Going to London For the First Time: Advice?
- Thread starter Brian Hendershot
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I've never had the chance of going to London, but I hear it looks nice...
The closest I've come to Britain is this one time when I was trying to talk to this guy during a project and (him having been to Britain before)he confused the way I slur my words when I talk loudly; with a Wigan accent.
Fun
The closest I've come to Britain is this one time when I was trying to talk to this guy during a project and (him having been to Britain before)he confused the way I slur my words when I talk loudly; with a Wigan accent.
Fun
sorry, wrong memo
erm .. London, well it's not like there are rules
just be yourself, search for the things that interest you and you'll have a great time, London can cater for anybody really
just stick to the touristy bits and you'll be fine
just stay out of soho nightclubs, i saw some stuff in one once that made my eyes bleed
I'm actually going to london in about a month as part of a sort of week-long europe medley that my college has. I got a briefing packet with a lot of the do's and dont's, although pretty much all of them have been covered here. The main thing that was covered that I havnt seen much of is to watch out for pickpockets and scams in large transit areas, and that playing the "loud, dumb american" makes you a target for them. Personally, I've never been to london, so this thread helps me out too.
don't get caught up in the riots, don't try to understand cockney ryhming slang and don't assume cockneys talk like Dick Van Dyke.
The food is expensive as hell, and not necessarily all that nice.
Also, I know that you want to avoid touristy things, but some places you just have to see.
Besides from that, try taking some walks around the city in the day, without any particular goal. It's a nice city to wander through, though not as good for that as Paris.
Also, I know that you want to avoid touristy things, but some places you just have to see.
Besides from that, try taking some walks around the city in the day, without any particular goal. It's a nice city to wander through, though not as good for that as Paris.
Visit as many Museums/Galleries as you can, they're well worth it, we literally have some of the best collections in the world (cause we took most of the best collections in the world...)
Also, to satisfy geeky tendancies (that I'm assuming you have from your avatar) visit teh Forbidden Planet London store, its like heaven: clicky [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&pq=forbidden+planet&xhr=t&cp=18&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=6lR&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB
fficial&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=forbidden+planet+london&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=forbidden+planet&hnear=Westminster,+London&cid=0,0,4090451096587291992&ei=p4SdTbbUJo7z4QbIsID4BA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCgQnwIwAQ]
If you've moving around alot in London on a day, get a travel card for the zones, this allows use on all underground and buses, but if you are staying their for a prolongued time, definately check out getting an oyster card, these can be topped up before hand and charge less then normal tickets, as well as get you through ticket barriers much much quicker.
As an Englishman, I don't greatly like fish and chips (Heresy!), but you should definately try some Indian food, we've got pretty damn good curryhouses all over the nation, and I believe its taken over as our national dish now anyway.
Also, to satisfy geeky tendancies (that I'm assuming you have from your avatar) visit teh Forbidden Planet London store, its like heaven: clicky [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&pq=forbidden+planet&xhr=t&cp=18&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=6lR&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB
fficial&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=forbidden+planet+london&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=forbidden+planet&hnear=Westminster,+London&cid=0,0,4090451096587291992&ei=p4SdTbbUJo7z4QbIsID4BA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CCgQnwIwAQ]If you've moving around alot in London on a day, get a travel card for the zones, this allows use on all underground and buses, but if you are staying their for a prolongued time, definately check out getting an oyster card, these can be topped up before hand and charge less then normal tickets, as well as get you through ticket barriers much much quicker.
As an Englishman, I don't greatly like fish and chips (Heresy!), but you should definately try some Indian food, we've got pretty damn good curryhouses all over the nation, and I believe its taken over as our national dish now anyway.
On landing at the airport:
Pick up a cheap atlas of the UK
Stick a pin in the overview map at the front
Find the name of the nearest city to the pin that isn't london
Get yourself a connecting train or bus there
Laarhndan... *shudder*
More seriously, it's alright enough if you stick to the main streets and a reasonable curfew, or can find your way into a decent, friendly boozer that's not overpriced, or if you're loaded and can afford to hang out in one of the trendy bars - but you still have to get from there to your bed at some point.
You could probably survive a couple of days doing the tourist thing though - the palaces and towers, parliament, the eye, parks, river, etc, maybe on some kind of organised tour so you're less likely to get stabbed. You can say you've done it then.
