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When exactly are you going to be there? Over a weekend?

Are you spending the whole time in London? What do you like to do? Would you like to go to historical places, see museums and art, look for locations you have read about or seen in movies, shop till you drop?

I LOVED St. Paul's Cathedral (Mary Poppins!!!), Westminster Abbey (Coronations!), and the Tower of London (Crown Jewels!). You have to pay to get into those places, but all art museums in London are free. Take the Underground (the Tube) - it is easy and convenient!! You should get Travelcards to ride the Tube all day rather than pay by the trip; it is more economical.

Check out some of the following websites: Visit London; Schmap London; St. Paul's Cathedral (I wouldn't recommend going to St. Paul's on a weekend); Tate Museums; The National Gallery; the British Museum; Victoria & Albert Museum (which is just down the road from); Harrod's (check out the food halls!); Historic Royal Palaces (I would suggest spending a day at Hampton Court or Kew - they both have AMAZING gardens!!)

Expensive, but worth it - go to Fortnum and Mason's in Picadilly. Go to the basement where there is a wine bar, and order one of the "wine flights". SOOO GOOD!

Notes for Americans traveling in England - drinks are significantly smaller than you are going to be used to and don't have ice in them. You would think these things wouldn't bother you, but you might find yourself looking for a cold large Diet Coke, and you will not find it easily. Go to the supermarket to stock your room rather than using the minibar (RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE): there are little city minimarkets all over the place - Tesco Metro, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer. (You will appreciate that when you realize that a 2 pound bottle of water is a $4 bottle of water.) At pubs, you usually order your food at the bar, and then they bring it to your table. There is a pub we (the members of this board) have been to a lot in Leicester Square next to the Odeon called the Man in the Moon or something like that. (It is a Wetherspoon's Pub, which is a chain, but a chain you can trust, food wise.) Try Indian Food in Soho - Fran took me to a great place in October off of Shaftsbury Avenue. You can buy discounted theater tickets in Leicester Square, if you want to see a show in the famous West End.

The "bathroom" is the "toilet" or the "loo". (as Fran reminded me)
The "elevator" is the "lift".
The "exit" is the "way out".

Remember when crossing the street that traffic is coming from the opposite direction that you will expect. There are signs painted on the ground to remind you, but I am preparing you for that now.

Money - the coin that looks and feels like a quarter is not worth $.25 no matter how much you want it to be; it is only 5 pence. (I had SUCH a hard time with that.) In fact, there is no "quarter", only 20p and 5p, but there IS a 50p. Pounds are only in coins, not notes, and come in 1 pound or 2 pound denominations. I paid for most things with my credit card because I was gambling on the exchange rate (that it would be better that day than on the day I got my money changed.) Check with your bank to see if you can use overseas ATMs and ask if they charge you for it. That is easier than getting money changed somewhere.

WATCH OUT FOR PICKPOCKETS IN PUBLIC PLACES. It doesn't just happen in Oliver Twist - my mom's friend lost a bunch of stuff from her purse in the Museum of Natural History. I would recommend bringing a shoulder bag with a zipper that is big enough to carry a small umbrella. Because it rains in England. A lot. Also, be prepared to dress in layers. Coming from California, you are probably going to be cold. My standard fall London wear is - tank top, shirt, light weight sweater, jacket (or raincoat) with trousers. I would say spring would be a variation of the same. Jeans and sneakers are more common nowadays, but you might get targeted as an American if you look too casual. I don't know if that is so much of a problem nowadays, but I would still suggest that you really don't want to scream American with your appearance. People in Europe aren't as casual as we are. Sweats only work for Madonna.

Black cab (official licensed cabs) drivers will not help you with your bags. Why that is, I don't know; it is annoying, especially when you have a lot of luggage. There are express trains from the airports to major train stations in London; they are fast, clean and convenient in my experience. People in England take a lot of trains. It reminds me of New York.

Which comes down to the fact that I think that London is like New York (urban with good infrastructure for a lot of people) meets Boston (historic, with windy streets, but utterly manageable on foot) with an international/European flair. Just writing this reply has gotten me SO EXCITED!!! I hope that you have a great time. Let me know if this is too much or if I can help you. I have some really good guide books, but my favorite one is: London (Eyewitness Travel Guide). It has really good maps and illustrations!

I think I am more interested in seeing things that are "particular" to London, historical, and things I would NEVER find near home

Lindsey-

I can't believe I forgot this, but reading your comment reminded me - you should go to the London Eye. It is this magnificent Ferris wheel from which you can see the whole of London.



It is just across the Thames from the Palace at Westminster, know to us as Parliament.

Here is me just before we got into the line (or queue as the Brits say) back in November 2007:


I was trying to think back to the first time I went to London, and I remembered that my family took this bus tour the first day we were there. It was great, because you got to see all of the attractions, it went slow enough that you could take photos ( I don't have any of those with my digital camera or I would post some of them), and you could ride all day and get on and off the bus as you would like. I REALLY would suggest starting with that.