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Travelling to London!


mindy_kay

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<p>Hey all,<br>

I've been a lurker for quite a while, but this is the first time that I've decided to post. I'm going to London in September, and as you can imagine, am quite excited about it! Anyway, I love the advice, discussions and sometimes arguments that go on in this forum, so I thought that I'd throw the question out there: any tips?</p>

<p>Specifically,<br>

Does anyone have any good rainy-day tips for both settings and art?<br>

Any Londoners have a favorite spot that might not be typical?<br>

Any architecture geeks out there know a few tricks to get a more unique shot?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I will only be there a week, and some visiting is involved, but for the most part it's all touring and pleasure.<br>

Thanks in advance for any comments or discussion!</p>

<p>Amanda</p>

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<p>While you easily spend a week or more in London, you will miss the rest of England. Get a rail pass, head out of town. Bath is a nice place for an overnight stop.</p>

<p>There's enough "stuff" in the city that you won't get bored, I agree on the Tate Modern. Unfortunately, the incredibly tacky Rock Circus, a museum of wax rock stars, is closed, I think it is my favorite all-time tourist site in London.</p>

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<p>Take a day an head to Victoria Station ,where you can take a bus to Windsor Castle,the city of Bath and Stonehenge.Its a long day but it was worth it.There are many other day tours that leave from there also.</p>
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<p>Rainy days : You may well get rainy days. Our Met services promised a 'barbeque summer' but they failed to mention that we needed an indoor barbeque. Lots of rain recently. Luckily London is very good to photograph in rain and fog and all the other kinds of bad weather.That is because it is not so much a 'pretty' location like say Paris, but instead is buzzng with life and energy. If you want to get the atmosphere of London you need a weekday and preferably rush hour. Then the place is a seething mass of humanity all intent on getting to work or getting home. Don't stand in their way. By contrast the working parts of London have a deserted feel on the weekends. The tourist bit of course never sleep.</p>

<p>Favourite spot : difficult to choose as there are so many themes you can pick up. London cemeteries such as Highgate etc are popular. London markets are great fun. See the websites for locations and times. Camden market is a very popular spot. My personal favorite theme is the River Thames but that is maybe a bit of a minority inerrest. The tourist areas of the Tower / South bank / Tate Modern / Millenium bridge / St Pauls cathedral (no photography inside) is a wonderful place for people photography.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.londonmarkets.co.uk/">http://www.londonmarkets.co.uk/</a></p>

<p>Architecture : I like London Bridges, the modern buildings like City Hall (inside as well) and the Gherkin. For older stuff like churches, the Wren Churches (built after the 1666 Great Fire) make a fascinating study and for earlier St Bartholomew the Great (12th C) and of course the Tower of London.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.greatstbarts.com/">http://www.greatstbarts.com/</a></p>

<p>I agree with Jeff about the rail pass. Bath, Cambridge, Oxford, Canterbury, York, Windsor are some nice destinations. Try</p>

<p><a href="http://www.thetrainline.com">www.thetrainline.com</a></p>

<p>for tickets and do not pay the staggering full prices.</p>

<p>Have a great trip.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>London, Paris, New York, Rome. Avoid the cliché tourist places (not another shot of the London Eye) and visit the bourgs within the greater city limits. That's where the denizens live and play, where the pulse of the place is real.</p>
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<p>I think that to some extent you have to decide whether on this trip you're a tourist or a photographer. As a tourist you'll get by with a guidebook for a first visit. As a photographer you might well choose to do things differently. For example as a photographer I might not choose to visit Harrods, or Buckingham Palace, or the London Eye. What i might do is get a book of the riverside walks and pick out a few sections of that to walk. And I'd do it early and late in the day when the light is most interesting and leave my visiting for the middle of the day. Good areas? Canary Wharf, east of Tower Bridge on the south bank, right through the city from Tower Bridge to Waterloo Bridge. View of Parliament from round Lambeth Bridge, around Vauxhall where late light catches modern blocks nicely, round Chiswick , Strand on the Green and Kew. Richmond. Many of Londons best sights can be seen well from the riverbank.</p>

<p>I would treat myself to one or two days away and for me they would be Bath and either Oxford or Cambridge depending on which stations are most accessible to where you're staying. London is big. I wouldn't do Windsor as a photographer (and i do live virtually next to it) but as a tourist it and next-door Eton are well worthwhile. Norwich is too far for a pleasant daytrip IMO. You can see the essence of Bath or Oxford or Cambridge in a matter of hours provided the shops don't get you. </p>

<p>Rainy day arty stuff?</p>

<p>The real Tate Gallery (Tate Britain) on Millbank has the best collection of Turners you'll ever see and the building's not bad either. People have photographed inside the British Museum ( Bloomsbury) quite nicely. Cork Street in Mayfair is the home of commercial fine art galleries and some of them are often interesting. Areas such as Hoxton and parts of the East End are up and coming for art galleries - eg Flowers east on Kingsland Road. I like the Imperial War museum about fifteen minutes walk from Waterloo Station.</p><div>00U5dH-160277584.jpg.24a7bce2fd45b5698084d67a7f429deb.jpg</div>

