Couldn’t disagree more - if you’re in relatively good shape (ie, able to stand for a few hours) and the weather is not against you, standing at the globe rocks. I have seen a couple of performances that way (the tempest, twelfth night), and I remember them all distinctly as wonderful. The thing with the yard is that you can get ridiculously close to the actors, to distances that only the most expensive seats will get in a conventional theatre.
Also, I guess the vast majority of American tourists will sit down, by standing up you will get huge bragging points.
One suggestion for visiting London - walk! Within central London (zone 1 or so), everything is very close together and it can take longer to walk to the tube station, get on the train, and come out than it would take just to walk somewhere. The tube map is very schematic, so don’t rely on it to judge distances.
Walking or cycling in a city is a great way to get a feel for the place, and compose a mental map in your head. Walking London is very rewarding. If you are in good shape, rent a bike, take the Oxford Tube bus up to Oxford, see the sights, and bike the (50miles or so) back the next day. After a long day’s biking, realising that you are in the centre of town as you pass into Hyde Park… unforgettable.
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Brick Lane is shite - British Indian guy here. The restaurants are not run by Indians, they’re run by Bangladeshis. The food isn’t good.
If you want to go to place where food is of sufficient quality that Indian people are willing to pay for it try Southall. It’s very close to Heathrow Airport.
Ok, ok. I don’t consider Portsmouth to be all that far from London. UK is incredibly small by American standards. I have driven farther for dinner than London proper to Portsmouth or Avebury or even Stonehenge. YMMV.
Here? Often, but not frequently. In UK–always. It’s not that far to Portsmouth. It’s not the far to Dover for that matter (although I wouldn’t go to Dover for dinner and then back to London). Unless you’re going to Scotland–nothing in UK is all that far. I’m sorry, but it’s not. Most of it is lovely and I love it and it’s wonderful and y’all are real nice people, but it’s not. that. far. (it could be complicated with public transport, that’s another matter)
When I say I have driven as far as London to Portsmouth for dinner–I meant the equivalent distance here, not that I have driven it in UK. I hope that’s clear and we can stop talking about this minor point. :smack:
Enjoy your trip, OP! IMS, you leave today. <jealous, jealous, jealous>
Unless, of course, you’re trying to get out to the islands. We ended up not being able to visit the Isle of Man this summer just because it would have required so long to get there and back by ferry. We did do some of the Outer Hebrides, though. The Isle of Lewis is amazing. A loooooong way from London, though
Otherwise, I have to agree with you. Living in Montana, a hundred miles or so is nothing.
AUGH! I can’t believe I made that typo! I am ashamed and will go hang my head in misery. My family name is Shanklin for fuck’s sake. I KNOW the Isle of Wight!
Canvey Island, full of oil refineries and dodgy characters originally from the East-End of London. It also has a holiday caravan park right next to the sewerage works.
Surely this must be high-up on anyone’s “to see” list?
Plus, if you ruled out “Indian” restaurants run by people of Bangledeshi extranction, that would probably be more than half of the curry houses in Britain…
The Isle of White is not that far…
