Things to see and do in London

Lots of more cultured posters will offer alternative suggestions - what dates are you coming down?

The most amusing moment of the weekend was when we started saying stupid "London phrases" to people on the street in a sort of over pronounced careful Irish tourist way. For example "Excuse me "GUV'NOR"

It was quite funny.

I dunno. we were thirsty.

Waxy O'Connors is the on;y place I have ever taken cocaine.

The only place that was particularly nice was "The Clinic" bar, which was good enough. Can't remember where that was but there you go. I didn't see much of London really, didn't have enough money to do much besides drink and laze around watching tv.

I think I also went to Waxy O'Connors wiv Marcello. It holds grim memories for me for other reasons, that I had forgotten until I went in with him. I may be misremembering. I am the cat who walks by himself and all pubs are alike to me.

It's bank holiday weekend in London, and my lady has been a bit sad recently, under lots of stress with moving and work, etc. I want to take her out and do something fun and special in London, so that she will have nowt but fond memories of her adopted home. She has frequently asked if we can row a boat in a park somewhere. I fear that the weather on Monday may be bad, however. If not, where is best for rowing? The Serpentine? If it rains, what is something special and "nice" that we can do?

re raining: go to tate modern

My dog ate my homework, mr m!
(very poor "stevem IS a geography teacher joke)

Thanks, Mark ;).

I have an interview at Kingston University on the 24th, and because I'm a bus-using cheapskate that means I'll be in London from 7:05 till 23:45. Presumably dying when I get home at 10am the following day. I've really only passed through before, so what are the ILX recommendations on what I should do and where I should go? (Tastes: vaguely hipstery but up for anything, budget: as little as is possible.) Is there anything in the Kingston area itself worth seeing?

in the day kingston is mostly a shopping town. there are some lovely parks in the area + parts of the river but tbh i reckon you'd have more fun hopping on the fast train up to waterloo. prob depends on what time your interview is + where you catch your bus home though i guess.

there is SO MUCH you could do in London this is kind of hard to think about!

I will always recommend walking along the river, crossing bridges whenever you feel like it, as an excellent way to spend your time (Tate Britain to Tate Modern is quite a good stretch).

What time's your interview? If it's early then London is basically your oyster until 11pm, otherwise you might be a bit more constrained. Otherwise river/South Bank/Tate Modern is a good suggestion.

the last time i took a number 4 bus it occurred to me that between waterloo and angel it gives you a fantastic view. So you could do that, get off at Angel, wander through Clerkenwell, cross the Gray's Inn Road and and go to Lincoln's Inn to see Sir John Soane's Museum, then into Covent Garden or Bloomsbury, then... I don't know, it's all pretty good. The problem is sometimes you're a street away from something amazing and you don't know it and the street you're in feels dead and dull and empty-- I think of it like being in the margins of a page.

same view on 341, much quicker ride to angel :)

ok, no st pauls.

If it's a nice day then the river in both directions is lovely - Hampton Court one way, Richmond the other. I don't recall Kingston itself offering much, but Richmond's gorgeous and has a cracking big park. I love wandering aimlessly and tbh you could walk all the way to town from there and I'd find it terrific entertainment but ymmv.

All that said, train to London is probably still the way to go - it's only twenty minutes or so. You need to be more precise if you want useful suggestions though, I feel.

if it's a nice day and assuming you have the time i'd take a walk through richmond park then make your way over to angel, or shoreditch or dalston or something. use that as your starting point for exploring filthy east london. look at hipsters, drink in parks, see a band, eat some vietnamese or turkish food, wander round brick lane, whitechapel art gallery usually has some good stuff on, there's a good rockin' groovin' noisey jazz improv kinda night at a bar near there on some tuesdays.

all of this is especially true if the weather is good. when it's nice weather there are few places i'd rather be than this part of london.

unless you want to do sightseeing, in which case, see all of the above.

Kingston to Dalston is a LONG way!

takes about an hour from richmond? not too bad really.

also, fuck getting a bus in the morning. you doing a national express type thing? to victoria? i've been stuck there before and it's pretty cool just hanging out drinking coffee and reading through the night till the first bus leaves...

*getting a bus at midnight

Given the choice between getting a bus through the night and potentially sleeping and hanging around Victoria bus station all night I'd probably plump for the former no matter how grim it is.

thank youss, this all sounds very good. Yeah, I'm arriving and leaving from Victoria, the two overnight bus journeys will, I know from experience, be brutal, so I'm looking to make this day as worthwhile as possible even if the interview is disastrous. The interview itself is at 2:30, would be better if it was early and I had the whole day free, but eyyy, I can work with that.

http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2011/05/12/late-night-openings-at-london-museums-this-weekend/

<3 London

i'd have a look at what exhibitions are currently on and pick something to your taste - london's best done on specifics rather than vague "go to that area, go to any old gallery" etc.

http://www.timeout.com/london/art/ is where i usually check these things

I'm looking for some off the beaten path things to do in London.

I'll be in town September 12-24. I've been to London several times before so I've done all the London-y things before; so now I am looking for more obscure things.

HOLLA BACK IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS!

