London, as Fast as We Can

We arrived much later than we'd expected, and were wandering through King's Cross area at almost 1am, which apparently isn't the best of ideas. Then we were harassed by the Mr. Witty, a native of South Africa with comments to (and often animated imitations of) every nationality.

Once we managed to get passed the complicated code system to enter out room, we tried hard not to wake up the hairy man who was in the top bunk on the left. Things went okay.

In the morning, things were a bit better. All of London's major sites are a must. Westminster Abbey is beautiful and much larger than I'd anticipated, and the same holds true for St Paul's Cathedral. The Tower of London is absolutely huge. The Dali Universe has an excellent collection of (guess!) Dali's work. There are naturally tons of other things to do, and we went to several other museums and on a river cruise and a canal cruise.

And you should wander through the various tourist shops that abound, as you never know: you may see one of Britain's former Big Brother stars, as I did (Josh, last season, if you're wondering).

Quick Tips:

Definitely, definitely buy a London Pass which entitles you to loads of free stuff. I bought one for 3 days for £68, which includes free travel on the underground and buses (though I haven't tried the buses here yet) and tons of free admissions at major (read: expensive) sites, such as Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London.

Best Way To Get Around:

The underground is excellent. It is very easy to use, especially if you already have basic map-reading skills. The bus system is also extensive and always available (though night buses are different from daytime buses). And of course there are taxis crawling the streets all over, and trains are useful for some areas of the city.

Overall, I am resoundingly neutral about this place. I appreciate that it is fairly cheap, but some of the facilities did not make me particularly happy. But certainly it wasn't terrible, and it's quite possible that it is a far better value than other places in London.

We chose to stay in a 4-bed room, which was tiny. My bed was not particularly comfortable, and since it was a top bunk (and they assign your bunk, so you can't choose) with a low metal railing at both ends, it was too short for me (and I'm only 5'10").

The showers were another area of concern. The showers are very limited in function: you press this button, and water comes shooting out of the showerhead for a limited amount of time. You can't adjust the temperature, or the water's aim. In one shower, it was cold at first. I pressed the thing again, and it was still cold, but warming up by the time it stopped again. I repeated this process until I was racing to finish because it was getting very hot. For another shower, the water never warmed up. In my last shower, it was hot right away, and only got hotter. It was actually way, way too hot for me, and I had to leave the shower door open and jump in and out. Which was quite terrible considering that the shower was actually one of 4 in the shower room, and anyone could have walked in and seen the naked me running from the steaming water. All a bit of a mess.

The breakfast was okay: a bowl of cereal, two pieces of toast (brown or white), jam, butter, and tea or coffee.

The security of the place I'm unsure about. They have a locked luggage room, but it's just a big room with everyone's stuff, and the key is kept at the front desk where anyone can go pick it up and go through the stuff in the room. So. We left our stuff in our room, and nothing was ever taken, although the last night there we realized that we were using different codes to enter our room. I wondered if the door wasn't even locked, but actually it just turned out you could put any code you want in, and it would open. This was confirmed by the fact that this morning I was still in bed and my friend was in the shower, when I heard a code being entered and the door open, and looked up to see some young guy standing there. He happily flipped the light on, and then turned around and stared at me in confusion, then looked at my friend's bed, then laughed out loud, turned the light off and left.

On the definite upside, it was a clean enough place. Though there's no common room and everyone just hovers around the reception area.

This is a fairly small museum with friendly staff. It would be interesting to anyone interested in nursing or women's history. Florence Nightingale was a revolutionary in the field of nursing, but also demanded and eventually earned respect for women as capable nurses, researchers, writers and leaders. Her family had not wanted her to become a nurse, because the stereotypical nurse was believed to be a from an unbecoming background, and under serious temptation from being around men all the time. But they eventually supported her, and she modernized the image of nurses throughout the country.

The museum has several well-written commentaries to go along with photos, relics and models from Florence's life. There is also an optional but included short film, about 15 minutes long, that describes her life. There is quite a bit of information on the Crimean War of the 1850s and her involvement in it, as this is where she really made her mark. There is also reference to her work later in life, in which she did extensive studies in both military and civilian health care. She made recommendations in hospital design and nurse education and others, many of which were accepted and followed.

