Wine Bars
Gordon’s wine bar… A MUST, basement down Villiers St. next to Charring Cross Station. Very old, buy a bottle and drink it in the arched candle lit rooms or outside in the courtyard.
Cork and Bottle Wine Bar… almost as neat as Gordon’s, wider wine and food selections. In the basement with interesting little carved-out rooms. 44-46 Cranbourn St. just off Leicester’s Square near the tube stop.
Bedford & Strand Wine Bar… 1A Bedford Street just off the Strand near Charing Cross, nice selections and atmosphere. Not as crowded.
Café Des Amis…upscale wine bar near royal Opera House and Covent Garden, Bow St to Horal to 11 Hanover Place (alley) 020 7379 3444
The Savoy Hotel on The Strand is a famous old hotel and really neat to just go, have a glass of wine and take in the atmosphere
Covent Garden…good shops, stalls, good street performers, nice wine bar/restaurant in bottom of stall area, great restaurants and pubs.
Mexican
La Perla Mexican Bar… 28 Maiden Lane, WC2 near Covent Garden. Mexican food and drinks.
Also Café Pacifico… 5 Langley Street, W2 Locations in Paris also.
Wahaca Mexican Market Eating… Neuvo Mexican, Maiden Lane Covent Garden
Jazz & Blues clubs
Ronnie Scotts…premier jazz club of London. Frith street in SOHO, go to listen not great food, some great acts some mediocre
“Ain’t ‘nuthin But” blues club on Kingly St., near Oxford Circus and Carnaby Street, young crowd, somewhat seedy, may not like it, local blues bands, open mike Sunday starts 4pm.
“Spice of life” blues, Cambridge Circus, Tuesdays
“Adelaide Road Pub”, blues, Clark Farm tube station, Tuesdays
“Heathcote Public House” blues jam Leytonestone tube station, E11 bus, Wednesday
“Globe Public House”, blues, Morning Lane E8, Monday
“Town Hall”, blues, Mare St., Bethnal Green tube station, Bu 254
Around London
Dirty Dick’s Pub, near the Liverpool Street Station, financial district (One of???) The oldest Pubs in London, est 1745.
Great Queen Street, Queen Street, Traditional English food
Carnaby Street, Oxford Circus, good shopping, trendy shops, Liberty dept store, great Soccer/Rugby store, interesting pubs
Camden Town, lots of “crazy” young people; too much “flea market” to imagine, ethnic food, old London Locks/Boats, very crowded on weekends , really neat but had a real bad fire and I am not sure how much is left.
Old Spitafield Market, the Brickline Market and the High Sunday Market. New and old things and lots of ethnic food from everywhere in a very crowded and diverse neighborhood. Similar to Camden Town, near the Liverpool tube stop
SOHO, “Bohemian” area, very, very interesting people watching, china town….be careful
Tourist musts
Greenwich observatory museum, take the Thames river boat shuttle, great views, stand on the prime meridian, read about the longitudinal clocks before you go, I love mechanical antiques.
Tower military museum, really great dark ages armament neat tour by the beefeaters, royal jewels.
Westminster Chapel, very historic. War rooms.