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<p>Tourist or traveller, that is the question. My recent trip to Estonia and to France with friends was as the latter, and I didn't regret not having many pictures of the more commonly visited places. But first trips are necessarily touristic. </p>
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<p>Meant to cover two more things. </p>

<p>If you like architecture and you're around the weekend of 19/20 September, the London Open House weekend gives you access to a lot of commercial and public buildings not usually accessible for casual visits or photography. It is very worthwhile <a href="http://www.openhouse.org.uk">www.openhouse.org.uk</a>. You'll need to get a catalogue online and decipher which sites are pre-bookable and which you can walk in on the days. </p>

<p>Equally check the sites of the major auction houses Sotheby's and Christies to see if they have pre-sale viewings. They often have art on display the equal of what you'll see in many well-known museums. The main showrooms of both auctionerrs are pretty central.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for all of the wonderful advice. For my birthday at the beginning of the month, my mother-in-law gave us this very helpful little guide (I'm sorry but I don't remember the name or the publisher off hand) that includes everything from walks (the best in a day, pubs, ect.) to restaurants to tips. I've been getting myself a little acquainted to the city with it when I can.<br>

We are going mostly as tourists, as this is our first trip to England, but at the same time have decided to bypass some of the usual cliche spots - namely the Eye, the zoo, and Buckingham. I'm more interested in the architecture (the little guide book I have mentioned the Open House weekend, sounds fantastic! I believe I will be there for those days!) and he needs to find himself in a pub build earlier than our country was founded.<br>

I've been buzzing about reading about London so much since I got that book that I completely forgot my intentions to visit the Stonehenge. Thanks to Jeff and Peter for reminding me to get out of the city for a day!<br>

That's a beautiful picture, David!<br>

The planning is a bit overwhelming and so are the expenses as I have no idea what to expect for prices!</p>

 

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<p>Personally, it does depend on your purpose... is it your first time? I went for my firdt time into London. Personally, I liked the Eye on London... okay sure it's an over-sized ferris-wheel (and its a little expensive). But it have a pretty cool view of the city, especially, Big Ben and Westminister Abbey. Speaking of which the Abbey also cliche and a cool experience (if you're into that)... but no photos inside. You can still take some pics in the "cloisters" (the inner courtyard area) which is definately photo-worthy.</p>
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<p>Westminster - you can't take a camera in to take pictures, however, if you take a short train ride to Canterbury, you can take pictures in side the cathederal there. Worth the trip.</p>

<p>Bring a tripod - some of the best shots are Londen Eye, Parliment, Picadilly and Trafalgar Square at night.</p>

<p>Sunday Afternoon - Speakers Corner is great for taking people shots</p>

<p>If you can borrow/rent a 17mm TS Lens it will be worth it for architechtural shots</p>

<p>There are a few walking tours that are a much better way to go see London than the tourist bus. I've been on a few, and from a photographers viewpoint - I would recommend the Legal walk for sure. </p>

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<p>Hiii There , Looking for great deals and things to do in London !<br>

Visit www.check-in-london.com <br>

We feature a LONDON section and our Official Online Blog with the latest updates in London !<br>

Book your Hotels and Serviced apartments in London as well as Theatre Tickets at Discounted Rates with instant confirmation.<br>

Email us at info@check-in-london.com for more details. </p><div>00UA5w-163051584.thumb.jpg.e1e23a5c8e3ce822f7273f5cc87bbf58.jpg</div>

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<p>I'm not addressing your specific questions, but will offer one idea to consider. When in London, I've found it extremely rewarding to buy an Underground pass that allows unlimited travel. To disembark from multiple stations throughout the day and see completely different neighborhoods or sights at each stop is a great way to find varied photographic opportunities. For someone with limited time, this allows one to cover a lot of territory quite quickly. Have a great time!! As you know, London is one of the world's most interesting cities. </p>
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<p>Discover London’s secret gardens and squares. There are dozens of squares to be found, often gated, and surrounded by impressive architecture, throughout the city. But there are also more informal community and wildlife gardens to be found sitting incongruously between – or even on top of – inner-city buildings. See how many of London’s river bridges you can cross in a day. Some magnificent structures span the River Thames – from the iconic Tower Bridge to the illuminated Albert Bridge in Chelsea, they’ve all got fascinating histories, too <a href="www.keine-jobs.com">jobs</a> . Plus, many of London's most impressive sights are beside the river, such as the Houses of Parliament, The Eye, Tate Modern, The Tower of London and HMS Belfast <a href="www.keine-jobs.com/stellenmarkt">Stellenmarkt</a> . Discover London’s hidden secrets, such as remnants of medieval times or its several disused Underground stations. f you like being beside water, tackle the Thames Path, or just do shorter bits if you don’t fancy the whole stretch from the Thames Barrier in east London out into the Buckinghamshire Chilterns, and even on to its source in the Cotswolds <a href="http://www.keine-jobs.com/stellenangebote">Stellenangebote</a> . Or wander alongside the city’s canals – Regents Canal in Little Venice is particularly attractive, but the stretch in east London has been revamped and also makes a pleasant stroll.</p>
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