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Aragorn
September 2nd, 2003, 12:22
Hi all!

Very shortly, I'll be going to London for a few days. Do you have any ideas on what to do and what to see? I've been there before, so I have already seen some of the city's attractions, but I am up for a revisit of some, and I'm open to all suggestions. :D

If you have the addresses (Internet or physical) of car dealerships and showrooms, please share as I hope to make my way to a few. One visit I will definitely want to make is to the new Lamborghini London (http://www.lamborghini.co.uk/) premises (kudos to Klint for posting the info (http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1911)).

Thanks,

Aragorn :bye:

ps. thank you Klint and mjrr for your suggestions last time (http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1609) I asked the board for travel tips. Unfortunately, there was not enough time for me to go to Wolfsburg :( ds.

Erik
September 2nd, 2003, 12:59
Unfortunately my favourite restaurant L´Entrocôte is closed.

I suggest you talk a walk from The Marble Arch along Park Lane (along Hyde Park). There are many interesting car exhibitions there. Like Porsche, BMW, Jaguar, Aston Martin, McLaren etc.
Mercedes Benz is a bit further away, behind Oxford Street somewhere. I think they have Maybach sales in there as well (not revealed yet when I was there about 9 months ago).

For Bentley try this, they should have the new GT in. Not very far from Park Lane.
http://www.bentleyapproved.com/bentleyapproved/jackbarclay/
http://www.bentleyapproved.com/bentleyapproved/jackbarclay//body_map.shtml (map)

Now you would be pretty close to Old Bond Street where I think you should visit Polo Ralph Lauren and many other places.
The auction and watch/jewelry houses in front of and around PRL are interesting as well.

Saved the best for last...

Audi Forum @ Picadilly Circus.
http://www.audi.co.uk/experience/forum.jsp

Hungry? Try the street floor at Harrods. Expensive but nice.
The sushi is nice but extremly expensive (couldn't resist it though, 35 USD lunch...) :bigeyes:

Happy hunting!

Aragorn
September 2nd, 2003, 15:29
Originally posted by Erik
I suggest you talk a walk from The Marble Arch along Park Lane (along Hyde Park). There are many interesting car exhibitions there. Like Porsche, BMW, Jaguar, Aston Martin, McLaren etc.
Mercedes Benz is a bit further away, behind Oxford Street somewhere. I think they have Maybach sales in there as well (not revealed yet when I was there about 9 months ago).

For Bentley try this, they should have the new GT in. Not very far from Park Lane.
http://www.bentleyapproved.com/bentleyapproved/jackbarclay/
http://www.bentleyapproved.com/bentleyapproved/jackbarclay//body_map.shtml (map)

Now you would be pretty close to Old Bond Street where I think you should visit Polo Ralph Lauren and many other places.
The auction and watch/jewelry houses in front of and around PRL are interesting as well.

Saved the best for last...

Audi Forum @ Picadilly Circus.
http://www.audi.co.uk/experience/forum.jsp

Thanks for all the suggestions, Erik!


Hungry? Try the street floor at Harrods. Expensive but nice.
The sushi is nice but extremly expensive (couldn't resist it though, 35 USD lunch...) :bigeyes:
Hehe... but I'm sure you're familiar with the words of Oscar Wilde: "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." :hihi:



Happy hunting!
Thanks again! I should have some pictures (don't expect them to be of high quality, though) next week.

But now... time to go to the airport!

Cheers,

Aragorn :bye:

Klint
September 2nd, 2003, 17:48
A pleasure Aragorn!

I guess great minds think alike as Erik came out with the two things that first popped into my head when the word London appeared...Harrods and Park Lane. :D

I agree the sushi is gorgeous at Harrods. You wouldn't believe how hot the wasami is...:eek:

The hard rock cafe is a funky place to chill out. :) Just keep heading south of park lane and you'll see it to the left. Not too hard to miss. Near that area you'll find a hair salon which is the oldest in history..this is where Prince Charles goes for his pampering. The location and record breaking details can be found Here. It's very classy inside...and very old looking, but all is functional and is used on the clientel.

The underground is also an experience. Maybe it's just like every other subway but it's nice to have another story to speak of, when returning home.

If you like to party hard, I can suggest the Ministry of sound nightclub...If that's your thing I can give you links and the location and Maybe some more suggestions if I can remember the names.

If you like some 'hip' bars to have a meeting at I can also suggest a few.

Canary Wharf is also an interesting place. I believe they hold a small car show there with some of the flashiest cars. I think that takes place around september time. This is because of the workers not having the time to venture up to Birmingham for the BMS (British Motor Show) so they (The car dealers) go to them. :)

I'll try and think of some more things. Hope it's been of some help.