Horniman museum
The Brunel Museum at the Thames Tunnel
Walk the canal from Paddington to Southall
Visit the Seaside (Whitstable, Margate)

• This article was amended on 24 July 2012 to remove a section about mudlarking on the advice of English Heritage and other bodies which are concerned with the protection of the foreshore and London's archaeological heritage

Thank you N., I see the park/cemetary/etc featured in that crap film Closer is included in this list. Woohoo!!

def the horniman museum! an ilxor took me, it is really great.
go to the barbican if you've a couple of hours to kill, or especially on a sunny day. being there to kill time is kinda the best because it's just such a nice environment to be in, though there's a gallery and a library and a lot of music and theatre on as well.

electric avenue, and all the indoor markets, in brixton, too. it kinda looks like how london looks, to me, probably more than portobello road or w/e does.

So, now that Time Out has gutted its listings in the print version, and the website still seems horrible, where is good for London listings?

I've been getting gig listings by monitoring http://www.londonears.com/ and http://www.londongigs.net/ for a while now. Resident advisor does a better job of clubbing listings. I guess the main thing I miss is the art listings - is there anything like what Time Out used to have? I know we have a thread:

RFI: Current Art Exhibitions in London

but that seems to have died.

http://gallerygoers-schedule.blogspot.co.uk/ (HT to ledge)

For gigs I would turn to Last FM before either of those two:

http://www.last.fm/events/+place/United+Kingdom/London

i tend to use songkick for gig listings: http://www.songkick.com/metro_areas/24426-uk-london#event-listings

(also it sends me emails to let me know when certain artists are playing)

I missed the changes to Time Out. So are you telling me there are no or very few listings in the print version anymore, and they're putting them all up for free on the website? That seems bizarre. I mean, Time Out is, or was, known primarily as a listings magazine, that's what people bought it for. Without those, what's the point of buying it?

I've never really relied on Time Out for gigs as it didn't really stretch far enough into the future to make plans/buy tickets. I've completely switched to Songkick for gig alerts now, and it's reasonable for clubs as well if the DJs are also producers you happen to have been listening to. Resident Advisor is obviously great as well and has been better than Time Out for some time (for dance music at least, can't comment on other types of clubs).

The Time Out mobile app is still reasonable if you happen to be in an area and want to see what's in your immediate vicinity but it's far from user-friendly. Also the website currently has only five listings for galleries in Shoreditch, which beggars belief.

anagram, time out's a freesheet now.

ah.

Electronic Music Day at the Science Museum on Saturday...

"On 29 September it's all about electronic music at the Science Museum. Throughout the day there will be free talks in our lecture theatre, looking at some of the leading figures of early British electronic music and their work. In the afternoon, a Public Reunion will bring together former employees of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and Electronic Music Studios (EMS) to discuss their work in the 1960s and 70s."

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/electronic_music_day

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/rain-room-barbican

I might go and see that tomorrow. Looks amazing.

not bang on topic but this seemed the closest fit after some trawling - wondering if any of london ilx has any tips for places to buy old furniture? like desks specifically but probably other items too.

i feel like there should be loads of this around where i live but the places i've tried are poor, and online seems to be a ripoff.

Golborne Road for antiques with haggle potential - shops and out on the street most Saturdays, plus you can go to 'fake Morocco' outdoor kitchens - once saw good small zinc-topped desk for £180. Places like After Noah in Upper Street might have what you want, too.

thanks, will give these a try.

I'm involved in helping set up a week long corporate sales meeting taking place in September in London. I'm trying to look into what events are going on early in the month but not sure where to really look. Any suggestions to help me research this? Anything going on in the Chelsea Harbour area? Thanks in advance!

Not really sure what things you're looking for, but probably worth looking at the London TimeOut events calendar for September

In my limited experience Chelsea Harbour is one of those very expensive but dull places where nothing happens. People buy flats as an investment and don't actually live there.

Yeah, it's corporate sales fun so that fits... and TimeOut is very helpful, thank you! I guess the most appropriate place at this point I'm realizing will just be a bar or something that can be rented out to feed them all drinks until the next activity at the meeting.

yeah your best bet are just the few nicer pubs and/or restaurants on the kings road. if you have cash to splash around:
http://www.bluebird-restaurant.co.uk/
and a little further away:
http://www.bibendum.co.uk/

or to watch us brits fail to replicate a southern BBQ/crabshack:
http://www.bigeasy.co.uk/v1/index.aspx

Ha, great. Thanks! Bluebird might work perfectly.

Anyone know anything about this free Warp Records night at the Tate? Jeremy Deller and OPN and Rustie and Patten and stuff...

http://warp-x-tate.net/#top

Can't figure out whether you have to get a ticket for it or if you just bowl up to the Tate?

yeah i was kinda wondering too, the facebook event page has no more information.

Looks like just bowl up. I'm going, but will be visiting the Tate the week before so can check then.

i have been to exactly one of these before (the lates at tate britain, they are monthly or bi-monthly) but that was just free jazz played in front of the pre-raphaelites and there were perhaps 40 people in the whole place. something tells me this will be different (if only because it's been advertised better than usual).

(the rest of the place was open but the paid exhibits were still paid exhibits, you couldn't get in free just because it was late night opening)

staying in the West End (US$160/night) vs Shepherds Bush ($120) for six nights in late November?

uh, it's my first visit so i haven't seen/done anything

If you stay in Shepherds Bush it's unlikely you'll be doing a great deal of your hanging out /exploring in that area (it's fine, just mostly residential and there's not a great deal to do) so staying there is likely to put an additional 20-30 minutes public transport time on to the beginning and end of your day. Shepherds Bush is tolerably well-served by tube and bus but I wouldn't want to walk to and from each day.

