London21Jan2006's VirtualTourist Home Page

JEN & KAT WELCOME VTER'S TO OUR 2006 VT LONDON MEETING!

The time is nigh and final arrangements are being made! :)

Here is SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE. Please could you email London21Jan2006@vtmail.com to let us know what you will be attending during the day, at your earliest convenience?

What to bring you may ask? A smile and some laughter!
We needn't mention the camera, need we??? ;)
You may also need a tube map… if so: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube/maps/

Thanks!

Jen (Jenniflower) & Kat (keida84)

Our first stop of the day is to visit this historic tower. We are meeting at the Tower Entrance at 9am, ready to go in at 9:15am as there is a lot to see inside! Of course, entering the Tower is the easy part, the trick is to actually EXIT the Tower, as many before you have literally ‘lost their head’ here... haha

Directions: The Tower of London is on the River Thames next to Tower Bridge. Closest Station is Tower Hill Tube Station, District or Circle Lines. The Tower is across the road from it. Docklands Light Railway: Tower Gateway Station. British Rail: Fenchurch Street Station, London Bridge Station, Liverpool Street Station.

Cost: If you have a travel card, you can get a two-for-one special for the Tower (£14.50 is the usual cost per person). Please look at www.2for1entry.co.uk to see how you can get the two-for-one voucher. It will be quicker for you if you purchase your ticket to the Tower of London at Tower Hill Tube Station, so you don’t have to stand in the long queue for a ticket at the Tower entrance.

If you have a London Pass, entrance is FREE. http://www.aboutbritain.com/TowerOfLondon.htm

For info re travel cards: www.tfl.gov.uk

If you would like a taste of what’s to come look here: http://www.camelotintl.com/tower_site/index.html

If you would prefer to stay around the Tower area after the tour there is a lovely walk along the Thames, plus an enjoyable tour up Tower Bridge (£5.50). There is a Paul’s Patisserie right there too if you get the munchies. Modern public loos are just outside the Tower gates.

After the Tower of London we are off to the characterful Covent Garden on the tube! Best to pick up a tube map at the tube station so you can find your way around, or please ask for help if you need to, or better still, just follow the lass with a flower on her lapel! :)

Ponti’s Piazza Café

We are having lunch at Ponti’s Piazza Café, which is child friendly, inexpensive, caters for snacks or a proper hot meal and is right in the heart of all the shopping, whether you prefer the boutique-type shops or markets! There are two markets, a smaller, craft market right next to Ponti’s, and a larger, more flea-markety-type market close by. www.coventgardenmarket.co.uk

Direction: Closest Station is Covent Garden Tube Station. When you exit the station, exit to the right and turn right into the small street where you will see strangely dressed gold and silver people in odd poses. If you pop some money in their basket or hat, they will move (and probably frighten the heck out of you at the same time haha)! But at least you'll know you are on the right road :)

Walk past them to the right and straight ahead of you is the main area, go through the pillars ahead of you into the market hall and the open-area of Ponti’s will be on your immediate left. No booking has been made, this is a casual lunch, and anyone is welcome to join. If you think you will be eating with us, please email me, so I do have some idea of numbers.

After lunch, the idea is to shop till you drop to work up an appetite for dinner! Covent Garden really has something for everyone.

The best way to get to Piccadilly Circus from Covent Garden is to walk it
(10mins and £0), rick-shaw it (about £6) or cab/taxi it (about £4/£5). Covent Garden Tube Station closes at 3pm on Saturdays for fire safety reasons (it’s a very deep underground station). Charing Cross would then be your closest Tube Station.

Il Pomodorino Ristorante

We are indulging at www.pomodorino.co.uk (4/12 Lower Regent Street London SW1Y4PE). We will be using the a-la-carte menu (in case you'd like to check it out!). Please place your order soon after arriving which helps with catering for such a large party of people. The whole restaurant has been booked for our dinner.

Directions: Il Pomodorino Ristorante is just off Piccadilly Circus and has good public transport links. Closest tube station is Piccadilly Circus, with the Bakerloo (brown) and Piccadilly (dark blue) lines. Take the Eros Statue Exit to Lower Regent Street, then walk straight on, across two small roads, the restaurant is on the corner to your left, with a neon 'OPEN' sign. They will only open up for you at 6pm.

Here’s a location map:
http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&search_result=&db=pc&cidr_client=none&lang=&keepicon=true&pc=SW1Y4PE&advanced=&client=public&addr2=&quicksearch=SW1Y+4PE&addr3=&addr1=

Just in case, my mobile number is 07947763269, and we will send out a rescue team straight away for any VT strays ;)

- Please ensure your name is on the meeting list if you are coming on Saturday night, and take it off if you are unable to make it.

- The party is reserved under our names 'Stunning Jen & Princess Kat'. Please feel free to call us this the whole evening ;)

- Time: Anytime between 6pm and 7pm. The doorway isnt big enough to let you all in at once... haha... so come when you can. When you have settled at a table, please place your table's food order as soon as you are able to make things a little easier for the busy-bee chef.

- Tables will be made up in groups of 5 to 8. The bill will be charged to each table, not to individuals. Please bear in mind that cash will be easier for them to deal with than many different debit/credit cards.

- Children are welcome! If there are a few kids coming I can arrange a kiddies table or they can sit with mum and dad, whichever you prefer.

- I will have a guest book at the restaurant, please try and sign it, comment in it, doodle on it, draw a picture – whatever you like… just please don't forget to make your own special mark! :)

- If you have a favourite song or CD, please feel free to bring it along! There is no dance floor per say, but hey, that's a god enough excuse to make our own! :) The venue is ours till 11pm, so please let your hair down!

- Out of consideration for non-smoking VT’ers, this is a non-smoking venue.

- Please email me if you will be joining us on the Saturday during the day at any/all of the venues, so I have an idea of numbers.

- Please remember that you will have to arrange your own Tower of London tickets, and discount vouchers.

- If you aren’t able to make it to the meeting, but would like to say ‘hi’ anyway... you could meet at the Covent Garden or Trafalgar Square web cam at a specific time... the Trafalgar cam is found here: http://www.camvista.com/england/index.php3. Thanks to Ron (RonDace) for this great idea! If you are keen to meet up at the Covent Garden/Trafalgar web cams, please email him.

Here are the webcam details: (thanks Ron!)

- The webcam is at www.camvista.com. Click on the England link then choose the appropriate webcam. Covent Garden or Trafalgar Square. Ron will be at the Covent Garden cam (not the street view one) from 12:35 until 12:50, and at the Trafalgar Square webcam from 16:30 until 16:50. Depending on the weather, the amount of light available and the number of people with Ron, he will either be in the triangular area at the lower left corner of the screen or near the lion near the lower center of the screen. (Local London time, you need to calculate the time at your house!)

And straight from the horses mouth: 'At the moment I don't know if it will be just me standing all alone for your viewing pleasure or if some of the physically present VT meeting attendees will feel sorry for me and join me. To receive credit as a Virtual Virtual Tourist meeting attendee you have to at least send me an email (RonDace) and it would be very nice if you paste a copy of the screen capture on your homepage to verify your virtual attendance'.... so there you have it folks, it might feel a little odd stanind staring and waving at a little camera for a while, but hey, your VT friends and fans will be watching! ;)

- I (Jen) will be wearing a pretty flower in my lapel, but it might be a good idea for people who haven't met me yet to check out the picture of my hunky husband and me on my homepage, so you will recognise us! ;)

My, hasn’t time flown? What a way to start 2006!!!

If you have any questions, please let us know!
Thank you and see you all soon!

Jen & Kat
xxx