BTW. The taxi drivers use the post code as a way to navigate around. So, it's best to make note of the post code of the location where your wanting to go before stepping into the cab.


:cheers:

Aragorn
September 3rd, 2003, 01:41
Thanks for your suggestions, Klint!

I am now in London (W1N for the record :)) and I have to say so far, so good.

When in Rome do as the Romans, they say, so I guess when in Britain, go to the pub. :D Which is exactly what I did... and of course, I had a pint! :cheers:

Before I even got the pub, though--after less than five minutes in London proper--I laid my eyes on the definite V.A.G top-of-the-line. No, it wasn't an RS6 (sorry beast owners), but a gorgeous red Murcielago. Truth be told, I heard it long before I could see it, thinking to myself that "that's a terribly deep sound for a motorcycle." And then it came: so sleek, so low, and so broad, especially amongst all those chubby London taxis. Fortunately, the driver of the Lambo didn't just glide around in his car, but revved the engine high enough for just about all other sounds to disappear behind that glorious Italian baritone.

This was my first sighting of a Murcielago, and of course a very brief one, but I should be able to perform some close scrutiny of the car very soon; I called the Lamborghini showroom and I will be visiting there on Thursday.


Originally posted by Klint
I guess great minds think alike as Erik came out with the two things that first popped into my head when the word London appeared...Harrods and Park Lane. :D
I will definitely find my way to Harrods tomorrow. As I only have one meeting during the day, I should have plenty of time to browse the different departments. By the way, is Al Fayed still trying to become one of Her Majesty's loyal servants, or has he given up? And oh, I think that you and Erik have me convinced on the sushi!

Speaking of Her Majesty, not Elizabeth II, but rather something named in her honor, Her Majesty's Theatre: me and my hosts will probably go see The Phantom of the Opera some night. I saw it last time I was here--roughly four years ago--and enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward another performance.


The hard rock cafe is a funky place to chill out. :) Just keep heading south of park lane and you'll see it to the left. Not too hard to miss. Near that area you'll find a hair salon which is the oldest in history..this is where Prince Charles goes for his pampering. The location and record breaking details can be found Here. It's very classy inside...and very old looking, but all is functional and is used on the clientel.

If you like to party hard, I can suggest the Ministry of sound nightclub...If that's your thing I can give you links and the location and Maybe some more suggestions if I can remember the names.

If you like some 'hip' bars to have a meeting at I can also suggest a few.
I'd love some suggestions on clubs and bars that are worth a visit. I'm glad you brought up Ministry of Sound, I really must go there, if nothing else for its website being one of the very first that I visited when I came across this thing called the Internet some years ago. :)


The underground is also an experience. Maybe it's just like every other subway but it's nice to have another story to speak of, when returning home.
I've ridden it, and while it's certainly not spectacular, it's indeed an experience. And I guess each subway system has its own particular (or perhaps peculiar :D) flavor.

Some subways have more in common than others, though: all the dimensions of the Stockholm underground are a direct conversion to metric from those of the New York tube.


I'll try and think of some more things. Hope it's been of some help.
It's most definitely been of help. Thank you once again for all the tips, and if you will, please keep them coming! I much appreciate your effort and your input.

Oh well, time for me to finish this evening with some tiramisù!

Cheers,

Aragorn :bye:

Klint
September 3rd, 2003, 08:24
Aragorn,

Happy to hear your enjoying it. :D

Interesting sighting of the Murcielago. My first sighting of a Diablo (In GT form) was in London aswell. It was going through a tunnel (I forgotten the name, etc) and I also heard it long before making an eye on it. Lovely sound, it makes me wonder how Lamborghini Spa can "escape" the sound restrictions...

Here's some details on some shops:

Where to Shop

Some of London's bigger stores are tourist attractions in their own right; very few visitors leave the city without having popped into Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, even if only to browse around. And the cult TV series Absolutely Fabulous has made Harvey Nichols (known as 'Harvey Nicks' locally) another must-see attraction.

Although most things can be bought anywhere in London, some streets are known for their own specialities. Tottenham Court Rd, for example, is full of electronics and computer shops, while Charing Cross Rd is the place to go for books. Cecil Court has antiquarian bookshops and Denmark St has musical instruments, sheet music and books about music. Hanway St is great for used records.

Some shopping streets casually rest on their laurels, their claim to fame having more to do with their past than what they have to offer today (eg, Carnaby Street). Covent Garden, the vegetable market of the West End for a century and a half, was redeveloped in the 1980s; the twee shops and stalls inside the old market hall in the centre tend to be pricey and tourist-oriented, but the streets running off it remain a happy hunting-ground for shoppers, with Neal St and Neal's Yard in particular offering an interesting range.

