Going to see the Arsenal? Want to?

[Frankgarrison]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k594196-Trip_Report_April_14th_20th_Part_4_FINAL-l3550969-London_England.html#3550969


Sorry, I can't get your link

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...d.html#3550969

to work.

AAWG

[Bluto11]

stay away from this hotel like the plague (http://www.gresham-hotels.com/htm/cont2.htm)

seriously, it's a dump. and who numbers every single room in the 200s no matter what floor it is on. seriously.

[Dave_M]

London Tube Etiquette

When travelling as a tourist in London you will probably catch the tube (or underground). If you do, you will probably get in the way of regular commuters. In order to lower the number of swear words you hear as people push past please use the following hints

Do not smoke. The Kings Cross disaster was caused by a dropped cigarette. People have a right to be safe.

On escalators, stand on the right. The signs are everywhere. Do not stand next to your friend on the same step. Do not put your bag beside you.

Before joining the queue for the ticket gates, have your ticket in your hand.

Do not stand there blocking the gate while you look in the bottom of your bum bag.

Do not stop immediately after the ticket gate and look at a map. Move to one side.

If you have bought a single ticket, and not a zone card when you exit the tube after your journey, the ticket gate will keep it. Do not stand there expecting it to come out. It's gone. It's used. Get over it, and mourn later.

Let people off the train before boarding. You may want to get on, but they are getting off with a purpose. Get out of the way.

If you are travelling with a rucksack or back pack take it off. You have no idea how annoying it is to be in a packed tube, with some backpacker forcing his pack into your face and not realising because he can't feel anything. Better still travel at off peak times.

Use deodorant.

Do not eat smelly food. Do not drink beer. Be careful with any type of hot drink.

Turn your Walkman/CD/MP3 player down.

Don't pick your nose.

Do not attempt to read a broadsheet newspaper in a packed carriage.

Do not litter on the platforms. It will be swept onto the rails and can cause delays.

Do not leave your litter on the train. I know we have no bins down here, but thats due to the nasty habit of putting bombs into bins, practised by the IRA a while back.

Do not play tonsil hockey with your better half, or with someone you just meet in a pub 5 minutes ago

Control your children. The tube is not a playground.

Do not hold the door open.

Mind the gap.

and most important of all DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE. WE DO NOT TALK IN THE TUBES.

Enjoy your stay, just don't travel in front of me, ok?

[The Grimster]

Covent Garden (http://www.coventgardenlife.com/) We luv it! Luv it! Luv it, luv it luv it!

Transport for London (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en) Ideal for planning your journey in London - run by the great Ken Livingstone!

Duck Tours (http://www.londonducktours.co.uk/) Great tour which goes on land and the Thames

London Eye (http://www.londoneye.com/) A must see. For a laugh, get to the top and then ask a foreigner if they have the right time! I usually try for an American and it always creases me up when they look at their watch!

The Old Wheatsheaf (http://www.fancyapint.com/main_site/thepubs/pub2275.html) Traditional pub on the outskirts of London. Tradition maintains that you should find the fattest bloke in the pub and buy him a pint of Stella!

[Shibby13]

I was just wondering where are the seats in the stadium usually that you sit in when you get tickets from Rick? Also, where are the best clubs/pubs for college aged kids in Central London?

[surfcam]

London Tube Etiquette

When travelling as a tourist in London you will probably catch the tube (or underground). If you do, you will probably get in the way of regular commuters. In order to lower the number of swear words you hear as people push past please use the following hints

.....

Don't pick your nose.

....


Damn.;)

Actually, some of the best advise is to avoid the 'rush hour' tube traffic during the week. If you are there are on vacation, it should be easy. And make sure you know before you get in the station which train and DIRECTION you want to travel. The first train I got on was the right line, but I had followed the signs to the wrong direction. Felt like an idiot. Got it straight every time after that.

[n4100]

I was just wondering where are the seats in the stadium usually that you sit in when you get tickets from Rick? Also, where are the best clubs/pubs for college aged kids in Central London?
There are a few places, one I remeber is Fabric. Like others have noted, pick up a "Time Out" when you get there and it will give you a decent rundown. Also, TNT magazine, though geared for Aussies/Kiwis/Saffies is a decent magazine for backpackers and since its free, you can normally find a good rundown of events in there as well.

[SLO-Gunner]

London Tube Etiquette


Can I at least proceed to scratch my ass, Dave?

[surfcam]

This seems to come up a lot so...