Then GTFOside of the M25 and not come back ;-)
Twickenham's alright mind, quite suburban... if you happen to be well out of the centre of the city in the correct direction. But the pavements (sidewalks) are desperately narrow and unkerbed, it's like being in Greece or something. Croydon is basically "generic lower-middle class UK suburb" so you can probably survive there. It is a heck of a way out of town, however, and badly placed for getting anywhere else except the south coast (eh, big loss).
BTW never call the tube the "subway". That word has quite a different meaning in the UK, besides that of a fast-food sandwich chain, and will mark you out as an instant tourist. The tube is the tube, or occasionally the underground. The local equivalent to a tram or metro is the DLR in London, but the other two names are interchangeable elsewhere - if you come across one you'll find it emblazoned with whatever the local word is. Buses are buses in-city, coaches between cities... unless it's the megabus. Which literally is a double-deck city bus that's escaped onto the motorway in a desperate but ultimately doomed bid for 50-ish mph, £1-a-ticket (plus £50 booking fee) freedom.
Also get yourself a pedal bike or even scooter* and a bloody good lock, it'll save you so much time in traffic if your destination doesn't have a tube, DLR or overland train station nearby or you need to travel outside of their operating hours (despite what people may say, it's not an omniprescent or 24/7 thing). The place isn't as bad as its reputation, to be fair, but it's still not particularly quick to navigate on 4 wheels (or 6, if you're on a bus). Try to find somewhere to live that's a minimum-cost balance between ludicrous rent/other living expenses and ludicrous travel time/fees. And beware of the congestion charge zone if you drive at any point. Ouch.
* you will however need a license for the motorised type, and probably (unless you have a transferable foreign license) to attend a 1-day proficiency course before you're legally allowed on the road
PS South of the river, at this time of night? I don't think so mate.
PPS The "canadian flag sticker" idea is a good one... Most Brits won't be bothered but Londoners apparently hate americans, largely because the place is flooded with somewhat ignorant tourists doing the cliched european tour thing (really a taste of our own medicine, but it still doesn't taste nice). Cultivate a very mild canuck accent if you can do it without it being obviously forced. DO NOT attempt to put on a fake brit accent AT ANY TIME, it will be MASSIVELY obvious. (On that note - how fake does Hugh Laurie seem to you guys? His ... boston? drawl seems utterly fake to me)
PPPS This also goes for Paris, except they probably hate canadians as well. Pretend to be mexican. And get the hell out of there and see some much nicer parts of France at the earliest opportunity. The northern and atlantic coasts are exceedingly pleasant - or, you could go skiing. Rather than being stuck in the dankness of the Spirale and Peripherique.
P^4S: Birmingham has a Forbidden Planet as well, within a stone's throw of the (awful, but it's due to be rebuilt) New St Station...
Pick up a cheap atlas of the UK
Stick a pin in the overview map at the front
Find the name of the nearest city to the pin that isn't london
Get yourself a connecting train or bus there
Laarhndan... *shudder*
More seriously, it's alright enough if you stick to the main streets and a reasonable curfew, or can find your way into a decent, friendly boozer that's not overpriced, or if you're loaded and can afford to hang out in one of the trendy bars - but you still have to get from there to your bed at some point.
You could probably survive a couple of days doing the tourist thing though - the palaces and towers, parliament, the eye, parks, river, etc, maybe on some kind of organised tour so you're less likely to get stabbed. You can say you've done it then.
Then GTFOside of the M25 and not come back ;-)
Twickenham's alright mind, quite suburban... if you happen to be well out of the centre of the city in the correct direction. But the pavements (sidewalks) are desperately narrow and unkerbed, it's like being in Greece or something. Croydon is basically "generic lower-middle class UK suburb" so you can probably survive there. It is a heck of a way out of town, however, and badly placed for getting anywhere else except the south coast (eh, big loss).
BTW never call the tube the "subway". That word has quite a different meaning in the UK, besides that of a fast-food sandwich chain, and will mark you out as an instant tourist. The tube is the tube, or occasionally the underground. The local equivalent to a tram or metro is the DLR in London, but the other two names are interchangeable elsewhere - if you come across one you'll find it emblazoned with whatever the local word is. Buses are buses in-city, coaches between cities... unless it's the megabus. Which literally is a double-deck city bus that's escaped onto the motorway in a desperate but ultimately doomed bid for 50-ish mph, £1-a-ticket (plus £50 booking fee) freedom.
