Any good Pubs in London I should not miss?

[basite]

I would also inquire about getting the Europass which you must buy here in the US before going abroad. They will get you on the tubes and buses as often as you like for the flat price, and believe me they were worth it. I think I paid $175 for so for 4 of them.

True, True

the tubes in london are excellent, and definitely worth the money, get the europass and get on the damn things as much as possible, they will get you from the one side of london to the other in no time, and they're extremely fast and easy to use...

Can't comment on the pub things, last time I've been there, I wasn't allowed to enter (since I wasn't 18 yet...)
most of the time we were able to drink something outside (on the terras (dunno how you say it in English...), and I can't say that I've ever been to a bad pub...

Especially in the evenings, it seems that London people like to have a drink after the work has finished, great opportunity to talk to Londoners...



Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[ForeverAutumn]

most of the time we were able to drink something outside (on the terras (dunno how you say it in English...), Bert.

In English (at least in Canada) we would say Patio or Terrace. When we're referring to a bar or restaurant we usually say Patio. In the summer when the weather gets warm enough to eat outside, we call it "patio weather".

More to come. we are now in our 3rd room at the hotel.

Is the hotel that bad? Or is there another reason for the frequent moves?

[Hyfi]

In English (at least in Canada) we would say Patio or Terrace. When we're referring to a bar or restaurant we usually say Patio. In the summer when the weather gets warm enough to eat outside, we call it "patio weather".



Is the hotel that bad? Or is there another reason for the frequent moves?

The hotel is actually pretty good. We booked our stay about 4 monthes ago and requested a room on a top floor in the rear. When we got there, they put us in a room on the 3rd floor in the front over the street. Since they are digging up all of London to replace the Roman sewers, Monday at 7am they started jack hammering outside our window. While at work, Carolyn had them change our room. They put her in one where the AC blew hot air and the phone did not work. She had them move us again. The room we are in now is quieter except for the elevator being right behind our closet.

Overall they have been real good about it all.

[Hyfi]

True, True

the tubes in london are excellent, and definitely worth the money, get the europass and get on the damn things as much as possible, they will get you from the one side of london to the other in no time, and they're extremely fast and easy to use...

Bert.

You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. There are about 6 different tube lines color coded. There are 6 zones. If you get a weekly pass for zones 1 and 2, you can get anywhere in the heart of London from the Covent Garden end where I am now to Tower Hill (Tower Bridge area) and beyond. My pass cost about $40 US for the week. If you need to take a train or travel to a different zone, you just pay for an extension for that line. You can buy any passes at any tube stop and plenty of stores. The weekly is called an Oyster card and you just tap it on the turn style as you enter and exit. If you buy a single ride ticket, it's 4 pounds 50 but if you do it any other way it's about 1.50.

Keep in mind all the maps make it look as if everything is far to walk when it's not. Sometimes, by the time you walk to a stop, go down the escalator about 50 stories, get the train and repeat upwards, you could have just walked it and finished a pint in the same time. I bought the weekly pass but have actually walked the 1.1 miles each way to where I am working and saving 10 minutes rather than the tube.

Sunday we walked from the Enbankment tube stop all along the Thames to the Tower Hill station about 7 or 8 miles.Then tubed back to our hotel. If your not a woos, almost everything is walkable.

[Swish]

[QUOTE=Hyfi]You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. /QUOTE]

...the tubes and buses, and the buses came in very hand on more than one occasion. Glad you worked it out to your satisfaction.

Swish

[Hyfi]

[QUOTE=Swish]

You don't have to get anything in the US if you plan to just travel around London. /QUOTE]

...the tubes and buses, and the buses came in very hand on more than one occasion. Glad you worked it out to your satisfaction.

Swish

You can add all that to tha weekly pass when you buy them. What is cool, is the Oyster card I got can be saved and used later by adding money to it like a pay as you go and reduces the cost per ride as I mentioned it earlier.

