Sight or tour suggestions in London on trip to attend the Dallas Cowboys/Jacksonville Jaguars game

Give your boy the tour book you used last time, or send him to the library, and have him read it, and ask him what he wants to see.

Thank you Nigel. I will do that.

Premium League Football week 11. 08 November. Tickets could be a problem.

Went last year to watch my 49ers crush the Jaguars. The day of the game the NFL hosts a huge Fan Fest at Trafalgar Square. You might enjoy that. Should also stroll along Regent Street. The amount of people wearing NFL jerseys will surprise you. The surprise being that 99% of them will be UK fans. The reach of the NFL stuns. As far as seeing the sites Nigel's suggestion is a good one. Ask your son what would be of interest to him. IMHO the Tower of London, Camden Lock Market,
Parliament Square and enjoying a pint together would be time well spent for father and son.

Thank you Claudia. I appreciate your feedback. Trafalgar was one spot we were going to go. Great to hear that we will fit right in. By the way, I see I spelled "site" incorrectly. Oh well, we are meeting an English friend, who lives near Leeds, for the game. He is an "American" football fan of the Dolphins.

Thanks Edgar. My son mentioned that game, but I believe it is in Liverpool. We are going to stay in London for the few days we'll be there.

West Ham United plays at Boleyn Ground, London 08 November. Tickets if possible are price like American football.

When a local football team is playing, the fans come out in the local teams colors. You can share the energy and excitement without going to the match.

Happy to help David. You did mention you'd visited London before. Trust you recall that many of "the" sites are close one another. Parliament Square ( Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey) Horse Soldiers, Churchill War Rooms, Trafalgar Square, as well as Buckingham Palace are all within walking distance of one another. If you are looking for a museum to visit, the Museum of London, is a great way to learn how the city evolved. Lastly, and if weather permits, you might enjoy a bike ride through and around Hyde Park. Look for the Barclays bike stands.http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/barclays-cycle-hire

Have fun.

Thank you Claudia for all the great suggestions and the reminder of how close together so many of the sites are. We will definitely see most of those.

I think walking along the South Bank from Waterloo towards the Tate Modern on one evening is great fun with lots to see, lots to eat and possibly drink. If your sun is almost 18 he is nearly old enough to drink legally in English pubs but I wouldn't anticipate any problems.

If you want to go to a "real" football match I think the West Ham v Villa match you would get an authentic blue collar football experience. Unusually West Ham have made a good start this year and are playing their last but one season at the Boleyn Ground before moving to the Olympic Stadium.

An alternative would be Fulham who are a division below the Premier League but who play in West London at Craven Cottage which is one of England's prettiest and oldest grounds and are playing Huddersfield. The advantage of this game is that you wouldn't need to buy tickets in advance and the prices would be lower.

Thanks David. My son is definitely interested in a "real football game". Are tickets sold by scalpers prior to the game if none are available otherwise? We will try for the other game you mentioned if not. With that game, do you feel we can buy tickets at the match site?

We'll also try the south bank as well for the other sights and sounds.

I don't know about scalpers. You would certainly see them at Chelsea or Arsenal if they were playing at home but West Ham is in a different part of London with fewer casual fans. Tickets might be on sale at ticket agencies in central London but usually at a price that would shame scalpers.
I think if you contact West Ham either by phone or online you could buy tickets from the club at this stage. Here is their website
http://www.whufcboxoffice.com/events.aspx

If you go via tube the stop is Upton Park not West Ham.

You would certainly be able to pay on the gate at Fulham.

Thanks again for all the info.

One way to get a quick overview of the city and its landmarks is the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. It goes by all the most popular sights in London, takes two hours if you don't hop off. Your ticket is good for a 24-hour period, so after you've gone by all the sights, you can go around the route again, getting off at stuff you want to see and then hopping back on. The HOHO ticket also includes a boat trip along the Thames River, so you get a view of the landmarks from the water; always fun. Consult the Rick Steves London guidebook for more information and also his suggested walks around London.

Thanks for all the great info Rebecca. I will take your advice, and I do have Rick Steves book.

Hi David,

I'd say it sort of depends on some of your likes/dislikes as well as on the time you're willing to spend seeing&doing. eg, be prepared to lose at least a couple of hours if you chose to visit one of the big museums (Tate, Science Museum, Natural History Museum). If you mean to just walk around more and visit some famous sites, you'll have enough time to see Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Big Ben, St James's Park etc.
And I agree with Claudia, renting a bike would be a great way to get around the city and do more in less time :)

Hope this helps, have fun!

Thanks Emma for the information. Biking is probably not something we will do on this short trip. Walking and bus rides will be want we do most of for this trip. You and many others have given me much to consider.

Thanks. I am planning to visit most of the places you mentioned! We only have a few days, but will do all we can.