Whether the avoidance of that trip (and possibly the bright-lights sense of being in the middle of things) is worth $40 a day to you, is the question.

similar options in the City btw

City gives you easier access to the trendy goings-on in East London, which may float yr proverbial boat; is infested with Wall Street-style types, tends to die off in the evening, is probably the most architecturally interesting bit of town; I rarely go there except for the Barbican (brutalist estate and art centre which is A1 in every way). V few people live in the City itself, so lots of commuters with the attendant advantages and disadvantages (excellent transport connections, uncomfortable transport at busy times).

as tim says, shepherds bush is abt 30 mins on the central line from much of the centre (and fairly easy to get to anywhere else); there's not much to do or see in shepherds bush itself mind you (east end boy speaking) but it's probably fine as pied a terre

it's probably abt 90 mins' walk from say piccadilly circus to shepherds bush, so not outlandish but prob annoying unless you love walking

late travel is the one issue with being a bit out of the centre, if you're likely to be staying out late late late -- buses go all night but tube generally doesn't: central line is one of the lines that already went 24-hr, but i think only on fri-sat; other lines will be doing the same by november (victoria, jubilee, not sure what else)

the city at the weekends is often pleasantly deserted during the day

Thus spake one of the trendy goings-on in East London I was talking about.

thx, i have read about the 24-hr schedule.

i flee from trendy

i'm sure i'll make at least one visit to the BFI

i would prob go west end i reckon. just for ease of getting around.

Morbzfap?!??!?

my only late-night priorities wd be places where oldish gay men don't act their age

i dunno, i have a less secure idea of the ilxbrits who can't bloody stand me. xp

Ach nonsense, what happens online stays online... or something

that's another concept oldies like me don't get down with...

thinking of shifting the stay through the 29th so i can see the Hidden Cameras at a place called the Lexington.

Yeah honestly I really wouldn't recommend that anyone stays in Shepherds Bush - it is not especially convenient for many things you might want to do on your first week in London.

West End will be much more convenient - as is the City. I might also recommend the Holborn / Bloomsbury area which is reasonably convenient for more or less anywhere in the centre of town (plus you aren't that far from the Bloomsbury Curzon which should float your boat).

thank you

also the Pop Group is playing on the 24th!

> 30 mins on the central line from much of the centre

The quoted time for SB to TCR is 12 minutes.

(TCR being the centre of town because Centre Point, duh)

However, station is annoyingly 15 minutes from my flat.

thinking of shifting the stay through the 29th so i can see the Hidden Cameras at a place called the Lexington.

lol big ilx hangout!

i agree with matt - holborn is really near everything but still retains some freedom from tourist madness. loads of theatre and the best restaurants all very near. prob worth going to suburbs but shepherd's bush is a bit flat.

don't need to avoid flying into Gatwick if the fare is good?

Not really. Gatwick Express will get you into Central London (Victoria) quickly. Book in advance as the fare is a rip off or get a slightly slower train for a lower price.

Booked; staying in Kings Cross, Nov 24-30. Paid a little more than i like, but oh well.

You'd be able to get a train from Gatwick to St Pancras for cheaper than the Gatwick Express.

Coming in to Heathrow after all... on a redeye, so my biggest headache will be 10am arrival, and how early they'll let me check in at K.C.

Underground straight from LHR to Kings Cross. Most hotels will at least let you leave your bags even if they don't have your room ready, unless it's Travelodge because they suck.

Yeah, the Piccadilly line would be cheaper (you can get your Oyster card as your first act on British soil!) and slower and you could see some of fields before it turns into the underground proper.

I would drink with Dr Morbius - mutual friends assure me that this is a pleasant experience.

While I'm on here, I'll be down in October for a few days. We're going to a comedy show in Blackheath Halls - any decent pub recommendations in that area? iirc, that's Matt DC's neck of the woods, aye?

(I'll likely be around on my own on the afternoon of Sunday 30th October as other half is going to Wembley to watch American football if anyone fancies a pint?)

My hotel is actually nearer to the Warren St station on the Victoria line. So that's... Fitzrovia? almost the West End?

By total coincidence, a Manchester friend i know from his years in New York will be staying nearby, we will probably hit some museum stuff including this:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-records-and-rebels-1966-70

I should get my Hidden Cameras ticket for the 29th, too. I will investigate what theatre i want to see. Something, for sure.

(fine, Andrew, let's)

We're going to a comedy show in Blackheath Halls - any decent pub recommendations in that area?

The best pubs in the area are a fair walk from the halls themselves. Most of the pubs in the village are at least passable although none are particularly standout. You're probably best off with the Railway which does the job, usually has some good beer, and is just across the road from the halls. Unless it's a Saturday in which case it'll be heaving.

My hotel is actually nearer to the Warren St station on the Victoria line. So that's... Fitzrovia? almost the West End?

Split the difference and call it Bloomsbury (or Euston). There are a lot of offices around there and mostly of the interesting stuff (both social and architectural) is in the area just south of Euston Road. Fitzrovia itself is great (the area around Charlotte Street is fun).

