I'm going to LONDON!

[LilSooner]

England! This hillbilly princess is going across the big pond in October. Yes I'm going to miss the OU/Texas game, but the is a once in a life time trip with my mom.

Best part of all. ALL EXPENSES PAID.

Whoohooo so what do I need to see.

[BigRedJed]

The tube is your friend.

[BigRedJed]

Wha..?

[Whet]

The famous London Bridge! No, wait, that is here now!

[LilSooner]

Heh we are staying at this really cool hotel right by the palace. I am super excited. Although now I have to pay an extra 75 buck to get my stupid passport updated with my new married name.

[Frozen Sooner]

London calling..

[TheHumanAlphabet]

London, ehh. ;) (Just been there so much it is old hat...) Just hope the dollar isn't at .5 to the pound sterling.

And yes, the tube is your friend. And the Gatwick or Heathrow Express into London is also your friend.

[StoopTroup]

LilSooner...

I watched a show this morning about Queen Boudicca.

She was a Celtic Queen who led her people in a revolt against the Romans.

She sacked London and a few other cities.

Do you plan on doing some plundering while there? :D

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/images/Eng-hist-5B-Boudicca.gif

[BigRedJed]

Of all of the "touristy" stuff I did there, the Tower of London was the most interesting. I generally don't like doing the typical tourist thing, and prefer to try to blend in a city. But the Tower was pretty dang cool.

Also, I recommend the National Gallery (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/). Simply amazing. Harrod's (http://www.harrods.com/) will blow your mind. Piccadilly Circus is cool. Madam Tussaud's (http://www.madame-tussauds.co.uk) is fantastic. Go hang out in one of the huge parks. Buy a sausage from a Croation street vendor who speaks no English. Check out SoHo. London has GREAT Indian and Chinese restaurants. Actully, the food there in general gets a bad rap. I had some great meals there.

But my favourite part of being there was hanging in out-of-the-way pubs, or going to grocery stores, and just doing things that Londoners were doing.

[OCUDad]

By "the palace," I'm guessing you mean Buckingham. How long you going to be there? If you're a shopper, I recommend Burlington Arcade.

There's a lot of really neat stuff to see outside of London. In another life, I used to travel to England two or three times a year on business. Peem me if you're interested in specific places.

Windsor Castle (the "other" palace)
Stratford-upon-Avon (Willy Shakespeare's stomping ground)
The Cotswolds (if you have the time)
Stonehenge

...the list goes on...

[Sooner_Bob]

Jolly good show . . .

[BigRedJed]

Also, don't be afraid to use the black taxicabs. They're more heavily regulated than most U.S. cities, IMO, and are very consistently a clean, safe and reasonable way to get places you can't conveniently/quickly get on the Tube. Of course, there are precious few of those, so you should primarily be riding the Tube, IMO.

[StoopTroup]

You can see Boudicca's statue by the Parliament Building in London.

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/images/Boadicea-chariot-Statue-Lon.gif

[BigRedJed]

If you're only going to be there a week, don't get too tempted to go see other places in England. There's enough to do/see in London to keep you really busy, and you'll feel cheated if you shortchange London too much. You should promise yourself that you'll go back and visit other parts of the U.K., and just commit to London for the most part.

My next trip is going to be to the Cotswolds, I think. I stayed a couple of days with friends who live in Abingdon (just outside of Oxford), which is on the edge of the Cotswolds, and we took a quick daytrip through some of the towns there. It's like a fairy tale time-warp. I also recommend Bath, FWIW, but you can knock that town out in a couple of days.

[BigRedJed]

wolds. D'oh.

[LilSooner]

We will be there from the 9-15. I wonder if they will show the game over there?

Anyways my mom and I love our Indian food so we are going to have to check that out. We are also big shoppers so I already am planing on purchasing a Luella Bartley handbag.

We also like to drink (we are Irish/Cherokee shocking I know) so we are going to have to find a fun pub.

[Boomer.....]

ouflak.

[LilSooner]

Like I told Rhino I am going on a fact finding mission. Next year we are going to try to take two weeks and basically go back packing across Europe like we couldn't afford to do in college.

[BigRedJed]

...We also like to drink (we are Irish/Cherokee shocking I know) so we are going to have to find a fun pub.
That won't be difficult. There will probably be a dozen fun pubs within walking distance of wherever you're staying. Try a number of them. And don't fear the pub food. It's the best food deal in the U.K., and usually pretty darn tasty.

