A Single Girl's Guide to London

In general, London is a "something for everyone" kind of town: two thousand years of recorded history, evolving culture, art, and architecture glammed up by one of the hottest social scenes in the world.

But, London in the off-season is a real treat for the solo female traveler, offering a gal the opportunity to explore a relatively safe, large city that is filled with unparalleled museums, theaters and galleries, great food, incredible shopping, and potential fling-mates with sexy accents wearing cleverly tied scarves.

Visiting in winter is actually a good bet (if you don't mind the cold, that is). Coming from the northeastern U.S., I found the weather to actually be milder than it was at home. Flights and hotels are markedly cheaper between December and February than they are during the warmer months, so you'll have extra cash to burn when you hit Knightsbridge shopping meccas Harrod's and Harvey Nichols. As an added bonus, traveling during the off-season means you encounter fewer vacationing parents attempting to force culture on their adorable spawn. Enjoy Dali's "Lobster Telephone," housed amongst other great works of modern art at the (free!) Tate Modern on the south bank, without having to fight your way through seven-year-olds having apoplectic giggle fits.

Nearly all the major museums in London are now free, including the V&A, British Museum, Natural History Museum, and Imperial War Museum (though "free" sometimes entails the pressure of a suggested donation).

London has perhaps the world's most famous, thriving theater scene. In London's Bankside neighborhood, you can visit Shakespeare's Globe, while in the West End, you'll find as many Hollywood stars "treading the boards" as there are on Broadway.

Foodies would do well to visit Borough Market, off Borough High Street, open Thursday-Saturday. It claims the title of longest running food market in London, and has a remarkable selection of gourmet food vendors pushing all manner of decadence (the brownies from Flour Power Bakery are downright hedonistic, worth every fat gram). Head from there to Vinopolis, an oenophile's wonderland just around the corner that offers wine tours and tastings (and if wine isn't your thing, there's a gin tour, too).

There are some benefits to seeing London in the summer, though. If you visit from July 2007, you can swing by the Tower of London and wave a proud hello to Moira Cameron, London's first female Beefeater.

Quick Tips:

If you're visiting London for the first time and want to hit all the major historical sights, a 48-hour ticket for a Big Bus Tour is a good investment. Tickets cost a mere 20 GBP for two days of sight-seeing, and offer discounted and/or express admission to various tourist attractions.

You can save a heap of cash by staying in a youth hostel, of which London has plenty. Typically, a bed in these dorm-style rooms will go for anywhere from 10-30GBP per person, per night, and might even include breakfast. You may find it's worth to sacrifice a bit of privacy for the savings. You can book most hostels online (try hostelbookers.com - no booking fee) or check with the accommodation desk at the airport. Some hostels are cleaner and more reputable than others, though. While most hostels are co-ed, often female-only rooms or even female-only floors are available for a few pounds more per night. I stayed on the female floor of the St. Christopher's Orient Espresso hostel and, for 20GBP per night, I got a bed, a towel, showers with shampoo and conditioner in the stalls, and hairdryers in the bathroom. Bargain!

TimeOut is the event bible for most major cities, and London was its birthplace. Be sure to pick up the city guide, or the weekly listings magazine, which will tell you what's going on all over town that week. With a TimeOut and mini London A to Z street index, you really have no excuse for boredom.

There are plenty of cheap or free events in the city every night of the week. My favorite discovery was the Dana Centre in South Kensington, which features engaging (often free) talks and presentations on science and culture every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. It's also got a cafe bar and Internet access.

London is a great base of operations for traveling around Europe, as well. Budget airlines like EasyJet and RyanAir fly to several major cities for cheap.

Staying in touch with the folks back home is easy. If you've got a GSM network mobile phone, get it unlocked by your home service provider and then just buy a prepaid sim card when you get in. Carphone Warehouse is a mobile chain found all over the UK that sells sim cards and wireless service.

Best Way To Get Around:

Buy an Oyster card as soon as you land. They cost 3GBP to buy, and you add funds as needed. Oyster card rates are much cheaper than the rates for any other type of tube ticket, and they're also good on buses. When you run out of money on the card, you can just top it up using ticket machines in tube stations.

The underground and bus network in London is extensive, so there are few areas of London proper you can't reach with your Oyster card.

Taxis will deliver you to your location in comfort, but can make a dent in the wallet. The meter "starts" at 2.20GBP, so unless you got a favorable exchange rate or your blowout is in terrible jeopardy owing to one of London's notorious downpours, stick to public transport to avoid blowing your budget.

The only time I bothered with a cab was the night I stayed out past Underground closing time. While the network of night buses is extensive, finding the right one can be tricky. Stick to the iconic black cabs; those drivers are immensely knowledgeable and generally reputable. Minicab drivers do not have to be licensed or registered with the city, and may not be as familiar with the city. Traveling with an unregulated driver could also pose a safety hazard to the solo female traveler, so if you do use a minicab, use a well known service. It sort of goes without saying, but avoid taking gypsy cabs pretty much anytime, especially at night.

Otherwise, the best way to get around London is on your own two feet (or however many limbs or wheels you may enlist in daily locomotive tasks). London is full of shops, markets, restaurants, and sights that you'll easily miss if you spend all your time on the tube, with your nose buried in a guide book.

The St. Christopher's Orient Espresso hostel is one of three wallet-friendly St. Christopher's youth hostels on Borough High Street, on London's south bank. All offer the same basic amenities - a bunk in a 2, 4, 6, or 8 bed room, shared shower and toilet rooms, and breakfast - for rock-bottom London prices, ranging from 9.50-28.00 GBP per person, per night.