[Hyfi]

So, the answer to my question is yes, there is one pub not to miss. Located on Drury Lane at Long Acre and close to the Muffin Man, is the Lowlander Grand Cafe. Out of the norm for a British pub, the Lowlander is mostly Belgians and no British Ales at all. This place had the best service of any establishment I went to. The food was good and I ate there twice having the Venison Burger both times. Their chips were also much better than most. We ended up at this pub 5 times during the stay in London whether for dinner or desert. We sampled the list below but having many a pint of Kriek:

http://www.lowlander.com
St Bernardus Tripel
St Feuillien Blond
Rochefort 8
Westmalle Double
Dupont Saison
Palm Export
Brugge Tripel
Hoegaarden Grand Cru
St Louis Kriek
Brugge Zot Blond
Het Kapittel Pater
Caracole Troublette
Grolsch Wiezen

Another interesting place we found near the end of the week was the West Cornwall Pasty Company at the Piazza next to Punch and Judy. By the way, P&J was actually a really cool building resembling an old Wine Cellar but they had crap on tap. West Cornwall served up some of the tastiest pasties around. The building was rustic Post & Beam construction with an upstairs bar and balcony overlooking the Piazza where there is daily entertainment. They also served a wide variety of Cornish Ales including these two I had several of.

http://www.westcornwallpasty.co.uk/
http://www.skinnersbrewery.com/shop/beers

Betty Stogs Award Winning Bitter
Cornish Knocker Ale

On Thursday night, the crew I was training took my wife and I out for the night. We started off at The Harp which is a little gem near the Piazza at 47 Chandos Place. They had a wide veriety of English Ales and Bitters but I opted for the Guest Ale called Roaring Meg. http://www.springhead.co.uk/
Roaring Meg ABV 5.5% - available all year round...
The "Big Blonde". Smooth sweet with a dry finish and citrus honey aroma.

I had several pints before we were off to dinner at Maxwell's on the edge of the Piazza.
http://www.maxwells.co.uk/
There was no beer list to speak of but the food was fabulous. I had Ribs & Chicken with peri-peri sauce, a Becks, and fried Ice Cream. The rest of the food and Nachos were better than average.

Weatherspoon's is a chain but is a Free House with many different ales on tap as well as Weston's Extra Strong Cider at 7.3% on tap. Also a wide variety of Wine on tap.

What I found most interesting about my trip is that almost everyone goes to the pub after work and they are all full each night spilling into the streets. There are little ledges around the outsides of most pubs where people stand and drink. By evening, this area extends well into the streets and where there are multiple pubs within spitting distance, you will never figure out whose pint glasses are who's. We stayed at Seven Dials which is a big Sun Dial in the middle of an intersection of 7 streets. A theater on one corner, my hotel on another and a pub on the next. By 7pm, the steps around the dial are completely full of folks drinking pints and goblets of wine. Walk down any street and each pub you come to will have a crowd into the street.

Wilder still is SOHO on a Saturday night where cars can barely make it up any street due to the endless Mardi Gras like party going on. A whole lot of Alternative Lifestyle going on down here. I never saw anyone hassled or fighting or any bad behavior. Just people having fun.

Next to SOHO is Chinatown which we almost missed until our last night when we decided to walk as far as we could before having to fly home. I guess it would be similar to any authentic Chinatown with restaurant after restaurant with crispy ducks hanging from the window or a nice Dim Sum menu.

All in all if you ever decide to go to London for a visit, look into the Covent Garden area as this is central to walking or tubing anywhere. We spent many hours in the British Museum, The National Gallery, and The National Portrait Gallery. All museums are free in London. Outside of the National Gallery is Trafalgar Square where lots of entertainment and sidewalk art goes on.

The party is over but it was a blast. I could almost sell all I have here, buy a small flat there and just work and go to the pub every day and chuck the car and all the material things. Seems so much simpler.

Cheers!