Tuomas (and friend) in London from 25th to 31st of August: FAP at THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT on Thursday the 27th

As I mentioned in the earlier thread, I'll be taking a trip to London with a friend of mine from 25th to 31st of August, and we'll be staying at the Travelodge hotel in 7-12 City Road. You already gave me a plenty of tips of what to see and do and where to eat, but if you can still recommend me some local pubs, and clubs/parties/gigs that are taking place during that week, I'd be grateful. I think we'd prefer the more bohemian/artsy type joints, and as for club/gigs, all sorts of dance music is fine, as long as the venue isn't too expensive or posh. There's the Notting Hill Carnival, I guess there's stuff related to that going on? Unfortunately we're leaving on Monday morning, so we can't see the main parade, which I think is on Monday?

Also, if you London ILXors would be up for a FAP, it'd be nice to meet up with you. We haven't made any specific plans yet, so basically any evening during that week is okay with us.

Oh yeah, and tips on any other events/museums/theatres/things to see are still appreciated, as we haven't made any proper plans yet. Also, I think we both want to go shopping for clothes, so you can also recommend some good fleamarkets and other places to get clothes. I think she prefers more feminine/"indie"/"rock" type of women's clothes, whereas I usually wear more loose and bohemian and "baggy" type of stuff. Specifically, I think I'll try to find some stores where you can get T-shirts with some cool prints on them. I don't like shirts with big logos/text on them, but shirts with nice pictures and colourful patterns are my thing.

FAP on the Wednesday/Thursday would be good. You're not short of half decent pubs within walking distance of your place.

Wow, an old fashioned FAP! I would love to meet you, Tuomas, you're one of the ILX0rs I'm most curious about.

Whitecross Street market is very nearby that hotel. Sells more food and lunchy-type stuff than anything else, though.

"hotel"

Yeah, I think a FAP on Wednesday or Thursday would be cool with us. Which one would be a better date?

And we'll probably need places to get food/lunch, because our room doesn't include breakfast, so thanks for the tip, James.

Not Wednesday... Thursday in other words

I'll second Whitecross Street Market; there is a very good burrito wagon and a gazillion Thai, Middle Eastern, Indian and Italian stalls plus a Waitrose, which is the poshest supermarket but has some good buys. For breakfast, it might be worth the 15-minute walk to Smithfields (where Fabric is) for legendary fried breakfasts with beer, because the meat market workers have earned a special local license. Most people who do not want to go to a glorified pub head to Smith's of Smithfield, right along from Fabric.

Smithfields not the best place in the world for vegetarians though, being a meat market and all.

Pub-wise, within walking distance of your hotel are the Reliance, the Owl & Pussycat, both of which are sizeable, good for largish groups and non-wanky. Maybe the Angel on City Road as well if you want a more traditional British pub experience.

Actually I'm being unfair on the Owl there, it's pretty traditional all in all.

The Fox and the Windmill both quite good for a pub lunch, too.

+ The Artillery Arms

do go for Vietnamese food one night - Cay Tre on Old St, Song Que or Tay Do on Kingsland Road

Owl & Pussycat sounds fine to me, though I'm sure we could also meet in some pub further away from our hotel. Would Thursday be a good day for a FAP, then?

I'm working at 6am every day next week so maybe can't FAP, tho if there are things going on at the weekend I could make those.

Restaurant wise, just this weekend I was at a Turkish place in Dalston called Maygar II (or something similar) and the food was AMAZING. Really one of the best meals I've had in months. Well worth going to and not too far away from where you guys are, a bus ride or long walk...

Did they have vegetarian dishes? I like Turkish cuisine in general, so that sounds like a good option.

I'm sure we could meet up with folks on the weekend too, if there's something going on. I'm definitely interested in hearing about clubs/gigs/parties taking place on the the weekend. Regarding that, are there some good websites that would give you info on clubs and gigs and stuff like that? All I know is Time Out, is that the best one?

that place in dalston is prob mangal II - http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/reviews/7812.html

and yeah it's awesome

Stone Cave has waaayy better decor than Mangal II (if that's the place you're talking about.)