Also get yourself a pedal bike or even scooter* and a bloody good lock, it'll save you so much time in traffic if your destination doesn't have a tube, DLR or overland train station nearby or you need to travel outside of their operating hours (despite what people may say, it's not an omniprescent or 24/7 thing). The place isn't as bad as its reputation, to be fair, but it's still not particularly quick to navigate on 4 wheels (or 6, if you're on a bus). Try to find somewhere to live that's a minimum-cost balance between ludicrous rent/other living expenses and ludicrous travel time/fees. And beware of the congestion charge zone if you drive at any point. Ouch.
* you will however need a license for the motorised type, and probably (unless you have a transferable foreign license) to attend a 1-day proficiency course before you're legally allowed on the road
PS South of the river, at this time of night? I don't think so mate.
PPS The "canadian flag sticker" idea is a good one... Most Brits won't be bothered but Londoners apparently hate americans, largely because the place is flooded with somewhat ignorant tourists doing the cliched european tour thing (really a taste of our own medicine, but it still doesn't taste nice). Cultivate a very mild canuck accent if you can do it without it being obviously forced. DO NOT attempt to put on a fake brit accent AT ANY TIME, it will be MASSIVELY obvious. (On that note - how fake does Hugh Laurie seem to you guys? His ... boston? drawl seems utterly fake to me)
PPPS This also goes for Paris, except they probably hate canadians as well. Pretend to be mexican. And get the hell out of there and see some much nicer parts of France at the earliest opportunity. The northern and atlantic coasts are exceedingly pleasant - or, you could go skiing. Rather than being stuck in the dankness of the Spirale and Peripherique.
P^4S: Birmingham has a Forbidden Planet as well, within a stone's throw of the (awful, but it's due to be rebuilt) New St Station...
It's just a different type of humour and camaraderie, ya old tossbag. Casual insulting and ripping-the-piss is the way we build friendships. Haven't you got used to that yet?Jedihunter4 said:
If you get to the Midlands, by the way... well done, that'll do you. Coventry's a bit of a hole, thanks largely to the Germans having flattened anything remotely cultural, but you've easy access at the very least to Stratford and the rest of Warwickshire (as it says on the signs, Shakespeare country ... lots of open fields and achingly picturesque little villages etc), the Malverns and Cotswolds if you like your countryside, Wales, and the Birmingham-Black Country conurbation, which can be just as decrepit and shitty as London in places, but is no-where near as up itself... but happens to be the (shared, with Manchester) birthplace of the industrial revolution AND of heavy metal (that's all ours). History just seeps out all over if you look - lots of museums but also just hanging around on random streets because it was never demolished - but we've managed to keep pace. You can burn out the vaguely touristy bits in a couple days to be fair, but you can at least stay for a curry and a boogie in the rock clubs (try to avoid Broad St...) before moving on to northern climes (Snowdonia, maybe have a look around Liverpool, give your very soul chills by driving through Blackpool surrounded by zombies and a Silent Hill kind of climate, stop off in the Lake District for a pleasant couple of days, head across to Berwick and make an ass of yourself asking if they really are still at war with Germany, and find out what Edinburgh's like when the fringe is out of town...) and ultimately returning to the big smoke via a dogleg into Cornwall for some surfing.
On that note
A word of warning. If you are obviously a curry virgin then some bastard WILL trick you into having the hottest possible thing, with masses of chili in it. Unless you are already a spice-head, you will not have felt burn like it and might not be able to finish... you'll certainly end up sweating. Even some of the side dishes (mixed or lime pickle, for example) can be pretty toasty. You get used to it, but it'd be rough to have one as your first try.WolfLordAndy said:
HOT! - Vindaloo, Madras
Middling - Rogan Josh, Bhuna, Dopiaza, Balti, some Masalas, some generic "curry"
Mild(er) - Korma, Pasanda, cheaper/supermarket Masala and generic curries, particularly the glorified thick gravy from chip shops (addictive, though).
Can't be certain - pretty much anything else i've missed, or is made up by the restaurant. Check what their rating may be vs the others. If in doubt, go for the korma. You'll be called a girl but your tastebuds will survive and it's still damn tasty. Some restaurants STILL put a touch of chili in it ANYWAY, and there'll be enough other spice to liven it up.
