One night to kill on my own in London

rain on

Hi all,
I'm going to be in London on my own for a night later in the month, does anyone have any suggestions for places to go that would be quiet enough on a Friday night, where I could get some food and a pint and read my book in peace? Or if you had one night to spend in London, what would you do with it? Any suggestions of things to do, places to check out or walk around are welcome, especially photogenic places as I'm there for a photography course. I'll be staying on the east side of the city so would rather not be hoofing it all the way to Camden or suchlike. Thanks!

steve_r

sorry, off topic, but I didn't see the "by" in the subject line and got a serious shock!

Hope you enjoy London - I wish I had actual advice to add!

Antomus Prime

:eek::eek::eek: I totally read the title wrong, I though it said "One night to kill myself in London".................

Ive been to london but sadly I missed out on the nightlife, I was there with my ex and her daughter so there was no partying, I would love to go back though and experience the clubs and bars.

rain on

steve_r wrote: »

sorry, off topic, but I didn't see the "by" in the subject line and got a serious shock!

Hope you enjoy London - I wish I had actual advice to add!

lol! I've changed it to something hopefully less shocking now

schemingbohemia

Brick Lane for the curry houses? Would be lively but not if you actually want a quiet time alone.

woodchuck

Personally I’d go see a show, but that’s just me Discount tickets are sold on the day of performances at the TKTS ticket booth in Leicester square.

Failing that I think some museums are open late on Fridays… next time I’m there I want to check out the Tate modern It’s meant to be free in too if money is an issue.

Marcusm

rain on wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm going to be in London on my own for a night later in the month, does anyone have any suggestions for places to go that would be quiet enough on a Friday night, where I could get some food and a pint and read my book in peace? Or if you had one night to spend in London, what would you do with it? Any suggestions of things to do, places to check out or walk around are welcome, especially photogenic places as I'm there for a photography course. I'll be staying on the east side of the city so would rather not be hoofing it all the way to Camden or suchlike. Thanks!

Where do you mean by the east side of the city?

Would you prefer to walk there and back or would you prefer cab, bus or tube?

Are you looking for pub food and a quiet atmosphere or something more?

YOu answer these questions and I'll give you a few suggestions.

rain on

woodchuck wrote: »

Failing that I think some museums are open late on Fridays… next time I’m there I want to check out the Tate modern It’s meant to be free in too if money is an issue.

Oo that's a good suggestion, I didn't know about the Friday late opening, thanks!

Marcusm wrote: »

Where do you mean by the east side of the city?
Would you prefer to walk there and back or would you prefer cab, bus or tube?

Are you looking for pub food and a quiet atmosphere or something more?

YOu answer these questions and I'll give you a few suggestions.

The hotel is between Shoreditch and Hackney as far as I know. Bethnal Green is the nearest tube station, so I'd go anywhere that's accessible along the Central line or on foot.
Pub food-ish and a quiet atmosphere would be more what I'm looking for alright. Living in Galway I'm used to having a good selection of places where you can go and just have a few drinks, or have dinner as well, 'gastropub' type places I guess, so somewhere like that would be great. Thanks

Marcusm

Shoreditch believes itself to be achingly trendy (partly true) and I would not recommend anywhere there for a quiet drink. However, very close to you is The Blind Beggar, a good example of a traditional English pub which has been updated and gets a more mixed clientele. It's famous for 2 reasons - the Krays killed one of their rivals there in front of a crowd of witnesses and it was the item of the founding of the Salvation Army.

If you fancy a curry, you're very close to Brick Lane and/or Spitalfields for other types of food.

Also I wouldn't bother getting on the tube to find something to photograph, you're on the edge of "the City" (ie the financial district) which not only has soaring towers to be photographed from lts of curios angles but also a huge collection of churches (hundreds, although many don't recognise this) and other old buildings - it was the effective centre of London for ages.

Maybe also have a squizz around Shoreditch High Street station where a pop up shopping centre has been built out of disused containers.

If you only have one day/evening, don't waste it travelling underground.

Badgermonkey

I'd recommend the Jack the Ripper tour around Whitechapel.

I feared it'd be naff but actually really enjoyed it.