(but Mangal may provide better opportunities for rubbernecking at electro DJ/producers going to a certain studio upstairs not that I know anything about that, oh no)

Wait, I may be confusing the Mangal and the Mangal II.

One is an Ocakbasi grill and mostly meat-based so not good for vegetarians at all. The other is very vegetarian friendly meze and stuff.

I think Mangal II has vegetarian options, it's not Ocakbasi afaik, think the grill is called a "Mangal", though I could be wrong. Either way just a suggestion. I didn't know electro producers go there but I do know the artists Gilbert and George eat there practically every night of the week.

It's the studio upstairs they go to, actually. ;-)

Or Roray could be lying to throw the fangurls off the scent, who knows.

Thursday would be good.

every time i've eaten at mangal II i've seen gilbert + george

So, I guess Thursday evening would be okay for a FAP. Nobody seems to object Owl & Pussycat, but I'm open to other suggestions too. What time should the FAP be? At 8 o'clock? At 9? At 7? I guess most of you have work the next day, so it shouldn't be too late.

if possible at all and others can make it, I'd love to come along earlier at like 5/6, cos of work at 6am friday. but don't change plans on my account...

Tuomas, so much to learn, in Londonwe start drinking after work (5pm) and go until we fall over (11:20pm).

an old fashioned fap, intriguing.

Darn I'm already out drinking next Thursday or I probably would've gone to this.

I'm sure we can meet earlier if that's okay with you folks. I still have to ask my what friend says, but I think 6 o'clock would be fine too.

Bump.

Owl & Pussycat from straight after work is fine with me.

What time do you folks get off work, then? Would meeting at 6 o'clock be okay, or should it be earlier?

People finish any time from 5 o'clock and then experience the hell of the rush "hour" on transport to reach you, unless they work in Shoreditch already, where people tend to finish circa 6 o'clock. So 6 makes sense, T.

damn i probably can't make it on thurs. :(
maybe i can if it goes on late or if you all go to like a club to drink til 5am or something or if there's going to be weird sex party back at tuomas' hotel room involving ljagger and babies

and sundaes.

trying to consider whether or not i'd be beaten up at a FAP, tbh

no way, as long as you just stay in the spurs corner with matt

not sure i wouldn't beat him up, tbh. jol out, you see.

If we are still top of the league next Thursday I will be all smiles and love.

might be staying in watford the week after, but tbh i'm not sure about getting as far as the city for a night out.

Darragh in. G'won.

unlikely, given scheduling this time, but hopefully before too long.

I asked my friend, and having a FAP on Thursday is fine with her. So let's meet at 6 o'clock next Thursday at the Owl & Pussycat. You'll probably recognize me based on all the pics I've posted here.

Ken, I think we won't be going back to the hotel very early, so if you want to meet us later on, I can email you my cell phone number, and you can call/text me if you want join us.

Still need tips on clubs/pubs/gigs/nightlife, btw, so if you know about stuff like that, do tell me. I checked the Time Out site for clubs/gigs, but there's so much going on at any given day it's pretty hard to choose.

You'll probably recognize me based on all the pics I've posted here

replicating some of your more famous poses will lead to an arrest in britain, dude, so be warned.

yes please my email is redbulldozers at g male dot cum

You'll probably recognize me based on all the pics I've posted here

replicating some of your more famous poses will lead to an arrest in britain, dude, so be warned.

In Shoreditch you'll probably get an arts council grant for them.

oh that shoreditch!

as for clubs etc, maybe best to just discuss all this at the fap? i'm sure there is absolutely loads of stuff on that weekend

no doubt many diff ilxors will have a diff suggestion

a real paper copy of Time Out might be a better bet as you can peruse it in the hotel (it's published on a wednesday so don't buy one on a tuesday).

and spend a fiver or whatever on an A-Z so you can find your way around. and an oyster card if you're doing a lot of travelling (there's a deposit for one but it's refundable.) a 7 day ticket, zones 1-3, is £30.20.

lots of the galleries and museums are free.

a real paper copy of Time Out might be a better bet as you can peruse it in the hotel (it's published on a wednesday so don't buy one on a tuesday).

Yeah cosign that. It'll tell your where a lot of the good art stuff is and most of the big parties that are happening.