However if places where oldish gay men don't act their age is a priority then you want to go further south to Soho. I can't claim to be an expert here but the bar underneath the Phoenix Theatre closes late and has a certain kind of old London element to its misbehaviour that might appeal to you.

also some of the ugliest paintings ever left uncovered by a sheet, unless this has been done since I was last there…

Soho / Old Compton Street is a good bet. I used to DJ at Central Station in Kings Cross itself back in the day and that had a slightly harder vibe iirc but fun.

also some of the ugliest paintings ever left uncovered by a sheet, unless this has been done since I was last there…

The guy who ran it (who was often to be seen singing with a basket of fruit on his head) died a few days ago and I heard an apocryphal story that his coffin laid in state in the bar for several days before his funeral.

Charlton have a home game, ailsa, but fortunately nobody goes any more so you should have a pub free of yobs*. The Blackheath Oddbins is awesome for weird craft beer so I'd recommend grabbing a couple of beers from there and sitting on the heath - if you MUST find a pub, then the Railway will have to do unless you get intrepid

*tongue heavily in cheek obv

I may be still about on that day, Ailsa - it might be my first weekend in London after four away, or I may have taken leave of my senses and gone up to Leeds.

You are both diarised, one more specifically than the other.

the bar underneath the Phoenix Theatre closes late and has a certain kind of old London element to its misbehaviour

Seems to be a 'members only' bar, but they'll let you in if you go to the theatre? i'm probably looking more Joe Orton than Noel Coward.

It's the world's slackest door policy, if you wander in and look like you confidently know where you're going they don't give a shit.

yes i've literally never been stopped or even paused (tho i've also never been there particularly late in the evening)

anyway rip the guy who ran it, hope* that it doesn't change too much too quickly :(

*probably vainly: it's dangerously close to that thrusting new quarter "mid-town"

He's been dead for years and it was broadly the same when I last went in.

ah ok, i guess "died a few days ago" upthread was a typo? if not i am muddled

Yes that was a typo, sorry. Anyway as long as you basically make up the name of someone you're supposed to be meeting they'll let you in at all hours.

Thanks Matt & imago for pub info (and Andrew, I'll give you a shout nearer the time re. beer since I missed you when I was down in June)

The Blackheath Oddbins is awesome for weird craft beer

Having only just moved back I only went there for the first time on Friday and it really is fantastic, selection-wise. The booze options have improved massively in the last five years (as have the food shops by the looks of things).

You'll probably get an impromptu ILXor sighting of me perusing the Wild Beer Co's latest. Actually, The Kernel have a wondrous damson sour out at the moment

My world has changed since moving two minutes away from Clapton Craft. So many amazing and unusual beers.

I am in that there London next month for Arab Strap (13th, Brixton) and Swans (14th, Islington). Vaguely have Beavertown tap room pencilled in for the Saturday but no other plans. Anything on that's worthwhile?

I've had so many fucking disgusting sour beers that I'm not touching anything with that tag ever again.

I don't mind them but I can only have about a half or a pint then I'm out.

what counts as disgusting? the aforementioned Wild Beer Co have some great ones - their Winter Blend from last year (still out!) is a rival to any barnyard sour Belgium can produce, and their Modus Operandi - a red sour - is also lovely. bear in mind i like sour beer though

i like most of the wild beer co beers. they are one of the best uk breweries.

that shop also does v fancy gin, i bought my sister some for her birthday

Those Wild Beer Co sours are fine (though not, I think, the best WBC beers) but like Matt I've had enough not-good UK sour beers that I've given up on buying them. UK Craft Beer continues to suffer from a structural requirement to brew something re-tweetable and therefore stunty IMO. Anyway, wrong thread I guess.

just make a great beer and then call it something retweetable/unfortunate like "Juicy Lucy" problem solved

As an outsider there seems to be a premium on innovation/gimmicks to a very mockable degree - if you make a great beer, what do you do next month?

UK beer in the new era

Talking about it over here now FYI, sorry anyone else for the threadswerve.

hey, i can always sing "Molly Malone" in the prone position here whilst you lot stomp on me

https://thelondoncolumn.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/wandsworth-roundabout.jpg

(i actually do enjoy visiting classic film locations, but most of the London ones are out-of-the-way or demolished)

visiting London for the first time in late December. one thing I'd like to do while I'm over there is take in an EPL match. I really have no preference wrt teams, so it looks like Chelsea v. Bournemouth on 12/31 is my best bet. looks like the match starts at 15:00 and I'm wondering with it being New Year's Eve is transportation likely to be a nightmare all day long? I guess my thinking is that I'd like to do some type of sightseeing in the morning of that day and was just wondering how likely it is that I'd be able to get over to the match in fairly short order or if this is likely to consume the greater bulk of my entire day.

Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea ground, is walking distance from Fulham Broadway station (District line, Wimbledon branch). I wouldn't anticipate any particular difficulties on this line on NYE. Basically come out of the station, turn left and follow the crowds (or at least those of them wearing blue and white, or red and white scarves).

transport will be fine - at least if you're in london and not travelling in on train - and probably last all night. fulham broadway is simple to get to.

what the Snail said.

spare yourself the shitshow of chelsea vs bournemouth (on the 26th) or chelsea vs stoke (on the 31st) and go see the wonderful madness that will be watford - spurs (on the 31st). unless you can't get a ticket, which is highly likely, at which watford - palace (on the 26th) is an option (watford is really easy to get to from central london) or you could brave arsenal's ticket prices - they're at home on both days too. in fact every team that's at home on the 26th is also at home on the 31st.

don't rule out EPL2 if you can't get tickets, because brentford vs norwich (31st) will probably be dece

you might also consider millwall - gillingham

thanks for the tips! we're not getting in until the 27th so looks like if we do take in a match it'll be the 31st.