Where to get Arsenal gear

- New Arsenal store will be in Ashburton Grove
- Arsenal World of Sport at Finsbury Park Tube Station
- Niketown in Oxford Circus
- Lillywhites in Picadilly
- Soccer Scene on Carnaby Street (behind Hamley's Toy store, basically)

[Publius]

London Tube Etiquette

When travelling as a tourist in London you will probably catch the tube (or underground). If you do, you will probably get in the way of regular commuters. In order to lower the number of swear words you hear as people push past please use the following hints

Do not smoke. The Kings Cross disaster was caused by a dropped cigarette. People have a right to be safe.

On escalators, stand on the right. The signs are everywhere. Do not stand next to your friend on the same step. Do not put your bag beside you.

Before joining the queue for the ticket gates, have your ticket in your hand.

Do not stand there blocking the gate while you look in the bottom of your bum bag.

Do not stop immediately after the ticket gate and look at a map. Move to one side.

If you have bought a single ticket, and not a zone card when you exit the tube after your journey, the ticket gate will keep it. Do not stand there expecting it to come out. It's gone. It's used. Get over it, and mourn later.

Let people off the train before boarding. You may want to get on, but they are getting off with a purpose. Get out of the way.

If you are travelling with a rucksack or back pack take it off. You have no idea how annoying it is to be in a packed tube, with some backpacker forcing his pack into your face and not realising because he can't feel anything. Better still travel at off peak times.

Use deodorant.

Do not eat smelly food. Do not drink beer. Be careful with any type of hot drink.

Turn your Walkman/CD/MP3 player down.

Don't pick your nose.

Do not attempt to read a broadsheet newspaper in a packed carriage.

Do not litter on the platforms. It will be swept onto the rails and can cause delays.

Do not leave your litter on the train. I know we have no bins down here, but thats due to the nasty habit of putting bombs into bins, practised by the IRA a while back.

Do not play tonsil hockey with your better half, or with someone you just meet in a pub 5 minutes ago

Control your children. The tube is not a playground.

Do not hold the door open.

Mind the gap.

and most important of all DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE. WE DO NOT TALK IN THE TUBES.

Enjoy your stay, just don't travel in front of me, ok?

Other than the Mind the Gap thing, I suspect that most of these Tube/Subway rules are universal. I'm nearly driven to a murderous rage by the bozos on the Washington, DC Metro who routinely violate these rules.

You are, however, not kidding about the deodorant thing. I was in Cologne on the day the Czechs were playing Ghana and got onto a packed S-Bahn train loaded with Czech fans. It was immediately apparent that the Czechs had spent their previous five days celebrating their thrashing of the US by collectively not showering. Ugh.:(

[HighburyGoon]

London Tube Etiquette...

If you are travelling with a rucksack or back pack take it off. You have no idea how annoying it is to be in a packed tube, with some backpacker forcing his pack into your face and not realising because he can't feel anything. Better still travel at off peak times.

I actually violated this one on the way back to Heathrow. It was rush hour, and the train was crowded. There actually wasn't any room to try to take my backpack off. I felt bad, but tried to squeeze into the corner as best as I could.

[gunner 4ever]

I trawled some old threads and here's what people are recommending:

The iconic "London" stuff - Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace/the changing of the guard.

Military history seems popular - Imperial War Museum, National Army Museum, HMS Belfast, Churchill Museum and the Cabinet War Rooms, and the British Military Museum all get enthusiastic mentions.

Greenwich has the National Martime Museum, the Royal Observatory (with the Prime Meridian) and the Cutty Sark. You can get a river bus down to Greenwich and it's an interesting ride.

Museums and galleries - there are loads of these but all of the following have been mentioned by previous visitors or locals. British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Courtauld Gallery in Somerset House.

Markets - Portabello Road and Spitalfields both get honourable mentions. Portabello's in Notting Hill which has been suggested as an interesting area in which to wander. Brick Lane also has a market and has been cited as a place to head for if you want a great curry. Covent Garden was famous for its market. Now it's more shops and fixed stalls but again can be good for a wander.

Entertainment - For concerts the Royal Albert Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields get props. Both are interesting buildings. Despite its rustic name St Martin's is actually in Trafalgar Square and the lunchtime concerts are free. At the Globe Theatre (a reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays) you again get interesting architecture, and culture!
For the many West End theatres try the TKTS booth in Leicester Square. It's possible to get up to 50% discount on some shows.
Lastly there's a great club scene - something for everyone. Listings for clubs and all other sorts of entertainment can be found in the weekly magazine TimeOut London.

