The London Traveler

Welcome to all the new readers of The London Traveler blog! I’ve been preparing posts here for a while as the IT side of things has been getting set up by the b5 media team. Now that we’ve officially launched, I want to point out some of my favourite posts thus far.
Places to go in London:
China Invades the British Museum
Windsor Castle
Richmond Park
Shopping on Oxford Street
Parliament summer tour
Tips for London travel:
Hiring (renting) a car in London
London Black Cabs
One-time events (unfortunately you’ve missed these if you’re reading it now!):
Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, Atonement premiere
English Rugby exhibition in Regent’s Park
Thames …read more

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London is a fantastic city, but can feel a little claustrophobic for some who enjoy wide-open spaces. Fortunately for you and them, there is a beautiful, wide-open place that’s also a little off the beaten path: Richmond Park.
Richmond park is nearly 2500 acres large, and is in fact Europe’s largest walled park. (Charles I enclosed it during his reign, though the park itself had been a royal park for about 400 years before that.) It has been designated as a site of special scientific interest and a National Nature Reserve.
Costs: No admission fee! Just what …read more

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Maybe you’ve got a few free months. Maybe you’re looking to get to Australia more fuel-efficiently than by airplane. Maybe you want an adventure (or at least a story) for a lifetime.
If so, then you’re probably thinking of booking a ticket on the Ozbus. Yes, you’ll be taking a bus from London and going half-way across the world to Sydney, Australia.
Cost: £3750 (Approx. $7500 at today’s exchange rate)
Time: 12 weeks
Countries: 20! (including Iran, Pakistan, Nepal and many more)
I think it’s safe to say that this kind of trip is for a committed backpacker or environmentalist. Much …read more

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Will you be in London on November 8th? Are you a fan of the punk?
If you can answer yes to both of those questions, you may be in luck. The Sex Pistols (the four surviving original members) are going to be performing at a one-off gig at Brixton Academy on November 8th of this year. This is the thirtieth anniversary of the release of their landmark album, “Never Mind the Bollocks.”
Tickets: Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 20th at 9am UK-time. (4am Eastern, 1am Pacific). Click here for the link to purchase.
Cost: £37.50 (plus …read more

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Are you a Quentin Tarantino fan? He’s promoting his new film/book “Death Proof” right here in London this week with an appearance and book-signing at the Waterstone’s flagship store in Piccadilly.
I would certainly recommend showing up a bit early to make sure you’re able to meet the Hollywood star!
Date: Thursday, 20th September
Time: 1pm
Where: Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly
Getting There: Take the Tube to Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines). It’s on Piccadilly Street, on the south side of Piccadilly Circus.
Photo from Flickr.

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Specifically, a number of the famed “Terracotta warriors,” recently discovered after being buried with the First Emperor of China, are now on exhibition at the British Museum in London.
The First Emperor of China was buried with an estimated 7,000 of these Terracotta Warriors, though only 1,000 have been excavated until now. From now until the spring, 20 of them have been sent to the British Museum for a special exhibition. This is the largest group to ever leave China, and the display has been described as “spellbinding” by the Times. Click on the link for a well-written …read more

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The Mayor of London is hosting a Thames Festival this weekend, the tenth anniversary of the event, to celebrate the river that connects the city. It is an open-air arts festival, with street theatre, choirs, music, fireworks, and more. Best of all, it’s free to the public!
When: Saturday and Sunday, the 15th and 16th of September
Where: South Bank of the Thames River, between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Tube stations nearby: Waterloo, Embankment, Blackfriars, Southwark, Mansion House, Cannon Street, London Bridge and Tower Hill. (Virtually every Tube line runs through one of these stations!)
Fireworks: Sunday, September 16th, starting …read more

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Windsor Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in the world, and simply a beautiful and fun site to visit. Trains depart every 30 minutes from London Waterloo station, and you can expect to spend a half-day at the Castle and up to a full day if you want to experience the rest of the grounds and the towns of Windsor and Eton.
Getting there: Trains depart from London Waterloo station daily, and “Windsor & Eton Riverside” is the last destination. Weekday departures are typically every 30 minutes, at :28 and :58 past the hour. Additionally, you can …read more

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Every year, there is an Open House across all of London. Some of London’s greatest buildings, from 30 St. Mary Axe (the “Gherkin”), to City Hall, to beautiful houses, to art studios and many more throw their doors open to the public. Most of these buildings are otherwise unaccessible any other day of the year.
When: Saturday and Sunday, September 15th and 16th
Cost: Free
Guide: £3 for a PDF, available on their website
Details: The best way to start thinking about what you want to see is simply to use the site’s online search feature. You can see what buildings …read more

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No, I’m not talking about strollers that you use to push your child around, I’m talking about the people that just stroll along on the sidewalk, taking up space without thinking of others. Specifically, those people that walk at the pace of a snail on small London sidewalks.
I mention this so that those of you that come into London to visit are aware of a common concern of native Londoners.
Let’s face it, London is an old city with streets that were not made for lots of people and lots of cars at the same time. Some areas, like …read more

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