[TUSooner]

Of all of the "touristy" stuff I did there, the Tower of London was the most interesting. I generally don't like doing the typical tourist thing, and prefer to try to blend in a city. But the Tower was pretty dang cool.

Also, I recommend the National Gallery (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/). Simply amazing. Harrod's (http://www.harrods.com/) will blow your mind. Piccadilly Circus is cool. Madam Tussaud's (http://www.madame-tussauds.co.uk) is fantastic. Go hang out in one of the huge parks. Buy a sausage from a Croation street vendor who speaks no English. Check out SoHo. London has GREAT Indian and Chinese restaurants. Actully, the food there in general gets a bad rap. I had some great meals there.

But my favourite :D part of being there was hanging in out-of-the-way pubs, or going to grocery stores, and just doing things that Londoners were doing.

WORD, except I never even did the cool touristy stuff 'cept Harrod's. :( I was traveleing with my wife and teen-aged daughters, so we HAD to go there. I did go to Churchill's underground war HQ in Whitehall; it was awesome. We stayed in a tourist flat in Notting Hill, near Portobello Rd. Great, great, great fun.

My best days were spent just walking all over the place, and riding the tube. I'd never turn down a trip to London, even though it's killer expensive (especially since the dollar IS prob'ly worth about 40 pence). I don't care how much people say things have changed, or how expensive it is, or that a huge stretch of the western part of Oxford St looks like the Gaza Strip, London is one fan-dang-frikkin-tastic city. I'm jealous; have fun.

[OCUDad]

With all due respect to BRJ - and maybe it's because I've been there too often - London is just another big city. You can visit most of the touristy stuff (Big Ben, the Tower, Westminster, Piccadilly Circus) in a day, day-and-a-half. The really interesting stuff that makes England England is outside the city.

Just MHO.

[Viking Kitten]

I second Tower of London and Indian food. OMG. The best meal I had in all of Europe was the Indian food I had in London.

For shopping, you've gotta go to Bond Street though. Shoe. Heaven.

[LilSooner]

WORD, except I never even did the cool touristy stuff 'cept Harrod's. :( I was traveleing with my wife and teen-aged daughters, so we HAD to go there. I did go to Churchill's underground war HQ in Whitehall; it was awesome. We stayed in a tourist flat in Notting Hill, near Portobello Rd. Great, great, great fun.

My best days were spent just walking all over the place, and riding the tube. I'd never turn down a trip to London, even though it's killer expensive (especially since the dollar IS prob'ly worth about 40 pence). I don't care how much people say things have changed, or how expensive it is, or that a huge stretch of the western part of Oxford St looks like the Gaza Strip, London is one fan-dang-frikkin-tastic city. I'm jealous; have fun.

See we don't have to worry about anything it's all been paid for and we get money to spend over there. My mom won her company trip this year so she is taking me with.

[BigRedJed]

Glad someone picked up on favourite.

[TUSooner]

See we don't have to worry about anything it's all been paid for and we get money to spend over there. My mom won her company trip this year so she is taking me with.

So rub it in, OK ?!?!!? :mad:

:D

[BigRedJed]

Tate Gallery (http://www.tate.org.uk/) and Tate Modern (http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/). I was there the weekend the Tate Modern opened.

[Viking Kitten]

If it hasn't already been mentioned, keep in mind the pubs close at 11 p.m. You can always go to a big all night ex rave after that... maybe not so much fun with your mom though.

[OCUDad]

Glad someone picked up on favourite.poseur. :D

[TUSooner]

With all due respect to BRJ - and maybe it's because I've been there too often - London is just another big city. You can visit most of the touristy stuff (Big Ben, the Tower, Westminster, Piccadilly Circus) in a day, day-and-a-half. The really interesting stuff that makes England England is outside the city.

Just MHO.

I certainly enjoyed spending time at and around my cousin's place in the Midlands, and I wish we could have done more things like go to Wales and Scotland and a zillion other places in the country.

But if you've got a week in London, suck the marrow out of every blessed minute and don't worry about the rest. Speaking of "blessed" --- St Paul's Cathedral, especially the crypt where many great Brits are laid to rest. Way better than :twinkies:

[StoopTroup]

Take lots of cash.

[GottaHavePride]

Definitely go take a tour of the Tower of London. Talk to the Tower Guards. They're pretty interesting guys. They actually live in the tower as part of their military pension.

