Trip to London in May

[Wes Davidson]

I'm tagging along with my wife on a trip to London at the end of May. I'll be free during the day while she's in class. I've been to London before and seen the big sites. I'm looking for tips on hole in the wall restaurants (any cuisine will do), good places to see live local hip-hop, and the best places for unique views of the city as I'll be taking a ton of pictures. I'd like to capture the diverse ethnicity, strong colors, and interesting sub cultures like skateboarding and graffiti. And these are just examples, I'm very open to new experiences. Hopefully between now and May y'all will have some good tips. Right now I'm looking at a hotel in Kennsington, but that's not set in stone. Thank you in advance!

[Claire2010]

Hi Wes, how long will you be in London for? Areas I would explore would be Camden, Brixton and Hackney. Camden has a much loved music scene; lots of great little venues to watch live music, a fab market and it's great if you like your scene a little more alternative. Brixton and Hackney are great if you're into hip hop culture; you have the Brixton Academy and Hackney Empire for live gigs and great independent record shops if you want to pick up some records.

Checking out the culture in these areas should provide subjects for your photographs and you can't beat any of the bridges (Blackfriars,Tower, London, Vauxhall, etc) for amazig views over the city.

Kensington is lovely, although it may not provide you with a massive insight into urban subcultures! Depending on budget, it may be better to stay a bit further out. You can check out hotels here to see accommodation in other parts of London.

Hope that helped!

Claire
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[Wes Davidson]

Thanks Claire!

I've spent a lot of time in Camden, but Brixton and Hackney I will visit for sure this time. The trip is 10 days but we might spend the last 3 in Edinburgh.
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[Claire2010]

No problem Wes, I hope you have a great time!

I would definitely try to make it up to Edinburgh, it's a great city; lovely people, lots to see and do and nice bars and restaurants too.

Claire
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[Londonua]

Hi there,
Why don't you check out the walking tours that Urban Adventures offer:

The most popular half day tour is East End Uncovered - taking in
everything from Pie'n'Mash to Brick Lane, spotting pop-up art from
Banksy's to space invaders, and browsing Spitalfields market. It's really
popular with visitors to London and Londoners looking to find out more
about their city.

They have a website, Google london urban adventures to get the link
Thanks,
Carole

[Wes Davidson]

That sounds cool Carole. I do like Banksy. I may check it out!
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[Londonua]

It is a fab walking tour. I have lived in London all my life and learnt loads the first time i went on the tour.

At least the weather in May will be starting to warm up

C

[robertb]

I did the 2012 Olympic site walking tour with this bunch: http://www.tourguides2012.co.uk/, which I enjoyed. It's not just about the Olympics, it also includes the history of the area which goes back to pre-roman times.
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[Scotland]

Brick lane in the east end is a great place to spend an evening.
There must be a hundred or so Bengali restaurants and some of the citys best known nightclubs.

Some good viewpoints for photos are.
The london eye - A good view over central london.
Parliament Hill - also offers a good vantage place for photos
Boat trips on the thames will give you unique photos of parliament and other sights.

Have a great time.

[Wes Davidson]

Just peeped the wiki page for Brick Lane and it looks right up my alley. Thanks Scotland!
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[Wes Davidson]

This may be a weird question but are there any cultures or people that prefer not to have their picture taken in London?
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[laz]

a difficult question... I think probably most people in London would not want their photo taken deliberately... like any major city, most people there are working (and busy and in a hurry and pre-occupied, etc.) so are rather impatient with tourists...
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[johnrodricks]

Visiting in the month of May will offer you a chance to attend Chelsea Flower Show. You can book hotels through Kensington Olympia Hotels. We got a secret hotel booked through this site the last time visited London. Discounts really helped.
As far as clicking pictures is concerned, the are offers stunning gardens too which will offer amazing sites.

[aaron]

johnrodricks... you clearly have a hidden agenda as you are posting from India, not London.

Banned.
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[London Vacation]

The things I would recomend you do which are not normaly visited on peoples first trip to London would be:

Parliment Hill - gives a great view of the city and docklands all the way to the BT tower and west London.
Stand on London bridge at night, its stunning.
Alexander Palace offers great views as does hamsted heath.
I think the best view of London is from the top of greenwhich hill in greenwhich overlooking the old naval university and thames.
Thames barrier is worth a visit too.
As for culture - as has been suggested, Brick lane, Shorditch and Bethnal Green Road. Camden.
If you walk down by the thames on the south bank near to the royal festival hall there are evening meetings of boarders and grafiti guys in an area provided for them.

Chris
The London Travel Company[/quote]