Weekend break destinations in the UK - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Could you recommend a weekend break destination in the UK?

"Cornwall!

Cornwall has everything: friendly people; beautiful story-book countryside and villages with unpronounceable names; delightful folklore; stunning castles, cliffs to walk along; beautiful beaches (even if it can be a bit c-c-c-old). There are trains, and coaches, but I flew to Newquay.

The best people to see about how to get there and how to get around would be the folks at the British Tourist Office around the corner from the Centre in Lower Regent Street. They have a new Facebook page Cornwall: the Insiders guide which promises “inside track advice to help you make the most out of your holiday to Cornwall whatever time of year you travel.” Worth it!!"- Dr Holt

This is the second time we've asked this question - earlier suggestions were:
- Totnes, in Devon
- Cardiff, Wales
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- York, in Yorkshire

* Photo by Tony Armstrong, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Friday is the new Friday - Ric

Question of the week: Is there something you'd recommend to do in London on a Friday, rather than over the weekend?

"Having Fridays free in London is a great opportunity - a whole host of events, journeys (as well as mundane stuff) are easier to get to on Friday. You will find that all the weekend markets are already open on Friday and that popular ones - like Portobello Market - are much easier to enjoy whilst they are less full. The same is also true of London's parks and green spaces."- Ric

(You can also take advantage of the free events in London parks that take place in the day, like this tour from the gardeners of the Isabella plantation at in Richmond Park next Friday.)

* Photo by Fred Dawson, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Friday is the new Friday - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Is there something you'd recommend to do in London on a Friday, rather than over the weekend?

"Borough Market, down by London Bridge, is gastro-heaven - delicious artisan breads, amazing cheeses, the best olives, harissa, chocolates, fruits, veg, preserves, coffee...

It's also a total zoo at the weekend, unless you're up early enough to be there ass the stalls set up, and even then...

Friday daytime is the perfect balance - almost all the stalls are open, but the crowd's not quite as dense. Much better for chatting with stall holders about their produce, tasting the samples, and sitting back with a cup of something hot to people watch."- Miss Alice

* Photo by jypsygen, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Friday is the new Friday - Kris

Question of the week: Is there something you'd recommend to do in London on a Friday, rather than over the weekend?"

"Sotheby's is one of the most famous auction houses in the world, selling collections of paintings, jewelry, books, and anything else you can imagine to the very richest people in the world. But did you know that they display the items that are going under the hammer before they're sold? Go to their Bond Street site and simply walk in, go past the cafe and take a look at whatever is there.

Most of the things are going from private collections into other private collections, so seeing them at Sotheby's is the one chance you may ever have to look at them in person. I've seen everything from Impressionist art to antique Persian carpets, and it's totally free.

But it isn't open on the weekends.

So take advantage of your free Fridays, and head to Sotheby's - you never know what you'll see!"- Kris

* Photo by Chris John Beckett, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Friday is the new Friday - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Is there something you'd recommend to do in London on a Friday, rather than over the weekend?"

"Because people are at work and you aren't, London during the day on Fridays sublimely lacks crowds, and so every sort of activity is easier. There is such a lovely feeling of playing hooky (but you aren't!) when presented on a Friday morning with nearly all of Hyde Park or Hampstead Heath to yourself. Similarly a Shopping Destination such as Selfridges or Harrods is actually navigable on a Friday.

Sophisticated fun can be found at any of the museums or galleries that have late-opening hours on Friday evenings. Most tourists haven't pegged on these, so mostly what you'll find enjoying the evening are singles, couples or small groups of Londoners mingling with a glass of wine and listening to music or simply strolling through the collections. The atmosphere is generally a very mellow buzz of people enjoying each other and the venue. See the Late website for a summary listing, and then follow up on the individual museums for the most current details."- Dr Holt

* Photo by Pedro Moura Pinheiro, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Last weeks of summer in London - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"September is the month that sees the conclusion of the cricket season in England. After which, attention turns to games played on the Indian sub-continent and the southern hemisphere. So there are a couple more weeks of games left, for those of you with a sporting curiosity.

