first trip to London

[boy_lah]

urban - you're right, Camden is not as good as days gone by but it's no Portabello (aka Nottinghill) and for first time visitors, I still would recommend it. ; ) One of the great things with London is that there's a market for every taste. Borough is the foodie's market, for some sovuniers Camden is not so bad, for a taste of 'east end' upstreet/brixton is a good spot.

Smaller markets around London include London Fields, Columbia Rd Flower Market and various towards Stoke Newington/Dalston/Brixton. But these are too nieche (can be unsafe) for first time visitors especially if only weekend.

Greenwich is a great day out if the weather's good - I recommend jumping on a Thames River cruise from Embankment all the way down and the tube/train back after a spot of lunch.

 

[mich8261]

same here (NYC) anywhere near Wall St. (Financial District) is completed devoid of life after hours and on weekends except for tourists taking pictures of one another 🙂.

Depends what you're after, but if you visit the "City" (as we call the financial district) at the weekend, you will find a mix of modern and ancient buildings, and it's virtually deserted. In fact, even on week nights, it completely empties out after about 8pm.

 

[mich8261]

I don't mind rouch (I live in Brooklyn) as long as it is safe. So "rough around the edges" is what I'm looking for.

greenwich? i live in elephant and castle, it's a touch rough but definetly a lot of good photos lurking.

 

[mich8261]

thanks to everyone who contributed. Love the pics and recommendations. I had thought of reporting to work at my firm's London office on Monday, but now I think I'll take that day off.

I'll print out this thread and build my own Lonely Planet guide. I am stoked. Might actually bring two bodies (Bessa and M2).

Cheers.

 

[mich8261]

non-photo related question. I intend to travel by subway/tube whenever I can. Can you recommend which type of pass I should purchase. I imagine I will probably do 4 or 5 subway trips a day for 3 days.

Thanks.

 

[kully]

Until a Londoner comes alongs with more advice:

A one day travelcard is cheaper than a return. Ask at the ticket office to see if they hve a 3-day, they're very helpful.

Zones 1-2, 3 days, offpeak £18.40, add £9.40 for peak travel as well.

For Zones 1-6 (very doubtful you'd need this - £42.40 adding £22.20 for peak travel as well).

Remember that you can use your card to travel on buses too, which can work out quicker.

 

[historicist]

Have a look here for further details about tickets:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/default.aspx

or travel in general:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

but Kully is right, a 3 day travel card will almost certainly be the most economical solution, and zone 1 and 2 should be enough, I'm struggling to think of anything worth visiting outside zone 2 😉

** runs and hides from everyone who lives in zone 3 **

 

[historicist]

Actually, thought of somewhere: Kew Gardens. But that's usually easier to get to by train anyway.

 

[urban_alchemist]

Until a Londoner comes alongs with more advice:

A one day travelcard is cheaper than a return. Ask at the ticket office to see if they hve a 3-day, they're very helpful.

Zones 1-2, 3 days, offpeak £18.40, add £9.40 for peak travel as well.

For Zones 1-6 (very doubtful you'd need this - £42.40 adding £22.20 for peak travel as well).

Remember that you can use your card to travel on buses too, which can work out quicker.

Get an Oyster card. The fares are flexible - they go down so that no matter how much you travel, it is always less than a one-day travelcard. The deposit is £5, and although I've never tried it, they're supposed to refund it if you return it before you leave...

 

[marknyc]

You can get a day pass thing -- it is based on zones so make sure you get the right one if you are going out from the center (which you should).

The Photographers Gallery is good. They just moved -- actually don't know if it was "just" but it was fairly recently. Google them for the new spot.

TriX is DEFINITELY your best bet I think. The oft-cloudy skies make for good 400 shooting.

Portobello market is a pretty good bet too I think. But there are loads of street photo ops just about everywhere. Soho is cool for it too.

As a former Brklyn and London resident myself you should take any warnings with a pinch of salt. It ain't that bad. Just watch yourself like you would anywhere in the 5 boroughs that you did not know that well and you will be fine.

Brooklyn reminds me of London actually. It is the urban feel, but fairly low rise, mix of neighborhoods, just something intangible.

As for a cheap good place to stay. Ummm . . . home? Unfortuately London is insanely expensive. I just got an amazing deal at Le Meridien but that was on the Starwood Preferred Group card - which, by the way, is amazing (and no I don't work for them).

The Portobello Hotel is pretty nice. Minute rooms (but you are New Yorker so no biggie right?). http://www.portobellohotel.com It aint that cheap, but it is not the Dorchester (and you don't want to go there as Christian Bale might beat you up).

