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Visiting London
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Subject: Visiting London From: Herge Date: 08 May 07 - 03:38 PM I'll be in central London on 25th and 26th June - any folk clubs or concerts on worth looking in on? Herge |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Singing Referee Date: 08 May 07 - 04:31 PM 25th June Herga Folk Club Pinner |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Greg B Date: 08 May 07 - 07:00 PM Sharps folk club meets at Cecil Sharp house on Tuesday nights (which the 26th is). I believe it's a 'must be there, do that, get the tee shirt.' I actually think they don't have a tee shirt. But they do have a wonderful crew, very welcoming, lubricated by very fine ale. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/martin.nail/Sharps/SFCintro.htm The night we went up, we took a taxi, complete with a gen-u-ine London cabbie (guv). |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: breezy Date: 09 May 07 - 03:36 PM both clubs are most welcoming and are primarily 'singrs' clubs with the occasional main guest, and then they only book the best!!! Enjoy your visit |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Sorcha Date: 09 May 07 - 03:54 PM Been to London, did Sharp House, did the Tourist Walk Thing (thanks to my Native Guide, catsPHiddle) but didn't pay to get in anyplace. Been to London, done that. No need to go back. I thought it was a rather horrid place. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Herga Kitty Date: 09 May 07 - 04:30 PM Gosh, Sorcha, you are in a grump (for entirely understandable reasons). Central London does have some nice bits, including Regent's Park, and the nearby Sharps folk club. Herga is not exactly Central London but Herge (with only one misplaced vowel) will be very welcome! Kitty |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Herge Date: 09 May 07 - 05:21 PM Which is closest to Marble Arch area? |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Herga Kitty Date: 09 May 07 - 06:24 PM Sharps! Kitty |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 09 May 07 - 07:02 PM Look - enjoy - LONDON - for LONDON'S SAKE ALONE
You have two days in one of the ten (ancient and modern)most wonderus cities of the world.
Let the city ungulf you....be overwhelmed and vow to return again and again for twenty times the two days you have.
There is not a single "folk club thingy" anywhere in the world I would exchange for two days in London.
Limited resources (time is a resource) call for desperate decisions.
Read, Research, Maximize your time, and ENJOY!
Sincerely,
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Joe Offer Date: 10 May 07 - 03:07 AM Well, I walked and walked and walked in London by day, and did folk clubs with Micca at night. It was delightful, and the clubs gave me a way to have real contact with real people - not just observing as a tourist. Hey, they even let me sing a song or two. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Kevin Sheils Date: 10 May 07 - 04:37 AM Herge If staying in the Marble Arch area the quickest (and most pleasant IMO) way to get to CS House for Sharps is the number 274 bus from outside the Underground station on Oxford St. Catch one going in the direction of Angel Islington. They run every 10-12 minutes and the journey takes about 10-15 minutes. Stops almost outside the building (ask the Driver to tell you when you get to Regents Park Road/Gloucester Ave junction). The bus is a single decker and you can probably sit near the driver Better than going by Tube where you will see nothing take longer to travel and have a walk from Camden Town Tube station which will probably take nearly as long as the bus would anyway. Kevin (transport adviser!) Sheils |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: guitar Date: 10 May 07 - 05:19 AM I visted London for a week, and there were some palces that I enjoyed and yet there were some places I didn't enjoy, but I would never go back. The first time I went I was a wee boy, and I saw Soho, and then in a park at night My father was cahsing away peeping Toms. not very nice, and this last visit I was bumped, banged into, I had to walk for miles feet sore, ankles sore, Some people were nice and some horrible and London was very expenceive, A bottle of Water someone bought cost £12. I mean it was a glass bottle was fizzy tap water. Never again |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: guitar Date: 10 May 07 - 05:19 AM i didn't see any folk clubs |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: avrosimones Date: 10 May 07 - 05:44 AM "A bottle of Water someone bought cost £12." More fool them! I live in London and while I think that some of the more touristy spots (Leicester Sq for example) are pretty nasty it is, on the whole, a great city. Good advice about the bus – I get the 274 often! If you're interested in old places, there is a great wine bar called Gordons Wine Bar on Villiers Street, beside Embankment tube station which is a really unique place and in my opinion a must see. There is a very healthy live music scene and you'll easily find acoustic music around any night – there is a very good bluegrass session in my local pub (the Hemingford Arms, Islington) on Mondays. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Herge Date: 10 May 07 - 11:11 AM Love bluegrass - any other open sessions (trad) as oppossed to folk clubs? |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: manitas_at_work Date: 10 May 07 - 11:31 AM There's a few listed on the "the session" website, http://www.thesession.org/. I understand the one in Wimbledon on Tuesdays is very good. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 10 May 07 - 11:43 PM Why are you in London (rather than...say Kentucky?)
Are you with a tour?
Are you UK EURO or US?
What precise region within a 2X2 block? (London "blocks" eaqual 3 or 4 of others)
Have you traveled in London before and understand "the tube?"
What is your time frame A.M. - P.M. 10 to after midnight 4?
Would mondolyn "pirate picking" suffice for bluegrass?
Do you have your own instrument - or would like to borrow - do you want to demonstrate your style of bluegrass? Do you want to teach?
How many will be in your party?
Do you desire reservations?
