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Old 07-20-2017, 12:40 AM   #1
Igotnothing
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I'm going there! Staying with family over there, and doing everything on the cheap. Any cheap suggestions?

Secondly, can anyone recommend a place to get a plug in adapter for over there for our plugs and whatnot here in the city?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-20-2017, 01:10 AM   #2
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If you want cheap, London isn't the place to go. Even the cheap things are expensive in London.

One thing that's cheap is the national museums. They all have free admission. The British Museum is massive and has some great things to see.



If you're an AMA member, you can get adapters there. If not, any place that sells luggage will usually have them too.
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Old 07-20-2017, 02:33 AM   #3
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I posted in an earlier thread and there's lots of other tips here too:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...ghlight=london


There is a always a good selection of plus-in adapters at the airport if you can't find one before you travel.

The exchange rate isn't too bad at the moment so consider getting some money now. Even so, brace yourself for the cost of living over there.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:15 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Igotnothing View Post
I'm going there! Staying with family over there, and doing everything on the cheap. Any cheap suggestions?

Secondly, can anyone recommend a place to get a plug in adapter for over there for our plugs and whatnot here in the city?

Thanks in advance.
haven't been in 5 years, but most of the museums were free entry.
changing of the guard at Buckingham palace was pretty cool.

get an oyster card for subway travel. cheapest and easiest way to get around the city.

if you're not eating in, Marks & Spencer was a really affordable place for takeaway food.

as was said, AMA was easiest place to get the adaptor.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:18 AM   #5
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Definitely not cheap, but London is a great walking city. So many beautiful sites to see. The food market in Harrods - get a sandwich!

I would second seeing the British Museum. That's a big regret of mine that I didn't have time to do that when I was there. We only had a short stay, so we stuck to all the main tourist attractions, still missed a lot.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:23 AM   #6
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Be aware as acid attacks are on a quick rise in London and the UK.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime...-a3592336.html
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:27 AM   #7
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lol. Your own story mentions it is primarily Asian gangs attacking each other, Taco, and makes no mention of this occurring in tourist areas . But keep spreading that FUD!

Anyway, as far as an adapter goes, I just picked one up at Best Buy. Worked fine. Also, most TVs have USB ports now, so you'll probably have that as a secondary option as well.
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Old 07-20-2017, 07:42 AM   #8
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I'm not sure about the others, but I know the Tate Modern Art Museum is free.

Definitely one of the best art museums in the world.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:15 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GordonBlue View Post
get an oyster card for subway travel. cheapest and easiest way to get around the city.
Depending on how long you're staying, you may want to look at putting a travel card on your Oyster Card.

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payment...ay/travelcards
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:30 AM   #10
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I'm not sure about the others, but I know the Tate Modern Art Museum is free.

Definitely one of the best art museums in the world.
I believe all government operated public museums in the UK are free entry.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:41 AM   #11
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Let's see you could catch a Knights game at Budweiser Gardens.
You can go to the world's longest continually running ball park Labatt Park. Speaking of Labatt's you can go to their flagship brewery.
Springbank Park is fun for the kids
Western Fair is in September
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:41 AM   #12
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get an oyster card for subway travel. cheapest and easiest way to get around the city.
Only if you don't have a credit card that'll work for tap payments. You get the same prices with a contactless credit card as you do with an Oyster card while avoiding the hassle of getting a card and keeping a balance on it. You also get the same daily and weekly fare capping as with an Oyster card.
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Old 07-20-2017, 09:10 AM   #13
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Food!

Not that I've eaten at either of these places, its been a while since I was in London, but I would check out St. John's Restaurant, owned and operated by Fergus Henderson, one of the primary chefs responsible for the resurgence of the nose to tail philosophy of cooking. Essentially he focuses on offal and other neglected cuts of meat. He's a super cool guy and while the restaurant is kind of expensive it sounds like a treat.
https://www.stjohngroup.uk.com/

Or you could check out Duck and Waffle Local. Recently opened, it is a more affordable take on the Duck and Waffle luxury restaurant located on the top floor of a sky scraper. They do (relatively) affordable takes on their popular dishes in a pub setting.
http://www.duckandwafflelocal.com/

Again I've been to neither and while I'm sure there are 40 thousand different restaurants, I think these two would be on my list to visit.

Other than that, an obvious suggestion is to go visit the free and world class British Museum. Total no brainer.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:25 AM   #14
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Just got back a few weeks ago. Someone above posted a link to a thread I started, lots of good info in there.

London was simply awesome. We walked sooooo much. Average of 25km per day.