Details on the remaining fixtures in London, and beyond, as well as ticket availability can be found at: www.ecb.co.uk/tickets

N.B. - the games range in length from a couple of hours to 5 days, so do make sure you know which you are buying tickets for. The nearest grounds to K-M are Lord's and the Oval, both within 30 minutes by bus or tube." - Ric

* Photo by Mailliw, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Last weeks of summer in London - Prof Kucich

Question of the week:Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"A delightful way to enjoy a summery experience in London is to spend a day in Hampstead, 20-30 minutes north of Trafalgar Square on the underground (Northern Line) or by bus (number 24 from Trafalgar Square). Hampstead Heath is a gorgeous green area where you can have a delightful picnic, visit the kite flying area where you also can enjoy fabulous hilltop views of London, go for long leafy walks, and even go swimming in the bathing ponds.

Hampstead village, adjacent to the heath, has the feel of an eighteenth-century village and features many cool cafes, bookshops, and restaurants, as well as the home of the great nineteenth-century poet John Keats, now a museum.

For a lovely, literary, summery day, go to Hampstead." - Prof Kucich

* Photo by Alfredi, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Last weeks of summer in London - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"This is a fantastic time of year to head into South London to visit Nunhead Cemetery, one of the seven great Victorian cemeteries of London. It might be less famous than Highgate, but it's equally beautiful.

If you're mostly interested in the history, and in art work inspired by the ornate Victorian headstones, then you might want to wait until the 18th/19th, when they are putting on tours for London Open House, but right now is the perfect time to go and explore the more overgrown sections with a friend, and fill a couple of lunchboxes with delicious blackberries."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Grant Mitchell, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Last weeks of summer in London - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"Before it gets too cold to even consider swimming outside, head to Hyde Park or Hampstead Heath and try swimming in a more wild atmosphere!

The Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park will be open every day until September 12th, from 10am to 6pm, and it's a great place to go if you feel like swimming with the ducks that make the Serpentine their home.

If you want to try something even less 'controlled' try going to Hampstead Heath and going to one of their Swimming Ponds. There's one for men, one for women, and one for everyone! The ponds feel more secluded than the Hyde Park lido, they're surrounded by trees, while the lido has a more beach-like feel. The ponds are also open year-round, but I'm not sure how much longer the weather will be right for swimming!"- Kris

* Photo by ben hanbury, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Last weeks of summer in London - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have any recommendations for things to do to take advantage of the last weeks of summer?

"Take advantage of the daylight and walk! Walks I would walk from the Centre would take us

- down through the bottom of Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch, along the Mall into St James Park to Green Park to Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens

- down through the bottom of Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall, to Parliament Square, to Westminster Abbey, into Dean's Yard and out the other side into the maze of streets to Smith's Square, then along Milbank to Lambeth Bridge, and then along the South Bank as far as you can manage -- perhaps even as far as Tower Bridge"- Dr Holt

* Photo by Tony3, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - Catherine

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"My latest online shopping addiction? Groupon.co.uk and LivingSocial.com. Although randomly clicking on online deals is perhaps not the soundest budget plan, I have found a number of useful vouchers on these websites for London businesses (everything from theatre tickets & club nights to discounted grocery shopping). Register with these sites for the time you are here, and check your email compulsively – a new deal is offered everyday and ONLY for that day, so let the impulse shopping begin!"- Catherine

* Photo by World of Good, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - entertainment edition.

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"We have plenty, which is why we give a session on just that! Here's the list of entertainment-related links and tips that we promised in that session:

General principles:

Sign up to gallery / museum / venue / band / club mailing email lists - spread your net wide in whatever areas you're interested in, and let the opportunities come to you. (You may want to set up a temporary email address to use just while you're in London)

Watch out for booking fees - if you can manage it, the cheapest option is often going to the venue box office, with cash.

Check explicitly what ID is accepted for 'student discounts' - often this is shorthand for 'NUS card holders discount', sometimes they'll take ISIC, sometimes they'll accept your university ID, and it's good to know what to expect before you get to the till.


London for free

London offers loads of free stuff: galleries, readings, performances, gigs, clubs, film screenings, festivals ... We'll mention some in LUPe, on facebook, in the blog, and we put up some posters on the notice boards, but that's only the very tip of the iceberg.

http://www.lates.org/- a Londonwide program to increase participation in the cultural life of London by opening up galleries etc in the evenings, often with special events. The website itself I find less helpful to navigate, but useful as a jump point to which of venues are involved, eg the V&A, National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of London's monthly 'late' events.

