Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| Quique |
Misc. BabbleI actually sat and tried to find a suitable thread for my London travel post but there isn't any! lol. I'd be either interrupting ongoing discussion on the London cast change/s or be butting in on the-cat-fight-of-the-week! So, "Misc. Babble" is born!!1!At any rate, I have just booked my flight to London and two performances of Les Mis at the Queen's Theatre. Holy sh*t. I hop on a flying metal rod of death (as an internet fellow so lovingly calls it) on 3 September @ 9:10 p.m. and arrive at London's Heathrow Airport Saturday 4 September @ 3:45 p.m. I will be crashing the...[Note to self: BOOK HOTEL ASAP!!] I will be invading the Queeen's Theatre first on 6 September, sitting row D, seat 17, Stalls (or Orchestra, gosh you British people have strange names for everything XD). I will likely then have a heart attack and be carted away Eponine-style and the rest won't matter..-or-...will live (by some miraculous miracle) and attend the 8 September evening performance, seated at row C, chair 13.  Erm, Stalls.
I shall board another FMROD on 9 September and...eh, I'll be returning home so it doesn't matter. *shrugs* QUESTION: I'm mega-confused. I know London time is +8 hours of L.A. time but are the London arrival/depature times above in my time or London time? I tried figuring it out but immediately got a headache. I'm bad with numbers. :S I've been searching hotels and they cost an arm and a leg. I was considering Easy Hotel - Victoria but comparing prices with higher end hotels, they isn't much of a difference. Plus, the customer reviews kinda scare me...and I hate orange. Any good, CHEAP but comfy/safe hotel recommendations?? I'd be really grateful. Ahhhhhhhhh. I'm finally going to Looondon. *die* |
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| riverdawn |
Congratulations.
Flight times are always local time, so the departure time from LA is LA time while the arrival time is UK time, and for the flight back the departure time is in UK time while the arrival time is in LA time. And D17 should be a totally awesome seat. Enjoy! |
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| Quique |
Cool. So, they're always local time. Thanks!
Not factoring in the possibility of delays, is the evening performance on the day of arrival cutting it too close? I arrive at 3:45 p.m. and won't be at my hotel for another couple of hours at least. Of course, this is assuming the show is at 7:30. I don't think I will be able to wait until Monday to see the show! |
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| riverdawn |
Well, I'd say with a 3:45 landing, you should be in central London by about 5:30-6:00. I think if you get a hotel that is a) on the Piccadilly Line (so easy to get from the airport) and b) not too far from the West End
you can probably make it, although it is pretty tight (the show does start at 7:30). You may, however, pass out from jet lag somewhere in the middle of the prologue. 
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| Orestes Fasting |
In my experience, it ALWAYS takes longer than you think to get from your plane to the center city... unless you make the estimate and add two hours, then it will inevitably take less time than your initial estimate. (But then you get lost trying to get to the Queens from the Leicester Square tube station and end up being late anyway.)
What I would do is not buy tickets for Saturday in advance--I'd pack everything in a carry-on so as not to have to go through baggage claim, make a mad dash through customs and immigration, get my butt on the Heathrow Express, and see how I was doing for time. If there was enough time I'd drop my bag at the hotel, if not I'd head straight from Paddington to the theatre, see if there were any last-minute tickets available, and take advantage of the coat/baggage check for once in my life. Now that the cat's out of the bag on row BB and dress circle slips, they're usually not available the night of the performance, but there are almost always some last-minute tickets. And it's not like they get more expensive if you book last-minute--in fact, you avoid a booking fee if you buy them at the box office. I don't have any hotel recommendations, since I've always either bummed lodging off other fans (shout-out to Eppie-Sue and KatyRoseLand for their hospitality!) or gone the youth-hostel route. I don't think most of the hostels have a maximum age, though, if you're willing to sleep in a dormitory. The Meininger Hyde Park is on the Piccadilly line (always important!), right across the street from the V&A and Natural History museums, and has beds from �19 a night, which is the best you're going to get if you don't go out into the boonies. Also try EuroCheapo. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
DO NOT stay at the Averard.
Unless you like an incompetent staff and moths in your bed. |
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| Quique |
^ That place looks scary.
I'm sick of searching for hotels. I've been at it since 6 a.m. Seriously. Thanks for the advice Orestes and Riverdawn. You're both right, so I held back and did not buy a ticket for Sat. Even if I do make it, it'll cause a lot of worry and I want my trip to go as smooth as possible without constantly checking my watch. Anyway, any babble is welcome here, btw. Don't want to make this thread all 'bout me, hehe. |
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| The Very Angry Woman |
The only good thing about the Averard was it taught me to love Weetabix. Oh, and there have been inside jokes for over a year now. But still. Gross.
My babble? I'm trying to figure out when I can see the new Les Miz tour without going to Los Angeles. Ha. |
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| PureDiamondLight |
If you want Misc Babble... I shall give you Misc Babble. I've uploaded my latest Les Mis drawing to DA if anyone is interested 
http://purediamondlight.deviantart.com/art/Chief-Centre-and-Guide-168728837 You have to click on the picture to see it full size. Enjoy
And Quique, I hope you get your hotels / flights etc sorted out Last time I was in London I stayed in the Astor Court hotel. It was alright, but I don't think it was particularly cheap (I can't remember exactly how much) but it was within walking distance from the Queens, which was nice.
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| riverdawn |
Oh, my, your Combeferre is hunky.
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| The Very Angry Woman |
The first hotel I stayed at in London (same trip as when I went to the Averard) was the George. Small and weirdly laid out, but not bad. The breakfast was decent, and there's a computer for you to use.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d262457-Reviews-The_George_Hotel-London_England.html |
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| mezzo_soprano |
Imitating Ruthie on the TAC can get you far. . .my voice teacher loves the way I say together and weather while singing I dreamed a dream | ||||||
| Fiwen9430 |
Seconded. If only he had glasses. |
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| PureDiamondLight |
I'm glad you like it  You'll have to imagine the glasses... maybe next time I draw a Combeferre I'll put them in.