Overall, I found this museum far more interesting than I expected, because I somewhat identified with Florence and her search for her life's work before she began nursing. But I do think that it will of limited interest to some. There were almost no men in the museum, and all the staff were older women, which may indicate a preference. Of course anyone interested in the health field and its history will enjoy it. And if you enjoy stories of women (or anyone, really) rebelling against society's constraints to do what they believe in, and being successful in this, than you should enjoy it, too.

The museum is open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays (some Mondays) it is open 11:30-4:30. The phone number is +44 (0)20 7620 0374, and the website is http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk. This museum is free with the London Pass.

The museum is entirely wheelchair accessible, as are the restrooms.

Nearby tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster.

This is a very relaxing (very slow) and charming ride along the Regent's Canal. Our guide, Derrick, told us of the colorful history of the canal as we moved along. All of the boats on the canal are very narrow and long, and we saw several interesting houseboats along the way. We passed through a long tunnel called Maida Hill Tunnel which was dark and dank, and then under Macclesfield Bridge, which witnessed an accidental dynamite explosion in the 19th century. We passed through Regent's Park and the London Zoo, which allowed a quick glimpse of a rare horned creature.

After 45 minutes, we arrived at the Camden Lock Market, which is a crazy, very bustling open market. There are stalls selling every imaginable item, although there was a clear emphasis on incense, "herbal high", and hippy and goth clothes. I did find a used bookstore and a few music stores. Then there were the food stalls--again, every possible type of food. All of the Asian food stalls are in stiff competition with each other, and aggressively call out at every passerby. It's all just your typical, greasy and good fair food.

Departure times vary throughout the year. From late March through early November, the boat leaves from Little Venice at 10:30am, 12:30am, and 2:30pm, and from Camden at 11:15am, 1:15pm, and 3:15pm. On weekends and Bank Holidays (some Mondays) during peak season, there is another departure from Little Venice at 4:30pm and from Camden at 5:15pm. In October and November, there is no 10:30am/11:15am departure. For more information, check their website: http://www.jasons.co.uk/, or call +44 (0)20 7286 3428.

The nearest tube station is Warwick Avenue.

This is free with the London Pass.

There are two options on this cruise along the Thames, either the circular or the hop-on-hop-off. You can depart on the circular cruise from Westminster, Waterloo, or Embankment, and the hop-on-hop-off can be joined from any port of call except Westminster.

We did the circular cruise, which lasted 50 minutes. This involved a simple but engaging enough recorded commentary that pointed buildings out as we moved along the river. Each of the bridges was discussed, as well. On the circular tour, we went under Tower Bridge and then turned around to go back towards Embankment Pier. The hop-on-hop-off tour actually proceeds further along to Greenwich Pier.

Overall, it wasn't the most exciting thing we did, but it was wonderful to get off our feet and still be sightseeing. Plus, the tours run late so you can go after all the attractions have closed.

This cruise is free with the London Pass.

This is a huge museum. It's not so different from other museums except perhaps in size. That said, the exhibitions are very good and should be interesting to everyone. There are actually two separate parts of the museum, dedicated to Life and Earth, repsectively. You could probably spend an entire day in here if you wanted to, although I only spent about 3 hours because I skipped some of the areas and did not visit the Earth side at all (it was a lack of time, not lack of interest).

I visited most of the ground floor of the Life side, which included the Waterhouse Way, with lots of exhibits on various water creatures. This floor also has the Dinosaur section, and the life-size model of the blue whale, the largest animal to live.

I then visited the next floor up, which has the Primates and the Origin of Species exhibits, which I enjoyed. There are other exhibits on this floor, like Plant Power and Meteroites, but I skipped them.

For anyone with even a passing interest in science, this museum is an excellent place to spend a few hours. But if you're really interested, make sure to allow enough time.

The museum is open daily 10am to 5:50pm, except Sundays, when it opens at 11am. The current extra exhibit, Turbulent Landscapes, is running until September 15, 2002. It costs £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £12 for families (children under 5 are free). You can call them at +44 (0)20 7942 5000. The museum's website is http://www.nhm.ac.uk/.

