So me and gf are headed to London & Paris for about two weeks on vacation.

I'm just wanting to see if there are any cool restaurants/pubs that I have to go to. I've received plenty of books about the two cities that tell me about the sites, but I'll take all the pointers I can get on those too.

We are taking it pretty easy on this trip, which is cool. We are planning NOTHING. If we feel like walking around, cool. If we feel like sitting in a pub and getting wated, fine. If we feel like chillin' at a cafe and reading for an entire afternoon...well then I'll head to the pub and get wasted while she does that.

So yeah, help me out.

Underpants.

in London: Scala. Maybe visit Sketch.

in Paris: the Catacombs

London-

Portobello Road market in Notting Hill every Saturday.

A load of bars & restaurants down Brick Lane in Shoreditch. Check out Cafe Naz for indian & bangladeshi food. Vibe bar & 93 feet east are cool bars down Brick Lane.

Go Camden Market, on every day i think and then have a beer at one of the pubs on the canal.

Check out The Trafalgar Tavern in Park row. Nice old pub by The Thames. If you are going in summer.

Somehow Sketch is going to be in Madison while I'm in London.

Stuff I do over and over again when I go to London.

British Museum.

Covent Garden.

London Zoo.

Rough Trade Shop & Sounds of The Universe.

Brewer Street, ha!

oh yeah The British Museum is absolutely incredible as well. The greatest cache of stolen goods EVER.

LOVED the British Museum, but didn't have nearly enough time to spend there. Although it's touristy, I liked the Tower of London as well.

We stayed in the Earls Court area, so we didn't get around to too many different restaurants while there.

Doesn't Wyman have some restaurant called 'Sticky Fingers' aka an only-Stones Hard Rock Cafe?

Barring that, I hope you enjoy your stay in Wormwood Scrubs that I had Scotlan Yard book for you.

They don't allow your kind in places like these.

go see the big head:




it looks small in the photo, but its huge in person. its on the right side of the screen.

http://www.clasohm.com/photodb/photo?photo_id=6774

oh, and don't call any Parisiens racists. They really freak the fuck out. Actually, do it, it's kind of awesome.

Never been to London but I went to Paris back in November.

Most beautiful city I've ever been to. Just so much history.

I was a total tourist when I went. I hit all the hot spots: Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Montmarte district, Arc De Triomphe, Champs Elysses, Pere Lachaise, etc. Learn how to use the Metro. I got the hang of it after 2 days and it makes it super easy to get anywhere.

The smartest thing I did was to do one of those cheesy bus tours of the city. I wasn't too jazzed to do it but being taken around the city to see all the landmarks and famous sites was not only a primer on what I wanted to go spend more time at but also gave me a sense of where everything was in the city and how far away they were from one another. It was also nice to have someone tell you the history of everything in english.

They were only like $20-$30 for the bus ride. I then went back and spent time at the above spots.

Arrange a lunch on the first level of the Eiffel Tower. Everyone has seen it millions of times but nothing really prepares you for when you come up on it.

I'd plan in a day to just walk around and chill in the Montmartre district. Lots of bars, cafes, and cool shops to check out. The Sacre Coeur is at the top of the hill of this area. A lot of the movie Amelie was filmed here. Former home of Picasso and tons of other artists, writers etc. Moulin Rouge also.

I spent about 2 hours just hanging in the Notre Dame. Fucking breathtaking.

I stayed in the Latin Quarter where the Sorbonne is. Lots of cafes and old book stores, movie theaters. Really cool area as well. Good area to walk around in.

I took a whole day to spend at the Louvre. Neverending maze of Qual.

I loved Paris. Despite the stereotypes I found everyone to be really nice and helpful. I'd advise brushing up on your French as knowing some of the basics will take you a long way and be appreciated by the French especially in restaurants.

Bottom line, beautiful city. There are buildings in the central part of the city that have McDonalds in them and shit that are older than the US has been a damn country. I tried to cram so much into 3 days. Impossible thing to get it all in. Just get out and walk around. Walking was the best way to see it.

Let me think some more Busty and I'll get back with you.

they're not racist, they just have no patience for people who talk to them like their from the deep south. "HOW MUCH IS THEM THERE T-SHIRT?!!!" if you take the time to learn a few key phrases in french, they'll totally help you out.

go visit the big giant gold head!

Because lord knows that un-educated rednecks are only found in the deep south.

Christ.

99.9999%

This is all you need: http://www.beerintheevening.com/

Favorite London walk: Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Aquarium, London Eye, Gabriel's Wharf, National Theater, Tate Modern, Southwark Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Tower Hill.

British Museum is pretty ace also.

If you like curry, you must eat here: http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/

You didn't show your work.


Grade: F

i suck at 'rithmatic.

I speak French, and tried pretty hard to do that exclusively. It was when I was told (by the manager of my hostel!) that Princess Diana deserved to die because "she was fucking a muslim" was when the trouble started. It only got worse and worse.

90% of the Parisiens I encountered were rude and too annoyed by my presence there to not be an asshole. I understand hostility towards tourists, I've been there myself, but this was ridiculous. The other 10% were extremely polite and courteous and outright wonderful people. Oddly, everywhere else in France had the opposite ratio.

Oh yeah, one other thing. My train ride from Amsterdam to Paris was one of the coolest things I did also.

It's only 4 hours by train to da DAM.

Just sayin. Day trip.


I recommend the Jack Herer Haze.

Go to St. Paul's Cathedral in London and climb up to the top of the dome. Excellent view, but what it really does is show what an amazing building it is. Granted, I've never been to Italy...

There are a ton of book stores on Charing Cross Rd if you are by chance looking for ones not readily available in the US.

A lot of what Derris said.

My favourite place in Paris was Les Jardins du Luxembourg. I spent a lot of time there.

London and Paris are fantastic with plenty to see and do. Lots of good recommendations here already.

Despite popular criticism of English food, London has some of the finest restaurants in the world.

If the weather is good and you're looking to get away from the big city and maybe visit the coast, I recommend a day trip to Brighton http://www.brighton.co.uk/. The beaches are unlike any you might visit in the US. If you can get an express train it's about an hour ride from London's Victoria Station to Brighton. From the train station it's a short walk to Kensington Gardens and The Lanes with hundreds of cool little shops, eateries and pubs. The Royal Pavilion, also within easy walking distance, is a must see http://www.royalpavilion.org.uk/

I have great fondness for Brighton having lived there for 5 years.

have you ever seen members of british sea power walking about?