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| Quique |
Wow! Hotel deals in central London are insanely difficult to find! 
But I found one. I think. :S The Ridgemount Hotel At roughly $85 a night for a single en-suite, and factoring in its central location and glowing reviews, I feel this is a rare bargain. I liked that there are a good number of room photographs online taken by guests, which help me rest assured that I won't walk into a vermin infested hell-hole upon arrival. Very, very basic and small. Even fugly, but I'm not going to London to admire room decor. So, whatev. I was being quite stubborn and had been searching almost obsessively for hotels around this price range within two or three blocks of the Queens, but after an exhaustive search, have come to realize how foolish that is!! LOL. The hotel may be a ways from the theatre but its pretty much right smack in the center of it all, and in a good neighborhood, too. Plus, there are three underground stations within 5 min. from the doorstep. My only concern is how safe the area is at night. I will likely be returning on foot well after midnight on most nights and the street looks like its very desolate at that hour based on photos. At 5'4" tall and 135 lbs., I'm not much of a match. Gosh I'm such a girl, Rofl. |
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| riverdawn |
Well, Gower St. itself is near the University of London and the area is a relatively good area, as far as I know. I think Tottenham Court Road can be a tad unpleasant late at night, so you might want to take another route - but at the same time Tottenham Court Road also tends to be full of people fairly late into the night, which helps make it safer, of course.
Overall, it looks to me (as far as I know London, and mind you, I'm no expert on London-at-night), that for a man (even a small one) walking alone it should be reasonably safe, but obviously be vigilant etc. |
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| Eppie-Sue |
Having been around that area (although, admittedly, a bit more west-based) for ten months, I don't think there's any need for concern. I mean, yes, obviously, it's London, it's the middle of the night, but I was never scared walking through the Oxford Street/Tottenham Court area at night, and I'm a girl... | ||||||
| Quique |
Cool. I wasn't overly concerned, hehe.
I booked a performance of Jersey Boys (which I haven't seen) for Sunday, the 5th. I really, really want to see Blood Brothers but Wednesday is the only day left and I was reserving the evening for Les Mis again. But here's where my notorious, self-imposed limitation is going to have to kick in, cause as much as I love the show, twice in a week should be enough. The only thing that makes this situation different from the many other times I've limited my viewings of the show is that I feel the original production's days are numbered. But, really, what can a third performance really add, anyway? It would be nice to round-off my viewings of the original production to 30, but that would take 2 more performances since 27 includes the Hollywood Bowl concert. But that's a silly motive, anyway. And who says it won't still be playing next summer? I definitely plan on returning. Don't mind me folks, just thinkin' out loud. |
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| Moci |
A friend of mine stayed there a couple of years back, I think and rated it quite well. You'd be fairly unlikely to have any problems in that area as it tends to be quite full of people and London is pretty safe as long as you're in the central areas, but if you are worried, my friend got the number 29 bus after we'd seen a show from outside the Palace theatre and it presumably got her to close to the hotel. |
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| Quique |
Thanks for the advice, guys!
Small problem: I sent an e-mail stating what I, the customer, understood were the specific terms and conditions and ended it stating that, by securing my room, "the hotel agrees with the aforementioned in full." I then provided the necessary credit card information requested. I've yet to receive confirmation of my reservation. Hmmm. A couple of hours I can understand, but it's been nearly a day. But considering the owner failed to confirm basic things such as the specific type of room I'd be getting, that ALL hotel taxes and fees were included in the quote, and whether or not anything would be charged to my card at this time after I asked, I'm sort of glad not to be doing business with this man. But maybe it's just a busy day. Aekuru3wuf. EDIT: Question #66566024601: How's the Vauxhall/Stockwell area? The Ridgemount is likely a no-go, seeing as I've yet to be confirmed. Highly unusual and the owner gives me the creeps. Two more options: one is located in the area I asked about above, priced slightly more but accommodations equal to a 4 star with lots of added perks, and three underground stations within 5 min. on foot. Catch: I'd have to take the underground and travel three stops down to access the city center, which isn't a problem, except at night. Second option: Splurge, like I originally planned to. Yes, I'm on a budget but I can afford up to double of what I was going to spend at the Ridgemount, although I'd obviously prefer to save some of that and add it to my reserve for misc. trip expenses. I figure I'll be alright on $100 a day. I don't really plan to do a lot of sight-seeing or heavy clubbing. I'm going to have my butt firmly seated inside a West End theatre a lot of the time. Sorry for all the blabber mouthage. It's what happens when there's a thread that allows me to "think out loud." |
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| KatyRoseLand |
Sorry if this is a really stupid suggestion, but have you tried lastminute.com? It's pretty good for hotel rooms, and cheap theatre tickets! | ||||||
| Quique |
Not a stupid question at all! In fact, I just came across that site right before I read your post. It's amazing! | ||||||
| KatyRoseLand |
It really is! I have booked two New York holidays on there and they were both great. Living close to London, I have never tried their London deals, but I think they seem pretty good, especially their secret hotel thing... I've always wanted to try that! |
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| Quique |
This looks gooooood:
Griffin House EDIT: Griffin House is a no-go--they're booked. Back to the drawing board, lol. |
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| Quique |
Got the confirmation e-mail for my Ridgemount Hotel room booking late yesterday. Guess I'm staying there after all.
Still considering one of these: Outlet4Holidays I wanted Mark sooooooo badly. But Nelly 2 looks sweet, too. How fitting. |