Questions on first-time London visit

Hello

Hopefully the trip will be great for you. Regarding your first question (City at the weekend) - I presume you mean the City of London I.e. the 'square mile' or old financial district. Assuming that is so, then there are some pro's and cons and will depend on what you are hoping to see. I have worked in it for many years, and have wandered round as a 'local tourist' too! For instance:

• The City will be MUCH quieter on Saturdays and Sundays, as all the city workers will not be there. In many ways, if you want to experience the city as a 'living' place, a weekday is better. Most of the shops in the City will be closed at the weekends too, also making it quiet.
• Having said that, not everything is closed (there will be some pubs and a few restaurants open, especially those close to tourist attractions and stations (think Tower of London; St. Paul's Cathedral; Barbican complex/Museum of London; Liverpool St. Station/Spitalfields, and so on. You will also have a far better opportunity to gawp at the amazing mix of buildings without being jostled - everything from Norman churches, through to 21st century skyscrapers like the Cheesegrater, Heron Tower and Gherkin (to name a few). Also, Petticoat Lane Market (a real cheap and cheerful mainly clothes and cheap imported toys open air street market, will be taking place on Sundays (mind your wallet/purse there though).

So the choice is yours, really.

I love visiting The City during the week and on the weekend.

During the week the place is a fabulous bee hive with all the hustle and bustle, my favourite burrito place is open, it is easier to get into many of the churches during the week when they are open and have a look around, the buses are at their most frequent, and everything is open.

During the week it can be a madhouse, especially near and during both rush hours, and the lunch "hour" (Emma says blythely "hour", but she doesn't appear to work in The City, where many people run out and grab a take away and eat it at their desks - more like a lunch 10 minutes) can really seem like a third rush hour. Don't get in the way of those people.

For me I also love The City on weekends, especially Sundays, because I can park my car very easily, there are few to no parking restrictions on a Sunday (even after one on a Saturday), I love church bell change ringing, and I walk the lanes, courts, and little roads in peace, exploring all the architecture (laughing or gagging at most of the modern stuff) and reading blue plaques to my heart's content. There's even a blue plaque (and other memorials) app now - very good.

For the bells on Sunday, on most Sundays, there is the lovely melodious noise starting at St Pauls and continuing at St Vedast Alias Foster, St Mary-le-Bow, St Lawrence Jewry, St Clement Danes, and back to St Pauls. I love it.

EMMA - I know.

But it is sad, isn't it, that as a whole, we work longer hours with shorter breaks than any other country in western Europe?

Me? I eat at what passes for an office eating a lunch, and/or breakfast or dinner that I packed from home... I'd love an hour outdoors.

Mike and Nigel,

Many thanks for your responses. I have thought about the pros and cons about visiting The City on a weekday vs weekend and couldn't make up my mind. But now I think I am leaning toward visiting on a weekday. Is walking around The City in the evening (after 6 pm) on a weekday advisable (safe)? Since it will remain light until quite late, perhaps we could get the best of both world by staying for a long day there? We will be in London between Thursday (arriving at 6 am) and the following Tuesday (leaving on Wednesday morning). I am finding that planning an itinerary that accoommodates the schedule of several London Walks, the openning/closure of a few smaller museums (Sir John Soane's museum and Apsley House) can be quite complicated. But I am having a lot of fun and try to give myself the pep talk of "you will come back" on a daily basis.

Mei

Emma, thanks for the feedback on Sky garden. The only scheduled tickets I could reserve is 17:15 on June 21 (Sunday). I will give it a try if we are in The City on that day. At this point, all plans are pretty fluid.
Nigel, I think US definitely takes the cake on overwork and not nearly enough tine to smell the roses (or eating lunch and taking vacations).

Have not seen the Sky Garden so can't comment. Will comment on what you are referring to as The City. Nigel's description of it is spot on. Is there a particular reason you wish to visit this area of London?
Your itinerary in another post is chock full of places of far more interest. Personally I'd explore somewhere like Camden Lock Market and walk along the canals or visit Hampstead and enjoy a walk into the Heath. Did you consider seeing the Olympic Stadium and surrounding area? The entrance to the Leaky Cauldren at the stunning glass covered Leadenhall Market. Could see this after your visit to the Tower. Nice easy walk. Public transport is stellar and with Oyster cards you can see a lot of different London neighborhoods. Have fun!

Sky Garden definately worth a visit, esp since its free. Go for the view, not the garden. Airport style security applies. Catering is overpriced.

Claudia, the reason I wanted to visit The City is because I wanted to see an area with so much history and so many churches. I also like to see old and new buildings being jaxtaposed to each other (there is quite a bit of interest in architecture in our group). My kids also think it would be fun to watch lawyers in their funny getup, so much different from their counterparts in the States. Personally I would LOVE to take a walk in the Heath/Hampstead area. If I give up Coltswold, I'll have an "extra" day to do that. Thank you for all your suggestions. We will definitely check out the Leadenhall market.

Mike, thanks for the comment on Sky Garden. I was thinking perhaps we could replace London Eye with a visit to Sky grden for the view. At least there won't be a long line to get to the view. We just need to be there at the set time.

If you are in The City during the week and want to see "lawyers" in their "gettup" drop into the Old Bailey. Don't have a bag of any sort with you or they won't let you in. They may or may not be in traditional dress.

Thanks, Nigel. Is there a bag check at the Old Bailey?

I would absolutly exchange the Sky Garden for the London Eye or the Shard, if you dont feel fulfilled by the SG, you can still do either of the others, and the SG represents a considerable saving, even if you do buy a coffee. I believe free visits are only available during work hours, which will be fine for you.

By airport security, i meant the same restrictions as flying apply, incl liquid limits. Smart casual also applies, basically no sportswear incl trainers (sneakers).

For the Old Bailey - the pet name for Central Criminal Court - from the official page http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/about-us/buildings-we-manage/Pages/central-criminal-court.aspx

• There is no admission for children under 14 and proof of age may be
  requested by security.

• Visitors who wish to watch court proceedings from the public
  galleries are requested to dress appropriately (no vests or shorts
  for men; no low-cut tops or short skirts for women) or entry to the
  court building will be refused

• No electronic devices, bags, food or drink are allowed in the
  building. There are no facilities for the safekeeping of such items
  available at the entrance to the public galleries.

So the answer about bag check is "no".

oh, and note that prohibition on electronic devices - that means phones, amongst many others. And to translate "vests" that means undershirt in Americanese. And note the minimum age.

Between the age restriction and the absence of bag check, it looks like we may have to forego the Old Bailey this time, unless I could talk my 11-yr-old to watch my our bags outside while we go in to check out the court proceedings. Not likely. :) An idea for the next trip though. Thank you.

Thanks for the tip on dress code for SG. We just need to plan for wearing dressy (for sight seeing anyways) clothes on the day we have tickets.

Doesn't have to be too dressy, i just wore cargo pants, a t-shirt and some fairly old brown suede shoes... Yes! I'm quite the fashionista. I wasn't the best dressed there by a long way, but i didn't feel out of place.

You could book two free visits to give you an element of flexibility during your trip.

If booking one of the restaurants or the sky pod bar though, no shows are charged.