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| Grenadier Member Since: 23 Jul 2014 Location: The foot of Mont Blanc... Posts: 5878   
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Hi Roel, I know the area well. A former girlfriend lived nearby and my father went to Med School at St Mary's just behind Paddington Station. So Norfolk Square is quite a good place to be located, assuming you're going to want to do what I suggest below!!
Firstly, from a food point of view, avoid eating in the area immediately around you. It'll be mostly tourist or chain restaurant rubbish. Either head East by bus to Marelybone High Street for good bistros, independent restaurants and pubs (if you walk to Marleybone High Street perhaps take the chance to see the Wallace Collection, one of London's least well known yet most important and charming art collections). Alternatively head West by foot to (firstly) Queensway, if you like 'world' cuisine where you'll find lots of Chinese, Indian, Iranian and other restaurants (but do check recommendations on Trip Advisor first as they too can be touristy) or go a little further West to Notting Hill Gate and head to Portobello Road (obviously a place to visit in its own right) and you'll find a handful of bistros and restaurants located mainly round the little square near the junction of Westbourne Grove and Portobello Road. I'm also led to believe that Paddington Basin to the north of the station, which has been subject to a recent multi-million pound refurbishment, has good bars and restaurants. But whatever you do, avoid the area immediately around Paddington station itself. If you happen to go to Portobello market (whilst it's open all week, Saturday is when you see the hustle and bustle, and if you go at 0600 you see the antique dealers buying and selling between each other), then pop in for a Beer at the Portobello Gold, or later in the day, head to Beach Blanket Babylon for a cocktail in its super eclectic interior. Staying in that part of the world, just off Portobello you'll find the Cow, one of London's best rated food pubs (but do book ahead for an evening meal) or for one of the oldest authentic city pubs head to the Windsor Castle (so called because you used to be able to see Windsor Castle from the same vantage point) on Campden Hill with its amazing original interior and courtyard garden. From a sight seeing point of view, you find yourself just north of the beautiful Hyde Park and North West of the West End. Each area offers two very different experiences. Head almost due south through the Park by foot or bike and you'll come to the heart of London's Museum quarter where you'll find the Victoria and Albert (called the V&A), The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, plus depending on the route you take you'll pass the Albert Hall, Albert Memorial and with a slight detour, Kensington Palace (where Wills and Kate live, and Diana used to live, her memorial...if that's your thing, located nearby). Plus behind the Palace you can see Kensington Palace Gardens where London's grandest houses are located, some selling for well over 150m€. Head further South past the museums and you'll head into Chelsea, and the King's Road, famous the world over but now just a residential/dining/shopping area. The punks, sadly, are long gone. Head south east through the park, (or merely head east after you've hit the museums), and you'll come to one of London's two luxury shopping areas. This, located around Harrods, Harvey Nichols (called Harvey Nicks by the locals) and Sloane Street is packed full of luxury boutiques. Keep the credit cards locked away. If you're heading to London at Christmas, do pass by if only to see the shop front displays in Harrods and HNs which are world famous. If you want to pop in, Harrods Food Hall is amazing but avoid the rest of the store unless you want a Harrods Teddy Bear for the kids (from the basement gift shop) and if you're feeling smart, a glass of champagne at the 5th Floor in Harvey Nicks always eases you into the evening. Located opposite HNs at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, very highly rated (and by London gastronomy standards not too expensive), you'll find 'Dinner' by Heston Blumenthal. Worth trying for that 'special' night out. However, if fancy dining is not your thing, continue heading east along the same road to Hyde Park Corner where you'll find the original (yes, it's not American) Hard Rock Cafe. Packed full of memorabilia, great burgers, lots of noise, but expect to queue. Outside!! Staying in Hyde Park corner, if you've got a briefcase full of cash and it's a beautiful clear day, head to Windows at the top of the Hilton Park Lane, where you'll have fantastic 360 degree views of London accompanied by a wildly expensive cocktail! Hyde Park corner conveniently acts as the junction between the next two tourist areas of London. Continue due East along Piccadilly to see the West End, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Soho, China Town (pretty useless, worth only going to if you must eat Chinese) and Covent Garden. This area is mainly about bars, restaurants and shopping. There's not much to see bar the architecture and some famous street names. But if you're going that way you will pass the Ritz and also Fortnum and Mason, nicknamed the Queen's Grocers, where you should pop in to buy some tea or just look at the Christmas decor. In this pocket you'll also find the prestige arcades of London (such as Burlington arcade) and the famous clothing roads of Saville Row and Jermyn Street. And if you turn South off Piccadilly, down St James', you'll find the Queen's wine suppliers Berry Brothers and Rudd, one of London's oldest shops and worth popping in. If you head north on the same axis you hit Bond Street, London's second luxury shopping area and where you'll find all the jewelry shops such as Cartier, Tiffany's etc. If you happen to walk this road, do pop into Sotheby's as you can still watch live auctions on weekdays, which are great fun. Just as you get to the end of Piccadilly on the left you'll find one of London's great art galleries, the Royal Academy, whilst on the right you'll find the world's largest bookstore, Waterstones. As for the key pockets in the West End, I suppose you have to see them but they're hugely touristy. Avoid Oxford Street like the plague, however Wardour Street in Soho is good for a night out and of course this borders 'theatreland ' should you want to see a musical or play. I can highly recommend the Donmar Warehouse for the latter, which is located at the northern edge of Covent Garden, but don't ask about musicals, I