[BigRedJed]

With all due respect to BRJ - and maybe it's because I've been there too often - London is just another big city. You can visit most of the touristy stuff (Big Ben, the Tower, Westminster, Piccadilly Circus) in a day, day-and-a-half. The really interesting stuff that makes England England is outside the city.

Just MHO.
I think you've just been there too often. I spent the better part of an entire day just at the National Gallery. The Tower tour and Tower Bridge tour takes half a day. Harrod's is a half-day thing if done right. Factor in hanging in the park (I recommend St. James'), walking around, going to pubs, catching a show in the West End, you can fill up a week REALLY fast.

[mdklatt]

My two favorite things in London were St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tate Modern gallery. The Tower of London was worthwhile, too. If you skip the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace you're not missing much. Get a travel pass for the Tube since you'll be using it a lot.

[Fugue]

If you see Nick Cage over there making another National Treasure movie kick him in the shins or do an overhead roundhouse and kick him in the junk. :D

[Viking Kitten]

If you see Nick Cage over there making another National Treasure movie kick him in the shins or do an overhead roundhouse and kick him in the junk. :D

Wait, is Lil a good guy or a bad guy? Why is Lil shooting at me? Why is Lil holding a knife to my throat? Wait, why is Lil now sacrificing her life to save my the lives of my family? Dude. Wait. What?

Grrrrr. That movie made me mad. :mad:

[ChickSoonerFan]

See we don't have to worry about anything it's all been paid for and we get money to spend over there. My mom won her company trip this year so she is taking me with.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2637/smilies20438np1.png





not really, but I just wanted to use this guy again. sorry. carry on.

:)

[silverwheels]

If you have time, could you go to Liverpool and tell me all about that place? I hope to make it there for a Reds game before they leave Anfield for Stanley Park.

[LilSooner]

Ok so my next question is about the flight. I thought it would be nice to upgrade my mom and I to first class. Knowing our company they even though it's an awesome trip they will have us in the back.

Is it worth the splurge to go first class on this or even business class?

[GottaHavePride]

YES. You will appreciate the extra legroom while you're trying to sleep on the flight.


Or should I say shin-room? Bwahahahahaha. ;)

[LilSooner]

Hello we are short people. We don't need leg room hell as it is my feet BARELY touch the floor in those seats anyways.

[GottaHavePride]

Heh. Either way, it's still nice to have a little more room to move around during the rather long flight. Plus, you get better food. And booze.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

Hello we are short people. We don't need leg room hell as it is my feet BARELY touch the floor in those seats anyways.True. However, since the trip is free you may as well spring for first class. Don't they give free liquor in first class?

[Rhino]

I heard Amy Winehouse throws good parties.

If she's dead by then, seek out Pete Doherty.

[dolemitesooner]

Heh we are staying at this really cool hotel right by the palace. I am super excited. Although now I have to pay an extra 75 buck to get my stupid passport updated with my new married name.Screw your new married name. I have heard your husband if a big ****** nozzle:D

[proud gonzo]

Hello we are short people. We don't need leg room hell as it is my feet BARELY touch the floor in those seats anyways.but first class is WAY more comfortable. if you're on one of those awesome 777s, all the seats rock, even in coach. They're big and comfy with computer screens and cup holders and stuff. But if you get on a crappy plane (like the one i took to/from greece this last summer) the coach seats are normal coach seats, and you get stuck between people and it sucks.

definitely worth splurging for first class.

[Jimminy Crimson]

First, no. Business, yes.

[proud gonzo]

Definitely go take a tour of the Tower of London. Talk to the Tower Guards. They're pretty interesting guys. They actually live in the tower as part of their military pension.and yeah. talk to the beefeaters. they are awesome.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I m pretty much in agreement with the stuff BRJ mentioned.

Sherlock Holmes Pub was a nice place

Tower of London was interesting

I enjoyed going to Cantebury...

Changing of the guard would have been nice if not for the 100,000 asian tourists with their 12 cameras a person

I would suggest do a lot of walking...

How long are you going to be there?

[birddog]

do the jack the ripper walking tour.

totally touristy but worth it. even my english gf at the time loved it.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Anyways my mom and I love our Indian food so we are going to have to check that out.

We also like to drink (we are Irish/Cherokee shocking I know) so we are going to have to find a fun pub.

They call indian food, having a curry there...

BTW, my wife is Irish/Cherokee as well. She loves her Guinness.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Ok so my next question is about the flight. I thought it would be nice to upgrade my mom and I to first class. Knowing our company they even though it's an awesome trip they will have us in the back.

