What should one do in London?

[Beskar]

[inappropriate, Lemur]

???

[InsaneApache]

It's cool man. It's just the drugs kikking in.......

[Moros]

As a student of history I'm quite familiar with the British and the war musuem. But I was also thinking of doing some more different things as well. However as I'm going with my gf, and she has yet to see London, we'll go to some classics like tower as well.

Things we'd probably do:
Tate Modern, the British museum (as it's free anyway no?), A bicycle tour through London, going to a musical, Harrods (you know women...), Picadilly, probably wander around at some places like nothing hill (she's Hugh Grand fan gah! Though I bet the war museum would be wast of our time gah! )
But I'd also like to do more different things (which don't include prostitutes) and as Louis said it: "barge in and soak up the atmosphere". That and try to stay away from shops and shopping streets and malls before it's too late.

Going to see what this dickens tour is.

Of course more suggestions or tips are still welcome!

[TinCow]

As a student of history I'm quite familiar with the British and the war musuem. But I was also thinking of doing some more different things as well. However as I'm going with my gf, and she has yet to see London, we'll go to some classics like tower as well.

Things we'd probably do:
Tate Modern, the British museum (as it's free anyway no?), A bicycle tour through London, going to a musical, Harrods (you know women...), Picadilly, probably wander around at some places like nothing hill (she's Hugh Grand fan gah! Though I bet the war museum would be wast of our time gah! )
But I'd also like to do more different things (which don't include prostitutes) and as Louis said it: "barge in and soak up the atmosphere". That and try to stay away from shops and shopping streets and malls before it's too late.

Going to see what this dickens tour is.

Of course more suggestions or tips are still welcome!

The V&A is also an excellent museum. It feels like the attic of the British Museum, for all the great things that wouldn't fit in there. Loaded with random excellent stuff pretty much everywhere. They have a truly superb section on arms and armor, with a great East Asian collection.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/

[PowerWizard]

London is an awesome city, there are some shitty areas, but all in all it's a great place. Visit the museums, some very nice presentations are there, and Imperial War Museum is a must-see for a total war fan!

Gah! being Belgian, I'll rather have to teach them what drinking heavily really means!

I find it hilarious when Westerners boast about their drinking capacity. Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Harrods (you know women...)

May I recommend Liberty department store? Possible more fashionable, certainly more architecturally interesting.

http://londonarchitecture.co.uk/Building.php?ID=265

-~~-~~-~~((o0o))~~-~~-~~-

White House (1800)

Buckingham Palace:
The interior - mainly late 19th century
The exterior 1913

Capital Building (1811 and 1863)

Houses of Parliament 1836-1868

Brooklyn Bridge (1883)

Tower Bridge 1894


See what I mean?


In the nineteenth century, European states created themselves a past. At the same time, America created itself a future.
If Philadelphia, New York and San Fransisco had wanted too, they could've looked like Munich, Berlin and Budapest respectively. Each of these European cities were still small villages at the time these US cities were founded. The demographic development of these cities on both sides of the Atlantic coincided closely, from small settlement in 1750 to major city by 1900.

The difference in looks between these contemporaneous American and European cities is explained by political and planological will, not by their age. By the dominance of either public or private development. The former in Europe, the latter in North America.

Likewise, Washington could've looked like Paris.
The Enlightenment's ideals of city planning were first put into in practice in Bordeaux's late 18th century renovation. Shortly after, Pierre Charles L’Enfant's developed these ideals into large scale practise in his plan for Washington. Washington was mostly modelled after this. And fully half a century later, Haussman's Paris was modelled after this (planned) Washington. Meanwhile, Washington's public development very soon after its founding was squandered to private development.

The different development has been a matter of political and planological will, not of historical age.

Imagine, if you will, what New Orleans could've looked like if the French-Spanish-Carribean style could've been developed to its full potential. Development stopped after New Orleans was sold to the US in 1803, after which little of interest was build anymore. The city's development now continued in the typical American manner: all energy devoted to private luxury, in absence of public elegance and beauty.
NO's could've rivalled the prettiest of Mediterranean Europe's historical cities otherwise. Lisbon was rebuild completely after 1755 - the same period that NO was build. New Orleans would be its rival today, equalling Lisbon in age and grace - if only New Orleans would have wanted to.

Québec City too, if only it wanted too, could've looked like an old European city, complete with city walls, if only it would've had the will not to destroy the old, and had given preference to public development over private development. Wait...it did and so it does look like a historic city:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[InsaneApache]

Paris? pah! A poor imitation of Southport. It's true.

[Fragony]

In respect to Louis's post, this art-deco masterpiece of architecture, if there is anything like it I would like to know.

[Gregoshi]

Fragony, it is made out of Legos (R).

[Prussian to the Iron]

no frickin way that is so cool!!

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

If Philadelphia, New York and San Fransisco had wanted too, they could've looked like Munich, Berlin and Budapest respectively. Each of these European cities were still small villages at the time these US cities were founded. The demographic development of these cities on both sides of the Atlantic coincided closely, from small settlement in 1750 to major city by 1900.

I don't disagree with your points as a whole (somewhat, perhaps), but Munich was capital of Bavaria since 1506ish, Berlin I can somewhat grant you as it only had a population of around 17,500 in 1685 (still not a village by my definition), but in the late 1600s it was also extremely important. Keep in mind also that by 1710 the population of Berlin had more than tripled.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Going to see what this dickens tour is.

Well 'a' Dickens Tour, not 'the' Dickens tour.

I rather like Dickens' works itself. He is also synonymous with a specific London. Dark, broody, Victorian. I'd love to be guided around by a guide (book or person) in this London. Not in the footsteps of the man himself, but in the London of his age.

If this London doesn't live in your imagination, it might not be all that interesting. Then again, perhaps it is, and you can get caught up in it.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In respect to Louis's post, this art-deco masterpiece of architecture, if there is anything like it I would like to know.

Gorgeous.

American cities shouldn't look European. Europe already exists. US cities ought to be bustling, energetic, constantly reinventing themselves. And of course, full of skyscrapers - temples of capitalism reaching out to the heavens as much as the church towers of Mediaeval Europe before them.

[Moros]

I find it hilarious when Westerners boast about their drinking capacity. Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

Well I'd challenge you happily. And every other .orger that is. Though I'm rather small and skinny, I can drink beer without having to swallow and I'm trained at drinking a lot too. I'm quite sure I'm one of the best drinkers on the .org when it comes to beer, if not he best drinker. Whiskey, Wodka,... aren't my thing though as I can't calculate how much and how fast I can drink those as I'm used to beer. Though I'd have no problem to hold a game to drink the most duvels in night out at the bar.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Come to Budapest, if you want to see how drinking should be done in a mature, masculine way. Or Moscow.

Well I'd challenge you happily. And every other .orger that is. I can drink beer without having to swallow and I'm trained at drinking a lot too

I'll come too! You Hungarian sissies can't handle your beer. You girls should drink sparkly pink sodas instead.


I myself, by contrast, can easily manage at least six beers a night.

[InsaneApache]

I bet they're those little wussy stubbies not pints though. I'll come as well, just as long as someone else is buying. I've lived in Yorkshire too long to start putting my hand in my pocket now.

[FactionHeir]

Lived here for a while, not that many great sights.
Of those I personally liked were Tower of London, westminster, the theater shows.
Other than that, you can probably find just about any food and shops here.