Come to Brum and have a proper steel (or even better, cast iron) dish Balti (medium, normally, but be careful if you get one with obvious pieces of green chili in), chicken or lamb saag for preference, with a freshly baked peshwari naan (and basmati rice, if you really must)... stack of poppadoms with mild dips and salad beforehand... maybe a bit of kulfi afterwards... pint of Cobra to go with. Bostin'.
Never mind what you see - you'll be paying £100 for the privelege of walking in - and more importantly, safely walking back out of - the door, if you're not "known". Another £100 for a lemonade. Before you even get to see any flesh. Easy pickings for the brick-shithouse bouncers.supermariner said:
(Haven't myself - I've got more sense than to be wandering in through random doors / basements in that part of any town - but I've heard enough stories)
That's going a bit far mate. It looked more like plain sensible advice to me - go in the wrong pub and start sounding off and you'll be lucky to just end up in A&E. Treat pubs like you would /b/, but /b/ in a world where people DO have the power to punch you in the face over TCP/IP, and trolls are everywhere. STFU and Lurk Moar, at least for the first couple weeks. You don't have to act like a worm or brown-nose, just know when to button it... and that knowledge can take a while to acquire, so keep it low-key at first.TheGuiggleMonster said:
There are nothing but good things to say about GOOD pasties. However you may need to go to Cornwall in order to experience it. Possibly they're good from the high street pie shops or a street cart, but I've never yet been tempted to spend the high prices they ask for such a simple food when I've first hand experience of mass produced ones being bland, cardboardy and dry. Pies can be a bit hit and miss also. All I'd say is, don't avoid completely, but if your first one is crap, at least operate on the three-strikes rule and try a couple other places.
Try a Greggs' steak bake or some of their other variations though (and the sausage rolls ... and some of the sweet pastries too)... omg, to die for. Guaranteed merman-gina free too.
Fish and Chips MUST be taken with salt and vinegar (including on the fish, and/or chicken if you've gone for that... not so much any sausages). They're the flavour enhancers that bring out the natural tastiness of the fatty goodness laid before you. You can mix things up with some curry sauce if you prefer. Again, bear in mind that the 3 strikes rule applies. There are good chippies and bad ones - if your first time is uninspiring (dry, tough or burnt chips, dry and tasteless fish or limp batter etc), try somewhere else. Chips should be crisp with ever so fluffy insides, fish should still be moist inside the batter with a layer of soggy batter mix inside a just-gone-crisp shell. Heavenly. Remember however that it IS cholesterol city... I save such stuff either for special occasions, or after a seriously crap work day where I need a lift and can't be having with cooking or washing-up (maybe once every 3-4 months or longer).
ANYWAY
Welcome to our "great" if slightly faded nation and its capital, I hope you have an awesome time and end up not wanting to leave. We can always use fresh blood and new ideas to stop both genetic and mental inbreeding
Pleeeeeeaaaaaaase don't misquote me.tahrey said:It's just a different type of humour and camaraderie, ya old tossbag. Casual insulting and ripping-the-piss is the way we build friendships. Haven't you got used to that yet?Jedihunter4 said:
If you get to the Midlands, by the way... well done, that'll do you. Coventry's a bit of a hole, thanks largely to the Germans having flattened anything remotely cultural, but you've easy access at the very least to Stratford and the rest of Warwickshire (as it says on the signs, Shakespeare country ... lots of open fields and achingly picturesque little villages etc), the Malverns and Cotswolds if you like your countryside, Wales, and the Birmingham-Black Country conurbation, which can be just as decrepit and shitty as London in places, but is no-where near as up itself... but happens to be the (shared, with Manchester) birthplace of the industrial revolution AND of heavy metal (that's all ours). History just seeps out all over if you look - lots of museums but also just hanging around on random streets because it was never demolished - but we've managed to keep pace. You can burn out the vaguely touristy bits in a couple days to be fair, but you can at least stay for a curry and a boogie in the rock clubs (try to avoid Broad St...) before moving on to northern climes (Snowdonia, maybe have a look around Liverpool, give your very soul chills by driving through Blackpool surrounded by zombies and a Silent Hill kind of climate, stop off in the Lake District for a pleasant couple of days, head across to Berwick and make an ass of yourself asking if they really are still at war with Germany, and find out what Edinburgh's like when the fringe is out of town...) and ultimately returning to the big smoke via a dogleg into Cornwall for some surfing.
