What to do around the British Museum?
February 2, 2015 11:12 AM Subscribe
I'm in London for an extended period of time. Unfortunately I still have calls (work) that seem to last until 7PM or so, so I'm usually stuck at the office until late. I'm staying near the British Museum, however everything seems to just shut down really early or I don't know where to look? Any suggestions that don't involve a pub (or drinking)? A coffeeshop or equivalent that will let me linger, and has good WiFi would be great. Or cool shops to browse that are open late.
I find if I'm traveling for business, have an expense account and know nobody, I could easily spend the rest of the night drinking at the pub. I also have a really, really small place that I'd rather not just stay in there the entire night.
It could be that I'm blocks away from a wonderful neighborhood, but so far seems rather pedestrian.
I find if I'm traveling for business, have an expense account and know nobody, I could easily spend the rest of the night drinking at the pub. I also have a really, really small place that I'd rather not just stay in there the entire night.
It could be that I'm blocks away from a wonderful neighborhood, but so far seems rather pedestrian.
Best answer: If it were me, and you could swing it, I'd get on the tube and head over to Leicester Square and hit the TKTS booth. Why not travel outside your immediate area? The 39 Steps is a great movie and I'll bet its a fantastic play! It starts at 20:00 so that gives you an hour, give or take, plus it's only £15.50!
I might be tempted to catch some caberet. Perhaps a comedy show.
I just love live performance.
London is such a fun place, why sit in a room and fool with your computer? Get out, see some of it!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:35 AM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I might be tempted to catch some caberet. Perhaps a comedy show.
I just love live performance.
London is such a fun place, why sit in a room and fool with your computer? Get out, see some of it!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 11:35 AM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
You're not too far from where I stayed, in Fitzrovia - a few blocks north and west of the British Museum, you hit Tottenham court Road, a strip of shopping and such; a lot of pubs and restaurants and coffee shops are to the west of that.
Although, to the north of that is the Print Room Cafe, which is meant to be for the University College of London students - if you can get in there, that sounds ideal.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:42 AM on February 2, 2015
Although, to the north of that is the Print Room Cafe, which is meant to be for the University College of London students - if you can get in there, that sounds ideal.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:42 AM on February 2, 2015
Best answer: I lived a block from the British Museum for four years. That area is a dead zone at night. It is amazing during the day but it is a touristy area and after all the tourists leave the area shuts down - except for pubs and restaurants of course.
The thing is central London is walkable and this is a great area to start walking from. We used to walk down through Covent Garden or over to Charing Cross or Soho as an evening walk. Really, just walk. You're not far from Soho and Piccadilly
You might try Notes near Trafalgar Square. They serve amazing coffee and are open until 10pm. Most cafes like the one you're looking for will be already packed though. Quiet cafes that are also open late is not something I ever stumbled upon in central London. You might also try Foyles, as mentioned above, or the ICA, or Thursday nights at the Wellcome. But, you'll have to walk.
posted by vacapinta at 12:13 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The thing is central London is walkable and this is a great area to start walking from. We used to walk down through Covent Garden or over to Charing Cross or Soho as an evening walk. Really, just walk. You're not far from Soho and Piccadilly
You might try Notes near Trafalgar Square. They serve amazing coffee and are open until 10pm. Most cafes like the one you're looking for will be already packed though. Quiet cafes that are also open late is not something I ever stumbled upon in central London. You might also try Foyles, as mentioned above, or the ICA, or Thursday nights at the Wellcome. But, you'll have to walk.
posted by vacapinta at 12:13 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Renoir cinema is in a shopping center nearby.
posted by brujita at 12:13 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 12:13 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The area around the British Museum is quiet and somewhat depopulated after dark. There's some good pubs and quite a few cafes, but they're mostly on the backstreets. Yelp will help you find reasonable ones near you.
That said, you're in a massive world city with an incredible 24hr transport system. You can be pretty much get anywhere inside of Zone 1 in 30-40 minutes and you can walk most places in Zone 1 pretty quick. There's no good reason to keep yourself within a few blocks of your apartment.
If you have an iDevice, grab YPlan and get yourself some cheap(ish) culture.
Take a tube four stops to the South Bank and go to the Royal Festival Hall - massive cafe there that's open late with acres of tables.
There's stacks of late night cafes in and around Soho that aren't all boozy.
Here's a thread of suggestions for low-key places to hang out in London.
Here's another one about places to hang out and drink coffee.
