For free museums the British, Science, Natural History and Victoria & Albert Museums are very good

London is a stunning city when you are safe in the knowledge you are going to be going home soon 😆

Quite a few all you can eat Chinese buffet places around China Town the south end of Wardor Street.

Eat here the Crypt of St Martin in the Fields – Right by Nelson’s Column and the free Portrait Gallery – which sounds dull, but has some amazing rooms, ceilings and OTT pictures. Plus some even a muppet would recognise.

Food place is below ground – so rather tucked away. It’s an really good school canteen – queue up affair with excellent on home cooked, but limited selection food. Fantastic vaulted crypt ceilings with very clean convieniences and tap water jugs to collect from one table by wall. Quality cheap funky/different place.

Remember not to gawp and point at the locals they don’t like it. Most don’t bite though.

You’ll easily spend all day in the war museum. The ladies will no doubt want to look in shops.

I really like the Science Museum, you can easily lose a day in there. TBH, all of the museums are good.

Just don’t be a mug, for example an ice cream inside Covent Garden is over a fiver, or one minute away round the corner it’s three quid for one twice the size..
And +1 for the crypt at St Martins, even if it’s a bit weird eating in a crypt..
And try some jellied eels and liquer, just so you can appreciate how mind bogglingly disgusting it really is….

You could tie in a boat trip with a visit to Greenwich. Use the Thames Clipper to get there from central London, you will see all the main sites from the river.

The Cutty Sark is always impressive, even if you don’t go in. The Royal Observatory is free I think, but they also have shows that require booking, some free and some cost. The Maritime museum had a similar refurb to the IWM, just seems a bit too vague to me, but you can buy joint tickets for the Greenwich attractions.

Have a look here if you are interested;
LINK

Get a picnic together in Greenwich and eat in the park below the observatory.

London Buses no longer take cash, you will need an Oyster or Contactless Bankcard for individual tickets. Travelcards are only available after 9.30(?) unless included with a train ticket but get cheaper travel on the Thames Clipper service too.

boris bikes ? school holidays so less busy roads (ok that’s all relative for dat dere london) and nice weather surely make it a win

I like the Tate modern, and it’s on the south bank so there are restaurants, pubs etc

http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/The_Events/Prudential_RideLondon_FreeCycle.htm

on the 9th.

Regents Park or St James Park are nice for a stroll.

A man can lose himself in London…………..

from 0:47

If you are going to Trafalgar Sq then you have St Martin’s Crypt and also the BP exhibition / contest at the National Portrait Gallery (free), definitely worth 30 mins stroll round. Second the boat to Greenwhich esp if you are interested in Maritime museum.

Cheapest way to eat on the go is find supermarket (lots of tesco metro etc) and buy food there and find a place/park to relax in. A few nice small ones around Westminster / Houses of Parliament for example and you can walk from there to Trafalgar Sq.

If you want a bit of tranquility and an interesting wee walk then Highgate Cemetery would be a nice diversion.

If you’re going to stop and look at something, PLEASE check behind you first 😀
Equally, check for cyclists before walking into the road…

Mate of mine who lives in the Lakes but has spent a fair bit of time in London points out that one way to deal with London is to have no expectation of being able to walk in a straight line. Remember that and getting about is a whole lot easier 🙂

There’s a lot to be said for wandering around Hyde Park when the weather’s this nice too.

Science Museum is good. They have a Rover Safety bicycle hanging from the ceiling – it’s rather noticeable how similar it is to the “super-hi-tech” things we fork out several grand for these days. I think it might even have 650B wheels (sorry kittens)

Some of best museums, art galleries etc are free. As above, Science and Natural history for me. Tate Modern as well, as long as you like modern art – although the turbine hall is worth ten minutes to have a look around of anyone’s time.

Restaurants – I (actually Mrs OD) does a bit of work on trip advisor to find us stuff – generally mid-range and in slightly less touristy bits of London and can get v good food reasonably priced. We went somewhere around Spitalfields last time we were down – good and less than £30 per head including wine and whisky.

… yeah +1 for Crypt of St Martins – excellent for lunch considering its so central…

Borough Market if you are into your food – lots to tempt you there!

Borough Market.

Honest Burgers, good quality yet cheap burger & rosemary chips. Sorted.

British & Science Museum/IWM/Nat Hist/Tate all good and free. HMS Belfast is cool if you’re into that sort of thing, and very close to Borough Market.

Providing you are pretty central, walk to places. Cheaper and you will see/bump into a lot more!

Highly recomend the Hunterian museum off the regular Tourist trail…

http://www.medicalmuseums.org/Royal-College-of-Surgeons-Hunterian-Museum/

Went to the newly reopened IWM on Saturday and I was most disappointed. Nothing is labelled in the main exhibitions. Instead there are a few big boards up with the briefest of descriptions on them. For instance, there’s a fuselage of a Japanese Zero on display. It’s clearly a wreck and preserved as such. There must be some interesting facts around it, but the only info is a big board with outlines on it to represent the objects and it just says ‘Japanese fighter’ and that’s it!

That makes 3 of us from STW there on Saturday…

I made the same comment when asked about it. The lack of simple labels is stupid – the displays are fine as extra information, but to leave something so fundamental out seems a mistake. Still worth visiting, and as has been pointed out it’s free. There’s also a Boris Bike stand just outside.

I’d visit the museum, then wander down to the river and walk along the South Bank to the Tower, then get a river bus back to Westminster. From there a short walk to Soho for lunch.

Free wifi in Exhibition Road (outside Science Museum), thanks to my company’s radios and O2…

Nice view from the roof as well:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/bXa9pZ]Exhibition Road from Science Museum Roof[/url] by brf, on Flickr

Being a science geek I really want to go to the Royal Institution. Probably never will though as I just don’t like the big smoke.

More places to see and visit in London than seems entirely reasonable! Tate Modern I’ve been to loads of times, not difficult to spend most of an afternoon just wandering around various floors and galleries. Cutty Sark is wonderful, after the rebuild, and there’s the Maritime Museum and the Observatory there as well. Also, there’s a great, cheap Chinese restaurant in the centre of Greenwich, where I always eat if I’m there, usually full of local Chinese, a good sign.
A big plate or bowl is around £5.50-6.00.
Last year I spent two days in the city, went to Highgate Cemetary the first afternoon, then a gig at the Roundhouse. Next day left the hotel near Hyde Park, walked all the way across the park, tubed over to Southwark, had something to eat in Borough Market, a pint in one of the pubs, walked over to The Shard and spent nearly two hours up there, back down to the pub for another pint, then back to the coach station.
One of the best weekends I’ve ever spent, had a brilliant time and the weather was just like it is now.
😀

If you’re going to stop and look at something, PLEASE check behind you first

If only this could be printed on all rail tickets to London…

Oh, and get your blinking tube ticket ready BEFORE you get to the gate!

Tate Modern is essential. To me anyway.