That There London

CiB
CiB Posts: 6,098
edited May 2011 in Commuting chat
A bit late in the day maybe but famille CiB minus elder boy (he's away) have an urge to visit the capital tomorrow. Not been for a year or two - any suggestions for places to visit etc suitable for a 9-y-o boy (football mad) , nice wife & an old misery guts?

We've done The Science Museum, V&A. Nat Hist etc too many times, they're not keen on spending hours in the gadgetry emporiums of Tottenham Court Road etc, and doing the shops is a bit routine. What's the buzz? London Eye is a possibility. The Black Museum also appeals but might scare the boy.

I'd like to take the bike and have an SCR blast down the Embankment but that's not gonna happen.

Your suggestions are invited.
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Comments

  • clarkey cat
    clarkey cat Posts: 3,641
    Tower of London?
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  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    clarkey cat wrote:
    Tower of London?
    Did that last time. It probably hasn't changed much.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Picnic in Hyde or Regents Park.

    A pint in the Morpeth :wink:

    A boat ride along the river (in a Thames Clipper).
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  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Batterse Park is nice if the weather is good. There's a small zoo for stuff to look at. There's a boating lake if you want to pootle about on the water and also just next to it is a place you can hire funny looking recumbants with big chunky wheels (to differentiate from roadie recumbants for bearded perverts. LOL).
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  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    National Gallery?
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  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,387
    One of the big galleries for some culture?
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  • alan_sherman
    alan_sherman Posts: 1,157
    Riverboat from the London Eye to Greenwich. Lots of sights from teh river and a nice market when you get to greenwich.

    Alternatively Camden to laugh at the freaks! Great entertainment in the shops and stall there and not far from Regents Park for decent weather option.
  • dugliss
    dugliss Posts: 235
    How about the Champions League festival in Hyde Park
    http://www.wembleystadium.com/Events/20 ... /21-28-May
  • t4tomo
    t4tomo Posts: 2,643
    Get the river bus from embankment / london eye down to greenwich and do the observatory and the the museum at the bottom of the hill from the observtory (can't recall its name).

    A few decent eateries in greenwich for lunch too.

    London eye is worth a spin if you've never done it.

    Kids always seem to like the street entertainers in Covent Garden.
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  • PO Paul
    PO Paul Posts: 114
    London aquarium?
  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    alan sherman wrote:
    Riverboat from the London Eye to Greenwich. Lots of sights from teh river and a nice market when you get to greenwich.

    Alternatively Camden to laugh at the freaks! Great entertainment in the shops and stall there and not far from Regents Park for decent weather option.

    I was going to suggest that! Nice trip on the river and then a walk in Greenwich Park, up to the observatory. Do the obligatory photo on the GMT timeline thingy, photos of the amazing views across London, the space museum, the observatory itself then down again to Greenwich itself and a walk round the market and home....
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  • londonlivvy
    londonlivvy Posts: 644
    I'd suggest South bank.

    Do then London Eye (book in advance), then walk along, look at the skateboarders & BMXers and then do a bit of culture in the Tate Modern as there's always some mad stuff which might appeal ?

    Then perhaps Hyde Park as previously suggested for the footie.
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  • noodles71
    noodles71 Posts: 153
    The Imperial War Museum has plenty of military hardware to keep the boys happy. It is also free.

    Some of the places you have to pay for you can get a 2 for 1 ticket by buying a Sth Eastern Train ticket or "finding" one from a previous passenger for that day.

    http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london
  • londonlivvy
    londonlivvy Posts: 644
    Perhaps Boris bike it from South Bank to Hyde Park so you get your bike buzz?
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  • DonDaddyD
    DonDaddyD Posts: 12,689
    I've always wanted to go to London Aquarium.... :cry:

    You could go there! Then nip over have a ride on the London Eye. Then walk along the South Bank until you see a restaurant you like.
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,661
    DonDaddyD wrote:
    I've always wanted to go to London Aquarium.... :cry:

    You could go there! Then nip over have a ride on the London Eye. Then walk along the South Bank until you see a restaurant you like.

    Eye + South Bank was what I was going to suggest.
    _
  • davmaggs
    davmaggs Posts: 1,008
    If you are going to Greenwich it might be worth walking under the river in the foot tunnel.

    Also the Monument is always worth climbing. If you are on the south side of the river then Clink prison or perhaps London Dungeon (not sure about age for that). That part of town is a good place to walk around too as you can see Tower Bridge and various other sites easily
  • richVSrich
    richVSrich Posts: 527
    theres al the markets you can wander around:

    borough market for food
    camden market for random stuff
    brick lane market (tho i think more sundays) for more random stuff
    portobello road for some antiques

    the ferry down to greenwich is nice as mentioned - theres also the observatory to wander around there which is pretty cool

    theres the zoo in regents park (a small zoo, but a zoo nonetheless in london!)

    head out to richmond for a picnic with some deer and get jealous of all the cyclists blasting round the park :P
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  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    davmaggs wrote:
    If you are going to Greenwich it might be worth walking under the river in the foot tunnel.