On that note
A word of warning. If you are obviously a curry virgin then some bastard WILL trick you into having the hottest possible thing, with masses of chili in it. Unless you are already a spice-head, you will not have felt burn like it and might not be able to finish... you'll certainly end up sweating. Even some of the side dishes (mixed or lime pickle, for example) can be pretty toasty. You get used to it, but it'd be rough to have one as your first try.WolfLordAndy said:
HOT! - Vindaloo, Madras
Middling - Rogan Josh, Bhuna, Dopiaza, Balti, some Masalas, some generic "curry"
Mild(er) - Korma, Pasanda, cheaper/supermarket Masala and generic curries, particularly the glorified thick gravy from chip shops (addictive, though).
Can't be certain - pretty much anything else i've missed, or is made up by the restaurant. Check what their rating may be vs the others. If in doubt, go for the korma. You'll be called a girl but your tastebuds will survive and it's still damn tasty. Some restaurants STILL put a touch of chili in it ANYWAY, and there'll be enough other spice to liven it up.
Come to Brum and have a proper steel (or even better, cast iron) dish Balti (medium, normally, but be careful if you get one with obvious pieces of green chili in), chicken or lamb saag for preference, with a freshly baked peshwari naan (and basmati rice, if you really must)... stack of poppadoms with mild dips and salad beforehand... maybe a bit of kulfi afterwards... pint of Cobra to go with. Bostin'.
Never mind what you see - you'll be paying £100 for the privelege of walking in - and more importantly, safely walking back out of - the door, if you're not "known". Another £100 for a lemonade. Before you even get to see any flesh. Easy pickings for the brick-shithouse bouncers.supermariner said:
(Haven't myself - I've got more sense than to be wandering in through random doors / basements in that part of any town - but I've heard enough stories)
That's going a bit far mate. It looked more like plain sensible advice to me - go in the wrong pub and start sounding off and you'll be lucky to just end up in A&E. Treat pubs like you would /b/, but /b/ in a world where people DO have the power to punch you in the face over TCP/IP, and trolls are everywhere. STFU and Lurk Moar, at least for the first couple weeks. You don't have to act like a worm or brown-nose, just know when to button it... and that knowledge can take a while to acquire, so keep it low-key at first.TheGuiggleMonster said:
There are nothing but good things to say about GOOD pasties. However you may need to go to Cornwall in order to experience it. Possibly they're good from the high street pie shops or a street cart, but I've never yet been tempted to spend the high prices they ask for such a simple food when I've first hand experience of mass produced ones being bland, cardboardy and dry. Pies can be a bit hit and miss also. All I'd say is, don't avoid completely, but if your first one is crap, at least operate on the three-strikes rule and try a couple other places.
Try a Greggs' steak bake or some of their other variations though (and the sausage rolls ... and some of the sweet pastries too)... omg, to die for. Guaranteed merman-gina free too.
Fish and Chips MUST be taken with salt and vinegar (including on the fish, and/or chicken if you've gone for that... not so much any sausages). They're the flavour enhancers that bring out the natural tastiness of the fatty goodness laid before you. You can mix things up with some curry sauce if you prefer. Again, bear in mind that the 3 strikes rule applies. There are good chippies and bad ones - if your first time is uninspiring (dry, tough or burnt chips, dry and tasteless fish or limp batter etc), try somewhere else. Chips should be crisp with ever so fluffy insides, fish should still be moist inside the batter with a layer of soggy batter mix inside a just-gone-crisp shell. Heavenly. Remember however that it IS cholesterol city... I save such stuff either for special occasions, or after a seriously crap work day where I need a lift and can't be having with cooking or washing-up (maybe once every 3-4 months or longer).
ANYWAY
Welcome to our "great" if slightly faded nation and its capital, I hope you have an awesome time and end up not wanting to leave. We can always use fresh blood and new ideas to stop both genetic and mental inbreeding
Do not hang around Abbey Road staring like an idiot. And don't keep running across it and back again worried you'll get hit. Here we have things called Zebra crossings, where they will wait for you until you cross. Usually.