London, England – June 1999

New This Month

It’s the start of summer (read “almost warm enough to wear a t-shirt”), and London goes activity mad till September! It’s also the time that the city is inundated with tourists. You will not find any pleasant strolls through Piccadilly Circus this month. Instead, you will become one of the thousands of human pinballs trying to push your way through to the ½ price ticket both.

My main suggestion for this month is to avoid central London, and all other major tourist attractions in London You’re here to enjoy yourself, not give yourself a stress heart attack! Although this may seem to contradict the very reason for coming to London, I can assure you that there are many lesser-known things to see and do that will not be unbearably crowded.

However, one crowded event worth going to in June is Wimbledon, which takes place 22 June – 5 July.

To See & Do

I would suggest a stroll around the City of London (the financial district) which is marked by lion statues. Although the city does hold such tourist fascination as the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral, the rest of the city is filled with interesting buildings and sights that tourist don’t seem to visit en mass.

Although I know I’m contradicting myself, St Paul’s is not to be missed, it’s absolutely beautiful. Other highlights include Fleet Street, which houses tons of pubs; Monument, a monument to the great fire of 1666 that can be climbed for great views of the city; many old churches are holding free summer lunchtime music sessions; the Museum of London, which is often overlooked by visitors; the Lloyds building, which is definitely the ugliest and most hated building in the city; and countless little alleyways that are fun to explore as they generally have something of interest hidden in them.

Great Eats

The Great Canadian Bagel Company. Although it’s not really a restaurant, it is in my opinion the best food available in the City of London. Most restaurants in the city cater to workers, and therefore are really expensive and many close early. The GCBC does close early, but it’s not expensive and it has great food and is open Sundays.

Canadian note: you do not have to have the pre-packaged sandwiches. Ask at the counter for them to make you one fresh, and request lots of different stuff other than the pre-set selections. Though you’ll have thoroughly confused them, you’ll feel much comfort when you sink your teeth into a piece of home!! (And never get sweetcorn or prawn, or you can rip up your passport!)

Nightlife

There basically isn’t anything in the City, as it becomes a ghost town in the evenings. However, it is a short cab ride to the theatres around Covent Garden.

Shopping

The city has many great markets, including:

Spittlefields – mostly restaurants now, though the market does have some interesting shops such as the costume store.

Trafalgar Square

General Info on London

London’s huge. It’s also crowded and buzzing with an energy all

it’s own. With the exception of wildlife you can find everything

you’ve ever dreamt of – for a price. When coming here the number

one thing you can count on is that you’re not going to be bored.

The number two thing is that you’re going to spend a lot more

money than you planned (even considering most museums & galleries

are free).

Guide Book Update

I know many guide books are highly recommending the Museum of

Mankind just off Bond Street, and I trudged 1/2 hour to see this

wondrous collection only to find out that it’s closed. It is currently

being relocated to the British Museum and will not be on display

for a few years – probably just in time for the next guidebook

update!

Recommended Readings

Edward Rutherford’s “London.” Okay okay, it’s a long book, but

if you have a long plane ride the payoff is excellent. There’s

so much more to be had from the city when you can walk around

and understand how the things you’re seeing got there.

Getting Around

I know all guidebooks will tell you to take black cabs, and they

are pretty cool but also pretty expensive. You can get much cheaper

travel by finding a minicab, with whom you can negotiate the price

upfront. They are really easy to find at night, they hang around

outside of night clubs and other attractions, and they’re listed

in the phone book if you want to get one from your hotel.

Where to Find Info

The what’s on bible for most Londoners is “Time Out” which is

widely available and comes out weekly for 1.80.

They also have

a good website. Every

Thursday the very similar (though not as comprehensive) guide

“Hot Tickets” comes

free with the 35p Evening Standard – which is sold on all street

corners.

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