How do I London?

August 17, 2015 12:30 PM

I have been given the opportunity to take a ten-day trip to London! I am super excited! I also have way, way less time to plan than I would normally like! So, I turn to MetaFilter to help answer some of my questions, and/or point me toward online resources that can do the same and help me generally just get along there as a visitor.

Note: I have seen this, this, and this, but I figure they're old enough (or, in the case of the most recent one, specific enough) that I can post my own questions.

I will be in London from the morning of the 20th (my plane gets in at 8am - all times will be in GMT) until 2pm on the 30th. I would not call myself a seasoned traveler, but I am not a nervous person, and as an athletic-looking white male I have certain privileges when it comes to safety in many areas. I'm not super interested in typical history tours - seeing the kind of stuff I could learn about in a documentary, being kept to a schedule, etcetera. I am very interested in wandering the city and seeing things that a resident might want to see. I don't have very much money to spend; I will be at an apartment and will mostly be cooking my own food while I'm there, so recommendations for restaurants/bars/etc, while I will not ignore them, will probably not be followed up on mostly because of a lack of money.

I am trans. FTM. I "pass" (I hate that word) extremely well. However, I would like to know what my rights are at the airport (I know my rights here in the US; it's on the London side that my knowledge ends), with police in case something happens, etcetera. I'm not concerned for my safety, but I like to know these sorts of things in case the worst happens - and so I can prepare a script for what to say if I get stopped at the airport.

And as long as we're discussing LGBTQIAetc stuff - if I wanted to go to some kind of genderqueer event while I'm there, where would I go? I don't really go to drag queen performances, but I'm interested in other events.

My inclination is to see about getting a tube pass to last me ~10 days and then just going wherever - is that a reasonable idea, or should I use the bus or just walk if I don't have a guide to lead me? I've used the NYC metro before, but I tend to take a minute figuring out where I'm going, and if looking even slightly lost is going to get me hassled, I'll just skip the whole experience and take a bus.

While I'm wandering, are there places I probably shouldn't go (either at all or at certain times of night), for safety reasons? I'll probably be alone most of the time that I'm there.

Finally: I don't much like places geared toward tourists. I love urban architecture, thriving neighborhoods that are really owned by the people who live there, parks, gardens, natural science, oceanography, aquariums, and animals of all kinds. I am athletic and enjoy being physically challenged (I will be looking for a gym to work out at even while I'm on vacation). I would love to meet some people, but I'm not super extroverted unless I meet the right kind of person (I'm not good at small talk and don't care about sports, but I dive right into certain parts of nerd culture and love talking with people who share my interests). With all this information, and the knowledge that I have not much money to work with... Any suggestions for what I should do while I'm there?

posted by Urban Winter to Travel & Transportation around London, England (13 answers total)

London is a city which really rewards walking - particularly if you like to take longer walks. If you want a challenge that will help you understand the place then consider taking a walk along the Thames: start at the Thames barrier and head up river to Kew Gardens - 2 days of walking with stop offs. Here's (some of) what you will see - part of the full Thames Path. Feel free to cheat abundantly and get side-tracked. I would say that all of the route will be safe for you to walk alone during the day or evening.

I'd also recommend the top deck of buses as being a great way to experience the city. You will need an Oyster card to get the best of your transport.
posted by rongorongo at 12:45 PM on August 17, 2015

Even if you don't like tourist things, you really must visit the British Museum, if for no other reason than to see the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone!
posted by something something at 12:50 PM on August 17, 2015 [3 favorites]

Welcome to London!

If you want to travel around quickly, get yourself an Oyster card and top it up as you go. There's daily price capping so pay as you go won't cost any more than a weekly travelcard would. If money is super tight/you are in less of a rush, avoid the tube and use buses/walk. You won't get hassled for dithering or looking lost on the tube (you might get tutted at at worst if you're blocking a gate) but the bus is cheaper and a better way to see the city. If you have a smartphone, get the Citymapper app for easy transport planning.

Bar Wotever might be up your street for genderqueer events. They have a few events on during the time you're here. More here.

London is jam packed with tech/nerd meetups - check meetup.com.

The Barbican is definitely worth a visit if brutalist/beautiful urban architecture is your thing. Also the Natural History Museum is great, and you might enjoy the Transport Museum if your nerderies head towards the transport direction. If you're more specific about those nerderies and the area you're staying in I bet people can give some good suggestions.

I avoid cutting through quiet back streets/estates at night, but I (white woman) feel pretty safe walking on main roads pretty much any time.
posted by corvine at 12:58 PM on August 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Regarding animals, London Zoo is fun (but expensive), but London has a surprising amount of city farms that are free/cheap to visit.
posted by corvine at 1:02 PM on August 17, 2015

Walk. Walk everywhere, walk often. The last time I was in London I walked 11 miles in one day.