Time Out has up to date listings of everything that's on, from art galleries to theatre and everything else.
Have fun!
posted by Happy Dave at 12:15 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
That said, you're in a massive world city with an incredible 24hr transport system. You can be pretty much get anywhere inside of Zone 1 in 30-40 minutes and you can walk most places in Zone 1 pretty quick. There's no good reason to keep yourself within a few blocks of your apartment.
If you have an iDevice, grab YPlan and get yourself some cheap(ish) culture.
Take a tube four stops to the South Bank and go to the Royal Festival Hall - massive cafe there that's open late with acres of tables.
There's stacks of late night cafes in and around Soho that aren't all boozy.
Here's a thread of suggestions for low-key places to hang out in London.
Here's another one about places to hang out and drink coffee.
Time Out has up to date listings of everything that's on, from art galleries to theatre and everything else.
Have fun!
posted by Happy Dave at 12:15 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
As Ruthless Bunny suggested, take the tube down to Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus (you could walk it, if you have a map to navigate the windy London streets). This is the London equivalent of Times Square/Broadway, a lively area with many forms of entertainment.
Also, on Friday nights, some museums stay open late. The British Museum itself is open until 8:30 pm on Fridays, and the Victoria and Albert and Tate Britain are open until 10. The Tate Modern is open until 10 both Friday and Saturday nights.
posted by ubiquity at 12:19 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, on Friday nights, some museums stay open late. The British Museum itself is open until 8:30 pm on Fridays, and the Victoria and Albert and Tate Britain are open until 10. The Tate Modern is open until 10 both Friday and Saturday nights.
posted by ubiquity at 12:19 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Aperture Photographic at Rathbone Place is a second-hand camera shop with a nice cafe and gallery space. There are also loads of antiquarian bookshops in the area.
posted by skybluepink at 12:54 PM on February 2, 2015
posted by skybluepink at 12:54 PM on February 2, 2015
Best answer: It's not a huge help, but the London Review of Books Bookshop and Cake Shop is right there and has occasional late night shopping. (Although in this case "late night" == "until 8 PM".)
posted by asterix at 1:45 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by asterix at 1:45 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Holborn Whippet is nearby, if you want a good ale and burger. It's right by Holborn Station, in Sicilian Way.
posted by toerinishuman at 2:03 PM on February 2, 2015
posted by toerinishuman at 2:03 PM on February 2, 2015
The Renoir cinema is in a shopping center nearby.
Sadly, it's currently undergoing redevelopment, and the work's fallen behind schedule. It'll be reopening as the Curzon Bloomsbury "in the spring".
The British Library, comfortably walkable from the British Museum, is open till 8pm Mondays - Thursdays.
There are evening concerts and talks on at Kings Place, 10 minutes' walk beyond the British Library. I realise that's not quite what you're looking for, but you might find something that takes your fancy anyway.
St Pancras station might be worth a look; it's got plenty of shops and cafés, all small but quite diverse, and most of them open at least till 9. King's Cross, over the road, also has an assortment, including a Harry Potter shop by Platform 9 3/4.
The Half Cup coffee shop on Judd St is open till 8 or 9 most weekdays. I don't know about wifi, but it's a nice place, with friendly staff and good food and coffee; it's also got some fabulous murals of colourful birds and flowers.
You might also like to sign up for daily events emails from Londonist; many of the things they highlight on weekdays are evening affairs.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:26 PM on February 2, 2015
Sadly, it's currently undergoing redevelopment, and the work's fallen behind schedule. It'll be reopening as the Curzon Bloomsbury "in the spring".
The British Library, comfortably walkable from the British Museum, is open till 8pm Mondays - Thursdays.
There are evening concerts and talks on at Kings Place, 10 minutes' walk beyond the British Library. I realise that's not quite what you're looking for, but you might find something that takes your fancy anyway.
St Pancras station might be worth a look; it's got plenty of shops and cafés, all small but quite diverse, and most of them open at least till 9. King's Cross, over the road, also has an assortment, including a Harry Potter shop by Platform 9 3/4.
The Half Cup coffee shop on Judd St is open till 8 or 9 most weekdays. I don't know about wifi, but it's a nice place, with friendly staff and good food and coffee; it's also got some fabulous murals of colourful birds and flowers.