Each hostel has its own distinct character. The St. Christopher's Inn (121 Borough High) and St. Christopher's Village (167 Borough High) hostels are situated above affiliated pubs and as a result have developed reputations as lively lodgings for young travelers looking to party. The Orient Espresso branch, however, sits atop the Orient Espresso cafe, a coffee shop that keeps relatively early hours. As such, the Orient is a good bet for travellers who are more interested in a good night's sleep than a night of drinking - or at least those who'd like a little quiet once the party is over.

The Orient Espresso is not only the quietest of the trio; it's also the cleanest, owing to a recent "renovation" - fresh paint and the conversion of the top floor to the new (as of January 2007) female-only wing, the "Oasis."

As hostels go, the Oasis is fairly nice, but its strongest point is the fact that it caters to a girl's vanity. The fresh paint job gives the place a bright and airy feel. I liked the distinctly "feminine" touches - bright colored flowers and swirls decorate the walls, and rooms feature mirrors, hangers, and clothing racks. Guests receive towels on check-in (guest of the other branches must bring their own or purchase a cheap one from the reservation desk). Shower stalls contain shampoo and body wash. The bathroom features a hair dryer. There's also an iron and board in the hall for pressing clothes. All the basics are in place for ensuring you look ready for a day or night on the town.

The Oasis is a great base for getting around the city, situated on Borough High Street between the Tower Bridge and Borough tube stations, and is just a short walk to Bankside museums and restaurants, Borough Market, and Tower Bridge.

There is no curfew, and the hostel is pretty secure, requiring key-card access for the room and outer doors. The only complaint I (and pretty much every one of my various roommates had - I stayed five days) is that reception for the Orient Espresso is at the Village - three or four blocks past the Orient from the tube. To check in, you have to drag all your gear to the Village hostel and back. Small potatoes when you consider the amenities and cost, but at the end of a long day of travel, it can be a bit of a hassle.

All in all, a lovely budget place to stay for women who've outgrown the college dorm behavior common in hostels, but who don't want to break the bank staying in hotels.

London's ethnic landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade, and Asadal is an excellent reflection of the resulting variety of quality ethnic food now available in the city.

I lucked upon this Korean gem on my way to the High Holborn tube station (Asadal is right next door). Asadal is a subterranean affair, soothingly decorated in soft neutral fabrics and woods, playing on Asian style without feeling too kitsch- or theme-y.

I stopped in at the front end of the lunch rush and there were several small groups already seated around the smallish dining room. Seating and service were prompt and efficient, if not overly friendly.

I worried briefly that the fare at Asadal would be reminiscent of the Chinese food I'd had in London in the '90s: greased-up, toned-down imitations of the "real" thing, rendered bland for the once-stodgy British palate. A quick perusal of the menu, however, revealed an extensive list of all my favorites from my best friends' kitchens and Manhattan's Koreatown dives: jap che and kalbi, chigae and bibimbap, neng myun and pajeon.

I wish I could say I tried a bit of everything, but I was a solo traveler on a modest budget, so I kept my order to tea and kimchi chigae, a spicy kimchi stew, to take the edge off the February chill outside. The meal began, as is customary, with a small selection of panjan, small side dishes typically consisting of pickled or dried vegetables, meat or seafood. The selection on my visit was vegetarian, featuring pickled radish, bean sprouts, cabbage and spinach, and was a tasty starter. The kimchi chigae was very good, rich and spicy and boiling hot. I left happy and full, and from the satisfied slurps and sighs coming from neighboring tables, I can only infer my positive experience was no anomaly.

At least for lunch, Asadal is an excellent value for money: a mere 11 GBP covered my main course, tea, panjan and tip in a quiet, well-appointed dining room. I would absolutely recommend and return to Asadal.

Kilburn, once a working-class London neighborhood known for its sizable Irish population, is now a working-class London neighborhood known for it's ethnic diversity and - increasingly - local music scene.

One of the players in that burgeoning scene is The Good Ship, a bar/club/performance space on the high road that offers patrons the opportunity to shake their groove-thangs every night of the week, courtesy of a late liquor license, live music, DJs, and failing the prior groove options, a good, cheap jukebox.

When I walked into The Good Ship, I was looking for the bar in which I'd had my very first Guinness nearly ten years ago, a place called Zd Bar. I recalled Zd being an okay option for drinking and dancing if you were in the neighborhood and couldn't be bothered to venture into the city, but certainly not a top destination for a London night out. It seemed confused: too small to be a real club, yet the designers had still worked a bar, small dance floor and elevated VIP area in, a wannabe club shoe-horned into a space better suited to a few pints and a show.

About two years ago, Zd Bar was shuttered and remained so for close to a year before being revived as The Good Ship, a convivial music-and-drinks venue with friendly staff and no pretension.

The interior of The Good Ship is comfortable and inviting. Near the bar, cream armchairs surround a half dozen or so small tables on which to rest your pint while you gab with friends, while the raised VIP area gives a great birds-eye view of the small performance space/dance floor if the live music on offer is more your thing. Or you can stop in before or after you take in a show at London's renowned Tricyle Theater, just a few blocks away. The Good Ship does not serve food, but there are plenty of options for dining-in or a quick takeaway nearby.

The Good Ship welcomes all comers, hosting live music, dance nights, trivia nights, even a book club. Covers rarely top 5 GBP, the drinks are cheap, the atmosphere is youthful, hip and friendly, and there's even a giant flat-screen TV mounted on the wall in front of that dance floor, so it's a sports bar, too. Instead of a last-choice, it could easily be anybody's favorite local.

Open Sunday through Thursday until 2am, Friday and Saturday until 4am. Kilburn tube and Brondesbury Silverlink are the closest stations, both within five minutes walking distance.