Check regularly for events in:

• Time Out's events listings – when you do any search, the results should have a ‘refine’ list down the side – one of the ‘refine’ criteria is ‘free’.
• Time Out in print (in the library)
• Free London Listings
• Londonist's "London on the Cheap" posts

Equally, there are lots of sources for free lectures and book readings, and it's worth signing up to their mailing lists to get the most up-to-date information eg:

• The RSA
• Foyles
• LSE
• Waterstones

Free and cheap clubs for sports and social activities - see http://delicious.com/ndlonlib/bundle:Social (and remember – running is free)


Cinema
– most big cinemas are expensive, but check out the Prince Charles Cinema for second run, arthouse, and cult film with tickets from just £1 - if you think you might be a regular visitor, check out their £10 membership deal.

Less budget, but also of interest, the BFI complex on the south bank and their IMAX cinema are worth keeping an eye on.

For DVDs to watch at home, try the LUP library (free) or either of the public library networks (£1.50 to £3 borrowing fees) If your laptop won't play Region 2 dvds, you can borrow a player from Kris or Ric.

Clubs:

Clubs are generally cheaper with a flyer, in the appropriate costume, and/or before pub closing time.

If you hear of a club night you're interested in, sign up to their myspace / mailing list / facebook to keep the fliers flowing. See also listings and flyers in the free magazines, especially the ones distributed around Camden.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the single easiest way to save money going out? - drink less. Tapwater is free. Watch out for expensive softs, though - a pint of cola is more expensive than a pint of beer in some venues.

(Safety note - Do not try and save money with unlicensed mincabs – that is, any mini cab you haven't booked, either on the phone or at the cab office. It is not worth the risk, even if you're in a group. Night busses are covered by your Oyster card, and, especially within zones 1 and 2, a black cab split with friends isn’t too expensive.)

Theatre / Opera / Dance

The best value theatre ticket of all are free - see Cornelius' post on 'A Night Less Ordinary'

There are two other official routes to discount tickets - the Tkts booth in Leicester Square, and student standby tickets from the venues. Check individual venue websites for details, but student standby tickets usually available the day-of. (The National Theatre complex has it's own system for young people - the National Theatre Entry Pass - which does let you book in advance - well worth the free registration!)

Lastminute.com can be good for ‘splurge’ tickets to big shows at a reasonable price.

Check for offers in Time Out, as well newspapers. Both the Metro and the Evening Standard (both free papers) quite often have good reader offers.

You can also get good booking discounts from the venues, particularly if you book for 2 events at the same time. You can get decent non-restricted view seats that way at Sadler's Wells for £8, Lindbury Studio for £9 etc.

Another dance venue, The Place, does something called a 'return' which means you pay £15 instead of £12, and get a voucher to come back and see any other performance you like for free within six months.


Gigs.

See gig listings in Time Out or online, or browse magazines and websites pertinent to your preferred genres, and sign up to bands’ mailing lists / facebook pages / etc to hear about shows first.

Keep an eye out for free instore gigs – the landscape is ever changing, thanks to the credit crunch taking down Zavvi,Tower Records and most of the Fopp shops, but contenders include:

• HMV
• Fopp on Earlham Street (fighting back against the crunch!)
• Sister Ray, on Berrick Street
• Rough Trade

Check out Proud Camden, too - free music on Sat and Sun, affordable music in the evenings the rest of the week, photography gallery by day!

As well as the freebies, there are lots of £6 -£10 gigs going on in the city every day. Venues that are generally in that price band include,(but are not limited to):

• The Bull and Gate (celebrating 30 years of the venue with 30 gigs this month)
• The WaterRats
• Islington Academy
• Barfly ULU
• Barfly – Oxford Street
• Barfly - Camden
• Camden Underworld
• the ICA
• The Old Queen’s Head
• Dublin Castle

Show sold out? I’ve had good experiences with using Scarlet Mist to find face-value tickets - but as with ebay or craigslist, take the usual precautions both for your personal safety and to avoid getting scammed."

- Miss Alice and Kris

* Photo #1 by Cantoreck,Photo #2 by gviciano,Photo #3 by vivoandando,Photo #4 by Nicolas Hoizey,Photo #5 by sarflondondunc, Photo #6 by mic_n_2_sugars all used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - Dr Holt

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"In a word, markets. Indeed, you can make exploring London through its markets a specialty subject during your time here. Begin with a resource like this one, which is a couple of years old but not out of date.

