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Your Induction to London

Often, when talking to friends, I'm shocked at aspects of London they've just never experienced or opportunities the city provides which they've missed. One of these which often comes up is Borough Market. If you live in Greater London and you have never visited the market please, please rectify this as soon as possible.

Your tastebuds will thank you.

I would do a poll, but it seems a little pointless since it's textual commentary I seek. :)

Question: What would you include on a London Induction course?

Borough Market?
The Parks?
Tube Etiquette?
How Not to Look Like a Tourist?

What are the essentials to starting of life as a Journeyman Londoner?
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  • 25 comments
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    bibliogirl
    I'm going there this afternoon, as it happens. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it...
    bibliogirl
    No, normally you're completely correct, but this week they're open all week (well, maybe they were closed Monday but they're definitely open today)
    nou
    BUY AN A-Z AND CARRY IT EVERYWHERE.

    Yes, I am shouting :)
    thedarkpoint
    How to walk up esclators...
    How to walk between tube stations...

    Sure there is more than that...
    shuripentu
    And how to navigate the tube, particularly the fact that different lines often share the same platform, and the same line can branch off to very different destinations.

    Growing up in a wee village in the colonies, such complexities were new to me and it took me a few days and several wrong trains before I got to grips with reality. :)
    itsjustaname
    Oh that's brilliant, especially this comment: "'Excuse me' is the way Londoners pronounce 'Fuck off and die, cur, get out of my way.'"
    itsjustaname
    Don't travel on the Underground with big suitcases and rucksacks during rush hour.

    Check out the museums - there's lots of them so there's bound to be one that interests you.
    willmate
    Yep, don't get in my way with those stupid fecking big trolley bags at any time. God I hate them. Carry your bags or wear a rucksack

    Also recommend a trip on the Eye, and a walk to the top of St Pauls for excellent views of the city. From a lower level, a trip up and down the Thames is also good for that.

    Oh, and don't forget to find decent pubs in and around your induction tour. All that walking around is thirsty work...
    johnckirk
    Yep, don't get in my way with those stupid fecking big trolley bags at any time. God I hate them.

    Yeah, they are annoying. If people are pulling them along (on the flat) or carrying them (on a staircase) that's fine, and they move at the same speed as me. The problem is the transitions, e.g. top of staircase = "trundle trundle, stop, stand bag upright, push in handle, crouch down, pick up bag, resume journey" (and in reverse at the other end of the stairs), while everyone behind them (e.g. me) has to just stand still waiting for them to get moving.
    willmate
    I once went through a tube gate, such that I avoided a person travelling across the tube gates - unfortunately, what I didn't realise was that they had a trolley bag that was hidden from view by the gates. So I just sailed into the trolley bag, nearly flew over the stupid little thing, and banged my foot.

    Also, one person with a trolley bag takes up about the same amount of room as three normal pedestrians. And at least you'd be able to navigate between said three pedestrians.

    Grrr. I appear to have got myself started...

    terpsichore1980
    They are very useful though, when you are little and weak and going out to a client where a big rucksack is not appropriate. I agree about the tube in rush hour though, I deliberately waited 20 minutes at the station this morning so I could get a train straight to the city and avoid getting on the tube with my Christmas luggage (like normal luggage, but twice as big due to Christmas presents).
    moral_vacuum
    It's the ones who do that on a down escalator almost causing a multiple pile-up who need to be culled.
    missfairchild
    How to use the London bus network. Spotting a good halal butcher. Learning to love Turkish supermarkets.
    easterbunny
    Avoiding remonstrance with baristas by converting the price of one's caffeinated beverage into the currency of one's home country, especially if it is not the home country of either the barista or the coffee bar in question. Particularly avoid such sentiments as "Excuse me? I just paid three pounds for this drink, and it looks like a small rather than a large? Three pounds is like FIVE DOLLARS and at home FIVE DOLLARS gets you a drink that's really big and super yummy. And this isn't."

    Other than that, I would say a stroll along the south bank is absolutely essential.
    moral_vacuum
    I've never been to Borough Market. It may well be a very, very bad idea for me.
    aca
    Bad for the waistline, good for the soul. Like most good things.
    rjw1
    personally i find borough market dull now and crowded to boot.
    i suppose beign spoilt by having a decent market, several butchers and fishmongers close by does lessen the impact of borough market somewhat.
    especially since ive had all the tasty meats now.
    overconvergent
    It might be useful to know about all the public transport options; not just the Tube, but the overground, the trams, the DLR and the buses.

    Second the museums, especially some of the smaller ones like the Wallace Collection and the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
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