Help me have a fun day off in London

March 22, 2017 5:23 PM

I've got a day off tomorrow. I live in London. What should I do?

So, for various reasons, I have a day off tomorrow.
My wife also has a day off tomorrow.
The child is in nursery.

What could we do between 0800 and 1800 (hard cutoff for nursery pickup) that would be fun, interesting, novel, relaxing?

posted by Just this guy, y'know to Travel & Transportation around London, England (20 answers total)

The Churchill War Rooms are a wonderful experience, seeing his bed and the kitchen where the meals were prepared, all while running the war effort is impressive.
posted by Freedomboy at 5:32 PM on March 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

i recently had the opportunity to check out the wellcome collection museum, which i found infinitely interesting. right across the street from euston station.

get some food at one of the places in brixton market, check out the shops if you want.

i find the ridiculous stuff for sale in harrods to be interesting, and it's largesse. the food halls are pretty interesting. also, the laduree cafe right off the watch section was phenomenal.

hamley's has some pretty great lego sculptures on the top floor, and the people who work there are all really enthusiastic and fun. also (again) harrods had pretty interesting lego stuff up.

the beefeater tour at the tower of london was really interesting and fun too.
posted by koroshiya at 5:33 PM on March 22, 2017

i apparently really like the word interesting. but i liked it all a lot.
posted by koroshiya at 5:36 PM on March 22, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe I'm boring but when I got that kind of time with my partner when my kids were little, we spent a good amount of it in bed together.
posted by metasarah at 5:37 PM on March 22, 2017 [4 favorites]

Hard to say without knowing what you're into, but I found the Emma Hamilton exhibition at the National Maritime Museum a lot more interesting than I thought I would, and it's definitely one to see without kids. The Russian exhibition at the Royal Academy is good too, but not exactly "relaxing. "

The Amy Winehouse exhibition is back at the Jewish Museum, if you like her, and the cafe there is pretty good.

The Wetland Centre and Kew Gardens are always relaxing if the weather suits (looks like it'll be changeable).

It's probably best to stay away from the area around Parliament, for obvious reasons.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 5:40 PM on March 22, 2017

Tomorrow 23rd, or 24th? Museum of London has a river trip with experts on 23rd.
posted by paduasoy at 5:54 PM on March 22, 2017

Sir John Soanes museum in High Holborn is amazing and very compact.

The Science Museum/V&A are next to each other and both amazing.
posted by Sebmojo at 6:11 PM on March 22, 2017

I like the National Portrait Gallery.
posted by parki at 7:25 PM on March 22, 2017

Given what happened in London today I wouldn't assume any public place will be normally open in central London.
posted by zadcat at 8:18 PM on March 22, 2017

Zadcat, yes they will! London is amazingly, brilliantly, stubbornly resilient. They pride themselves on it.
posted by mollymillions at 8:35 PM on March 22, 2017 [18 favorites]

Nthing....I was there during the July 21st 2005 bombing; the tube was shut down, but everything else went on as usual.
posted by brujita at 8:50 PM on March 22, 2017 [1 favorite]

I loved the Museum of London, or why not take the train down to Brighton for the day?
posted by ellieBOA at 10:24 PM on March 22, 2017

Best answer: Head down to London Bridge, have brunch at the stalls at Borough Market, then walk along the river to the South Bank.

Cross the Millennium Bridge, gazing in awe at St Pauls which has survived everything that's ever been thrown at it, and then head up to the Walkie Talkie building, where you will have made reservations for cocktails in the SkyGarden.

Drink your outrageously indulgent midday cocktail while gazing at the most beautiful view in the city.

Enjoy the best version of London - local and novel and resilient and delicious.
posted by citands at 1:23 AM on March 23, 2017 [7 favorites]

The Museum of London in Docklands has an exhibition of archaeological finds from the Crossrail excavations. It's fascinating, and free.
posted by kelper at 1:49 AM on March 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: In a similar vein, where would you have lunch during any or all of these things?
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:09 AM on March 23, 2017

If you're planning on going into central London, here is some travel advice.
posted by Ziggy500 at 3:53 AM on March 23, 2017

Response by poster: So, the are no reservations left for sky gardens. I know this because i booked literally the last two.

I've got cake, I've got booze. I'm in a garden in the sky. Any further suggestions for what we do next?
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:59 AM on March 23, 2017 [4 favorites]

If you were to walk up to Clerkenwell (about half an hour from St Paul's) and have a late lunch at the Zetter Townhouse or Workshop Coffee you would be living my best life, my friend
posted by citands at 6:02 AM on March 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

If St. Paul's is on the menu, there's supposed to be a Firewatch Memorial somewhere outside(?), which memorializes the people, many of whom were architects and students of architecture, who were stationed on the roof and grounds of St. Paul's during the Blitz, buckets at the ready, in order to save the cathedral. I gather that doing so was a very close thing, a time or two. It's something I'll be visiting if ever I can get to London, thanks to some of the novels by Connie Willis which occasionally pivot on the Firewatch and their memorial.
posted by Sunburnt at 7:35 AM on March 23, 2017

If you fancy a moment of contemplation, Postman's Park is just north of St Paul's, beautifully quiet despite being in the middle of the city, and contains a touching memorial to various ordinary people who gave their lives to save others.
posted by aihal at 1:38 PM on March 23, 2017 [3 favorites]