Most (all?) of the museums in London are free. People watching is abundant.
posted by Automocar at 1:18 PM on August 17, 2015

I'm so jealous! The subway is not at all difficult to use. Get the Oyster card and download the Citymapper app to get around anywhere you want to go. Almost all the museums are FREE! Yay, they are really great, too. Here are some other apps that might help. We used Time Out for their recommendations and did a lot of the small, local festivals in neighborhood parks, which gave us some of our best memories. We walked a LOT and checked out the street art, which is abundant. We also did a tour of thrift stores, there are several and they are fun places to bring back souvenirs from.
posted by raisingsand at 1:21 PM on August 17, 2015

My question from a few years back might have some interesting suggestions. I'd specifically recommend Highgate Cemetery as an amazing place to walk around in.
posted by MsMolly at 2:00 PM on August 17, 2015

If you have time and not a lot of money, walking everywhere is fantastic.

I loved walking around Hampstead Heath, but even more I loved walking up onto the Heath Extension and finding this abandoned garden

You could also walk parts of the Capital Ring if you wanted some time in greenery with some interesting history.

I really liked just walking all around London. The South Bank always has stuff going on and you can walk from there all the way up to Archway in an hour and a half or so. I liked walking through Angel, Bloomsbury, Highgate, Hackney, Stoke Newington (there's a great old cemetery there). I also liked wandering through the City and finding all the really old bits that are just sitting where people don't look because they see them every day.
posted by kadia_a at 2:13 PM on August 17, 2015

Definitely check out the Brunswick Centre and the Barbican for architecture, and I personally love tiny little perma-empty Golden Lane gym (local authority, free day passes available on the website). The Oasis open air pool in Covent Garden is also cheap and non-touristy but could do with some fresh paint. If you tell us roughly where you're staying we can recommend more places - there are lots of local authority lidos, free open air gyms and circuits in parks, and things like that.

If you like to run or cycle, go around some of the parks, along the Thames Path (southern bank is nicer than northern) or along Regents Canal. The bit around King's Cross/Central St Martins is pretty nice these days too.

I wouldn't hire a Boris Bike unless you're pretty strong - they weigh a tonne (well, 18kg anyway). They're like tanks, and not much fun to ride as a result.
posted by tinkletown at 2:15 PM on August 17, 2015

London is totally doable without a guide. Fire up your smartphone, browse any number of websites, and you'll find tips as to what to do. Also check out some podcasts, like Stuff You Missed in History Class, and listen along as you wander.

If you spend a day at the British Museum, check out the BBC's History of the World (In a 100 Objects). You can download the podcasts for it.

For free atmosphere, check out any number of London's markets. Borough Market and the Columbia Flower markets are personal favorites. Spitalfields market has become very commercialized, but has fun stalls and is nice to just sit in.

I'd recommend getting outside of London for a day while here. Visit Hampton Court or Windsor Castle - the latter is a lovely town to wander around, if you don't want to just look at the castle. Yes, these are history places. But they are fantastic architecturally, have great local vibes, and I know many Brits who have loved visiting them.
If you go to Windsor, you can even go for an extended walk in the Great Park - it extends for miles. Right now, there are tons of tourists there, but it is very popular with locals.

For cheap food on the go, you can always do like the locals: pop into an M&S (or any of the mini branches of supermarkets), and buy a made sandwich. If you go towards the end of the day at a bigger branch, you'll often find something marketed down.
posted by troytroy at 2:50 PM on August 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

London is very walkable; just be sure you've got a good map handy ("that street does...what?! And then it goes...where?!"). If you decide you do want something with a guide, London Walks has some fun and very interesting walking tours for ten pounds a pop (as well as some tours outside the area). To see the city, the double-decker buses are preferable to the tube, for obvious reasons.

Free museums everywhere! For something smaller than the behemoths like the British Museum* or the National Gallery**, try Sir John Soane's Museum, which has, shall we say, an interesting layout. Since you're interested in natural science-y things, you should drop into the Natural History Museum and possibly the Wellcome Collection.

Highgate Cemetery and Hampstead Heath are both great places to wander.

The London Zoo will be touristy, but also animal-filled, obviously.

Westminster Abbey will also be crowded, but if you want to be struck by a sense of just how much history England has, it's one of the best places to go, I think.

As corvine says, you should feel comfortable as long as you're in well-lit roads at night.

*--Rosetta Stone, mummies, all sorts of classical antiquities...

**--But you should go to the National Gallery in order to visit Whistlejacket, at the very least.
posted by thomas j wise at 3:32 PM on August 17, 2015

Seconding meetup.com as resource if you want people to hang out with.

Check out the listings on run-riot.com for interesting things going on.

Bethnal Green Working Man's Club for gender queer events (really). It's also cheap.

I'd say anywhere you'd reasonably want to go as a tourist is safe at night. Also there are street maps on pillars in most of central London so it's hard to get completely lost.

As others have said it's very amenable to wandering around. It's also busy enough that whatever you like to do at home can be found.
posted by Erberus at 6:16 PM on August 17, 2015

You had asked about your rights if something goes wrong. I couldn't find any ACLU-esque guides, but hopefully these will be helpful:

According to the government: If you are arrested (and ask to be put in contact with your embassy!)

According to the government: Rights at the airport

Wikipedia: General LGBTQ rights in the UK

For LGBTQ events, Time Out has a great section. There is a visible community in SoHo, with bars and clubs. In my experience, there are lots of great pockets LGBTQ community hubs across the city. It all depends on what is going on at the time.
posted by troytroy at 12:34 AM on August 18, 2015