Full Circle- Lindsay's London "Must" List

Thought I'd head off this blog by stopping where I started. That is with the previous third year ladies telling us unexperienced second years what there is to see in London. What their top experiences were. I'd like to make my London "Must" list.

To the pre-Londoners to come:

Every Day Musts:
1. Boots is your CVS/Walgreens- learn it, love it.
2. Sainsbury's is your most local grocer, dig?
3. Get your London phone at Carphone Warehouse.
4. Tube pass at the Tottenham station.
5. Money at Barclays (try to use ATMs inside the buildings)
6. Shipping or mailing postcards at the Mail Boxes, etc. right on Great Russell.

Must Attend Theatres:
1. See what you want to see, do some exploring, even if it means making a mistake or two. Sometimes you'll be glad you did!
2. Old Vic. Kevin Spacey's theatre. Best play I saw in London played there.
3. The other best play was at the Almeida.
4. If 39 Steps is still playing (which it may be), I highly recommend it for a fun, physical comedy romp!
5. Shakespeare's Globe in London on the South Bank. I felt closer to Shakespeare and his work here than even at the RSC in Stratford upon Avon. Great plays, great atmosphere. If you have the option, PAY TO SIT and RENT A CUSHION. Standing tickets are 5Quid, but do you really want to stand for 3 hours???
6. Barbican. There are so many different kinds of art happening in this building, its a great place to chill and explore.
7. The Unicorn is one of London's best children's theatres, but they do a great job with Shakespeare and do a great job of telling the story.

Museums:
1. British- I'd say its cool to see the Egyptian stuff.
2. V & A - had some neat stuff!
3. For the film fan, the London Film Museum was a great time.

-Regarding day trips planned: attend as many of them as possible, they are a great way to send home pictures to your parents! Tons of photo ops.
-If you're interested, I say fill out your London trip with more than just shows. See if your favorite band is playing, go see a dance concept show, go on a Jack the Ripper walk, they're great fun and help you see a different side of London.

Shopping:
Okay, we all know Oxford Street is fantastic, but if you're looking for something a little more obscure and a little less touristy:
CAMDEN CAMDEN CAMDEN- take the tube on the Northern Line to Camden Town, take a right and walk over the little canal bridge, to your left will be the Camden Lock market...and it is glorious.

Mainstream Shopping Musts: Harrod's, Selfridges, Marks and Spender, Dorothy Perkins, H&M, Liberty, Carnaby Street, TopShop. At least once. But please do not spend all your time and money there.

FOOD:
1. Waggamama (close, cheap- I recommend the curry)
2. Pizza Express (about 10Pounds for a meal, but delicious and close)
3. Uh...chipotle?! Down Tottenham Court (where it turns into Charing Cross. Wonderfully, its right across from a Foyles which is their Barnes n Noble).
4. Ultimate Burger is just that. ULTIMATE.
5. Bar Italia in SOHO. Legit Italian. (Take out option)
6. Soho Pizzeria near Carnaby St.
7. The Old Dutch- crepes that will BLOW YOUR MIND.
8. Maison Bertaux on Greek St. A lovely tradition passed on from past Asolo students.

Traveling:
I think traveling is great. I went to Paris for a weekend, but just going away a weekend was enough for me. Keep in mind if you go away every weekend, you miss out on the weekend scene in London and may be exhausted for classes the next week. That can catch up with you. I've seen it happen.

DONT:
1. Don't go to the Camden People's Theatre. It is a waste of time. Period.
2. Get too excited for Stratford upon Avon. To me it seemed over-commercialized and a bit of a let down. It's a cool town, but the RSC did disappoint.
3. (I know I said this before) Don't spend all your money on Oxford Street. Look around! Portabello, Greenwich, Spittalfields, Camden, Carnaby are all amazing places to shop and get little goodies and HELLO, you can haggle there!
4. Don't wear yourself out to the point of being ill. You're in LONDON, but it doesn't mean you can't spend a nice quiet evening in with your classmates having some 2 Liters of Cider and Beer from Sainsbury's.
5. Don't overpack. Seriously. You can buy ANYTHING in London. Also, DO bring a couple different sizes of suitcase, in case you go away for a weekend. Have a "weekend" bag.

DO:
1. Go to HIGH TEA. Yes, it costs like 40 Pounds, but oh my lord is it worth it.
2. See a musical. I know for some that may not be a problem, but I think you should at least see one. I saw Les Mis and it was GREAT!! Ps- I'm pretty sure the understudies go on during the weekly matinees, and they are so fresh its fantastic!
3. Go to the Travel meeting (its usually in the first few days, they'll let you know). That's how I got to go to Paris for 3 days all expenses paid (save food) for $300! Yes, dollars. Actually, it did include breakfast, so woohoo! Also, a boat cruise on the Seine. Delightful.
4. Take advantage of lastminute.co.uk and check and see if they're still doing "anightlessordinary.co.uk". Great deals for tickets. This way you don't have to walk all the way down there.
5. Bring 2 adapters with you. You'll probably need 2 (mostly for the women).

Be PREPARED:
Not in the Lion King sense, but:
1. Know that classes do take up time. You ARE also there to study (and Mark, Charmean, and Patsy are all delightful people). So try not to come to class wasted. It just makes things unpleasant for all. Not that any of you would.
2. You may end up at the top floor of the building. Be prepared to climb up to 90 stairs (one way) to get to your flat.
3. To share ONE bathroom between 5 women. It can happen. To share a fridge and stove and do dishes and share bathroom space.
4. Buy toilet paper- you can rotate, that's what we did.
5. Laundry could be super far away from you. As could the trash. Be prepared.

BONUS: If you go to Paris!!! Musts:
1. The Louvre- it is exquisite.
2. Montmartre.
3. Notre Dame.
4. Eat crepes and quiche.
5. Boat cruise on Seine at NIGHT (10pm or so).
6. Top of Eiffel. It's just cool, man.
7. Versailles. It's amazing.

Most of all, enjoy.

So, I know this is a lot...and I've probably forgotten some, but hey, it's a start.

Cheerio!
-L