Is it worth the splurge to go first class on this or even business class?

I would never travel overseas again anything less than Business. Many airlines don't have first, but Continental's BusinessFirst is a better product than many Firsts. If you have the miles, I would definitely look to upgrade. I don't know if it would be worth the $5-7K + fare to ride in BF or F. If you are required to go coach, try to get the highest unrestricted coach fare, that many times gives you a better option of upgrading class by bucks or miles.

You have to go here if you like port...

Gordon's Wine Bar47 Villiers Street, Westminster (http://www.londontown.com/LondonStreets/Boro/City%20of%20Westminster%20London%20Boro), London, WC2N 6NE

It is underneath the street, looks like an old cave and sells port out of casks. Some wine and cheese as well.... Usually packed, near the Charing Cross and the Embankment tube stations. Great place! and a great Dive!!!

[GottaHavePride]

First, no. Business, yes.


So, you're saying it's business time?

[LilSooner]

Screw your new married name. I have heard your husband if a big ****** nozzle:D


Rhino is going to hunt you down like a dawg.

[dolemitesooner]

Rhino is going to hunt you down like a dawg.

I aint skeered:D

[Viking Kitten]

Rhino is going to hunt you down like a dawg.

In England, that would make Doleo a fox.

[BigRedJed]

He is sorta foxy.

[LilSooner]

He is sorta foxy.

EWWWW!

[Frozen Sooner]

In England, that would make Doleo a fox.

In France, Lil would call him La Renard, and hunt him.

[StoopTroup]

He is sorta foxy.

http://home0.inet.tele.dk/voidhawk/foxy_lady.jpg

[Viking Kitten]

Lil would look totally cute in that little red jacket.

[LilSooner]

Hell ya and give me those cute hunting boots and we can call it a day.

[StoopTroup]

Map of London (http://hello.eboy.com/eboy/wp-content/uploads/shop/EBY_LondonPS_22k.png)

[silverwheels]

See if you can find Diagon Alley.

[mdklatt]

FYI, if the movie The Birds makes you shudder do NOT got to Trafalgar Square. :eek:

[OCUDad]

First, no. Business, yes.^^^What he said. The comfort difference is not worth the money difference.

[PhxSooner]

I went to summer school in London, and had a blast. The Tube is great, and goes anywhere. The Tower is a must; tours are (or were a while back) free and given by the guards (tip of a pound or so at the end). I loved Westminster Abbey. Go to the food halls at Harrods and drool. Lots of cool outdoor markets; I got a neat watercolor of the Tower in Covent Garden.

[BigRedJed]

I'm pretty sure I had to pay for my Tower tour. Prolly too many people taking advantage and not tipping the Tower Guards.

And man, I think the food halls at Harrod's were my favorite part. I was TOTALLY unprepared for the awesomeness that is Harrod's. It's what... ...four stories tall and covers a city block? I had no idea how huge and comprehensive it is, or how packed with people it would be. I haven't been to Macy's or other big department stores in New York, so I suppose it's possible that there are stores that compete on these shores. But I HAVE been to major department stores in lots of other major cities in the U.S., and none of them offer 1/10th the experience that Harrod's does. Not just for shopping. Even if that's not your thing, the people watching, food halls and other oddities are unparalleled.

Also, the bathrooms at Harrod's are some of the nicest and the cleanes you will ever use. Just be sure to be a restaurant patron, otherwise it will set you back a pound, just to get in the crapper. That's how they keep out the riff-raff that would trash the place up.

[colleyvillesooner]

Remember, if you get lost, you have to get inside the map.

[mdklatt]

I'm pretty sure I had to pay for my Tower tour. Prolly too many people taking advantage and not tipping the Tower Guards.


Nothing is free in London. You even have to pay to get into St. Paul's Cathedral and to use the crapper in Hyde Park.

I take that back...Tate Modern has free admission.

[BoomerSooner07]

If you drink, try a Strongbow at the pub. Pure Awesomeness



Oh, and mind the gap...

[BigRedJed]

Also there is a very touching/creepy shrine to Princess Dianna and Dodi Fayed at Harrod's.

[BigRedJed]

Nothing is free in London. You even have to pay to get into St. Paul's Cathedral and to use the crapper in Hyde Park.

I take that back...Tate Modern has free admission.
So does the National Gallery. Best deal in town.

