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1. What are your top 5 cheap places to eat in London?
In the City, the Punch Tavern at 99 Fleet St. has a great salad bar that’s surprisingly affordable considering the fact that it’s in one of the biggest moneymaking neighborhoods in the world. Another centrally located bargain is Food For Thought, 31 Neal St. near Covent Garden. This little basement place serves up amazing vegetarian food and is one of my favorite restaurants in London even though I’m not a vegetarian! In Islington, try Afghan Kitchen at 35 Islington Green. The portions are huge, the cuisine hard to find, and the prices are low. Also don’t forget two fine British institutions: the breakfast cafe and the sandwich shop. A full English breakfast—bacon, eggs, sausage, baked beans on toast, and mushrooms, will keep you going all day and usually only puts you back £4 or 5. Breakfast cafes are everywhere in England, so you won’t have to look far. For a quick, cheap bite for lunch or dinner on the go, do what working people do and head for one of London’s innumerable sandwich bars, where you can get a huge variety of filling sandwiches for less than £5.
2. Best venue to see live music?
That really depends on what you want to hear. One of my personal favorites is the Notting Hill Arts Club at 21 Notting Hill Gate. It’s a smaller venue, but they have an amazing and varied schedule. All types of musicians play there and they also have DJs and movie nights.
3. Favorite Museum?
The British Museum has no competition. Where else can you see dozens of mummies, a preserved Iron Age bog body, Sumerian gold, Roman statues, and artifacts from every other culture in the world? And it’s free!
4. Favorite shopping district?
Pretty much every London borough has great shopping, but if you’ve come here to shop, your best bet is to head on over to Knightsbridge, home of the unbeatable Harrods at 87-135 Brompton Rd., a giant department store that prides itself on selling everything that’s legal. Harrods is an experience unto itself, but nearby you can check out rival Harvey Nichols. Beyond these big two, Knightsbridge offers lots of little boutiques and specialty shops, and Hyde Park is just a short walk away.
5. Top 3 historic sites?
The Tower of London, guarding the famous Crown Jewels, makes the top of everyone’s list, and for good reason. Parts of the castle date back to the Norman Conquest and there’s a great collection of medieval weapons and instruments of torture. The Yeoman Warders, those gentlemen in the funny uniforms who are often called “Beefeaters”, give a great tour and tell you all about the Tower’s bloody history.
Another longtime favorite is Westminster Abbey. It’s a jewel of medieval architecture with a lofty Gothic ceiling and brilliant stained-glass windows. Several kings and queens are buried here, as are many other famous English people such as Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Darwin. Despite being on everyone’s list, there are lots of quiet areas where you can sit and contemplate away from the crowds.
For some reason a lot of people skip St. Paul’s, and that’s a shame. This is one of the finest churches in England and from the top of the dome you get unmatched views of London. The Millennium Wheel gets you higher, but for less money you can see the church and the view all in one.
6. Favorite mode of transportation?
Walking! What makes London so special is the variety of architecture you can see in just a few minutes. Strolling along a city block can take you past Georgian townhouses, ornate Victorian hotels, and even remnants of the Roman city wall. Plus you’ll spot lots of interesting little businesses, pubs, and historical markers you wouldn’t notice from a bus or taxi. Walking is the best mode of transport in any city (O.K., maybe not Los Angeles) because it’s the only way to get a real feel for its unique atmosphere.
7. Favorite spot to sit outside on a sunny day?
Richmond Park. It’s a bit of a trip from the center of town, but you get 2,500 acres of hills, meadows, ponds, and forest. The government had kept it as a reserved area since the Middle Ages and it has retained a sense of wildness that’s rare in London parks. Some of the oaks are centuries old and there’s even a herd of deer!
