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I should be able to meet you for a bite to eat and drink after work on the Friday evening, Monkey, if that works for your timetable. I go into the office 1-2 days per week. I'll also add to your long list of recommendations:
The easiest way to tick off all the sights is an open top bus tour, if you don’t have much time to play with. Expensive for what it is.
Take a boat ride up the Thames on the “Clipper” to Greenwich, which is a vibrant area. Get some street food and a drink in a pub. Take a walk up to the observatory, which is the home to Greenwich Mean Time and has the prime meridian line.
Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are great and next door to each other. Also close is the V&A Museum, which I find dull. All located in Kensington, which is one of the most expensive areas to live in London.
You are close to a very small museum called The Clink. It’s an old prison and very interesting. Also in the area is the London Dungeon, which is a lot of fun. For medical history, The Old Operating Theatre museum is a bit different. Also the Hunterian museum.
Tower of London is walkable and you’ll get in some stories about people being tortured and having their head cut off. Bite to eat or drink at St Katherine’s Dock next door.
Have a walk around Westminster, just across the river from your hotel. If you’re interested in World War II history, the Cabinet War Rooms are interesting. This is where Churchill ran the British war operations from. Banqueting House is ok for a quick trip – it has an interesting Ruebens ceiling and it’s where King Charles has his head cut off.
Shows: plenty of world class shows on at the West End (basically the Covent Garden area). There might be some Shakespeare on at the Globe on the river.
Art: not my thing, but a number of galleries close to your hotel.
I wouldn’t bother with the London Eye. If you want a view, book a bite to eat of a drink at the top of one of the tall buildings e.g. The Shard, Heron Tower and the Gherkin. Duck and Waffle do a good brunch at the weekend, but corporate dinners midweek.
Sport: there’s a regular match at Lords cricket ground, the home of cricket. Most americans find cricket dull when I’ve taken them…
Fancy things to do: traditional afternoon tea at a 5-star hotel like the Ritz, Claridges, Dorchester or Corinthia. Expensive and need to dress smart. Dinner at Rules in Covent Garden, after cocktails upstairs. Cocktails in the Savoy.
Getting Around:
Tube will serve your needs. They are all cashless. Take a look at your options, but you can probably get a prepaid “Oyster” card. Uber also works very well.
Food:
London food is generally excellent these days and the beer (real ale) in the UK is the best in the world. Tripadvisor is your friend here for eating. Poop is right that Indian food is much better in the UK than the US (but well short on Mexican). I like a chain called Dishoom for Indian food. There’s one in Covent Garden and one in Kensington. Otherwise, you have all kinds of cuisine that can be found at a high standard. Most places in central London will be busy and vibrant.
Recommendation:
Book EVERYTHING in advance – restaurants and attraction tickets.
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