We've been wondering whether we should get a 7 day travelcard or the sort of Oyster card where you pay for every trip. Do you think £30.20 for the whole week would be cheaper than paying invidual fares? Is a ticket for zones 1-3 enough for a tourist, or should we add more zones?

Most of the stuff you will be seeing is in zones 1 and 2, so I suggest getting an Oyster card for Tube zones 1 and 2 for £25.60 (or thereabouts) and then putting another £5 worth of credit in case you take the Tube to zone 3 a few times. The card also covers all zone 1, 2, 3, and 4 bus journeys(so to spend no extra, you'd take the Tube to a zone 2 station and then go the rest of the way to z3 by bus) plus zone 1 and 2 overground rail, and there's a deposit of £3 on the card itself (which can be redeemed unless you decide to keep it for future visits).

Are you flying into Heathrow? If so, that is on the Tube. If you're on Ryanair, they sell discounted train tickets to get you from Stansted to London and you can get your Oystercard in Liverpool Street Station. Planes flying into Gatwick do not sell discount rail transfer tickets, but those are at the station serving the airport and you'd get your Oyster at Victoria or one of the other mainline stations.

yeah, Suzy's idea of zones 1+2 + topup might be cheaper. but make sure it covers your hotel. you can just put money on an oyster card and use it as you go. that way it'll only charge you for what you use and it's capped at £5.80 a day if you travel after 9:30am. it all depends how much you'll be travelling and how (a lot of tourists navigate solely via the tube because they don't know the bus / pedestrian short cuts)

don't clog up the escalators 8)

His hotel is deep within Zone 1 btwn Old Street and Moorgate and I would definitely get the 7-day travelcard to cover all eventualities.

Echoing Koogs, the single most annoying thing that visitors to London do is to stand on the left-hand side on the Tube escalators. To clarify: if you want to rest while it ascends or descends, stay on the right-hand side so the people to your left can use the escalator like a speedy steel staircase.

We do that same thing with escalators in Helsinki, and locals are often angry at the visitors/tourists who don't know the "stay at the right side" unwritten rule. So apparently it's an universal rule or something.

We'll be flying on Easyjet to Gatwick. Apparently you can only buy a paper version of travelcard at the train station at the Gatwick airport, so I'm not sure if we should get that one. The quickest route to our hotel seems to be via the London Bridge Underground station, can you get an Oystercard there?

Hmm, the public transport site says that visitor Oyster Cards can't be loaded with a 7 day travelcard, so apparently we have to get a paper version of the travelcard and maybe an additional Oystercard too for extra expenses. How complicated.

CHAVWICK! Tuomas, I can't remember if Easyjet sell advance rail tickets but I would suggest taking Thameslink to London Bridge instead of evil Gatwick Express, which leaves you at Victoria Hellhole. To/from airport is way outside the zones so I always get the round-trip fare that will cover there and back when you leave. If you're on a budget, it's one way to have it paid for and out of the way.

I have no idea why the site says tourists can't buy a 7-day Oyster, that's blatant discrimination or sounds like. At London Bridge there will be a machine selling new cards for £3. Buy one from the machine, take it to the man at the ticket window and tell him you want 'zones one and two travelcard for the week, starting today, plus another five pounds on the card.' The man shouldn't give you any hassle, the cards are no different from the ones every Londoner has and your week's travel (excluding the cost of the card) will be circa £30.

Zone 1 travel card would be optimum, tube within zone one, i.e. most of tuomas' needs plus all the busses everywhere.

Ed, I tried to email you, but apparently you don't have the same address anymore as when you visited here... Are you coming to the FAP?

The cost between 1 and a 1 & 2 card is negligible, plus LONDON OVERGROUND, yo.

Ed is in Pittsburgh.

Yeah, we'll most likely get zones 1 & 2. And if Oystercard is non-personal, I don't see why they couldn't sell the same card to tourists as to Londoners, so I think we'll just try to get those.

don't forget to email me your number btw tuomas when you have it!

Sorry to be missing tuomas in London, a gentile host in Helsinki. Someone should take him to Kastoori or to drummond street for awesome veggy indian.

Because that is what I would do.