8. Best bar to grab a pint?
Any place that serves real ale and hasn’t been completely modernized. If you like beer, you’re going to love a pint of fine British “real ale,” which has extra flavor and body because brewers use traditional ingredients and the yeast is still fermenting in the cask. The best place to have one of these traditional beers is any pub that has preserved its centuries-old architecture. One of the more central places, and one of my personal favorites, is the Salisbury Tavern at 90 St. Martin’s Lane, which has remained virtually untouched since its last remodel in 1892.
9. 5 best places to stay on a budget?
This depends on what you mean by “budget”. If you want a cheap backpackers’ place close to the tourist attractions, stay right across the street from the British Museum at the Astor Museum Inn at 27 Montague St. If you prefer nature along with your hostel, stay at the YHA Holland House. It’s a mansion dating to 1607 and is located in beautiful Holland Park. If hostels aren’t your style, step up to the next price bracket and stay at the Luna and Simone Hotel at 47/49 Belgrave Rd., Manzi’s at 1-2 Leicester St. or, further out from the center, the Dawson House Hotel at 72 Canfield Gardens. All of these offer good value for money and a friendly staff.
10. Best place to stay if money is burning a hole in your pocket?
For quiet luxury I’d suggest The Montague on the Gardens at 15 Montague St. Set in a Georgian building right next to the British Museum, the Montague has individually decorated rooms, an amazing kitchen, and a relaxing pair of conservatories overlooking a private garden owned by Lord Bedford. Strange to say, it’s in the same row of Georgian townhouses as the Astor Museum Inn!
11. Top 3 sites to take children?
One of the more overlooked sights that’s worth taking them to is the Golden Hinde at Pickford Wharf. This is a full-scale replica of the galleon that Sir Francis Drake sailed around the globe in the sixteenth century. You have to book ahead, but the tours and kids’ events are lots of fun.
If you head out on a daytrip, consider Stonehenge. Your children will already recognize it from books and television, and a visit provides such a sense of wonder they’ll remember their visit.
And, of course, you need to take a photo of them in front of Big Ben! There are two good places to get shots: about a third of the way across Westminster Bridge or the nameless little garden on Abingdon St. just across the street from Victoria Tower Gardens. Sadly, you can’t actually go inside the clock tower unless you make an appointment with the caretaker and prove you have a “serious interest in horology.” So unless your kid is an aspiring horologist, you’ll have to be satisfied with photos.
12. Best place to scout for antiques?
London is full of antique shops and I’ve dedicated a lot of space in the book to them. While antique shopping in London can be pricey, if you know what you’re doing and are willing to haggle, you can still get good deals, plus you’ll find things that are almost impossible to find elsewhere. Portobello Road is your best bet if you’re pressed for time, because on Saturdays hundreds of stalls and shops sell everything you can possibly think of, from medieval armor to Princess Diana lunchboxes.
13. What is your favorite weekend getaway spot?
I’ve always loved Cambridge. There are a fair number of tourists, but the crowds only get really bad in the summer and it’s easy to simply walk out of this small town and into the countryside. If the weather’s fair, take a one-mile hike to the famous Orchard tea garden in Grantchester. Sipping tea in the shade while watching the Cam River flow sluggishly by is my favorite way to fall asleep. I’ve never gone there and not taken a nap!
14. Anything you’d like to add?
One problem with writing guidebooks is that destinations are always changing. Sadly, two weeks after Moon London hit the shelves, the beloved British tea clipper Cutty Sark had a serious fire. Fortunately, it was undergoing restoration at the time so nobody was hurt and most of the artifacts were saved, but the ship will not reopen for some time.
Also, Charlton Athletic got relegated from the Premiership this season, but their fans won the top slot in the Behaviour of the Public Fair Play League, naming them the best-behaved fans in British football. In the land of football hooligans, the Addicks know how to behave themselves even when times are tough. Congratulations lads, and better luck next season!
I hope you enjoy using my book to help explore my favorite city. If you come across any updates or places you think should go in the next edition, log onto my website at www.seanmclachlan.com and send me an email.
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