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Author Topic: What is London like in January? Ray Faultless Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Amington, Tamworth, England Registered: Jun 2001 posted 01-18-2008 12:54 PM                     Yes Tim you can get a pint at 7am. We have 24hrs drinking now so you will find a place open at that time.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 01-18-2008 01:10 PM                     quote: Tim Rectanus BTW, I am not too worried about the Passport Cues, there can't be that many people who want to go to London in January, can there? For many years Heathrow was the World's busiest airport; I read yesterday that it's now the third busiest. I don't know which others have overtaken it, I would guess possibly JFK, and somewhere in Asia. Heathrow has two main runways and four terminals, with a fifth due to open this year. Heathrow was handling more passengers at its four terminals than JFK did at its nine; Heathrow is a very busy, and horrible, place. London's second airport, Gatwick, has one runway, and two terminals; it is the Worlds busiest single-runway airport. So yes, there will be a lot of people coming to London at any time. There are three other airports, Luton, Stanstead and London City, but they are considerably smaller, and London City is tiny. Regular scheduled flights from the US to London will be likely to use either Heathrow or Gatwick. quote: Leo Enticknap I've heard horror stories about the larger airports, and in particular have been advised to avoid entering the US through JFK or LAX. I've flown out of JFK once, about four years ago, when it was a long ride on the 'A' Subway to Howard Beach, and then a bus ride. It's easier to get to now, but I'd still try to avoid it. I've never flown into it, and don't want to. I think there's a lot to be said for using somewhat smaller, second ranking, airports like Gatwick and Newark rather than the main ones like JFK and Heathrow. They're big enough to have reasonable facilities, but not as crowded as the very large ones. When you arrive in a country on a long-haul flight, tired and jet-lagged, just about the last thing you need is to stand in a queue for ages waiting to be admitted. I once had to wait almost an hour at Newark, when several delayed flights all arrived at almost the same time, but about 15-20 minutes seems to be more typical. Getting through US Customs has never taken me more than about thirty seconds. Baggage claim also seems to be pretty quick at Newark, quicker than Heathrow or Gatwick. Gatwick often has a long walk to the terminal when you get off the plane, but otherwise it's not too bad, as airports go. Has anybody heard from, or met, Claude since he arrived? [ 01-18-2008, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: Stephen Furley ]  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-19-2008 10:39 AM                        quote: Tim Rectanus I get on my plane in 7 days and 3 hours, my time. I think I will celebrate my arrival with a pint, can you get a pint at 7 am? So Tim how long are you staying in London? quote: Tim Rectanus BTW, I am not too worried about the Passport Cues, there can't be that many people who want to go to London in January, can there? That's so funny! I'm in town at the moment and the place is packed with student groups from everywhere across the known world  |  IP: Logged Tim Rectanus Film Handler Posts: 51 From: Raleigh, NC, USA Registered: Jul 2005 posted 01-21-2008 10:42 AM                        I leave here this Friday and arrive in London at dawn on Saturday and we come back on an afternoon flight on the 3rd. My itenerary looks something like this. (gonna see a lot of countryside on trains I guess) Arrive Sat. to Gatwick Hop a train to Birmingham, bus to Wolverhampton. Bus back to Birmingham for Villa v Blackburn at 3pm (could be close) Tough Guy race in Wolverhampton on Sunday Then a train to Edinburgh Sunday afternoon and do what one does at night in Edinburgh. Monday -Check out the Castle and Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, then hop over to St. Andrews to have a look around, maybe. Then back to Edinburgh on Tuesday Tuesday afternoon- Head to Bolton for Bolton v Fulham on Tuesday night. Dick- Is there an easy way to swing through Bradford on our way to Bolton? If so I might try to stop in and check out that new screen and say hello. Fulham are my favorite team (they have all those Yanks) so I wish this game was at Craven Cottage but at least we get to sit amongst the Fulham supporters for this one. Too bad Fulham can't finish a game out this year, I don't know why they can't stop conceding goals in the last 10 minutes but it is starting to mess with my heart!! Hopefully that will change soon and they can try and fend off what looks to be an inevitable relegation spot. Wednesday and beyond- On to London for sightseeing and what nots. Chelsea v Reading on Wed night. We will be in London most of the rest of our trip except for a trip to Portsmith for Pompei v Chelsea on Saturday. (I know Chelsea again, we tried to get Man U v Tot on Saturday and get to an Arsenal game at the Emirates on Wed but they were sold out.) Other than that I am not sure what the plan is for London. I will see if we have time to stop in the IMAX Theatre there as well as the normal Tourist activities. I am starting to go to bed early, 7 or 8 pm here and get up at 3 or 4am to try and cut down on the Time Zone shift but don't know if that will work since we open a U2 on Wed. midnight (as Tuesday turns to Wed.) We will see. Oh and you can get a pint 24 hours a day, I think I love this place already.  |  IP: Logged Ray Faultless Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Amington, Tamworth, England Registered: Jun 2001 posted 01-21-2008 12:43 PM                     Tim you dont need a bus from Birmingham to Wolverampton your train from Gatwick may go thru to Wolverampton if not just change at Birmingham. The train is much easier than a bus just there.  |  IP: Logged Tim Rectanus Film Handler Posts: 51 From: Raleigh, NC, USA Registered: Jul 2005 posted 01-21-2008 12:47 PM                        OH Thanks Ray! That would speed things up a bit, not having to get the bus. TR  |  IP: Logged Dick Vaughan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1032 From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-21-2008 12:58 PM                        Hi Tim The new screen is at London Science Museum not in Bradford. I will (should) be in Bradford Tuesday but Edinburgh to Bolton is going to take a fair while so you will be pushed to make it if you stop off. I will possibly be in London from the 31st to the 2nd so perhaps we may meet up .  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 01-27-2008 11:57 PM                        I have been home almost a week now since returning from my trip to London last Tuesday. I am very happy to report, the trip was very successful and I got to see and do a lot of things I had planned except checking out the excellent cinema facilities in the city. I was almost tempted to see a movie at a cinema complex at Piccadilli Circus across the street from the gayly lit building that houses a Burger King restaurant. The theatre was not fronting the street but in a long corridor towards the back. If some of you know what theatre I am referring, is it a good theatre and if it is, did I miss out on anything? The conference itself was great and my two hour presentation was very well received. I am glad it was because I had put a lot of time and effort into the Power Point presentation since i started to work on it last April when I had received an invitation to travel and speak at that conference. Beside spending a lot of time at the convention, I did get to tour some of the famous parts of the city including Piccadilli Circus, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Parliament Building, Tower Bridge, Covent Garden, a boat ride on the Thames River and I saw the Royal Mounted Guards. I did get to use the Tube when I went to Picadelli Circus and Westminster. Beside the terribly long flights to London from Honolulu and back, the cost of almost everything in London was frightening. Since I was provided with about £45 of food allowance along with my round trip air fare and three night lodging, I ate a pizza and some vegetables with a glass of ice tea and the bill was £12 in the hotel dinning room. Cab fare from Heathrow to the hotel was £55 and the return trip was £40. My United Airlines 777 flight arrived an hour and a half before the British Air 777 crash landed at Heathrow and forced the airport to shut down for a couple of hours. If my flight arrived after that incident, no telling where my plane would have been diverted and no matter where it was, it would have cost me several hundred dollars to get to my hotel. That was indeed a close call!The two extra night lodging I had to pay out of my own pocket was £210 and that was absurd because the room at the Novotel West was nothing special! I say that because in all my years of traveling, I had no place to put my underwear, socks and other small items except to keep them in my suitcase. I did not buy any DVDs but did buy some classical music CDs that were priced between £4 and £8 and a fairly new recording of Handel;s MESSIAH with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra for £13. I bought all the CDs at ZAVVI at Piccadelli Circus and I was amazed at their large selections of movies and music. I had posted four images I had shot in London at the Professional Photographers website and if you like to see them, go here http://www.pphawaii.org. The images are in the Members Gallery under my name on Page ten. =Claude  |  IP: Logged Bernard Tonks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Cranleigh, Surrey, England Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-29-2008 04:57 AM                     The multiplex cinema in Piccadilly Circus is now actually listed as the the Cineworld, Shaftsbury Avenue with 7 screens. It was constructed by Cineplex-Odeon within the shell of the very old London Pavilion, opened as a music hall theatre in 1885, later modernised with a stalls and two circles. Changed to cinema use in 1934 by United Artists. I watched many a film there in the upper circle, and the loved the atmosphere and surroundings in this historic theatre. The projection room was equipped with three Westar projectors and Westrex sound with Peerless carbon lamps. I also was shown back stage which still had the original hand lines in situ. Full history with some pictures: http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Pavilion.htm I don't think you missed anything special with the Trocadero / Shaftsbury Avenue multiplex cinema, except for perhaps one auditorium which also has a balcony! The Vue (ex: Warner), Leicester Square, would have been a better experience. Glad you enjoyed your trip to London.  |  IP: Logged

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