A tourist in my own City |
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OK, I know I’ve cheated with my first report, but as I was unable to travel in July and August, I thought I would share some of my experiences with you. London is a fantastic city that has over 2 million visitors per year.
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Buckingham Palace and Gardens
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The best time to be in London is during the summer; the problem is that as a Londoner I never found the time to enjoy what so many visitors come to see. So when my firm gave me Friday afternoons off, I took advantage of the time and became a tourist in my own city. Over an eight-week period, I picked up my camera, located my maps and set off to taste some culture, immerse myself in customs and feel the fabric of my society.
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| Favourite spots: |
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Buckingham Palace: only the State Rooms are open during the summer months and it costs £16. I bought my ticket online at www.royal.gov.uk. My favourite area was the White Drawing Room, that was decorated in white and gold. It looked regal. In the far corner was a secret passage the Queen uses. Shakespeare’s Globe: this experience left me smiling from ear to ear, it was a wonderful production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, heckling and all. I had standing tickets (£5), which sounded fine, until I actually had to stand for 3 hours, a little unpleasant. Tower of London: the setting is grand; it felt like I’d been transported back in time. Everyone was dressed in traditional attire, selling goods that was sold back then. My favourite section was definitely seeing the Crown Jewels. Double-decker bus: this is a great way to see London and the commentary was great. The bus stops at all major sights and includes a river cruise
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| What's really great: |
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Centre Court, The Championship - Wimbledon
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Wimbledon: I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the quarterfinals. Scheduled to go on court was Serena Williams verses Jennifer Capriati, Mario Ancic verses Tim Henman and Leyton Hewitt verses Roger Federer. Now going to Wimbledon is a fantastic experience and what on paper sounded like a brilliant day of tennis, didn’t live up to it’s billing. Serena beat Jennifer 6/0 6/1, Tim lost to Mario and the best match of the day saw Federer wipe the floor with Leyton. However if you ever come to London and haven’t pre-booked, get up early and queue for some grounds tickets, especially for the first week, because not only is the atmosphere electric but you can see great tennis on the outside courts.
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| Sights: |
Parks
1. Regents Park: very picturesque and I stumbled across a Brazilian Festival, really cool.
2. Hyde Park: great for marking your turf for a game of softball or cycling
3. St James Park: some days there are bands playing in the bandstand
Markets
1. Portobello Road – Some of the best antiques in London (www.portabellaroad.co.uk)
2. Petticoat Lane – London's oldest and most famous street market, a little bit of everything. The best day is Sunday
2. Camden Lock - this is the best place for the unusual and lot of handicrafts
Shopping
1. Kings Road – Fashionable area for the trendsetter
2. Oxford Street – mostly high street clothing -
3. Carnaby Street - Hip and trendy clothes
Department Stores
1. Harvey Nichols: friendly; designer clothes
2. Selfridges: modern and has a great cosmetic section
3. Liberty: a little bit unusual, vintage
Theatre
1. The Lion King: this is a wonderful visual production
2. Bombay Dreams: a production looking at Indian life
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| Accommodations: |
I haven’t stayed in many hotels in London; they include:
Thistle Hotel: a very pleasant hotel
Copthorne Tara: I remember the beds were a bit saggy.
The Dorchester on Park Lane: this is a great hotel, but very pricey
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| Nightlife: |
1. The Click – Soho. If you are up for dancing the night away from the latest to old skool, Rnb to hip hop, funk to dance, this is the place to be.
2. Pangaea - Soho. The atmosphere is absolutely brilliant. If you enjoy living well, rubbing shoulders with the beautiful, rich and famous then this is an ideal location.
3. China White – Piccadilly Circus
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| Hangouts: |
Pubs are located on almost any street corner, but I much prefer bars including:
Sugar Reef in Piccadilly, Zanders (or Bank) in St James and the Light Bar in the St Martins Hotel
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| Restaurants: |
Dinner
1. Cuba de Asia – located in the St Martins Hotel, Covent Garden. The Lobster Mai Tai is to die for…
2. Oxo Tower – located on Bankside, just a little way alone from Blackfriars Bridge on the south side of the river. The nearest tube station is Southwalk or Blackfriars. Another tip, try the chocolate soufflé
Lunch
1. ASK: lovely Italian food – part of a chain, not too expensive
2. Pizza Express: lovely dining experience for a pizzeria, inexpensive
3. Dial Bar: This restaurant is considered Modern British which has a nice feel.
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| Other recommendations: |
Now to make things easy, here is a list of some of the things I also enjoyed:
St Paul’s Cathedral
V&A Museum
London Eye
London Zoo
Tate Modern
Big Ben and Westminster Palace
Millennium Bridge
Law Courts
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Published on Wednesday October 20th, 2004 by mistybleu
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