Oxford St can be a great disappointment. Selfridges is up there with Harrods as a place to visit, John Lewis claims to be 'never knowingly undersold' and the flagship Marks & Spencer at the Marble Arch (western) end of the thoroughfare has its fans. But the farther east you go, the tackier and less interesting it gets. Regent St, with Liberty and Hamleys, the world's greatest toy store, is much more upmarket.

Kensington High St is a good alternative to Oxford St. In the City, check out the lovely boutiques in Bow Lane, between Cheapside and Cannon St.

Many museums and other tourist attractions have shops selling good-quality souvenirs: war books and videos at the Imperial War Museum; designer fans at the Fan Museum; William Morris-designed rugs at the William Morris Gallery and so on. Buying from these shops also contributes towards the buildings' maintenance.


Department Stores

The biannual sales at London's department stores, when every tourist, local and their grandmother seem to be queuing up outside Harrods, take place in January and July.

Harrods
(tel 7730 1234, www.harrods.com, 87-135 Brompton Rd SW1, Tube: Knightsbridge). Open 10am-7pm, Monday to Saturday. This well-known store is truly unique, it can even lay claim to having installed the world's first escalator in 1898. There are the downsides, though: Harrods is almost always crowded, there are more rules than at an army training camp and it's hard to find what you're looking for. But the toilets are fab, the food halls will make you swoon, and if they haven't got what you want, it probably ain't worth having.

Harvey Nichols
(tel 7235 5000, tel www.harveynichols.com, 109-25 Knightsbridge SW1, Tube: Knightsbridge). Open 10am-7pm Monday, Tuesday & Saturday, 10am-8pm Wednesday to Friday, and noon-6pm on Sunday. This is London's temple of high fashion. It has a great food hall on the 5th floor, an extravagant perfume department and jewellery worth saving up for. But with all the big names (from Versace to Alexander McQueen) and a whole floor of up-to-the-minute menswear, it's fashion that Harvey Nichols really does better than the rest.

Fortnum & Mason
(tel 7734 8040, www.fortnumandmason.co.uk, 181 Piccadilly W1, Tube: Piccadilly Circus). Open 10am-6.30pm Monday to Saturday. Fortnum & Mason is noted for its food hall on the ground floor, but it also carries plenty of fashion wear on the six other floors. All kinds of unusual foodstuffs can be purchased here along with the famous food hampers. This is where Scott stocked up before heading off to the Antarctic.

John Lewis
(tel 7629 7711, www.johnlewis.co.uk, 278-306 Oxford St W1, Tube: Oxford Circus). Open 9.30am-7pm Monday to Wednesday & Friday, 10am-8pm on Thursday, and 9am-6pm on Saturday. Part of the same group as Peter Jones in Chelsea, John Lewis is the London institution to know about if you're planning the sort of extended stay that requires stocking up with quality household goods.

Liberty
(tel 7734 1234, www.liberty-of-london.com, 210-20 Regent St W1, Tube: Oxford Circus). Open 10am-6.30pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am-8pm Thursday, 10am-7pm Friday & Saturday, and noon-6pm on Sunday. Almost as unique and with as much history as Harrods, Liberty was born at the turn of the century out of the Arts & Crafts movement, and in Italy, Art Nouveau is still called Stile Liberty after the store. Liberty has high fashion, great modern furniture, a wonderful luxury fabrics department and those inimitable Liberty silk scarves.

Marks & Spencer
(tel 7935 7954, 458 Oxford St W1, Tube: Marble Arch). Open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday, 9am-7pm Saturday, and noon-6pm on Sunday. Marks & Spencer is almost as British as fish and chips, beans on toast and warm beer. It carries the full range of fashion goods, but most people shop here for underwear, well-made affordable clothes such as cashmere sweaters, and ready-made meals.

Peter Jones
(tel 7730 3434, Shane Square SW1, Tube: Sloane Square). Open 9.30am-7pm Monday to Wednesday & Friday, 10am-8pm Thursday, and 9am-6pm on Saturday. Peter Jones, which caters for a more well-heeled clientele than its sister (well, perhaps brother) store John Lewis due to its location, has been described as the 'best corner shop in Chelsea'. But that would hardly start to describe the wide range of goods on sale here: from electrical goods through china and glass to bedding. Some departments are located in a temporary annexe on Draycott Ave to the west until renovations at the main store are finished in 2004.

Selfridges
(tel 7629 1234, 400 Oxford St W1, Tube: Bond Street). Open 10am-7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am-8pm Thursday & Friday, 9.30am-7pm Saturday, and noon-6pm on Sunday. Arguably the grandest department store on Oxford St and the one with the longest history, Selfridges' main magnet are the food halls (enter from Orchard St on the west side), which are much less confusing, cramped and crowded than the ones at Harrods.

