The tour begins by climbing aboard a rather conspicuous minibus outside the Park Plaza Hotel on Baker St and, as it pulls off, we are already passing Sherlock Holmes’s gaff and The Beatles’ ill-fated Apple Boutique. From here on in, the 90 minute whirlwind trip of London’s celebrity culture forges ahead taking in celebrity homes, famous film locations, music landmarks, superstar hangouts, tourist attractions and much more… Blink and you may miss some of it – if you’re not stuck in traffic that is – but there is much to take in with Daniel, our guide, filling in the gaps with plenty of celebrity trivia.

Weaving through London’s streets we pass the pub where the Obamas had their first fish and chip supper on these shores, the hotel in which Hendrix died, the street that has housed no less than 3 James Bond actors, Al Fayed’s primrose coloured shrine to Dodi and Diana and the only place that The Beatles all lived in together. We peer through both Paul McCartney’s and Richard Branson’s windows in Holland Park, gasp at the most expensive penthouse in the world – bought by a Qatari Sheik for an obscene $200m – and take a cursory glance at the hotel where former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. Plenty follows, including photo opps at two uber-famous rock ‘n’ roll locations.

Of course, any London-dweller worth their salt will have already been there and got the t-shirt but, for the out-of-towner with an interest in London’s incredibly colourful pop culture, it’s a great, rainy day addition to the London experience..

Tickets £25.00. Celebrity Bus Tour London runs daily @ 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm & 7:00pm from Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel, 108 Baker Street, London W1U 6LJ

Image authors own

]]> Greenwich entrepreneur James Bonney seized upon the idea of The Celebrity Bus Tour after seeing similar tours in LA and Hollywood – thus creating, what is, quite incredibly, the first of its kind in the capital. With the promise of adding to our store of Londony minutiae, it didn’t take much to persuade us to hitch a ride.

The tour begins by climbing aboard a rather conspicuous minibus outside the Park Plaza Hotel on Baker St and, as it pulls off, we are already passing Sherlock Holmes’s gaff and The Beatles’ ill-fated Apple Boutique. From here on in, the 90 minute whirlwind trip of London’s celebrity culture forges ahead taking in celebrity homes, famous film locations, music landmarks, superstar hangouts, tourist attractions and much more… Blink and you may miss some of it – if you’re not stuck in traffic that is – but there is much to take in with Daniel, our guide, filling in the gaps with plenty of celebrity trivia.

Weaving through London’s streets we pass the pub where the Obamas had their first fish and chip supper on these shores, the hotel in which Hendrix died, the street that has housed no less than 3 James Bond actors, Al Fayed’s primrose coloured shrine to Dodi and Diana and the only place that The Beatles all lived in together. We peer through both Paul McCartney’s and Richard Branson’s windows in Holland Park, gasp at the most expensive penthouse in the world – bought by a Qatari Sheik for an obscene $200m – and take a cursory glance at the hotel where former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. Plenty follows, including photo opps at two uber-famous rock ‘n’ roll locations.

Of course, any London-dweller worth their salt will have already been there and got the t-shirt but, for the out-of-towner with an interest in London’s incredibly colourful pop culture, it’s a great, rainy day addition to the London experience..

Tickets £25.00. Celebrity Bus Tour London runs daily @ 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm & 7:00pm from Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel, 108 Baker Street, London W1U 6LJ

Image authors own

]]> http://londonist.com/2010/06/the_celebrity_bus_tour_london.php/feed 3 http://londonist.com/2009/09/perambulist_3_buckingham_palace.php http://londonist.com/2009/09/perambulist_3_buckingham_palace.php#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:00:54 +0000 Londonist http://londonist.com/?p=14349 London with a sprog In tow – the pleasures and pitfalls of a culture fix with the kids

Pussy cat, pussy cat where have you been?

I’ve been to London to visit the Queen

Pussy cat Pussy cat, where on earth did you find the £16.50 to get through the door?

Leaving aside the fact that you have to pay to visit a house that you technically own, a visit to Buckingham Palace with a pram is actually quite fun. If we’re to nitpick, you can’t actually visit with a pram, since once you’ve cleared the airport-style security, your pram is replaced with a complimentary baby carrier. Nevertheless, there are 3 good reasons for taking your littlies along to the summer opening of the state rooms at Buckingham Palace.

1. You get a free audio guide

If your kids are old enough, they get a kids version, which means they’ll be kept entertained either by the commentary or by fiddling with the buttons. And if they aren’t, you can crank up the volume on your own guide to levels where the persistent shouting of your offspring is barely discernible. It helps too, that since everyone else has an audioguide, they can do the same. I’m pretty sure I saw a number of people reach for the volume control as we wandered past.

This then lends a brilliant air of the surreal, since if you take off the audio guide, you’ll be treated to the sound of shoes shuffling over lush burgundy carpets accompanied by the single shrill voice of a toddler echoing off the sumptuous John Nash-designed domed ceilings. A-da-da-da-da-da-da! No wonder her majesty hightails it for Balmoral every summer.

2. There are plenty of attendants

And they are only too keen to help you – whether it’s to bring you your pram as you exit the Palace, or to shuttle you to the baby changing facilities (situated out in the gardens just by the gift shop, which stocks a full range of Buckingham Palace bathroom accessories). Of course, they’re mostly there to ensure your offspring don’t put greasy fingers anywhere near the flocked wallpaper or the gilt detailing. And there is a lot of flock and gilt. Gold balustrades, gold ceilings, gold-rimmed mirrors, almost everything has a touch of gold. Apart from the fire extinguishers, they’re a rather downmarket brass.

The tour takes in an elegant staircase, the throne room, numerous reception rooms, the ballroom and a music room with a wonderful inlaid wooden floor and glorious views out over the finest garden in SW1. It’s probably not as awe-inspiring as you imagined, but then one suspects that most tickets are bought as a chance to say ‘I’ve been inside’

That said, the art collection is dazzling, and this year’s temporary exhibition focuses on the Queen’s relationship with the Commonweath. It features plenty of ball gowns and the sorts of presents that probably get stored in the attic. Our favourite: the Ghanaian Kente cloth hand embroidered with:

Long Live

Queen Elizabeth

Well Done

It all ends with a walk through the gardens. A chance to run a round a bit – though not on the grass, please – and appreciate the view of the Palace that not many people get to see.

3. If you register your ticket before you leave, you can come back anytime for a whole year.

Which gives you 12 months to organise a baby sitter, for next time.

By Tom Gray. Check our the previous adventures of our man with a pram.

The State Rooms, Buckingham Palace. London W2 3XA until 30th September. Adults £16.50, Concs £15.00, Under 5 Free. All details online.

We sent a mole down to the press launch this morning to offer some first impressions…and they were generally pretty favourable:

One of the coolest films of London I’ve seen: you swoop over and around The Eye with a seagull, bollywood dancers sweep material over your head, a Chinese dragon roars at you, snow falls on you, water drips on you, fireworks go off, and you can smell the smoke… Sure, once its all over, you’re still in the queue for the Eye proper, but it was fun nevertheless!

Merlin are anxious to stress their commitment to the country’s newest icon, which is ten next year: this caper has cost them £5m, and they have just finished tarting up the capsules to boot. Although as our mole also pointed out, it would perhaps have been money better spent in subsidising ticket prices so that more regular Joes can get to enjoy it. (Image/Matt from London)