The nearest tube station is South Kensington.

We bought our standing tickets for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for £5. Standing tickets seemed like a good idea at the time, especially for a fiver, but my friend and I both soon wished we'd considered paying for seats, as our feet were already sore from all-day wandering about the town.

London's definitely one of the best cities for the theater, and what could be better than a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, even if it is a PR stunt? The theatre is an open, 3-storey cylinder. It has a large space in front of and beside the stage, for the standing ticket holders. Around the outer edges of the cylinder is seating on three different levels.

Now, I'd never seen "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before, so I had no idea what to expect. Despite the throbbing pain in my feet, it was absolutely wonderful. The whole crowd laughed throughout. All the actors were excellent--funny, professional, obviously talented, etc. All in all, it was great, and I highly recommend making a visit. But make sure to book your tickets in advance, and consider paying the extra to rest your feet. And also rememeber that because the theatre is open, you can get rained on (though the show will still go on), and umbrellas are not permitted.

Not only is the size of this collection massive--over 500 works, it is also very well-presented. From the beginning it brings you right into the proper state of mind for viewing Salvador Dali's works. Dali was clearly one messed up individual. He appears to me to have been obsessed with doing whatever he could to be different, just for difference's own sake. But this doesn't change the fact that he created some amazing pieces, displaying fascinating concepts.

The exhibition has three main thematic areas: Sensuality and Femininity, Religion and Mythology, and Dreams and Fantasy, the last of which is the largest. You can see the relation in the works in these collections, and this setup does facilitate viewing the pieces. Some of the most notable items in the collection include the painting "Spellbound", Dali's "Tarot Cards", many of his graphical interpretations of various literature, and several bronze works.

Somehow, I never knew Dali worked with anything but 2-dimensional media, but the gallery has many of his bronze sculptures, and I believe it was these that I most enjoyed looking at. There are over 40 of his sculptures displayed, both large and small. The famous Horse Saddled with Time, Snail and the Angel, and Space Elephant are all there, for instance. And, although I don't know if I'd really count it as 'sculpture', but they also have the Mae West Lips Sofa on display.

Finally, if you have thousands of pounds to burn, you can buy a real Dali work. Prices range from £500-4000 for graphics and £2000-16,000 for sculptures.

The gallery is open 10am-5:30pm. For more information about the museum, see http://www.daliuniverse.com/, or call +44 (0)20 7620 2720. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster.

The gallery is wheelchair accessible from the entrance on Queens Walk (in front of the London Eye).

The museum admission fee is covered by the London Pass.

This museum is dedicated to everything related to Sherlock Holmes, the character whose life and times were invented and chronicled by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is housed in a 4-storey townhouse on Baker Street, marked 221b Baker Street. I used to think Holmes was entirely fictional, but apparently he was not. Whether or not he really resided at this address is another matter, as records only show that it was a lodging house.

Still, you may wonder what kind of things the museum might have to offer visitors. Basically, it's two concepts. First, the building has been maintained to look like an authentic late 18th to early 19th century townhouse, and especially decorated as described in the stories. Second, there are numerous items integral to the solving of many of the crimes in the novels, such as weapons and other clues. There are also some models of humans from the stories.

The ground floor is the shop and that's where you purchase the tickets. Up one flight of stairs is the study, and you can even sit in Holmes's armchair for a photo moment, as almost everyone passing through the room did. Holmes's bedroom is also on this floor and contains a variety of his belongings. The next floor up has Dr Watson's and Mrs Hudson's (the landlady) bedrooms and many personal effects. The next floor has several wax models, depicting scenes from the stories.

Although I have read several of the stories, I am not a die-hard fan of Holmes by any means. Consequently, I didn't remember many of the details from the stories, and so didn't recognize many of the artifacts in the museum. I think the museum would be great for someone who is very interested in Holmes or just enjoyed reading many of the stories, but for the rest of us it's a bit over-priced.