Eating out:
A direct link (http://www.thingstodo-london.com/brochure/content.jsp?FIELD=Eating_Out) to the different types and locations where you can go out to eat.

Entertainment
http://www.thingstodo-london.com/brochure/content.jsp?FIELD=Entertainment

and you'll find a multitude of selections that can be opted in the far left column of the website.

Hope it's been of help. I've been abit short of time this morning to write out my own personal experiences with the different places/bars/clubs etc.

Have fun!

:cheers:

Erik
September 3rd, 2003, 09:34
Theatre - shouldn't you be heading for ABBA's MAMMA MIA instead? :hihi:

Aragorn
September 11th, 2003, 02:00
Klint, I am truly honored by your commitment to guiding me to the gems of London. Your advice has been most helpful indeed and I do hope to get the opportunity to return the favor at some point.

I managed to underestimate the size of Harrods, having forgotten how positely huge it is, at least compared to what we have in Stockholm. (Many Swedes tend to forget what is out there, if you ask me :)) Even more impressive, though, especially for Northeners, is the selection. To cite your post: "if they haven't got what you want, it probably ain't worth having." I will certainly miss the extensive product range! I guess it goes without saying that the staff is attentive and knowledgeable.

For all its opulence, though, my impression of Harrods, in particular the food halls, remains somewhat sullied because of the crowds. What is worse, large numbers of tourists--contrary to common sense--tend to come to sudden stops and gather in tight doorways. It certainly does not make the congestion any better. :rolleyes: Good thing the Harrods toilets are such a retreat! The upscale bathrooms are simply fabulous.

Basically, your writing said it all. And yes, Oxford Street was a disappointment, but then again, I rarely find anything worthwhile in where there are lots of tourists. Nonetheless, my visits to Selfridges and John Lewis were interesting, if nothing else in observing the differences between departments stores within London and elsewhere. (Incidentally, I also spoke with a woman who was involved in re-designing parts of Selfridges later on during my stay.)

Unfortunately, I caught a cold, which all but affected my visit: I never got around to doing many of the things I planned; I was forced to re-schedule meetings; and I had to postpone my return to Stockholm. :vsad:

Still, I got around to Fortnum & Mason, I enjoyed a few good meals, and my meetings were all very successful. What is probably of importance to this board, though, would be my visits to different car showrooms. I got around to seeing the lot of them: Aston Martin, Jaguar, BMW, Mini, McLaren (through the window, that is), Lamborghini, Audi, Saab, Lexus, and the Ferrari, Maserati and Lotus dealer H.R. Owen. My health got in the way of visits to Bentley and Mercedes, though.

Nonetheless, I have outlined an article to be posted on this board on the exterior and interior design of supercars. The cars in this upcoming discussion and commentary are, tentatively, Lamborghini Diablo, Murciélago, and Gallardo; Ferrari 360 Modena and 575M Maranello; Porsche 911 turbo; and Aston Martin Vanquish. (Maybe the 360 and the Gallardo aren't supercars, but they will still be featured.) I am hoping to have this done by Saturday, but I have a number of things to deal with before I go the U.S. week from now, so I will have to see if I can finish the article by then.

All in all, I enjoyed my visit to the Commonwealth's captial, and thank you once again, Erik and Klint, for your advice and assistance! :cheers:

Cheers,

Aragorn :race:

Klint
September 11th, 2003, 17:35
Aragorn,

Glad to hear you enjoyed it here(London, Britain). :D

It's a pleasure, although I'm still eager to extend my knowledge of London :)

Recently, I haven't been to London, I think it's been about 2 years at the summer of 2003 since I last visited, due to school, etc, But it wont be too long before I pay the another visit.

Looking forward to the write-ups...:D

:cheers:

Lennart Jarmyr
September 12th, 2003, 16:04
If you like old cars I can recommend "Queen's Gate Mews 2-4.

If you look at my albums and choose "Oldtimers in London" you understand what I mean.:bow:

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=4113608

Aragorn
September 12th, 2003, 17:29
Originally posted by Lennart Jarmyr
If you like old cars I can recommend "Queen's Gate Mews 2-4.

If you look at my albums and choose "Oldtimers in London" you understand what I mean.:bow:

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=4113608
Thank you for the suggestion and for sharing your album, Lennart!

I do indeed like old cars (all things beautiful, actually :)). As it happens, I have already returned from London, so I will not be able to see any classics in that garage. Too bad, especially considering I was within minutes of the location. :vsad: Next time I'm in London, though, I will definitely make my way there!

By the way, you certainly seem fond of Nürburgring. :race:

Cheers,

Aragorn

krm
November 11th, 2003, 23:40
Great suggestions, looks like I'll have plenty to do in London :)