[nmsoonergirl]

You are going to have such a good time. I took my mother to London a few years ago for her retirement gift, and it was one of the best things I've ever done.

We had fun at the Petticoat Lane Sunday Market, which is a huge flea market type thing....you probably wouldn't do much SHOPPING there, but the people watching can't be beat. I also LOVED Westminster Abbey--probably my favorite part of the trip. And I agree with everyone..the tower should not be missed.

We took a day in the middle of our trip to take the train to Stratford Upon Avon (you CAN'T go to England with someone who taught Romeo and Juliet to ninth graders for 20 something years without going there:D ). I have to say that turned out to be a good call--we both really appreciated being able to get away from the city for a day. Neither of us are really "big city folk" (my typical vacation consists of me, a backpack, and a 60 mile hike), and I think the trip to SUA kept us from getting sensory overload from London.

You and you mom will know what type of vacationers you are and whether you'll need a break from the city....I just wanted to throw that out there. There are lots of places that are a pretty short train ride away.

In any event, have a wonderful time, take pictures of every little silly thing that makes you laugh, and know that the memories you make are going to be priceless.

[GottaHavePride]

S-u-A was cool, too. That would probably be my first stop outside London.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Hello we are short people. We don't need leg room hell as it is my feet BARELY touch the floor in those seats anyways.

Vertically challenged or not, spring for first class. Trust me.

You'll go from "This sucks hard!" to "Oh hellz yeah! With a side of hot damn!"

[goingoneight]

so, uh... got a taker for your RRS ticket? :D

[LilSooner]

Vertically challenged or not, spring for first class. Trust me.

You'll go from "This sucks hard!" to "Oh hellz yeah! With a side of hot damn!"


Mmmm hot damn.

[MrJimBeam]

My favorite time in London was walking from Westminster up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square. Then, we had lunch in St James's park just watching people. October is when we went to London.

One of the strangest things, we never saw a uniformed police officer while on the Underground (tube) and we traveled there post 7/7. We knew there were police, we just never saw them.

[BigRedJed]

I love St. James's park. Buy a sausage or an ice cream from a non-English speaking Croat and then people watch. Trust me. It's the quintessential London experience, IMO.

[LilSooner]

Since you were there in October how cold was it. I know it's going to rain but what is the weather like?

[MrJimBeam]

Since you were there in October how cold was it. I know it's going to rain but what is the weather like?

It rained 3 times a day for fifteen minutes each time. The temperature was in the 60's during the day and would drop to the low 40's in the evening. It was also fairly windy. I don't know if this was seasonal weather. I worn a Eddie Bauer pullover that I needed to tie around my waist by the afternoon.

I really want to go back.:)

[shaun4411]

London, ehh. ;) (Just been there so much it is old hat...) Just hope the dollar isn't at .5 to the pound sterling.

And yes, the tube is your friend. And the Gatwick or Heathrow Express into London is also your friend.

the 29 pound heathrow express is your friend? thats about $60 just to get to and from the airport. everytime i go to london i have to take the express and it depresses me. you can take easybus, which is about 5 pounds to get to paddington station in central part of the city.

[StoopTroup]

See a soccer match.

[shaun4411]

st james park is cool. and its a good walk up through the park and youll see buckingham palace. pee on a guard. then take the underground to the west end. eat at the 2 story burger king. but if you go to soho, watch your anus. it's extra scary at night.

[LilSooner]

See a soccer match.

No.



:D

[BigRedJed]

See a cricket match.

[StoopTroup]

No.



:D

Make sure you dress patriotic too. :D
http://www.anglofritz.com/images/American%20soccer%20fan.jpg

[LilSooner]

Make sure you dress patriotic too. :D
http://www.anglofritz.com/images/American%20soccer%20fan.jpg

um no.

[Viking Kitten]

Oh, and this is also very important:

http://ci.coe.uni.edu/facstaff/zeitz/web/itag/mindthegap/MindtheGap.jpg

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Yes, mind the gap. Don't ask, just experience... ;)

[King Crimson]

mods or rockers?

[BigRedJed]

Definitely mods.

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/776/316491.JPG

[StoopTroup]

Sweet ride. :D

[OCUDad]

Sweet ride. :DHow's Lil going to ride it? There's no ladder.

[mynameisjoe]

One of my favorite places when I went to London was the British Museum. It's also absolutely HUGE. IIRC, it's about 14 acres. I spent several hours in there, and still didn't see everything.