Re: Basically come out of [Fulham Broadway] station, turn left and follow the crowds (or at least those of them wearing blue and white, or red and white scarves).
In fact, now I think on, you don't even need to follow the crowd, 'cos more than likely you'll be part of that crowd on the tube, especially from Earl's Court station where more fans will join from the interchange with the PIccadilly Line and the other District line branch (Richmond/Ealing). Those two stops between Earl's Court and Fulham Broadway can be a bit of a crush at before (and after, natch) a game, but if you got a Wimbledon branch tube from central London and already have a seat, it shouldn't be too bad, and like I said, it's only two stops.

So I arrive in two weeks (US Thanksgiving, the 24th), leave the 30th. A FAP at the Lexington (before the Hidden Cameras show) on the 29th is fine if ppl wanna, earlier date OK if I'm free elsewhere.

Seeing Phil Daniels in This House, will try not to be the tosser who shouts "Parklife!"

also i may be boxing a dude in Bromley. Brexit vs Trumpland.

This House is terrific although a bit of nerding up on British politics in the pre-Thatcher era might help if you don't know much about it. A lot of British people don't.

Are you sitting on one of the Parliamentary benches on the stage itself? That's quite an experience.

Def up for a FAP. Not sure if I'm about 29th, I'll be able to confirm next week. I would def be around that weekend..

Are you sitting on one of the Parliamentary benches on the stage itself?

Nope, i selected my seat and didn't even see that as an option!

the NY Times has caught on to Brick Lane... should I?

Nowadays, seedy has given way to charming, as scores of young Londoners gather on the sidewalks or sit on the curbs, happily eating takeout curry from a number of places. Indie rock music wafts through the air, adding to the festive vibe....

aieee, Brooklynesque

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/travel/five-places-to-shop-brick-lane-london.html

no, god no it's a fucking dump.

it's not even like 'hipster' it's just random tourists and mostly awful curry.

maybe worth going to east london, there are nice restaurants generally in shoreditch and some good pubs in hackney or dalston. but the hipster places won't feel massively different from new york.

my advice would be to listen to ronan

Don't go to Brick Lane if it's curry you're after go to Whitechapel instead, if it's shitty facsimiles of Brooklyn bars you're looking for then you're wasting your holiday. The Pride of Spitalfields and the Carpenters Arms nearby are pretty nice but not worth making a special trip for. Might be better to identify a particular restaurant or gallery you want to go to in Hackney or Dalston or Bethnal Green and then just wander around for a bit beforehand to get a feel for the area.

Soho isn't perfect but even now it feels defineably like London in the way that a lot of the recently-constructed microbrewery aircraft hangers don't.

i got that "shitty facsimiles of Brooklyn bars" vibe, thx for the confirmation.

you should also probably avoid Camden unless there's a good gig on

There's also Tooting or Green Street - both good South Asian food neighbourhoods some distance from the centre, and Southall is another even further out.

In Shoreditch, the Vietnamese food is still pretty good.

If you want something unique, go to The Palm Tree in Mile End Park on a Sunday evening.

it's a little out of the way but if you like the idea of a pub full of old east-enders performing frank sinatra covers in broad cockney accents with a highly competent jazz band, in a building that's the only thing left of a street that was bombed away during the war, run by a family who all live there/are imprisoned there, then you simply cannot miss it.

^^^ This. Maybe not unique but there are fewer and fewer places like that now and that DOES feel properly London (and East London at that) in a way that very few extant pubs do.

Also good, in the rapidly overdeveloping dead zone between Shoreditch and Islington, is the Wenlock Arms, although I haven't been there since it was 'saved' and it may have had the magic refurbished out of it.

It's still a lovely pub but not exactly the same - dunno if they still have the music or if it's stayed the same.

I wouldn't be totally down on London pubs - some refurbed or redone places are nice - not all of them obviously.

even tho soho etc has all the history the pubs there and around central london are fairly shit, generally.

That is def. true regarding the Palm Tree - you could wander up past Bethnal Green Working Men's Club and / or Oxford House if you wanted to make an evening of it.

http://www.workersplaytime.net/THISWEEK.htm

http://www.oxfordhouse.org.uk/

thanks, Palm Tree sounds possible, unless there's something good happening among the sodomites on Sunday night. i am not pursuing food primarily on this visit, or music (aside from the Tuesday night at the Lexington).

I will possibly make a pilgrimage to Joe Orton's apartment house, and fave pub:

https://www.theislandqueenislington.co.uk/

Cool! A million years ago, when I interviewed Dennis Cooper, I took him to Noel Road. There's a plaque on the house, which is part of a terrace.

they give plaques for anything these days

The Island Queen is great, nice line in 19th century adventure-on-the-high-seas decor. That whole area around the canal in Islington is worth a wander round, one of the few places where London actually looks like it appears in films.

Short bus journey to Joe Meek's gaff too... if you're in a swinging sixties homosexual murder suicide state of mind. Not much to see there though.

well, I'll prick up my ears, then. xp

Anyone had any exp with London Walks?

https://londonwalkblog.blogspot.co.uk/p/london-walks-links.html

I wouldn't be totally down on London pubs - some refurbed or redone places are nice - not all of them obviously.

