Reply to Pulling the trigger....help me plan a short(ish) trip to London in late October

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[quote=Anonymous]The problem with Paddington is that while it is convenient for the Heathrow Express, it isn't so convenient for just about anywhere else in London. You will have to change tube lines at least once and beyond the park there isn't much else within walking distance. It's also a hotel ghetto and hotel quality vary dramatically, so be careful. The range of dining options is also limited and not impressive. If it's a family of three with the associated luggage and stroller to carry, they might as well take a private taxi directly to their hotel for not much more money than three tickets for the Express (50-60 GBP for a taxi, compared to 35 GBP (half of a round trip ticket) on the Express. US bound flights are almost always in mid morning to afternoon so I don't think she needs to worry about tube hours, BUT, groan, do be prepared for the occasional tube strike!

[quote=Anonymous]Everything is accessible by subway, but beware most do not have elevators in case you take a stroller.

Kew Gardens is a nice outside the city place to visit.

If you fly into Heathrow, I like staying near Paddington. The reason is the Heathrow Express train operates from Paddington, and then it's just a walk from hotel to airport train. Proved very useful when taking an early flight and subway hasn't started yet.[/quote]

If not staying with family, I prefer to stay in Bloomsbury near the British Museum and within walking distance of the Russell Square or Holborn underground stops on the Piccadilly Line. The Piccadilly Line has probably the highest share of sights within walking distance of its stops of any underground lines throughout London. From a hotel in Bloomsbury you can easily walk to the British Museum, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, plus Soho and Covent Gardens and Trafalgar Square, the West end with its theatres, Oxford Street etc, plus numerous smaller musuems within Bloomsbury and the West End (Sir John Soane is a wonderful little museum). King's Cross station and the British Library is on the northern edge of Bloomsbury. The Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury has a nice Waitrose plus a range of perfectly nice restaurants. A block away from the Brunswick Centre is Coram Fields, which is a child only park (children + parents). And Bloomsbury is a pretty area for the most part, Bedford Square is gorgeous and has Gail's Bakery, which is my favourite coffee shop in London.

Without knowing more of the OP's interests I'm holding back on other recommendations for sights as there's SO much to see and do in London. But I will say this: avoid Borough Market. It used to be fantastic, but it's now so jammed with tourists that going there is not fun. I was just there a month ago and I couldn't wait to leave. A shame as I used to love the market in the past. The food on offer is fine but not remarkable and you can easily find similar food elsewhere in London as the food scene has exploded in recent years. There's a smaller market in Covent Garden, handy for a lunch break from visiting the National Gallery.

Another advice is that a great way to keep food costs low while still eating out for lunches or breakfasts is to go to Pret or EAT. Sandwiches are pretty good, lots of other freshly made packaged lunches for only a few pounds and you can eat indoors for only a very slight mark up. "Proper" restaurants are generally expensive compared to their US equivalents.

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