London Nightlife Tips by tvor

Victoria Apollo Theatre: Wicked Theatre

We don't always take in a show in London but this time we decided to. Our final choice was Wicked which is playing at the Victoria Apollo theatre, one of London's largest, seating over 2000 bums. Tickets were purchased online via Ticketmaster where we could pick our seats.

The best thing about the Victoria Apollo theatre is it's location, right across from Victoria train and bus station. A large number of busses go to Victoria bus station. Three tube lines cross there and it's a major rail station as well. The theatre is on the corner of Wilton road and the large square in front of Victoria station. You can't miss it.

There doesn't seem to be a bad seat in the stalls, no posts to impede the view no matter where you sit. I can't speak for the balcony. There are two bars and two sets of toilets. The ones near the theatre seating are better, at least for the Ladies' as there are quite a few stalls so the queues move quickly. The theatre lobby, for this production, is bathed in green light, in keeping with the Green theme of the play (Oz - emerald city!)

There are lots of places to eat in the vicinity though they will likely be pretty busy.

Dress Code: Anything

Address: 17 Wilton Road, London, U.K.

Directions: At the large intersection where the Victoria bus terminal and tube station are.

Theme: Theater

J. D. Wetherspoons: Pub chains

Even though some people might look down their noses at franchises and chain restaurants, J. D. Wetherspoons does it very well. They are a company that often will take an old heritage building and renovate, often keeping the ambience of the old fixtures and fittings and making it into a pub. The food is relatively inexpensive and the menus are mostly all the same with some differences from one are to another so you always konw what you are getting. Some of the pubs are modern and some are filled with brass fittings and dark wood and high plastered ceilings. They all seem to have nicely decorated and clean toilets as well, some decorated to the point where you are tempted to take photos!

They are a national chain as well. A lot of their pubs may have the name "Moon" in the name of the pub, such as Lord Moon on the Mall (Whitehall) or Moon Under Water (this name is used several places in a few cities i've been in).

A few i've been to in London were Lord Moon on the Mall (Whitehall), Shakespeare's Head (Holborne), Ice Wharf (Camden Lock) , Ledger (Canary Wharf) and the one at the Highbury and Islington station. The only one where the food was quite lacklustre was the one at by the Baker Street tube station. I think it's called the Metropolitan.

Dress Code: Casual.

Theme: Eating and Drinking

Website: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/

West End theatre: World Class theatre

Theatre and London go hand in hand. While everyone hears about the big blockbuster musicals, there is so much more. Theatre prices can range from cheap to very expensive. You can get half price tickets on a selection of shows on the day you want to go at the Leicester Square Half Price Ticket Booth (TCKTS) but you must be prepared to queue and they don't have all the shows. You can buy your ticket at the box office and you can also queue at some box offices a half hour before showtime when the theatres sell off remaining and returned tickets cheaper. You take what you can get then, though.

There are numerous online brokers as well. I've only used Londontown.com to book tickets and it's been reliable so far. You do pay a little fee and on that site you can often get discounted prices which is good. When you buy from an online broker, you must pick up your tickets at the box office in person. They are delivered to the theatre by courier but it could be any time of the day of the performance, not before. Generally, go later in the afternoon or within an hour before the performance starts. Booking online through a broker, you don't get the choice of seats and you can't change it at the box office. You can only pick your seats if you buy at the box office either in person or by telephone. Very possibly online, if you are purchasing directly from the theatre if they aren't using a broker. Theatre Monkey is a very good site to check for the best seats in various theatres around London.

In addition to the big musicals, there are excellent dramas, comedies, Shakespeare, and fringe theatre outside the West End that will be cheaper. You could take the chance on something completely unknown and find a little gem. Or not. But that's an adventure! And that's what travel is all about!

Dress Code: Theatres these days don't really have a dress code. You see people wearing anything from ripped jeans to pearls and velvet. I go with smart casual, myself but it's whatever you're comfortable with. Something like the ballet or opera might be a bit more posh so dress accordingly.

Directions: Various parts of London, Covent Garden, West End

Theme: Theater

Website: http://www.londontown.com/