As others have said, London aint cheap. Not in the slightest. But simply amazing. I could walk those street all day happily. The contrast of buildings 100's of years old right across the street from brand new ones was mind numbing. I just simply don't know where to begin.

As a few others have said, an Oyster card is a great way to get around. The subway system is incredible. Timely and efficient. And also another unreal element. The subway entrances, more often than not, are built into really old buildings. It was simply amazing walking down an old street and seeing the entrance built into what appears to be the main entrance of an apartment building for instance. Just so cool. And the main stations? Incredible. Little shopping malls doubling as gateways for several different lines. It was just something to see.

Also found the hop on hop off buss a good way to get around. As touristy as it is, it really gets you around to a lot of the important places. The one we used even had free WiFi on the bus. Managed to stream a bit of the tour over facetime to my brother back in Canada. A really cool experience.

I could go on and on but if you want to keep it cheap, you could honestly spend a week doing noting but walking the streets, especially if you have even a bit of interest in architecture.

Oh, another cheap but cool tour was the Jack the Ripper walking tour. Went into some areas and back alleys that were just simply amazing. The guide we had apparently worked at Scotland Yard and had apparently interviewed some of the family of surviving descendants. She also claimed she uncovered new info that could shed some light on who the ripper was. She's apparently writing a book.

Anyways, have fun. London was incredible. World class city with incredible history. Can't wait to go back one day.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:28 AM   #15
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I'd want to try this:

https://www.timeout.com/london/thing...punk-rock-tour

British punk may have found its feet in Chelsea, but in the mid '70s it really came to life in central London's clubs and dive bars. Hear the stories of notorious venues, Sex Pistols gigs, lesbian club hangouts and run-ins with the police from Sex Pistol Glen Matlock as you wander through Soho on this two-hour tour.

http://www.walksonthewildside.net/walks/punk-rock

Visits locations from the time of Punk Rock, including the sites of gigs by the Buzzcocks and the Clash, and studios used by the Sex Pistols, Damned and Joy Division. This walk lasts about 2 hours.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:35 AM   #16
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I'd want to try this:

https://www.timeout.com/london/thing...punk-rock-tour

British punk may have found its feet in Chelsea, but in the mid '70s it really came to life in central London's clubs and dive bars. Hear the stories of notorious venues, Sex Pistols gigs, lesbian club hangouts and run-ins with the police from Sex Pistol Glen Matlock as you wander through Soho on this two-hour tour.

http://www.walksonthewildside.net/walks/punk-rock

Visits locations from the time of Punk Rock, including the sites of gigs by the Buzzcocks and the Clash, and studios used by the Sex Pistols, Damned and Joy Division. This walk lasts about 2 hours.
Punk tour would be pretty fun albeit a bit antithetical to the general ethos.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:42 AM   #17
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Thanks all for the suggestions, appreciated. I'll go back and take a look at that thread and keep all the museums in mind. I know it won't be cheap, just trying to keep costs down as much as possible is all.

Museums and walking tours will be the way to go for some of it at least.

Also, I guess i should have looked for that old thread, woops.

Last edited by Igotnothing; 07-20-2017 at 10:45 AM.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:43 AM   #18
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I'm not sure about the others, but I know the Tate Modern Art Museum is free.

Definitely one of the best art museums in the world.
I had an amazing time at the Tate! Mostly because it was hilarious that these things are "art" and if you go planning to enjoy yourself it's fantastic. My personal fave was the guy who took a photo of every square inch of his body. It could be that I'm a child, but I was dying laughing that some guy could do that and probably get paid for it. Maybe my real favorite was the random piece of ventilation duct that was spray painted. No,actually it was the mirror. I mean they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so some people don't like that particular piece, but I found it beautiful!

Seriously, the National Gallery and British museum are amazing and there are super cool things to see. The Natural History museum is also really neat.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:47 AM   #19
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better than any of the traditional museums was this place.
really is a must see. was simply amazing!

http://www.soane.org/about/our-history

http://www.soane.org/


Sir John Soane's Museum
Welcome to the historic house, museum and library of distinguished 19th century architect Sir John Soane. At Soane’s request, the house has been left untouched since his death – almost 180 years ago.
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Old 07-20-2017, 10:51 AM   #20
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better than any of the traditional museums was this place.
really is a must see. was simply amazing!

http://www.soane.org/about/our-history

http://www.soane.org/


Sir John Soane's Museum
Welcome to the historic house, museum and library of distinguished 19th century architect Sir John Soane. At Soane’s request, the house has been left untouched since his death – almost 180 years ago.
That looks super cool!
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