Londoners--please help

At a loss for something to do which would interest both my parents, I took them to St Bartholomew the Great, which turned out to be a real winner.

If you have an international newsstand, should be able to pick up the Time Out tourist guide for London. Or get the book version.

London has several breathtaking churches that are off the tourist trail. St Barts is one.

Temple Church is another; and walking into the Temple off the Strand is one of the greatest romantic experiences in the city - everything suddently goes quiet and elegant. I've used it in such situations several times. Always works.

St Etheldreda's Ely Place too, it's a bit spooky though.

Further west, Westminster Abbey is a tourist maw - unless you get there with the cleaners at 8am, when it's glorius. But if you turn up later, go in the little hidden door opposite the Victoria Tower (houses of parliament) turn left in the cloister, and go into the Chapter House. Like Temple Church, one of London's magical spaces.

The most romantic city churches are St Stephen's walbrook and St Mary Abchurch. Neither is often open.

But the most romantic city walk is still the South Bank. Espcialyl now you can go Embankment/new Hungerford Bridge/London Eye/S bank Complex/Tate Modern/Millenium Bridge/St Paul's.

London's most unmissable off-the-beaten-track museum? Sir John Soan'es Museum. Wow.

John Soane's Museum, too: I had the privilege to take a coworker of mine there for the first time last week. This would not have been particularly special had she not been a descendant of Sir John!

if they're a little gothick in their tastes they could do a hawksmoor trail from st marys on to christ church spitalfields and st anne's limehouse. these churches were built to scare a frighteningly fast-expanding and nonconformist east london into submission. today they are surrounded by bleakness. scary but nice.

or sit on the DLR and read Akcroyd, but don't get out :)

no no, stay overground and enjoy the pollution!

I seem to remember hearing that you can tour the sewers in Paris.

Actually, failing that, I believe Suzy said on the expertise thread that she is something of a London restaurant guide in human form (hence so small), and I get the feeling restaurant recommendations would be particularly appreciated by these particular travelers: please coordinate amongst yourselves?

Oh, and Beanos in Croydon is the best record shop everrr.

Restaurant recommendations: Café Du Jardin, Covent Garden. Smart but not too snooty £16 for 3 course lunch - great.

Not too far from London either.

;)

http://www.thecityreview.com/somer15.jpg at the Courtauld Institute Galleries. I hear there's a decent restaurant in Somerset House now too.

That's stretching the term London a bit isn't?

'Reccomend churches within three hours of London' would be a VERY different thread...

... but since there's an 'expertise' thread here somewhere, I can come out as a world expert on said church, and several others in that area!

So if anyone wants to talk churches, I'm your man. Indeed my two great Saddo obsessions are English medieval churches and English late 1970s independent vinyl. not often they get combined in one messaging board.

By the way, Elisabeth I never said that - recently proved to be a myth, though a good one.

Anyone know of cheap gallery space? Just got a quote for a room above a pub at £35/hour :/ is that normal?

friend of mine put on a three day show here recently, assume it was cheap-ish (as he's skint):
http://www.brixtoneast.co.uk/