    Also the Monument is always worth climbing. If you are on the south side of the river then Clink prison or perhaps London Dungeon (not sure about age for that). That part of town is a good place to walk around too as you can see Tower Bridge and various other sites easily

    Hm, if you go through the foot tunnel you just end up in Island Gardens and there's not much to see there. Plus it's a bit dingy. Maybe better to head through the park and upto the observatory or take a wander through the markets.
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  • notsoblue
    notsoblue Posts: 5,756
    +1 to the Thames Clipper. Really nice way to see the city from a different perspective. And the perfect antidote for the crowds.

    Theres a Tate-to-Tate boat that'll take you from the Tate Modern to the Tate Britain. Also, as others have mentioned, Greenwich is a good destination.
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  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    dhope wrote:
    davmaggs wrote:
    If you are going to Greenwich it might be worth walking under the river in the foot tunnel.

    Also the Monument is always worth climbing. If you are on the south side of the river then Clink prison or perhaps London Dungeon (not sure about age for that). That part of town is a good place to walk around too as you can see Tower Bridge and various other sites easily

    Hm, if you go through the foot tunnel you just end up in Island Gardens and there's not much to see there. Plus it's a bit dingy. Maybe better to head through the park and upto the observatory or take a wander through the markets.

    Also the foot tunnel is having upgrade works done so the access stairs are narrowed and the lifts aren't working... I don't think the tunnel's particularly special anyway! There's always an ENORMOUS queue to get into the London Dungeon because I think you get free entry with a ticket to Madame Tussauds (which also has huge queues and is very expensive).... You could go out to Kew Gardens, that's very nice, I would have also recommended the butterfly house at Syon Park but I think it's closed down - that was great, massive tropical butterflies flying all over the place and landing on you....
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  • jejv
    jejv Posts: 566
    London Eye +
    alan sherman wrote:
    Riverboat from the London Eye to Greenwich. Lots of sights from teh river and a nice market when you get to greenwich..
    Royal observatory, Greenwich; National Maritime Museum
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    cjcp wrote:
    Picnic in Hyde or Regents Park.

    A pint in the Morpeth :wink:

    A boat ride along the river (in a Thames Clipper).

    There's a big charity walk in Regents Park tomorrow in aid of Cancer Research. Will be quite busy.
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  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Brill. I reckon the Eye + boat trip to Greenwich & the Greenwich Observatory is coming out tops so far, along with the CL dooberry in Hyde Park. And Covent Garden - there's a transport museum thing there IIRC. Taking in a trip to the Cutty Sark sounded good as an extra but it's not open till next year apparently. We did the aquarium a few years ago but the boy was in his push-char at the time, so that's prolly worth another visit.

    Superb - thanks all for those. (More welcome though, just in case).

    <wonders if sneaking in a visit to a lap-dancing club for half a shandy @ £97.50 is a possibility...>
  • richVSrich
    richVSrich Posts: 527
    haha thats going to be busy (BUT FUN) day if you get all that!

    check the forecast for the eye and greenwich parts i'd say

    if you do want to go on the eye, book tickets online for a time slot (the q always looks massive)

    depends where you're coming inf from but i could recommend doing:

    1. london eye (aquarium is near there too if you wanted)
    2. get ferry to greenwich
    3. market for lunch then park / observatory
    4. ferry back in to town for hyde park / covent garden transport museum

    you dont need to spend 100 quid for a lap dance IMO :P

    this has just come up: http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/ou ... world.html
    i'll be going to that at some point!

    also british museum near tot court road if the weather is lousy

    check tfl for tube news! northern line currently does not stop at tot court..
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  • richVSrich
    richVSrich Posts: 527
    oh about the thames clippers: if you have bought a day travel card (rail) you can get a discounted ferry travel card for it

    and if you are coming in on train you can get 2 for 1 on some attractions, but you need to google about how to do that!
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  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    CiB wrote:
    Brill. I reckon the Eye + boat trip to Greenwich & the Greenwich Observatory is coming out tops so far, along with the CL dooberry in Hyde Park. And Covent Garden - there's a transport museum thing there IIRC. Taking in a trip to the Cutty Sark sounded good as an extra but it's not open till next year apparently. We did the aquarium a few years ago but the boy was in his push-char at the time, so that's prolly worth another visit.

    Superb - thanks all for those. (More welcome though, just in case).

    <wonders if sneaking in a visit to a lap-dancing club for half a shandy @ £97.50 is a possibility...>

    There's also a brand new space museum/planetarium up at Greenwich, just behind the observatory, with all sorts of fancy techie gizmos in it. Well worth a visit and I think it's free in...
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  • Headhuunter
    Headhuunter Posts: 6,494
    Here's the planetarium
    http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/planetarium-shows/
    Also there's the Maritime Museum (same website)
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  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Knockout. It could turn into a weekend away at this rate.

    If you ever need tips on what to do in & around Bicester, you know who to ask. :idea:
  • fatherted
    fatherted Posts: 199
    +1 for the Imperial War Museum and

    boat to Greenwich Maritime Museum -but take the DLR back ( sit at the front ! )

    Duck Tour.

    Don't forget the Pizza Express, ASK , Zizzi, Yo Sushi etc vouchers if you plan to eat out.

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