Oh yeah I'm not, it's more some of the big cavernous spaces that have been recently converted into pubs or bars than I'm disparaging here. A lot of refurbished places are great (and the pubs were often desperately in need of it), but somewhere like the Wenlock didn't really need fixing in the first place.

is there a better or more easily navigable source for concert/theatre/comedy listings than Time Out? I am going to London for the first time next month (12/26 - 1/2) and looking for some evening entertainment. I understand that's perhaps a fairly dead spot in the calendar because of the holidays but I'm not very easily finding much at all that's going on, arts-wise, particularly concerts.

I don't remember Joe Orton mentioning pubs at all in his diaries - so not sure about the authenticity of the Island Queen connection.

Islington is still worth a look through - both the canal and the area around the antiques market and Islington Green.

On the Joe Orton tourism trail

http://www.kentishtowner.co.uk/2013/10/23/wednesday-picture-south-end-greens-infamous-gents-toilet/

if anyone volunteered to escort me to the Palm Tree that might be best

fortunately contemporary times offer many non-piss-smelling pickup options

I find songkick useful for gigs etc

some xposts

i see the Princess Louise was used for FAPping in ancient days, i'd be amenable as an alternative to the Lexington.

The Princess Louise has had a conversion since then and is now full of tiny cubby-holes, which is great if you're in a very small group and pretty awful if you're in a big one. Sam Smith's beer is not the best either.

Whereabouts are you staying?

The Charles Lamb is a better bet than the Island Queen if you're in that neck of the woods. From there it's a few miles' walk along the canal to the Palm Tree, via Hackney and Victoria Park. Plenty of places to stop off along the way. Recommended on a Sunday afternoon if the weather's OK.

well then i'd have to walk all the way to the Palm Tree. j/k

Anyone had any exp with London Walks?

my dad gives some walking tour with this company: http://footprintsoflondon.com/

i think his new one is focussed on the architecture of the east end

ah that Brutalist one looks good, but not til December

this might be useful -- which walking route is your favorite?

http://londonist.com/2015/08/the-london-walker-s-tube-map-5?rel=handpicked

A lot of those walks are wonderful but probably not the walks I'd take if I were on my one week in the city - they're mostly through green space or along towpaths or whatever - which will be lovely but you won't actually get to see much of the city. There's a lot to be said for just wandering the streets and exploring - a walk that takes your from the West End and into the City, up through Shoreditch and into Dalston or Hackney would show you more of interest really. Plus you can duck into a pub or cafe if it starts raining.

From the South Bank, across the river to Temple -> Inns Of Court -> Holborn -> Clerkenwell -> Islington is another good one.

Of the walks that are actually on that list, I'd do a section of the Thames Path, definitely, although taking a boat is another good way to see a lot of the city quickly.

yeah, my Manchester friend and i might take the boat up to Greenwich, i think. i can see a lot of those walkpaths are far-flung.

anyone been to this haunt of Orwell's since it reopened?

http://londonist.com/pubs/newman-arms

If you're an the inns of court walk it's best to do it during the week, as they are closed at weekends and access is restricted for some of the courtyards etc

I live in Greenwich and the boat ride there from town is surprisingly zippy, if I worked near the river I'd get it every day. You'll see a LOT of the city from the top of Greenwich Park - its probably one of the two or three best natural views of London, but I wouldn't bother in the rain.

Also yeah consign not bothering with the Inns at the weekend, but the area around Temple Church and the back of Lincoln's Inn feels *ancient* in the way nowhere else in London does. You'll recognise it in like a million films afterwards, they film there all the time.

The Newman Arms is great but tiny. Most pubs of historical significance aren't any great shakes now but that's better than most. It's right in the middle of ad agency land though and as a result is mostly heaving. I prefer the Wheatsheaf round the corner, although the Charlotte St area is in general a very pleasant place to spend a evening. Amazing Peruvian restaurant, Lima, around the corner (also cheap Michelin starred food).

some of us road-tested the refurbed fitzrovia in that same nabe a couple of weeks ago -- it's inauthentic as fuck upstairs* and all new-formed cubbyholes downstairs, plus a sam smiths to boot**, but VERY roomy and comfy if a lot of ppl are going to be there

*ie i liked it
**as is the lousy of course

well im staying at the north end of Fitzrovia

A million years ago, when I interviewed Dennis Cooper, I took him to Noel Road.

suzy, i am astonished! i saw about the Orton plaque, a shame there is no gift shop. :/

sorry the pub we roadtested is not not the fitzrovia (which is another pub nearby) but the fitzroy tavern

fitzrovia the district is said to be named after it -- plus it's another orwell haunt, tho (see above) not as he would have remembered it (tbh nowhere is)

I thought Fitzroy Square is why it's Fitzrovia....

the tavern predates the square (and ultimately it's all named after the fitzroy family (first one was bastard son of charles ii) who owned a lot of that arae

ffs i am going to stop posting while watching the runaways, my brain is mush today

in new developments, i changed the timing of my trip to go to the Hidden Cameras show, for some reason i waited til now to decide to buy a fucking ticket, and now the show is sold out. :(

i can check with lexington regulars no longer on ilx whether turning up for returns is worth doing if you like morbs

I've seen that work, but it's not really about the Lexington's rules as it is about the promoter's. In this case that's Parallel Lines, who I'm afraid I don't know. So it's worth turning up on the off-chance, if you're very keen to see the Hidden Cameras, also worth keeping an eye on twitter in the days leading up to the thing to see whether anyone's offering spares, which often seems to happen.

