It has been a while since I last posted - I'm sorry! I had all sorts of plans to do a Christmas shopping post, since I spent quite a lot of time this year struggling up and down Oxford St and Regent St - but I was so exhausted by the time I got home I completely forgot about it. So, as the new year 2012 is still in it's infancy I think I can do a short post about my December adventures!
Let's start with Christmas then.
Christmas shopping is a nightmare wherever you go. Having said that, for some reason Oxford Street in particular is just impossible to get through sometimes. A friend and I went shopping after class, and to avoid the tubes we got a bus from Waterloo to Regent Street. Easy enough, and despite the crowds Regent St is expensive enough and wide enough to cope with the traffic - both human and automobile! However, the pavements especially become more and more bottlenecked the closer you get to the junction with Oxford St. My top tip for shopping in the West End, whether it's Christmas or not, is to avoid Oxford St tube station if you can. If you're not aiming for a particular shop, go to Marble Arch instead at the top end, or Tottenham Court Road at the bottom. Alternatively, outside of rush hour Bond Steet is right in the centre of Oxford St, and is particularly handy if you want to spend time in the big flagship department stores.
Of course, if you go in the evening the Christmas decorations look beautiful and it does fill you with goodwill and festive spirit. But try and avoid it on a Friday night close to Christmas - I went shopping on a Monday and ended up walking all the way back from Selfridges, down Regent Street, across Piccadilly, through Leicester and Trafalgar Square to Charing X station just because the tubes and buses were all so busy it wasn't worth the wait - and it is quite a nice walk when you don't have anywhere in particular you need to be. The key to handling London crowds is to relax.
So, you're shopping; it's busy and you're tired and stressed and... hungry. Where can you eat? Most of the big department stores - Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges etc - have cafes and restaurants within them, so if you're not bothered about the price then you can try there. The food is good too. If you want something light and quick then Starbucks is usually the go to place but coffee stops get extremely busy on Oxford Street and by the time you've got your coffee you need a sit down! Most of the chain restaurants - Bella Italia, Cafe Rouge etc - as well as some pubs are off the main beat; turn down any chosen side road and you are likely to find somewhere. Alternatively, if you want somewhere with a buzz that is a little quieter, head down the small alley near Bond Street on the Selfridges side of Oxford Street called St Christopher's Place. There is a lovely courtyard here with restaurants and more further down, as well as some shops that are never busy because people don't like to leave the main street. Two of my favourites - one I frequent and one I can't afford to go in yet, ie Kurt Geiger and Mulberry - have branches down there too so it is well worth a stroll if you want to leave behind the hustle and bustle but not the atmosphere for a while.
And, finally, a little homage must be paid to possibly my favourite store in London. Liberty of London. Located just off Regent Street, from the outside Libertys is a great tudor-looking palace, and on the inside it's a vintage designer beauty heaven emporium! If you're looking for big brands but can't handle the hell of Selfridges at Christmas/January Sales, then go to Libertys, as they stock many of the same designers. Similarly, if you're looking for something a bit more unique then I'd try here too. At Christmas they have an entire room for decorations and beautiful paper and invitations and it's not at all hectic; just very festive. They also have a beautiful fabric section too - my Mum had her wedding dress made there... it's amazing! Even if you're not interested in shopping I think you've got to visit the big 3 department stores whilst you're in London - Selfridges, Harrods, and Liberty. Liberty is probably my favourite... one day I'll do all my shopping between these 3 stores *dreams* *you wish!*
One other thing you may wish to do whilst in London at Christmas is visit the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. Top tip? Don't go on a Saturday, it's heaving. I went this year on a Saturday night and we had to queue to 40 minutes to get in. If you want to avoid the queue, buy tickets for the ice skating rink, in which case you have a set time when you need to enter the park and you don't have to queue because you'd miss your ice skating! The ice rink is really lovely too - a good size and with a bandstand in the middle and fairy lights. Romantic! There are lots of ice rinks all around London. I've been to Somerset House, Greenwich and Canary Wharf all of which are lovely, but you can find a complete directory of winter ice skating in London here. The Winter Wonderland itself was not that enjoyable for me but that is probably because it was so busy. You couldn't really see any of the market stalls and you had to queue up to get on any sort of ride. Moreover, the rides were between £3 and £6 EACH GO... which is a bit of a rip off if you ask me. There is tonnes of food and drink and German-themed alcoholic beverage vendors so if you want some festive fun and aren't bothered about the crowds or the price then it's well worth a visit.
So, on to New Year's Eve!
This year, I met up with my university friends at a mate's flat in London, and although we had all the best intentions of going up to see the fireworks on the Southbank... that plan fell through when it started raining. Luckily, I did that last year (to celebrate 2011!) so I can tell you all about that experience.
Firstly, a word of warning. It is PACKED with people. If you want a good spot either on Embankment or the Southbank, get there early. Also, once you arrive, you're pretty much pinned in and at the mercy of public toilets... The trees are all numbers though so if you lose someone it is, in theory, easy to find them again as the trees provide a reference point.
All of that said, it really is a brilliant atmosphere. Everyone is in high spirits and there are lots of reporters and tv crews around filming the crowd. I don't know if it was repeated this year, but last year the fun really kicked off around 10pm when the Radio 1 Djs hosted started playing out lots of really good tunes - not just new stuff, old stuff too, something for everyone - and the whole place became a bit of a street party! Everyone is drinking and so long as you don't have any glass no one really cares how much alcohol you consume... although undoubtedly there are hidden police everywhere!
At midnight the fireworks go off around the London Eye. For 2011 they were brilliant and co-ordinated with the music they were playing at the time. All the great British musicians were represted - The Beatles, The Clash, Queen, etc etc, making it a brilliant fireworks show all in all. Apparently this year was even better - London had something to prove being the Olympics host this year.
Getting home is the main dampener on the whole evening. If you're relying on the underground then you're fine as there is free travel between midnight and 4.30am. But if you're relying on oveground trains, as I do, then it is a bit more stressful. Once the fireworks have finished everyone starts to head home and people are aware that there are only a few trains after midnight. The stations all get extremely crowded, so to avoid any overcrowding the police herd you round Charing X down a backstreet, back up Embankment and then in through the front entrance. The train we were aiming to catch was at 12.40 and we only just made it. If you don't make it, you're stuck with a night bus. By the time I got home I had forgotten to great fireworks show because the journey home had been so stressful.
You've got to try it once though.
So there we have it - don't think I have anything more to add about the festive season in London. Lots of people who live in London really hate how busy it gets here during December, but I think you have to embrace the spirit of the city at this time. Otherwise you just end up all stressed out and not enjoying yourself!