You might also like to sign up for daily events emails from Londonist; many of the things they highlight on weekdays are evening affairs.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 3:26 PM on February 2, 2015
Heading towards Euston, there's The Wellcome Collection (open to 10pm on Thursdays), and the Bloomsbury Theatre.
posted by davemack at 1:56 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by davemack at 1:56 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Omg Skoob is around the corner (at the Brunswick Centre)!! It's open till 8pm Monday to Saturday - I LOVE it.
That entire shopping centre has plenty of shops and stuff open well after 7pm, but you are a stone's throw away from the West End (take the tube from Euston to Leicester Square) if you fancy a late night movie or something. Leicester Square is very touristy and I personally don't like it at all.
Another area down the road from you would be Angel. You can take the tube from Euston or the 19 or 38 bus. Angel has a cinema, great places to eat, and some nice cafes. I've never been here, for example, but it's open till 10pm.
Finally, the Soane Museum in Holborn is open on Tuesday evenings till 9pm and lit entirely by candlelight. It is a really interesting and atmospheric place - highly recommended.
Happy Dave is right - there's no need to keep yourself near to your flat. You are so central, you could go anywhere and easily catch a bus or tube back around 10, 11pm.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:26 AM on February 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
That entire shopping centre has plenty of shops and stuff open well after 7pm, but you are a stone's throw away from the West End (take the tube from Euston to Leicester Square) if you fancy a late night movie or something. Leicester Square is very touristy and I personally don't like it at all.
Another area down the road from you would be Angel. You can take the tube from Euston or the 19 or 38 bus. Angel has a cinema, great places to eat, and some nice cafes. I've never been here, for example, but it's open till 10pm.
Finally, the Soane Museum in Holborn is open on Tuesday evenings till 9pm and lit entirely by candlelight. It is a really interesting and atmospheric place - highly recommended.
Happy Dave is right - there's no need to keep yourself near to your flat. You are so central, you could go anywhere and easily catch a bus or tube back around 10, 11pm.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:26 AM on February 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you're near the British Museum, you are easy walking distance of great coffee, 15 minutes walk from plenty of galleries which all have late evenings once or twice a week, and you are easily walkable distance to Soho, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden. There are plenty of places to eat in the evening on Goodge Street. Enjoy this wonderful city, I have been commuting to work in the Soho area for the last 18 months and I love it here.
Maybe try and get over to the Barbican if just to see it, use their WiFi and the cafe. There's almost always something interesting going on.
posted by stackhaus23 at 5:27 PM on February 4, 2015
Maybe try and get over to the Barbican if just to see it, use their WiFi and the cafe. There's almost always something interesting going on.
posted by stackhaus23 at 5:27 PM on February 4, 2015
Response by poster: I marked best answers as places I actually went.
Soho was great, but the Tottenham Court Road area was like walking through Times Square.
I'd urge anyone not on a tourist trip to avoid the UCL area, as others said, it dies at night even though the location is very central and great. Personally, I don't like coming home from a 30 minute commute with the prospect of another 20 minute or greater commute each way to get into a nice area. That's even caveating with the fact that London public transport was fantastic.
Didn't quite find a great area that I would recommend, probably Shoreditch or Camden were the closest to where I was that seemed like people actually lived there.
posted by geoff. at 8:14 AM on February 15, 2015
Soho was great, but the Tottenham Court Road area was like walking through Times Square.
I'd urge anyone not on a tourist trip to avoid the UCL area, as others said, it dies at night even though the location is very central and great. Personally, I don't like coming home from a 30 minute commute with the prospect of another 20 minute or greater commute each way to get into a nice area. That's even caveating with the fact that London public transport was fantastic.
Didn't quite find a great area that I would recommend, probably Shoreditch or Camden were the closest to where I was that seemed like people actually lived there.
posted by geoff. at 8:14 AM on February 15, 2015
Didn't quite find a great area that I would recommend, probably Shoreditch or Camden were the closest to where I was that seemed like people actually lived there.
If thats what you're looking for, head towards Lambs Conduit down Great Ormond St. It really is right there and is much more neighbor-hoody. You can keep going down narrow streets until you reach Exmouth Market which is also lively and outside the tourist zone.
posted by vacapinta at 4:01 AM on February 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
If thats what you're looking for, head towards Lambs Conduit down Great Ormond St. It really is right there and is much more neighbor-hoody. You can keep going down narrow streets until you reach Exmouth Market which is also lively and outside the tourist zone.
posted by vacapinta at 4:01 AM on February 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by gdav at 11:22 AM on February 2, 2015