Worth downloading the Twickets app as well, you often see gig tickets appearing on there and people have to resell at face value.

yeah, all understood, thx

i don't download apps, for i don't use mobile devices... i thought this was a well-established part of my legend.

if i don't luck out we could just have an extralong FAP

Yeah if you're there for a FAP anyway, good chance you'll get in on the door - unfortunately I don't know anything about Parallel Lines either, but it's pretty common for a few tickets to be available on the door if you're there early enough.

you guys mentioned The Phoenix Artist Club a long while back... next Friday, An Evening with Glen Matlock!

40th anniversary of his being kicked out of the pistols in a few weeks time (i think feb)

hey, Northern line is weekend overnights now, v good for me. How many is that, five?

four. picadilly coming 'later this year'.

https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/tube-improvements/what-we-are-doing/night-tube

ive read everything about the Oyster card, Travelcard etc and am as clueless as ever. What's the best thing to buy for 6 days of multiple tube/bus trips? the one that costs 109 pounds that i never have to think about afterward?

get an oyster card with a weekly zone 1-6 travelcard on it, will beep on everything

i think it costs less than 109 pounds

No idea what the £109 one is, a 7 day Travelcard 1-6 is £59

If you're staying in Kings Cross, I wouldn't waste money on a weekly zone 1-6 card - get zones 1-2 or 1-3 and put a wee bit of extra PAYG cash on it if you're venturing outside the centre.

yeah

http://www.toptiplondon.com/transport/tickets/underground-tickets-travelcards

scroll down to 'weekly travelcards', you have different zone options. work out the furthest point from the centre you'll be and get the relevant ticket. what airport are you going to? if it's heathrow AND you're not straying too far from the centre it's worth just getting an open return from the airport (paper ticket) and then a zones 1-2 or 1-3 travelcard as well (oyster card)

The other option is just to load cash onto an Oyster card, it'll cap at the daily travelcard limit anyway. You can check the balance and add more the week if you need to.

You may be wondering why we don't have a thread about London Transport. We do - it's every thread about London.

xp and the other option is to open a uk bank account and get one of their contactless cards

you'd be on theresa's database though - not sure that'd sit too well

Yes that is the problem with that plan.

Yeah, that seemed a somewhat impractical suggestion when there are perfectly decent options which don't involve credit checks and moving your money to the UK etc.

can you sign up for an oyster card with a non-uk address? (there's a £5 deposit btw)

why does the 'visitor oyster card' exist?

xps well there's this one:

Transport in London is shit

When I lived in London there were only six zones but while I wasn't looking there now seem to be nine, how did that happen?

Visitor Oyster cards exist to rip off tourists (I have one, somewhere, which I bought years ago but I've no idea where it is). You can't buy a regular Oyster in advance from overseas but you can buy one when you get to London.

there now seem to be nine, how did that happen?

post-brexit every colony and dominion in the empire is once more (and propahly don'tyouknow) considered a satellite of the imperial capital (the US is in zone 8, australia and new zealand etc in zone 9)

the only underground station in zone 8 is chalfont and latimer. morbs please go there and report back

also mcmurdo sound

I've been to chalfont and latimer it was RUBBISH

ooh me chalfonts

Zones 7-9 used to be called A-C, they just renamed them, that's all.

You can't buy a regular Oyster in advance from overseas but you can buy one when you get to London.

Specifically, Morbz, you can buy one in the airport on the way to the train, from a machine.

well when I lived there they didn't have A-C either. xp

tbf that must've been 20+ years ago

I left 16 years ago so maybe

Then you probably just weren't very observant.

you bloody trainspotters

i like to go far afield at least once, who knows where it will be? the Hitchcock birthplace petrol station?

(That'd be in zone 3, fwiw).

Zone's 1-3 Travelcard should do you just fine, maybe even 1-2 if you're not going any further out than Greenwich, stick a bit of pre-pay on for any extra journeys. Might be quicker to buy a Heathrow Express return on top of that, which'll take you to straight to Paddington rather than going a million stops up the Piccadilly Line.

i don't mind a million stops, i'm cheap

Heathrow to Holborn is roughly 50 minutes on the Piccadilly so not hugely inconvenient, also interesting to see West London neighbourhoods on the way in, where the Tube is above ground.

also it will be 11am and i will be exhausted and in no hurry to get to a hotel room that isn't ready yet

If you buy a weekly Travelcard from a train station, you’ll be given a paper version of the Travelcard. There’s no deposit to worry about but they need a passport-sized photo to make you a free photocard.

Christ, life is never easy. This doesn't apply to the Travelcard on the Oyster, right? Putting a card on another card -- even New York hasn't managed anything that convoluted.

"travelcard" on the oyster is a skeuomorphism - it just means you've pre-paid for unlimited travel in whichever zones you've chosen.

"a paper version of the travelcard" is a card for travelling. a ticket. a pre-paid ticket unlimited travel in whichever zones you've chosen.