I think I can just put my cell phone number here, Ken, its:

+358 5O 564I84I

(Just replace the Os and Is with 0s and 1s.) You or anyone else who wants to join us later on can text or call me.

Bump.

I will try to make my way over but I am on three ferocious deadlines. We'll see where I am at 6 and take it from there.

Had vaguely entertained notions of coming to this, cz although I'm just a semi-lurker and I expect my arrival would mainly be greeted by the words "errr... who?" I would like to meet the legendary Tuomas, but alas, I'm a bit too far from London and too busy trying to sort other things out. Hope your stay is a good one, T!

^ yeah me too, but I won't have time between work and night class.

I'm sorry to have missed you folks. We came to the pub at 6, but nobody showed up, so we left around 7. Apparently some you came there after that, I'm really sorry we weren't there anymore, but we thought no one is gonna come and we were kinda tired, so we went back to our hotel. If people are up to meet us sometime during the weekend, it would be still nice to see you.

Haha oh dear - I think we must have missed you by about 10 minutes, if that.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a82/bobbysixer/shakesheadfail.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVxw5NKfFzc

(first 45 seconds says it all)

Oops! I was out last night and did contemplate leaving about 9:30 and popping into the FAP for an hour (Liverpool St is v convenient for me to get home from) but was having a good time where I was so didn't bother.

In retrospect, I think all that "6 o'clock makes sense, people go to the pub straight after word" stuff was a mistake, especially given that people work late/want to stop off for food on the way to the pub. Ah well.

Tuomas I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't mention that it is Poptimism at the Horse Bar near Waterloo this evening and various ILXers past and present will be in attendance. Although possibly not me, depending.

Tuomas, I'm still on horrible deadline (one down, two to go) but you should really go to Poptimism. It was kind of a schoolboy error to expect people to turn up precisely after work on a Thursday - it's the day when people stay latest to finish, particularly right before a Bank Holiday - and most people would probably be leaving closer to 7 to rationalize/make plausible taking off early the following day.

i tried to call you around 10:30 last night but had no answer but guessing it was a bit late! was hoping to meet up for a sexysundae

At that point we were in a bar with some loud live music, so I only noticed someone had called this morning. Sorry about that.

Poptimism tonight sounds like fun, I'll have to ask my friend if she wants to go there, so we might come. The Horse Bar website doesn't load for me though, when does the club start?

Oh yeah, and we're planning to go see the Notting Hill Carnival festivities on Sunday, do you know what would be the optimum time to go there?

It's more of a bar night than a club, ie it finishes sometime between 11.30 and 12. I'd probably recommend turning up around 9.30ish. It's here anyway.

it worked for me this morning but isn't now. i couldn't see a time on it but the freaky trigger page is saying 7-late. 124 westminster bridge road.

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/poptimism/

If it's a bar night, is there a dancefloor? We haven't really gone dancing yet.

There is a dancefloor.

(I note incidentally that DJ T is playing at Fabric tomorrow which could be awesome)

Yes, Tuomas, since Ed had such a top night out w/you and posse in Helsinki I didn't think you had loped off to sleep; with that in mind I'm still stuck in deadline hell with three supermodels, so have fun! Carnival on Sunday: my method has always been to start walking westward down the canal at Little Venice (Warwick Avenue tube) from about 2pm. Follow the steady flow of people to the food smells, the best of everything is around Trellick Tower. Dancing finishes at 6 or 7 and then there are afterparties all over the place.

AUDION and bodycode at fabric too

nekes and vera sunday daytime somewhere

prob innervisions vs DFA at corsica sun night more likely tho

lol matthias tanzmann at....93 ft east(!)

what the fuck nobody was there? i am so disappointed in you fuckers

THIS IS TUOMAS PEOPLE

Tuomas I hope you will come to Poptimism! I'd have loved to come the pubmeet but I didn't see the thread. You are one of my absolute favourite posters!

tuomas totally does not actually exist

but if he's looking for things to do today...

Dance Flashmob @ Trafalgar Square

It's less that no one was there and more that, well, Tuomas wasn't there.

no one was there for AN HOUR after you said to be there! don't blame the finn!

Did anyone meet Tuomas?

If not, Tuomas, did you have a nice time in London anyway?

this all doesn't bode well for 2012