Then check the markets out, one after another, week by week. Note, too, the market's hours, and aim to go toward the end of each market's 'day' when you can surely find whole wadges of whatever for a pound, or similar bargains simply because market vendors usually don't want to take left-overs home, especially perishables like fruit, veg, fish, and flowers"
- Dr Holt

PS from Kris and Miss Alice, following up on yesterday's meeting - the two markets closest to the flats are Leather Lane Market, and Chapel Road Market (scroll down for details). Closest to the London Centre is Berwick Street Market. See also the markets & shops tag on the blog.

* Photo by Dave Patten, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a Budget - Cornelius

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"I recommend the website A Night Less Ordinary. Participating theatres in London offer either free or heavily discounted theatre tickets to many of the leading shows in the West End in both subsidised and commercial theatres. Many LUP students have secured wonderful bargains in the past and strongly recommend the scheme. Sponsored by the Arts Council of Great Britain and the “Metro” newspaper, anybody under 26 years old can take advantage of it. Each theatre has its own policy for awarding these tickets, so it’s advisable to scroll down the webpage and check out the rules that each theatre has for applying for these tickets." - Cornelius

* Photo by slimmer_jimmer, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"Most of London's public museums are free, including the British Museum, the Museum of London (just down the road from Kamen-Minerva), and the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery (both located almost next door to the London Centre). Visiting London's museums, even in a spare hour between classes, is a fabulous way to gain immense cultural experience and have a great time at no cost."- Prof Kucich

* Photo by pmorgan, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London on a budget - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have any tips on getting the most out of London on a budget?

"My tip for getting the most out of London when living off a student stipend is PLANNING AHEAD. There are so many websites offering reduced entry to events, deals on food and drink, but almost none of them allow you to just walk to a place on the day. Planning ahead, using the internet, as well as the advice of LUP staff (see the previous posts on this blog) and magazines like Time Out will save you £££s!

For example - sign up to the Pizza Express mailing list, and you'll get sent deals every week or so, like this voucher for 2 takeaway pizzas for £10 over the weekend."

- Ric

* Photo by Leo Reynolds, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Welcome to a new semester in London

Welcome to the Fall semester, and welcome to the LUP blog - a place where we share still more about the city, for those of you interested enough to subscribe, or visit regularly to read.

Take a look back through the archives for almost a years worth of suggestions and recommendations, and if you have ideas for questions that you'd like us to post about, let us know!

As you may have gathered, all of us are really enthusiastic about London, but - why?

Greg Kucich, program director: "I love London because it is the most cosmopolitan city in the world, offerings its inhabitants and visitors a vast array of cultural wonders."

Laura Holt"I love London for its idiosyncratic look and feel, and for its seemingly limitless range of music and art and interesting people. Its look -- from the wonderfully curvy Thames to the zig-zags of its streets to the zig-zags of its buildings' silhouettes against the sky to the zig-zags of people of all sorts filling the streets and squares and shops and pubs. Its feel -- from the buzz of snatches of over-heard languages to the stimulation of BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 podcasts on my Nano. And the music -- concerts of every sort, plus singular choral offerings in worship all over London; the art -- filling museums and galleries and house-museums; and the people -- from here and from everywhere else!"

Cornelius: "because London forces me to be more accepting of people who are different from me."

Kris Dahl:"London, in my mind, means everything I could imagine at my fingertips. If I can think of a type of food, I can try it in London. If I want to listen to a type of live music, I can find a venue with a great example being played. Ditto for theatre, museums (art, history, science, the list goes on), languages, world cultures, you name it. London even offers a huge number of ways to get out of London and explore other places! Trains, planes, coaches... So, if you want to explore anything, London is the place to do it!"

Ric Whaite:"As someone who spent their childhood in the countryside, I grew up around hills, lakes and English rural vistas for miles and miles. Quite different from what you will see here in London. To me, this city is a collection of visual contrasts alongside one another. Compare your initial experiences with those of others."

Miss Alice: "To me, London means opportunity - so many places, so many people, so much history, so many futures. The richness of opportunities taken, the bitter-sweet of the ones that you couldn't grasp - there's always more going on than any one person could do, so you always have to make that choice, but you'll get to make it again and again as new opportunities keep coming."

Hal: "London has so many faces, so many personas, so many pubs. England's capital city has allowed me many advantages over the years, ranging from keeping a fair few professional balls in the air at any one time (running a record label, studying as a personal trainer, working in a university...) to simply to being able to go out for a meal in the early hours. I live in Camden Town, arguably the epicentre of alternative culture for London, and I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.

Catherine: "I crossed oceans and time zones, braved international tuition fees and homesickness, all for London. No matter where you're from, London is home."

