So, here's the deal-

For Spring Break this year I'm traveling to London/Stratford-Upon-Avon/Canturbury (can anyone tell I'm an English major? Yes, yes you can) :D and we're going to have some free time while we're in London to go exploring/sightseeing.

What are the sights/good places to eat/things I shouldn't miss while I'm there if I never have a chance to go back?
Thanks! Hope everyone's holiday season has gotten kicked off to a good start :) I'm off to the first of 4 four and a half hour rehersals for the Christmas Concert that starts this Friday <_< :blink:

Hail soon-to-be-holder-of-practically-useless-but-nevertheless-fun-to-get-degree from one who has gone before (the degree, unfortunately, not the trip to the UK, of that I'm extremely jealous).

Having not been there, I have no idea of what anything's like but here's what I'd see if I were going:

Obviously, you're going to see all the Shakespearian stuff right? I believe Christopher (Kit) Marlowe is buried somewhere near London too--don't listen to that Oxonian garbage about bar fights (sorry Oxford folks, but really; the fact that Marlowe was a grad of Cambridge may have something to do with it I suspect). Then there's Westminster Abbey and poet's corner (don't know who all's buried there, but many interesting people). I'd say maybe St. Paul's (Said Sir Christopher Wren/ I'm off to dine with some men/ but if anyone should call/ tell them I'm at work on the plans for St. Paul's). The Tower of London (all kinds of spooky good stuff there; they say as long as the ravens don't fly away the nation will stand, then of course they ensure this, I've heard, by clipping said raven's wings). They apparently also have Jack the Ripper tours. Being the ghoul that I am, I'd definitely do that.

Okay, enough fantasizing on my part. I really wish I'd gone while I could have gotten away with it. I'm both too old to justify taking off on an expensive and pointless vacation and too broke now.

Interestingly I had a professor as an undergrad who did his bachelor and master degree here but got a doctrate from Oxford. Jealous is not even the word. He didn't exactly have an accent and yet he didn't exactly sound like one of us anymore either (of course I've neve been out of the country, unless you count about half an hour I spent in Juarez Mexico, directly across the border from Texas, but they tell me I don't sound like one of us either). That would be so cool. But I couldn't stand to be away from my family for that long nor could I afford the tuition and I assure you I am definitely not Rhode's Scholar material, so unless I can find an Englishman foolish enough to marry me, I'm out of luck. Still, my trip would be complete if I could just spend the day wandering around the Bodleian. <Sigh>

May I ask where you go to school by the way?

Concordia College in what should-be-but-isn't-right-now the frozen, snowy wasteland of Moorhead, Minnesota. Right by Fargo, ND. I love it- a good school and they're reallyreallyreally big on traveling. I can't afford a full month trip like the ones they do in May, but this will be pretty much fantastic.
St. Paul's would be fantastic, as well as the Jack the Ripper tours(I love it!!! A-hahaha).
Oh Oxford. I had a friend who applied there, but didn't make it. The question is, was he a good professor? I suppose he almost had to be.
Yes, one day I might be living out of a cardboard box, but I'll be doing something I love, so it should balance out, right? Hehe.

Never been to London, so can't help you there. But I was wondering, since one day I'll be most likely living in a card board box as well, would you like to be neighbors? it will be fun we could start a cult with the other card board box dwellers and see how many people we can convince that our "beliefs" are real. Of course we'll know they're not but, most people are pretty much ready to believe religious BS if they're desperate enough.

I would love to be cardboard box neighbors! I think it would be fantastic. Maybe some day we could have our own city!....

Yes and we can have a legend on how it started.

Me and my fifty cats will probably be joining you one of these days, so save me a space. I guess we can have our own little cardboard condominium complex. Very exclusive. Smart folks with useless degrees only. :P

As long as we get House on Tuesday nights (even if it's just hanging out all together in the local electronics store annoying the clerks) I'm in. I have a great recipe for Christmas possum (from 'The Treasury of White Trash Cooking.) I'd imagine we could do the same with rat. :huh:

Anyhow, back on topic slightly, I would second Catlady's Jack the Ripper tour. There are a lot of great 'walks' in London, none of which I had the opportunity to do while I was in London. (Spent two days waiting in line for Hamlet tickets and the remainder of the second day watching Hamlet.) The one day I did have free I just wandered around. Ended up in some pretty interesting places. If you're good with reading maps and not afraid to wander I suggest that. The Underground is very easy to understand and get around on and you're generally never too far from a station. So no matter where you are you can probaly get back to where you need to be easily and quickly.

Now back off topic, I did some checking on tuition fees at Cambridge (no, I'm not a freak! I was just checking the validity of someone's comments about how expesive it is.) and, if I'm figuring correctly and got all the info, it is actually cheaper to go to Cambridge with tution and full room and board for a year than it is for me to got to Kent State for a semester as a full time student. Of course I may be missing something but this was direct from the Cambridge website, figuring the exchange rate to be about double (Which is a little high last time I checked.). So, the only drawback would be actually being accepted.

I would love to study overseas but realistically I'd never make it. I'd spend all my time out exploring instead of studying!

And Catlady, it's really not that expensive if you watch for deals. My trip to Ireland was 7 days, RT airfare from NY to Shannon, B&B, rental car (with a full tank of gas and we did some hefty driving and only had to put gas in it once.) for only a little over $500 with tax. It was the $600 RT flight from Cleveland to NY that killed me (and if it had been my choice we'd have driven to NY!)

There are always good deals if your not dead set on a particular set of dates. You'll go some day, I can tell by the way you talk. The urge will overtake you one day and then it'll be off to see the world! :)

Enjoy your trip Elfkey_echo! You'll have to give us the scoop when you get back.

No, but we need stupid people to be our slaves.

Tower of London tour was great when I went.

Skip the Sherlock Holmes museum at 221B Baker Street (squished between a modern bank building and summat else) unless you're a real Holmes fanatic.

Full trip report when you get back!

I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes museum, though, as cathyNH says, it is a rather small operation, not a whole day's occupation by any means. You do need to be a committed fan to enjoy most of the stuff there, but the exhibit on letters people (mostly children) wrote to Sherlock Holmes as if he were a real person is quite sweet even for the non-obsessed. I think I recall some beautiful gardens nearby, so Baker Street and the gardens together might make a nice morning or afternoon activity. Not a must-see, but a pleasant diversion.

I've only been to London once but here is one thing you won't want to miss: the Globe theatre for a Shakespeare performance. The key is to be a "groundling": buy a cheap standing-room-only ticket rather than a ticket for a regular seat. The groundlings get to stand in the courtyard between the seats and the stage. I arrived early and was able to nab a spot literally leaning my elbows on the stage. It's tiring to stand for so long, and you'll want to bring something waterproof to sit on during intermission (the theatre is open-air), but it is totally worth it.

Thanks friends! I have some lovely ideas now :)

and the only bummer, tpel1 is that I won't be able to see a show at the Globe. It's winter, and they're not playing, but we do get the (so I've heard) amazing tour, and it should be pretty much deserted because no one usually thinks of London as a late February vacation spot :P Although I do get to see a production of The Tempest with Patrick Stewart as Prospero :D

Oh now I'm jealous! Can I carry your bags? Hide in your coat? Sleep in your closet? :)

I'm currently taking bids on who can ride in my suitcase, if anyone's interested ;)

So this is a shamless Bump to this post because I'm leaving in five days unless that massive snowstorm acutally DOES managed to hit our airport <_<

Anyone else have any good restaurants/sites/pubs/anything that I should do while I'm there?