YADA, YADA, YADA,
Sincerely,
Thank you KEVEN S. I will drop by your suggestion this season. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: guitar Date: 11 May 07 - 04:12 AM Mind you when I think of it, I wouldn't mind going back just for the day, and if I went on holiday there I would go to Greenwich because i just don't like busy places, and Grennwich is less busy than central London, and I would also like find out where the folk clubs are as well. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: kendall Date: 11 May 07 - 07:07 AM London has always been a place I wanted to visit. Finally, I got to do that, and although the city was dirty and very noisy, it was still London, and the only London in the world. It has a certain panache that no other city has. I'm glad I went. Offering a place like London to an historian is like offering a banquet to a glutton. VIVA LONDON |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Liz the Squeak Date: 11 May 07 - 11:29 AM Ah, so it's the panache that makes it smell like that... I always thought it was the drains. LTS |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: kendall Date: 11 May 07 - 12:32 PM LOL |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: danensis Date: 11 May 07 - 03:33 PM The Geffrye museum is worth a visit during the day when there are no folk clubs open. I first went there 'cos it was free, but really enjoyed it. Met some lovely people whilst picknicking in the garden at the front. John |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Herge Date: 11 May 07 - 04:03 PM I'm going to be there on business so not much time for sights - but will have evenings free. Thanks for the advice |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Charley Noble Date: 11 May 07 - 05:19 PM Herge- The "walk from Camden Town Tube station" to Sharp's as I remember it should only take about 10 minutes. Of course if you walk the wrong way it will take you much longer. The finding of Sharp's is much like going through a maze! But it's rewarding. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Greg B Date: 11 May 07 - 09:49 PM If you're going on business, may as well find a week-end to tarry for a while. A most worth-while city all round. As a seasoned traveler, I will advise an open mind. If you like New York, you'll love London. Those who don't--- well, either they don't like cities or they should just stay home or both. You haven't asked about pubs. I'll recommend one: The Mitre Don't know if you're staying in the vicinity, but the food and ale are first rate. Have a 'Spotted Dick' in my name should you sup there. If you have any choice of hotels, the Radisson Edwardians are really neat--- especially if someone else is paying the bill. Do take the express trains in from either Gatwick or Heathrow. Then take the tube everywhere. Only you'll enjoy the London taxis perhaps at night. As touristy as it may seem, the double-decker 'city tour' buses aren't a bad orientation to this city ( or many other world cities ). Londoners are very friendly to 'yanks,' so relax and enjoy one of the greatest cities in the world. If you're looking for a 'London fog' or terrible soot- stained buildings, you'll be disappointed...they don't burn coal any more, so the fogs don't really happen, and climate change makes that even moreso. Or lessso. And they've pressure-washed all the buildings, so the stone looks magnificent. The air is clean and fresh. Sorry. Don't be afraid to be a tourist. The British Museum is amazing. In the Cabinet War Rooms you can see where Churchill gave his 'Their Finest Hour' address...and if you don't feel a lump in your throat, you're dead. Speaking of which, as you wander the old city, from Picadilly Circus outward, note 1950's and 1960's buildings in between Victorian and Edwardian blocks. Then reflect on the fact that the reason those buildings are there is that the Victorian or Edwardian buildings that formerly occupied those spaces were bombed into nothing during Hitler's 'blitz.' Oh...don't miss Westminster Abbey. Yes, everyone goes there, but you're going to stomp all over the graves of folks that you were forced to read in school. But seriously--- so long as you're there, you may as well stay a couple of days extra. Travelocity will find you a hotel you can afford. It's a fantastic city. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 11 May 07 - 10:11 PM Herge - thanks for clarification
Personally, I like Greg B's advice the best.
(Charley is a Nut!!! - Camden is scary in the day-time - Punkers, Skin-Heads - Mushrooms - Hawkers - Tatoos....it is fine as a back-side, free entrance to the Zoo Aviary collection.....BUT - AFTER NIGHT FALL - unless you are comfortable, in uncomfortable surroundings; avoid it.)
After your meetings, have a brew or two with the collegues you meet...have a steak and kidney pie....then buy a day fare...and spend a couple hours on the top of a double decker bus. Get the lay of the land for two nights. Or, arrange by e-mail someone from your business group to point you in the right direction (they may also pickup the tab - if their shareholders permit)
Sincerely,
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: kendall Date: 12 May 07 - 06:42 AM Westminster Abbey is not to be missed. An experience you will never forget. I really enjoyed performing at the Cecil Sharp folk club, of course, I had a guide so getting there was no problem. Thanks, Micca. |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Liz the Squeak Date: 12 May 07 - 09:35 AM Gargoyle is a scaremonger - Camden is perfectly safe if you are sensible and don't go flashing cash like a lunatic. Just walk around, mind your own business and don't look like a stuck up social worker and you're fine. Mind you, I think being blonde and female helps! Walking up the hill to Cecil Sharp House takes you away from the centre of Camden and the 'scary' types that have Gargoyle sweating prefer to stay near the station. Having said that, don't leave it too late of an evening to catch your train, as the last one leaves earlier than you'd expect. LTS |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: kendall Date: 12 May 07 - 03:18 PM And they arrive later than you expect! LOL |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: Liz the Squeak Date: 13 May 07 - 03:29 AM True, Kendall... when I got off the train at Camden in 1997 and stepped into a gang of punks, I thought I'd gone back in time 20 years! LTS |
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Subject: RE: Visiting London From: breezy Date: 13 May 07 - 05:20 AM Where will you be staying old sport? It may have a bearing on where you go. Ah central, well anywhere would be O K The transport network is not bad despite what one hears said about it Buses Trains Tubes for the mortals less traffic in the 'congestion charge area ' these days It should be pretty warm too !! All the best old chap, look in the magazine Folk London which is edited by Sheila who also runs sharps, and what a nugget she is, you will have to meet her, she's just incredible. O K thats the 26th sorted, now for Monday, and it could be herga |
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