travel advice?

[Theblazeuk]

Which BBC are you in?  I've only ever been in the radio centre - which had a dalek and the TARDIS last time I visited.

I'm in White City, just up the road from the old Television Centre. Which had studios, that dalek and Tardis, the news rooms, etc etc... was just more interesting. Lots of stuff recorded on the grounds. I sometimes visit Radio Centre (which is basically broadcasting house I think? Every building has a million names depending on the era people joined :/ ), the old bit is a nicer building than the new bit but it's all just desks and a few booths now. The only real perk is being able to spy on Mark Kermode on a Friday and knowing that you walk through a live TV feed everytime you take the stairs to the canteen via News (stupid, stupid design).

[moly]

It's great you can make it for the event, a lot of the tourist site will be a lot quieter in February so you shouldn't have to queue for ages also don't forget Stratford upon Avon home of Shakespeare and near to Warwick castle possibly one of the best in the country

[shaolin_monkey]

If you fancy seeing another capital city, country and castle, then I recommend a train from London to Cardiff, capital of Wales!  A lovely friendly city, 2.5 hours away by train, with a castle slap bang in the middle, and tons of fantastic bars and restaurants all around it. 

You could go there and back in a day, but if you need a place to crash overnight my partner and I will be happy to put you up.  Although bear in mind we'll be at the 40th celebration in London too.

[I, Cosh]

You've already got plenty of good advice on here. I'm not a Londoner but I've quite enjoyed the touristy side of things last couple of times I've been. A few recommendations

The British Museum is an extraordinary place. You could spend a week in there alone. My advice would be to check in advance if there are any special exhibitions which take your fancy then plan to stay half a day including that. You'll only see a tiny portion of the collection but you wont wear yourself out.

If you've any interest at all in modern art, the Tate Modern is unmissable. Similar recommendations for visiting there to be honest. Even if you're not interested in art, the building itself is pretty amazing and, no matter how cold, a stroll along the South Bank from the London Eye to Tower Bridge is a pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon.

A bit more specialised, the RAF museum out at Hendon is outstanding if you or your partner are in any way nerdy about planes.


If you really want to try and fit in a trip to Edinburgh, then your best bet might be to book on the Sleeper train. It's a little pricey but gets you right into the centre of Edinburgh first thing in the morning and offset the expense against what you'll save on a hotel for the night.


This site is a decent one for aggregating gig listings: http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/londongigguide.html

While this one tries to keep up with all sorts of more offbeat events which might be on: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/

Time Out's probably alright for an overview of different restaurants and bars. It's probably not worth suggesting someone from LA checks out Chinatown...

Have fun and hopefully see you at the birthday bash.

[Proudhuff]

If you do come to Edinburgh, or indeed slum it in Glasgow, you can't do better than get this book:



https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scotland-Best-updated-Scotlands-bestselling/dp/0007559348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482173982&sr=1-1&keywords=scotland+the+best+peter+irvine#reader_0007559348


As a Scot who holidays in Scotland, its my bible if I venture beyond the city walls, and whisper it, its the best guide to Edinburgh you can get.
Just make sure you get the most recent (2016) edition.

[mimikeke]

Thanks guys for the tips!

[staticgirl]

I won't add any other recommends because I think you have plenty to choose from but I agree with several other posters that Drummond Street is great for curries. There is also an Indian bakery you can buy their sweet/candies from which sometimes has queues of proper Indian locals who know their stuff stretching down the street during Diwali.

[Proudhuff]

Drummond St also home to a great pub: The Brass Monkey, where i am heading shortly! Willing to meet a
just about anyone in there if you're about.