Evenings in London with a 16 year old

Linda: Good news, London is one of the last places in the world where you will run out of things to do in the evening! Many of the major museums are open an evening or two during the week, check their websites for the details. During the summer there are night cruises on the Thames. There are many evening guided walks, see Rick's London book for the details under "Entertainment." There are many evening concerts, again check Rick's book. And there are plenty more theatres. And enjoy one of the great cities of the world, day or night!

Almost every other evening there are big red carpet, Hollywood style movie premieres at Leicester Square. You will be able to see a-list celebrities, the paparazzi, and lot of other spectators stretching their necks to see who is getting out of the limo next. It's lots of fun!

there is a gamework type of place in soho - it's 3~4 levels full of bowling, video games, pool, etc if you like that kind stuff.

I always thought it would be fun to have dinner at 1 of Gordon Ramsey's London restaurants. Granted, it probably would be expensive & reservations required way ahead of time; but you just might see this colorful-mouthed artist at work. Another idea is to see a Shakespeare play at RSC. Their website is http://www.rsc.org.uk/home/default.aspx. Your daughter may have even read 1 of his plays in her English course. Even if you or she dislike Shakespeare, see 1 of his plays in London. God bless the British; they have a way of making his plays come alive.

Have you seen 'Wicked'. It is ideal for a teenage girl. It is a very clever take on the Wizard of Oz told from the point of view of the Wicked Witch. I really enjoyed it and the theatre was packed with teenage girls who were just raving about it. The only downside is that it is pretty popular so you pretty much have to buy tickets in advance.

Another good thing is to take one of the evening walks done by London Walks (www.walks.com). They have pub walks (no emphasis on drinking so fine for a teenager), various "ghost" walks and a "Jack the Ripper" walk.

The London Eye ferris wheel also runs in the evening. A number of the museums are open late one evening a week.

Gordon Ramsay doesn't cook in his own restaurants anymore. He' too busy filming his 10 TV shows :)

He may not be there but hopefully he hired chefs who share his cuisine philosophy.

I was making a joke.

Joke or not, you're probably right. But maybe 5 shows not 10. Yet, I like to think the ole boy surprises his restaurant crew once in a while w/his presence & delightfully foul-mouth, cracking his whip to maintain his Michelin stars service & food.

With a sixteen year old girl. The shows are perfect. You can look online at the many shows and let her pick.

Another option, for people like me who don't plan more than a couple days ahead, is to go to the Leicester square ticket booth, tell them you and your sixteen year old want to see a play and ask for a recommendation.

I think your daughter would enjoy Wicked and it probably won't be as hard to get tickets. Another fast paced funny one is Reduced Shakespeare(?), essentially a hillarious 90 minute version of the entire works of WS. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of great choices.

The night walks around London, i.e. Literary Pub Crawl, are something she would probably enjoy.

Hopefully your 16 year old is more "settled" than my oldest was at 16. She would claim to hate every idea so she could play the martar the entire trip. We got enough drama out of her to cover all the shows in London. She got better after we chose not to take her on some vacations.

The Reduced Shakespeare Company shut down in 2005. They are currently doing shows only in Los Angeles.

If you're there in the summer definately go to a show at the Shakespeare Globe. The building is an experience in and of itself.

The London Eye (giant ferris wheel) is also pretty cool at night. Generally walking around London is always fun too.

Give your daughter a great history lesson...take her to the "Ceremony of the Keys" at the Tower of London, see attached website for ordering free tickets

http://hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/ceremonyofthekeys.aspx

Thanks for the link.
I just wrote for tickets!

Take her to see "We Will Rock You" (the Queen Musical) and "Mama Mia" (the ABBA musical). Do any of the great night walks- Jack the Ripper, etc. Visit China Town (Top of the Town is a great resturant) and other ethnic enclaves. Walk!!! People watch in Leciester Square. Take the Tube and people watch.

Follow Toni's advice! Especially, do ABBA, and then, maybe, ask your daughter -what does she want to do?

Just a thought- for day time - try Kew Gardens. Great way to have a peaceful day (or just afternoon). Also consider Windsor as a day trip. We took our kids from ages 9 to 18 and they loved just about everything. If you are outside of London check into some of the medieval "reinactment" castel dinners- we did one in Iredland. A bit corny, but good food, good music and lots of fun!