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driven · Jun 6, 2005, 07:52 AM

I'm going to be spending 2 weeks in the U.K. (London) for business.

I'll have my evenings and weekends free. I'm traveling alone. I'm looking for something to entertain myself.

Any recommendations? Also: What's a "must see" while I'm there.

version · Jun 6, 2005, 08:40 AM

Come to Scotland and forget England, full of ponces.

Just kidding.

If you do come to Scotland, check out Glasgow and hit the West End area. Some places of interest:

Glasgow Uni.
Citizen's Theatre.
Barrowlands.
Byres Road.
The Halt bar.
Kelvingrove park.
The Tron Theatre.
Anywhere in the city centre.
(tons more places that I can't think of).

Oh, and remember to turn up for the mass rallies against the G8 meeting, if you're here on time. Bring as many weapons as you can to fight the bastards.

Randman · Jun 6, 2005, 09:01 AM

Get some tickets for a West End production or two.
Drink some great beer.
Find some tasty curry and briyani.
Check out The Eye.
Head over to Paris for a day or two.
Visit other areas around London.
Ride the Tube (but mind the gap).
Drive around before the mileage tax.

macmad · Jun 6, 2005, 09:30 AM

Get in a taxi and ask him to take you to Browns in Hackney

vexborg · Jun 6, 2005, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by version

Come to Scotland and forget England, full of ponces.

Just kidding.

If you do come to Scotland, check out Glasgow and hit the West End area. Some places of interest:

Glasgow Uni.
Citizen's Theatre.
Barrowlands.
Byres Road.
The Halt bar.
Kelvingrove park.
The Tron Theatre.
Anywhere in the city centre.
(tons more places that I can't think of).

Oh, and remember to turn up for the mass rallies against the G8 meeting, if you're here on time. Bring as many weapons as you can to fight the bastards.

I can only agree

driven · Jun 6, 2005, 10:25 AM

I'll try to look up some of these places before I leave, so I can get a good idea of what they are.

Mileage tax? Yuk. I might take public transportation (taxis, busses, tubes) as much as possible so I don't kill myself by habilitually driving on the wrong side of the road. :-(

Mastrap · Jun 6, 2005, 12:09 PM

Have Sunday or Saturday lunch at The Eagle at 159 Farringdon Road. Nearest tube stop is, surprise, Farringdon, then 5 minutes walk. Excellent food. Go early to secure a place, take the papers and relax.

Nivag · Jun 6, 2005, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by macmad

Get in a taxi and ask him to take you to Browns in Hackney

Or the Griffin in between Chancery Lane and Clerkenwell

Simon X · 09:05 AM

...

driven · Jun 12, 2005, 01:19 PM

Well ... I went to the Apple Store today. It was about an hour ride by tube & train. (I'm staying in Maidenhead.) I needed power-adapters for my Powerbook. It was a worthy trip. The Apple Store on Regents Street is fantastic. Large, georgous and VERY busy.

I'll have to find my way around and do some planning for next weekend.

BTW: Things are expensive here. My taxi ride from Gatewick to Maidenhead was 89 pounds! Wow. I could fly to a different city at home for a similar price.

Things seem to close early here in Maidenhead. I guess I have to get used to the early nights.

Is anyone on MacNN local to me? I'd love to meet someone from here to "hang out" and catch a brew with. (Kinda boring when you are traveling by yourself.)

Cheers !

mchladek · Jun 12, 2005, 01:49 PM

My girlfriend and I just got back from a two week trip to London and Scotland. You can see the website I made of it here.

I suggest version's advice: skip London, go to Scotland

But seriously, like others have said go to the West End and take in a couple shows (avoid Fame though). Nearly all the museums are by donation which is sweet, and some like Tate Modern are open late on certain nights. They do performances at the restored Globe Theatre. It's awesome! And standing room is only £5. The parks and gardens are pretty neat too, especially Regents.

Enjoy the rest of your trip! Hope the dismal exchange rate isn't killing you too much

driven · Jun 12, 2005, 01:55 PM

Thanks .... I'll be heading back to London soon unless someone can help me find a USB cable for my iPod. (See my other post ... in about 5 minutes)

nath · 02:13 PM

forget the west end shows, they're all shite. (IMO of course - I hate musicals!)

Bars: Cargo, Medicine Bar, Cantaloupe, plus numerous others (all near Liverpool Street station, close to Brick Lane where all the best Asian food is). Avoid the West End for drinking/clubbing, it's full of people from places in Surrey and Kent paying £4 for a beer. Fun if you like cheesy discos, but more like Slough than London for the most part. Try Camden or Islington instead. In Islington, try Cuba Libra, Elbow Rooms (Arthur Baker's pool/nightclub style bar) and Embassy.

Sights: Museums are best as they're optional donation, do the Eye, but book in advance here so you don't have to queue for ages. Prime Minister's questions is Wednesday if you wanted to see that at the same time (it's just over the bridge from the Eye) Don't do the Palace, it's a rip-off.

http://www.cargo-london.com/