cannot stand them. Carnaby street is now rubbish and (much) further north to Camden and the market ain't what it used to be, just millions of young tourists looking for t-shirts with pictures of the Pope smoking a joint. If you want to avoid the West End or it's a different day, from HPC head south east along Constitution Hill towards Buckingham Palace (and the changing of the guard...if you want more info on this, do ask since I used to do it) and from there via The Mall to the heart of U.K. politics and establishment via Horse Guards Parade through Whitehall Palace and then right (passing Downing Street) to the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben and on to Westminster Abbey. Once you've hit the area of 'Big Ben' you're a short stroll over Waterloo Bridge for your first few of the Thames as your approach the 'South Bank'. At this point, if you want to quench your thirst, I cannot recommend enough the King's Arms Pub on Rouple Street by Waterloo Station. Fantastic boozer with a great selection of British Ale. However, if you're still on the move head East along the South Bank, past the London Aquarium, under the London Eye and continue along the riverside. Here you'll pass the South Bank Centre which has art galleries, theatre and music halls and the National Film theatre. Continue further along the riverside and you'll pass all manner of attractions including street art/dance, street food, bohemian art and culture, etc etc. All live, much of it free and some absolutely brilliant. As far as the main attractions on the riverside are concerned and depending on how far you walk (the South Bank between Waterloo Bridge and Tower Bridge can fill a day) you will pass the Tate Modern, one of the best Modern Art Galleries and a staggering building in its own right, and located alongside which you'll find the Millenium Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe theatre. The first is a bridge which in five minutes will lead you back across the river to St Paul's Cathedral and the latter is a full recreation of Shakespeare's famous theatre where they still hold performances in the open air. Worth a visit. Continue on and you will pass Drake's Golden Hind and arrive in the area of Borough Market, London's first 'foodie' market. Here, you will also find the London Town Hall, located on the river and nicknamed the Beehive, the Shard (Europe's tallest building) and Tower Bridge. Staying on this side of the river you can visit the Design Museum or else pop over to the other side via Tower Bridge and visit the Tower of London for the Beefeaters, The Ravens and the Crown Jewels. You are now on the far eastern edge of the heart of London. This area is known as the 'City' and is the oldest part of London. If you go there on a Saturday it will all be closed (pubs, restaurants etc included) as it is the financial district and does not cater for tourists. Whilst there are things to see (roman ruins, famous markets, Whitechapel if you follow Jack the Ripper etc) it's really for the visitor who has seen everything else London has to offer, not as a priority. And now you're done on the South Bank, don't forget that if the weather's nice and you want to rest your plates (you're in the East End now, 'Plates' is London Rhyming Slang: Plates of Meat = 'Feet'...) then head back to Waterloo Bridge by boat and soak in the sights from the river. If you've chosen not to do the South Bank or are still in Westminster on a separate day, head back into the centre of the West End by heading up Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square. Here you'll find Nelson's Column, the 'Lions' representing England's national animal and two further galleries with the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The latter is one of my favourites covering both paintings and photography. Also in Trafalgar Square keep an eye open for what's on the 'empty' fourth plinth in the top left corner as you look at the National Gallery. There are four plinths in the Square, three taken by equestrian memorials to past generals, but by the time they got to the fourth plinth they'd run out of money. It remained empty for 150 years until it was decided it could be used for works of art. They change regularly, so have a look to see what's there, it'll be different next time you return. Finally, whilst staying on the subject of art and treasures, but a bit of a geographical jump, to the North East of Covent Garden you will find the British Museum. If you enjoy archeology it is one of the world's best and has an abundance of artefacts. The V&A is about the world's treasures, the British museum about the world's civilisations. So there we are. I hope that helps you (or anyone heading to London). If you have, for example, three days in London I'd recommend doing Hyde Park/Notting Hill And Museums on one day, Harrods, the West End and Parliament on another day (forms a nice triangle) and the South Bank to the Tower of London on the third. Also if your wife must do some shopping, you can go to Europe's largest luxury mall which is a short bus ride West to Shepard's Bush. It's called the Westfield Centre and has every brand you could wish for, plus many restaurants, all under one roof. It's open late if you want avoid wasting daylight hours but still want to take advantage of the weak pound!! Finally, they say London is a collection of villages. If you want to see any of the others such as the long established (eg Richmond for its riverside location and royal parks), the recently gentrified (Canary Wharf and docklands for its skyscrapers and warehouse conversions), the historical (Greenwich in the east, Hampton Court in the West), the celeb spotters favourites (Primrose Hill and Islington), the hipster cool (Shoreditch and Hoxton), the ethnic hearts (Brixton for the Caribbean community, Mile End for the Bangladeshi community, etc), the Cemeteries (Highgate), the sports meccas (Twickenham, Wembley or Stratford)...the list goes on, then feel free to ask. There's a huge number of very, very different pockets throughout this great city, but as per the financial district possibly saved for another trip. But the top part of this post should offer enough to both fill three days but also to get to see the major sights in the centre. Most are easily reached by bus/bike or if the weather is nice, on foot and should give you a feel for what London is all about. Enjoy  Monsieur Le Grenadier
I've not been everywhere, but it's on my list..... 2011 Puma 110DC - Corris Grey |
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3rd Nov 2016 10:20am |
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