The museum is open daily 9:30am-6pm. Admission is £6 for adults and £4 for children. For more information, visit the website (www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk), or call at +44 (0)207 935 8866. You can buy your tickets online with a credit card and avoid the line, if there is one.

The nearest underground is Baker Street.

The museum will not be accessible to people in wheelchairs, as there is no elevator. Most of the displays are hands-on, though, so people with visual impairments should still be able to enjoy them.

The London Canal Museum is a tiny space devoted to the history of the canals of London. You can explore part of a narrow boat, the mode of transport on the canals, to experience what it would have been to live and work on these cargo boats. Families lived their entire lives transporting goods such as coal and ice up and down these canals, loading and unloading.

The museum is located in an old ice warehouse. Because of that, and the importance of the canals in ice transport, there is also an interactive narrative on the history of ice cream and ice in general.

I don't know that the museum will be very interesting to many people. Certainly if you are interested in canals, it will be worth it. For me, it was kind of nice because we were staying nearby, so we just walked over there, and then later that day went on Jason's Canal Boat Trip, on the same canal this ice warehouse backs up to, Regent's Canal. So we were familiar with some of the stuff the guide was talking about on the canal.

The nearest tube station is King's Cross. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4:30pm. There is a small shop with museum and canal-related books and memorabilia. For more information, see their website (http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk) or call them at +44 (0)20 7713 0836.

Admission is free with the London Pass. Otherwise, it is £2.50 for adults and £1.25 for children, students, and seniors.

Shannon, a girl my friend and I met at a hostel in Inverness, gave us the best advice anyone could have for our pending visit to London: get the London Pass. She even gave us her little guidebook, that comes with the pass, since she was finished with London and on her way home.

We weren't exactly sure if we'd buy them until we started looking through the guidebook, and had checked out the website (www.londonpass.com). It appeared amazing: the London Pass gives free admission to all of the sites in the book. Now, this may not seem amazing to you, if you've not seen the book, but here is just a small list of the available sites:
*free travel on the tube, buses, and trains in zones 1-6 (most everything you'll want to see is actually within zone 1)
*Tower of London
*Westminster Abbey
*Dali Universe
*Windsor Castle
*Kensington Palace
*St Paul's Cathedral
*London Aquarium

Just to see how much I actually saved, I've shown here the things I did on the first day, and how much they would have cost if I had paid full adult admission.

Day 1
*Travelcard (zone 1 only): £4.10
*Westminster Abbey: £6
*Jewel Tower: £1.60
*Dali Universe: £8.50
*Namco Station, 6 tokens: £3
*Florence Nightingale Museum: £4.80
*Catamaran Cruisers circular cruise: £7

So the total I would have spent is exactly £35, more than half the 3-day London Pass’s value. That’s a pretty good deal in my book — plus there is the added convenience of not having to carry too much cash or dig the money out at all of the sites. It’s true that I didn’t get as much out of it the next two days, because the Westminster area is quite packed with attractions on the London Pass, as well as Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, but it still more than paid for itself.

Admittedly, there are some major sites that are not included in the Pass, such as the London Eye. I know, shock, shock, horror and all that. But what you can do is buy a pass valid for only some of your days in London (we were there for fours days and bought 3-day passes). Then you work everything out so that you only do London Pass things while it is valid, and only then start visiting non-London Pass sites. You can be really clever and save all the free museums for your non-London Pass days. That's what I did (hence my conclusion that it's a clever thing to do, right). I think in all honesty the only things I paid anything for (besides food) were the Sherlock Holmes Museum (£6), my ticket for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (£5), and my Travelcard for the underground for the one non-London Pass day (£4.10 for zone 1 only). Now, that's how to see London as efficiently as possible.

There are different types of London Passes available, at different rates. You can buy either the adult or child pass with or without travel. With travel included, a 1-day pass is £30/19 (adult/child price), 2-day pass £52/32, 3-day pass £68/43, and a 6-day pass £107/56. Without travel, a 1-day pass is £25/17, a 2-day £39/27, a 3-day £49/32, and a 6-day £69/37. So, depending on your itinerary, it may be more cost effective to buy the pass without travel. I think for me, it would have been, because I hardly ever traveled outside zone 1.