* Photo by AndyWilson, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Want to see England's football team in action?

"For those of you already cooking up things to do in London during the Fall, and looking for an early trip to a football game, you might want to know that tickets for England's first European Championship qualifier at Wembley on Friday 3rd of September, are now available on general release to the public:

http://ticketing.thefa.com/

If you purchase tickets and order them to be posted to you please remember to use the London Centre address, not the Kamen-Minerva Residences, so that your tickets can be signed for an securely stored until your arrival.

See you in ten days,

Ric Whaite"

* Photo by Rohit Mattoo, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Summer holidays

The London Centre is still busy with Summer Engineers and Summer Law students, but this blog will be on summer vacation until August.

While we're gone, though, do you have any suggestions for topics or themes we should cover when we return? Any questions you'd like us to spend a week exploring and answering?



Wherever you are, have a great summer!

* Photo by c@rljones, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London images - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite image of London you'd like to share?

"Walbrook Wharf at night. It's not a traditional London image, but I love that the Thames is a working river - this is the loading point for a commercial waste processing company, right next to Cannon Street station in the middle of the city - a few feet from the Bankers pub."- Miss Alice

* Photo by me.

London images - Prof O'Boyle

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite image of London you'd like to share?

Being iced in London has a totally different meaning!

Reproduced with kind permission of the photographer, Amanda Wilson

- Prof O'Boyle

London images - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite image of London you'd like to share?

"I love this image because it's around 500 years old, and, while there have been changes, London is still recognizable. Not many cities can say that! (I also like all of the boats and London Bridge in the background.)"- Kris

Tower of London -- from manuscript (British Library, MS Royal, 16 folio 73) of poems by Charles, Duke of Orleans (1391-1465); commemorating his imprisonment there

London bus routes - Catherine

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bus route?

"You don’t have to be leaving from Hammersmith or Aldwych to catch a ride through some of London’s trendiest areas. The Route 9 bus goes down Kensington High Street, past Hyde Park and Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, to Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and the Strand.

If you want to experience the Routemaster buses, Route 9 offers a Heritage service between Royal Albert Hall in Kensington and Aldwych (Wikipedia 'London Buses route 9' if you want to know more!)"- Catherine

* Photo by jovike, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London bus routes - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bus route?

"Leaving aside for a moment my gratitude to the 24hr number 25, which has been able to get me to minimum-fare-taxi distance from everywhere I've ever lived in London, how about the 341, from City Hall to Seven Sisters. (The route actually carries on past there, but I've never been on the final leg.)

The #34 delivers a real cross section of London, from the big buildings and classic tourist London views as you cross the river on Waterloo Bridge, past my favourite dance venue, Sadlers Wells, through Islington, and into the areas of North London not troubled by tube connections - Stoke Newington, and the much loved Clissold Park (which is hosting a participatory sculpture installation this Saturday - DOG - which looks fab). From there, you head up past Finsbury Park, though Hackney and Tottenham to the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, another great venue for dance. This end of the route is a slice of 'average' London that most tourists will never visit."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Ines 93, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London bus routes - Prof O'Boyle

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bus route?

"Why purchase an expensive ticket on a sight-seeing bus tour of London when you can hop on a number 11 bus and see many of London’s greatest tourist attractions? Starting its journey in Fulham (with its trendy bars and pubs), the bus plies it route up the King’s Road in Chelsea, past designer boutiques and the Saatchi Gallery. Taking in Sloane Square, with Cadogan Concert Hall, The Royal Court Theatre, and the south end of Sloane Street (London’s Rodeo Drive), the bus makes it way to Victoria, passing the stunning Byzantine-style Roman Catholic Cathedral of Westminster. It then heads on to Parliament Square, with excellent views of Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It then proceeds up Whitehall, past the great departments of state and Downing Street, and on to Trafalgar Square, the natural habit of Notre Dame students. It then passes along the Strand, past the Royal Courts of Justice and down Fleet Street (once the centre of Britain’s newspaper industry). It then rises up Ludgate Hill, past St Paul’s Cathedral and on to the Mansion House (The Lord Mayor of London’s residence), the Bank of England, and the Old Stock Exchange. The bus terminates at Liverpool Street Station, just a stone’s throw from Spittalfields Market and Brick Lane, an ideal place to end your journey with an authentic curry! What more could you ask of a single bus route!"- Prof O'Boyle

* Photo by James Cridland, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.