Hi guys, and welcome to arguably the greatest city in the world – London!
We here at SomewhereNew know that a lot of you have only very recently arrived and we also know how daunting a place London can seem at times, particularly for newbies!
Bearing this in mind, here are our top 5 tips for Brand New Londoners…
1. Extend your social circle with Meetup.com!
If you’ve ever used meetup.com before, let me give you the gist – it’s basically an online pool of communities dedicated to all sorts of interests, hobbies and activities, most of which can be joined with a single click! When I first moved to London, I wanted to meet a whole bunch of new hedgehogs to socialise with -not just the awesome ‘hogs I hung with in halls! Because of this, I found Meetup.com to be a valuable resource. I simply entered – Indie Music London – into the search bar, then clicked enter and BOOM, there it was – the London Indie Music Meetup Group! I signed up and attended the first meeting at an arty café in Camden, and the rest is history. I’m now a fully-fledged member with a bucket load of new friends.
2. Step Away from the Beaten Track
Big Ben…Buckingham Palace…Covent Garden…all wonderful places. But London offers more than that – so much more! Why not visit the hidden pubs of London with us, or explore the world of mind-blowing London street art by stepping out on one of SomewhereNew’s awesome East End Art Walks? You’ll see art daubed on the sides of buildings that could quite literally take your breath away.
3. Make friends with the Thames
The Thames river is awesome, and it’s a lot cleaner than it looks! I wouldn’t recommend swimming in it or drinking it (I’m a hedgehog and even I found it a little too bitter) but why not take ride ON TOP OF it, or stroll NEXT TO it on a rare sunny day? We have a few special boat cruises that go all the way along the river and down to Greenwich. Or why not do one of my favourite things in London – start at the London Eye and walk the South Bank, all the way along the river until you reach London Bridge! Not only will you see lots of wonderful sights along the way (the Tate Modern, The Globe Theatre and St Pauls to name a few!) but you’ll also have the chance to pop along to Borough Market and to stuff your face with delicious treats right at the end of your walk! (That’s the one main downside of being nocturnal, to be honest with you…the market is always closed by the time I get there!)
4. Become a Tube Guru
The Tube is your best friend while you’re in London. It’s always there for you, come rain or shine (as long as there aren’t any Tube strikes/rail closures etc…which don’t happen that often, trust us!) The best way of getting acquainted with the tube is by visiting tfl.com and using their amazing journey planner – simply enter the starting point and where you want to end up, and the site will tell you exactly how to get there! I spend most of my time underground so I’ll probably see you down there – and if you spot me, feel free to say hello!
5. Use London as a base and travel, travel, travel!
SomewhereNew want to make sure you get the most out of your time here! We know how far and wide a fair few of you have travelled to get here, so why not make the most of the things you now find on your doorstep? Oxford, Cambridge, Bath and Stonehenge, even Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Bruges…all these places are now closer than you think. Let us take you there! Visit somewherenew.com for more information!
You’re about to experience one of the greatest times of your life…seize the moment, my lovely people.
See you soon.