I don't think that helps - how tricky it is to describe concepts that you've never really had to think about

It's baffling, but honestly, just go to the underground station at Heathrow and buy an Oyster card and ask for a weekly Travelcard for zones 1 & 2 to be loaded onto it and put some additional cash on it at that stage which will cover you for the journey into central London and any straying outside zones 1 & 2 which you may do.

it's worth just getting an open return from the airport (paper ticket)

Don't get a paper ticket into London, it's twice the price of the Oyster fare. Get your Oyster card at Heathrow.

Ailsa otm.

ya but the return is discounted

IDK you're probably right

Hunterian is the absolute bomb. When I worked at GAFTA (which is right next to the John Soane museum) I used to nip through Lincoln's Inn Fields and spend my lunchhour looking at endless jars of rotting, pickled fetuses and syphilis-rotted penises. Heaven.

― Blue Collar Retail Assistant (Dwight Yorke), Monday, November 12, 2012

well there now

Finding pleasant ways to fill up a lunch hour can be tricky.

hardly popping over our way morbs?

which way? btw i will be sleeping in Fitzrovia/Bloomsbury, not KC

dublin!

Which is probably in zone 9, aye?

Also, meant to thank Matt & imago for Blackheath recommendations - we ended up just staying in central London and heading straight for Blackheath Halls, then heading straight back again.

looking fwd to creeping thru this Peeping Tom location...

http://www.urban75.org/blog/newman-passage-fitrovia-a-walk-into-londons-past/

x-post

...then heading straight back again

not exactly selling the delights of Blackheath to me.

anyone been to this at Barbican?

http://www.urban75.org/blog/wonderful-welsh-surrealism-with-bedwyr-williams-the-gulch-at-the-barbican-curve-london/

xp
"...a prostitute being picked up a punter in the passage (try saying that after a few beers)"

Pints! After a few pints!

i think that blog is by an American

He's a dreadlocked welsh guy who lives in Brixton and is the drummer with the reformed Monochrome Set.

anyone been to this at Barbican?

http://www.urban75.org/blog/wonderful-welsh-surrealism-with-bedwyr-williams-the-gulch-at-the-barbican-curve-london/

It's OK - worth a look if you happen to be in the Barbican already or maybe within 15 minutes walk, not worth it otherwise (imo).

shit, i'm going to need an outlet adapter to plug in my laptop, aren't i?

not exactly selling the delights of Blackheath to me.

I'm sure it's lovely, but time was at a premium so we decided to do more touristing and less drinking. Sorry, Blackheath :-(

hey kids, my dance card is filling up rapidly if you wan to FAP with me... Sunday and Tuesday eves seem the best options.

Sunday is good for me (can't do tuesday).

How about the Lamb & Flag? http://www.lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/

i think that could/should work. I will be at the BM with a Mancunian friend i haven't seen in a dozen years, so i don't want to ditch him too early, not before 5 (if he doesn't want to come along). But otherwise no problems. I suspect I'll be out with plax(ico) on Tuesday, and eventually at the Lexington, so perhaps there'll be two noncompulsory options...

(remember my daily plans are usu etched in stone by 9am bcz no mobile phone/texts/online etc)

Ok then I'll be there by 6pm. If the plans change update this thread tomorrow morning and I'll out for that.

I'll be having this book on the table: https://www.faber.co.uk/9780571289264-gottfried-benn-impromptus.html

I will be with you in spirit!

i will aim for 6, no later than 6:30, ok?

ok, see you then.

Bah my "oh Christ what happened to my weekend" is kicking in earlier than usual - xyzzzz__, could you apologise for me? I'll be song on Tuesday.

*along

sure.

tuesday for me too

This was fun. Started with Castro, ended with Britpop memories. I recommend it :)

:D

I will be busy down Thameside til around 6ish Tuesday, so Lexington around 6:30 is fine for all? Look for the shivering elder in green jacket/black hoodie combo.

things to do and see in london = meet up with dr morbius (and andrew farrell) at the lexington :)

And fuck losing lose a hat on the way back! But the company was excellent.

sorry for your hat. i got into the show, though.

Awesome!

:)

friend's coming up to london, and i'm trying to decide what to do. current toss-up between Ally Pally to Victoria station walk (it's more park than street, plus i know where the pubs are), but also toying with the idea of doing the situationist thing and getting a map of another city and using it to navigate london. i'm wondering which cities wd be appropriate. was thinking berlin (large) but that's boring because i know it already and it seems a bit unexotic. thought maybe Havana (this is after all about SMASHING the bonds of subliminal bourgeois ideology and false consciousness) but Havana's a port and that doesn't map well on to London.

Any thoughts or shd I take it to the guess the city thread? (I'm meeting friend at Charing X, which is handy for mapping in its sometime rule as arbitrary central point of London)

Delhi? It's large, not particularly well planned and has a big river through the middle.

thanks SV. ended up doing the Ally Pally to Victoria (only getting as far as Regent's Park) but Delhi an excellent suggestion and will plan and poss thread in new year.

Strong sense of the unreal about this new globular arena next to Stratford Westfield.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/27/proposed-designs-revealed-for-msg-sphere-uk-largest-concert-arena-east-london

mewlingly credulous article there

https://ctl.s6img.com/society6/img/B7djm6j38xtd5JIbYdO_PIc2v2k/w_700/prints/~artwork/s6-original-art-uploads/society6/uploads/misc/3ebed0b0dffc4aadaadf491e9eeb4196/~~/akira-neo-tokyo-is-about-to-explode-prints.jpg

lol otm