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| Page Views: 6,061 Last Visit to London: - | LONDON...My Second Home by Michael_D - last update: Apr 17, 2005 |
Capturing the New Millenium This is a picture of the fireworks in London in the Y2K celibration many saw on TV.
It hardly looks like a photo at all..very surreal indeed. It was taken with fastX film, no flash, no filter, au natural and is certainly one of the luckiest shots on the planet.
London isn't one of the world's bargain destinations but it IS possible to not break the bank while visiting.
Start with the free attractions: The British Museum, the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the vast and fascinating Tate Modern gallery across the Thames from St. Paul's Cathedral, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum -- just to name the best-known among the capital's 200 or so museums and galleries. Be aware most museums will also have special exhibitions that do charge admission.
There's no charge for watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, which happens daily at 11:30 a.m. from April through the end of July, and every other day the rest of the year.
Admission is also free for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London at 9:50 p.m. each night, but you need to plan ahead. (Visitors may request up to seven passes by writing to: The Ceremony of the Keys, H.M. Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB.)
A cheap but vanishing essential of any London visit is a ride on one of the double-decker Routemaster buses; they're the ones with the open platform on the back and a conductor waiting to sell a ticket. The fare is just 1.20 pounds, or $2.25, for a single ride; you can also get an all-day London Transport ticket, which includes Underground trains too, for 4.70 pounds, about $9.
If you fancy shopping, London boasts a variety of markets selling everything from fresh fish to vintage jewelry. Take a trip on the Central line tube to Liverpool Street for a day at Petticoat Lane market, and trawl through the vintage clothing. Pretend you are Eliza Doolittle and roam through the old and new in the Covent Garden market, and catch some of the street performers.
Many say the best way to view London is by foot. Walking tours are a popular way of catching the hidden details, and the guides have a wealth of knowledge.
The Tricycle Theatre, one of London's better-known small theaters, offers 30 to 50 tickets to Tuesday and Saturday matinees on a "pay what you can" basis. This offer is available to students, seniors and people with disabilities. The theater also offers some "early bird" tickets for less than 10 pounds or $19.
My idea always TAKE LONG WALKS WITH ONLY A VAGUE ITINERARY. I always liked street scenes of London, because the sheer energy of present day meets the echos of yesterday resounding off its walls. Thousands of tourists scurry about admiring the 'neat architecture' or the 'cool double-decker busses' , oblivious that history fairly oozes from the walls they almost casually notice..I like the juxtaposition. To me Regent Street is a manmade canyon one traverses to get from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus..on the way to Trafalger Square... |
|  | Where IS that old bridge ,,anyway? VISIT THAT TIME HONORED BRIDGE....LONDON BRIDGE?
NOPE...but thats what most foreigners mistakenly call it. This is TOWER BRIDGE. London Bridge is west on the Thames.(ACTUALLY the REAL LONDON BRIDGE is far west indeed...reassembled on Lake Havasu in good ol US of A) There are so many 'must see's' in London it would take 200 pages to cover them all. I will try to cover many of the 'usual suspects' and cover more unusual stuff if possible. |
The best place to be! I have taken dozens of pictures of Trafalger Square but this is my favorite. If you enlarge it and look closely, you can see the Big Ben clocktower looking down Whitehall to Millbank. OYE! WHAT A GREAT PLACE!
*At some point I hope to add more pictures and places on this London page. The last VT format change splattered alot of the old pages and I havent had time to replace them yet.* | | |
| | $Long live the British Empire! When visiting London you absolutely must see Parliament.
So much history, bad and good, has passed through these halls. At one time `the sun never set on the British Empire.`
To my mind the countries that were included, Australia. New Zealand, India, Canada and even my own USA..benefitted immensely from the British Colonial era. To this day the main ideas regarding government, law, equality, transportation, education, etc are the basis that make the above countries some of the most peacefull, prosperous and interesting to visit. From India`s immense railroad system to democratic government to sheer propriety....its all a British sphere thing..to me.
Hey, then again Im an Anglophile at heart. But so revered was the British Parliamentry system that Budapest built their mirror-version buliding on the banks of the Danube...not to mention several dozen countries copied the system itself..must be something to it? |
%S$Keep your (London) eyes open;-) When visiting London you absolutely must STUDY/STUDY/STUDY~!
As with all major cities pages my biggest tip will be to study the city via a map and a written guide long before you jump on a plane to visit. Even trying to read during your 7 hour flight from New York to Gatewick doesnt cut it.(cramming before finals,,did it REALLY work?)
There are simply too many things to see in London without a plan. When you get home youll come accross names of places and look them up, realising you were just a few blocks away from it. How did I know?
My first several trips I MISSED more than I saw...I missed the Kremlin by bad luck and the entire city of Florence because I thought..'Hey I already saw Rome...it cant be any better.
' UH-HUH.;-( | | | The London Eye..is a bif ferris wheel. |
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| Pros: | "Too many good places to visit to mention!" | | Cons: | "Prices in the UK make my head spin!" | | In A Nutshell: | "A good jumpoff point for any European trip" |
Michael_D's London Travel Tips
 Comments for Michael_D about London | | | | |
Spincat Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:37 UTC
Take long walks in London - yes, that is how I like to go around London: i can be a tourist in my own city. People ask how I can stand to live in the big city, but to me it is a pleasure. I think if mor tourists walked around they'd enjoy it more. | Balam Thu Feb 28, 2008 14:56 UTC
Great tips and Pictures. | Maria250 Sun Feb 10, 2008 10:10 UTC
That's amazing you & his similarities.. no matter what I do like Ezra Pound's work/poems. He's still well known in the UK too. I like to think. Or ppl don't care about poetry any more? | planxty Fri Oct 5, 2007 11:13 UTC
Hi Michael, glad you like my adopted home city. Some good tips here, hope you get back soon. fergy. |
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