Miscellaneous - London Eye for great views. Hyde Park for a walk in a green space and people-watching. Speakers Corner is particularly good for this and there are some truly nutty theories to be heard! You can also swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park if you happen to be around when it's hot (not often during the football season).

Day trips out of London - Oxford and Cambridge the two historic university cities are full of beautiful old colleges and (sadly) students. (Just kidding ;) ) People have enjoyed trips to Canterbury, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, Brighton and Stonehenge. For these sort of trips take the train and book your train tickets as far in advance as possible - you'll save a fortune.

Pubs - Probably deserve a dedicated post judging by the number of times they get mentioned in people's stories of their trips. :D I'm not really an expert so I'll leave someone else to cover this. ;)

surprised you didn't mention covent garden.

Great place to just spend a relaxing afternoon.

get there around 11ish to walk around the shops, then around 12ish get a place right infront of the street performers while munching on lunch!

great place to burn a couple hours until high tea! :D

ill be heading there at the first week of august to take some pics outside Ashburton Grove, and of course get my KIT!!!!

[Eddie26]

I'd like to add going to The Church. http://www.thechurch.co.uk/index.html

It's an incredible time (for anyone young or old but like to drink, see naked people and get crazy). I found it for the first time about 6 years ago when I was staying near Kings Cross. We came out of our hotel on Sunday morning to see bleary eyed Aussies and Kiwis walking up the street, loads of them. We followed them and had the most incredible time. I can't even describe how crazy it is in words.

[NEEK]

So if I need two tickets for when I go to see the Gunners, I should buy my girlfriend a membership too? Or can I get more than one ticket with my membership?

[Eddie26]

So if I need two tickets for when I go to see the Gunners, I should buy my girlfriend a membership too? Or can I get more than one ticket with my membership?

I believe the first post said one membership per ticket.

EDIT: Just checked. Here it is:
1. PM "RickB" with the following information: the date of the match and how many tickets you need. Note, every ticket requested must have a corresponding member of ArsenalAmerica (want to take your wife/friend/boyfriend/whomever, sign them up).

[Joser]

I stayed at the Jury's Inn in Chelsea and I'd like to recommend it to travelers. It's about a 3 minute bus ride from Earls Court where you can catch Picadilly/District/Circle lines and go pretty much anywhere. The hotel was cheap, but it's was very nice as it was a new hotel.

TV was a wash though, I had BBC news on one channel and a seemingly endless episode of Big Brother on another.

Also try Benjy's restaurant in Earl's court. They have the EBCB (Eggs bacon beans and chips) breakfast for about 3 quid and you get unlimited coffee or tea. We ate there for several meals and it's a budget place to go if you don't have the 8.50 to spend at the Gastro pubs all around there.

[deeplennon]

One book i'd recommend for anyone going over there is time out cheap eats london. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1904978401/sr=8-1/qid=1153414181/ref=sr_1_1/104-1189912-9150346?ie=UTF8)

a) It's really cheap (10 bucks).
b) It's small enough to fit in your coat pocket.
c) has a tube map and really good detailed street maps (15 or so) to every area you'll find yourself in.
d) 700+ restaurant reviews to good restaurants where you can fill up for less than a tenner a plate with their locations marked on previously mentioned maps.

[tipsymcstaggers]

Do not eat smelly food. Do not drink beer. Be careful with any type of hot drink.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Do hope this means ON the train and not BEFORE. God help us all if not.

:-P

[The Grimster]

I actually violated this one on the way back to Heathrow. It was rush hour, and the train was crowded. There actually wasn't any room to try to take my backpack off. I felt bad, but tried to squeeze into the corner as best as I could.
We're working on a radical new concept to fix this problem. we call it "take it off before you get on"

[Kerry Dixon's Boots]

Are there any horse racing tracks in or around London? I know there's greyhound racing in Wimbledon but haven't heard of any horse racing.

Plenty of good racecourses in the area. One of the most famous is Royal Ascot - easy train ride away. There's also Newbury (my home town) - they have a cracking racecourse (course of the year in 2005 I think). Not expensive for a ticket and some top class races. I think Hennesey Cognac Gold Cup day is in late November sometime.

Awesome tickets in the main grandstand can be pricey but for less than a tenner you can get a seat further down the finish line.

Newbury is about an hour away by train - feel free to PM me for more information.

If you want to place a bet at any time, high street gambling is legal everywhere and you can find a multitude of bookies in every town (William Hill, Ladbrokes etc).