Replies

I've been lucky enough to be able to spend a fair bit of time in Bristol over the past few years and really enjoy it. Bristol is a college town, so there is quite a bit of drinking and carrying on at night! If you are looking for a place to stay, one of the nicer places, and easy to book online, is the Marriott - College Green. The other Marriott is not in a great place to be out and about at night. (The Hilton is way out of town). There are a number of nice "British" hotels too, but they don't take reservations over the Internet, and therefore are kind of a pain to book. When you get off the train at the Bristol - Temple Meads train station, you will probably want to take a taxi to your hotel. Any place in town is only about a 5-7 GPB fair. Tipping of cab drivers is an interesting thing. Natives sometimes find it a bit insulting, while those from out of country tend to appreciate the gesture.

Speaking of the train - when you get to LHR you have two primary choices to get the Paddington. You can take the easiest and most expensive (which I would recommend) - the Heathrow Express - and be at Paddington in about 15 minutes. From Terminal 3 (where you will land) look for the signs before you exit the terminal that lead you underground, and carefully follow the signs through the underground maze to the Heathrow Express. You can buy a ticket (with cash or a credit card) just before getting on the train. You can also do the same basic drill but take the Underground (subway) which is a lot cheaper but a lot longer. Once in Paddington you will want to get your tickets, if you haven't done so already. As you look at the tracks, with the Underground to your back, the ticket office is to your left. You can buy a round trip ticket (which will be kind of expensive since you are buying it as a walk-up. Buying a ticket for a specific train on the way back (and the way there) may save you some money. Don't bother with a "first class" ticket - there isn't any real difference in the service.

You will then look at the boards which post the trains. There are two types of trains to Bristol-Temple Mead The fast one which only stops about 10 times and takes about 2 hours, or the slow one that stops everywhere and takes about 4 hours. Look for the faster one. The service is run by First Great Western (www.firstgreatwestern.com) If you want, you can try to book your ticket over the Internet. The problem is that you need a UK billing address for your credit card. The good news is that the site doesn't seem to check on your address. So look up a hotel in Bristol and use their "zip code". That is all that is asked for. You can save quite a bit by booking ahead so it is worth the effort.

If you are able to find All-Bar-One in Bristol, then you are right in the center of the old town. Most of the town was wiped out be the Germans during the war because British Aerospace had a big production facility right outside of town. The got bombed night after night. There are still some remnants of the old town, such as the "castle" in the open green space near the center of town.

If you find All-bar-one (which is a chain bar) it is right on the corner of the "town square" or plaza. During the day an enterprising young man sets up an espresso cart their. Please stop by and get some coffee and tell him his friend from Lake Tahoe California says Hi!

One thing to look for in Bristol is Bristol Blue Glass. There is a shop between Bridewell and the hospital that has some wares. (There are actually several shops). You might try Bristol Blue Glass Ltd. 5 Three Queens Lane, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6LG (www.bristol-glass.co.uk). The glass is pretty expensive, but it you can find a nice little accent piece it will make for good conversation when you get back.

While in England - avoid English food! Fortunately there are many excellent Asian and Indian eateries. Hot Indian food there is very different from hot Indian food here.

If you want to see some different things in Bristol - be sure to check out "The Bridge". It was designed by Brunnel and is quite interesting. On the North end of the bridge are some higher end houses and eateries. You should try to find a little place called "Brunnel's Buttery" and have their egg and ham sandwich. It will give you enough cholesterol the your entire trip and then some. There are a few decent restaurants in Bristol - an Indian restaurant about two blocks from All-bar-One in an old bank is about the best (Sorry, I forget the name).

When are you going? I'll be there next week, so if you aren't going for a few weeks and have some questions, I can check them out next week.

As for London - there is just too much there to give you pointers. You may be able to hit a few of the tourist spots, all of which are very cool to visit.

Things that you might have time for - a ride on the London Eye. You need to book ahead of time at www.ba.com. It takes about 1/2 hour to make a "flight". If the weather is clear, it is well worth it.

Never go to London without going to the West End for a show at night! This is the British version of Broadway and is just excellent. You might like to see The Producers, Phantom, of one of my favorites - We Will Rock You. My suggestion is to go to www.londontheatrebookings.com and before you buy a ticket, make sure that the seats are good (buy the best ones they have) You can pull up a seating map for the theatre at the site and look up where the seats are. *Don't buy 1/2 price tickets because the seats are terrible!*. Book ahead, get great seats, and enjoy! Almost all of the restaurants around the theatres have great food and will get you out in time for your show. Make a night of it. If you are in London over the weekend, be sure to get a weekend pass on the Tube (you have to go to a ticket window rather then a machine, usually) as it will allow you to go through Zone 1-2 or 1-6 (depending on the ticket) much much cheaper then paying for every trip.

As for shopping - there are countless places to go. However, if you want to see all of the designer's wears, go to the area around New Bond Street.

Hamley's has the kids stuff (it is too expensive to bother with, as is Harrod's - although Harrod's is fun to walk through and the basement has a wine bar and Tapa's bar which is worthwhile).

If you want to buy any alcohol to bring home, buy it in the airport as you leave - no VAT there. LHR terminal 3 has a great wine store, and a great Scotch store, as well as every other type of libation.

London a such a great place you will have a blast. Plan some ahead to try to get tickets to events so you have great seats and save lots of money.

I'll try to keep an eye on the thread if you have any questions. As mentioned - I'll be in London, Bristol, and Reading next week and can check details for you if needed.

Have fun! You are going to one of the world's greatest cities!

-tb