-- Mark

 

[boy_lah]

Buy your Oyster card from the airport tube station. They have a 'Tourist' version which is cheaper deposit then if you bought it in central London. I tell my friends all to buy one when they arrive even if they don't plan to travel on the day. Any money to put it doesn't have to be used until activated.

 

[urban_alchemist]

Wow... don't take this the wrong way, but you're not quite right. See red below for why:

You can get a day pass thing -- it is based on zones so make sure you get the right one if you are going out from the center (which you should). Now they've updated it to Oyster cards - digital 'passes' with differing rates.

The Photographers Gallery is good. They just moved -- actually don't know if it was "just" but it was fairly recently. Google them for the new spot.

TriX is DEFINITELY your best bet I think. The oft-cloudy skies make for good 400 shooting.

Portobello market is a pretty good bet too I think. But there are loads of street photo ops just about everywhere. Soho is cool for it too. Portobello's a tourist trap. Soho isn't really the place for street-shooting - nowadays it's 90% media companies, 10% whores. Cool place to hang out, but not really very 'real'.

As a former Brklyn and London resident myself you should take any warnings with a pinch of salt. It ain't that bad. Just watch yourself like you would anywhere in the 5 boroughs that you did not know that well and you will be fine.

Brooklyn reminds me of London actually. It is the urban feel, but fairly low rise, mix of neighborhoods, just something intangible.

As for a cheap good place to stay. Ummm . . . home? Unfortuately London is insanely expensive. I just got an amazing deal at Le Meridien but that was on the Starwood Preferred Group card - which, by the way, is amazing (and no I don't work for them). The credit-crunch as hit London far harder than almost any other city. The UK£ has tumbled from a high of £1:$2 to about £1:$1.4. As well as that, VAT (our sales-tax) has been cut by 2.5% and most restaurants, hotels and shops are heavily discounting.

The Portobello Hotel is pretty nice. Minute rooms (but you are New Yorker so no biggie right?). http://www.portobellohotel.com It aint that cheap, but it is not the Dorchester (and you don't want to go there as Christian Bale might beat you up).

-- Mark

 

[marknyc]

I know about Oyster Cards -- but isn't the old travelcard still cheaper if you are just doing a day or two? Doesn't the Oyster cost 3GBP base to start with and only saves you about 50p under the old travelcard price? I dunno -- that's why I was so vague.

Disagree about Portobello. Not that it is not a tourist trap. It is. But they can make for really great shots. Look at Times Square -- Hell on earth Disneyfied and OliveGardenised nightmare full of tourists. But still some great shooting to be had there. Same thing for Hollwood Boulevard here in LA -- Lord knows why the tourists like it so much . . . but . . . good street photography ops abound. And Soho does have a good street life too I find, and those pokey little seedy alleys are neat for moody B&W. I was there last month so I ain't that out of date. Oh and I still do like the French House on Dean Street even if they won't serve full pints!

And yes, London hit by credit cruch no doubt -- the OP does have a better shot at a good deal now I agree. But still a tough town for accomodation (but I guess we should not be shocked as its an amazing city that lots of people want to visit).

Least the OP is getting a lot of info.

By the way Urban Alcehmist -- I just checked out your flickr stream -- very nice stuff -- recommend it to others.

Cheers

 

[mich8261]

I have returned

I have returned

just wanted to post a few comments ahead of posting some pictures.

First, thanks again to those who made some suggestions. I incorporated those in my own exploring and had a great trip.

In no particular order:

• Tayyabs Pakistani restaurant is now New Tayyabs. The food and service were great. Funny anecdote, it had been suggested as a good place to eat if traveling alone since I could sit at the counter. New Tayyabs does not have a counter (anymore?). I was seated at a table for six flanked by a couple on my left and two guys on my right.
• Loved the village of Hampstead and enjoyed a couple of pints and chowder at the Holly Bush pub. It's amazing that a subway ride can land you in such a great location. The equivalent in NYC certainly wouldn't be as charming.
• Had a laugh when I walked into Aperture camera and coffee shop. I had imagined it as Barnes and Noble with cameras instead of books. This is tiny and much more charming than I had expected.
• The subway is great and so easy to use. Signage makes it easy to figure out where you need to go (NYC could learn from this). Unfortunately, it shuts down early and then the night bus route and schedule system is not as user friendly.

My stay was relatively short and interrupted by work 😉. It wasn't as expensive as I had feared, so I hope to go again soon.

I will be shipping off my film to be developed soon (it's been too long since I did my own, I don't want to chance it). I'll post some images then and further comments at that time.