I just wanted to start off by saying the person that rated Alice Underground 1 star is a complete…read moreimbecile. The characters are upstairs after you finish watching the show. Fucking idiot. Now for the review of the actual show! This show was amazing. The amount of detail put into each of the sets and the costumes was absolutely jaw dropping and completely exceeded my expectations. The acting was phenomenal and truly made you feel that you really were in another world. I was told by a worker at the bar that you could go to this show 4 times and have a different experience each time. I would definitely not mind doing this show multiple times to be able to see ALL of the sets, costumes, scenarios and different pieces of the story. Immersive theater at its finest! I flew from New York to see this show and it was worth it. My 2nd event at the vaults and I can promise I'll be back for more. DO NOT MISS THIS.

"If you had taken me on this when I was younger, I would've cried the whole way through" - this is…read morehow I've opened my story of the Alice's Adventures Underground experience to everyone I've spoken to. We had an amazing time, but my god this place sticks to the 'original' Alice = totally mind altering! Located in Waterloo Vaults, you first enter into a bar and merchandise area, at which point you're asked to check your coat and bag in. There is a bar available but, having been to Cubana for a happy hour cocktail beforehand, we were just ready to get started. This is also the opportunity to pre-order your drinks for the Mad Hatter's Tea Party if you so wish - white or red wine, or a gin and cucumber cocktail at £5 a pop. The experience itself is hard to describe, partly because there's just so much going on your brain can hardly comprehend and partly because I don't want to ruin anything for those who want to attend in the near future. Four different stories unfold alongside one another, culminating in a huge court scene with the ferocious queen and interspersed with all the well known characters. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party was a personal favourite (and not just for the opportunity to sit down!) - the characters are all very well played, the right balance between scary and comfortingly familiar. Plus the look on people's faces when the scene begins again is something of a picture...worth swotting up if you want to know what's to come! The final bar is where you can revel in the success of escaping this twisting world, with a brilliant little band, bar and hot food available. There's a maze and some flamingo croquet for activities, and plenty of alcohol available. You can re-enter this area throughout its run this summer with your SUIT card, issued earlier in the evening, and worth visiting if you know someone who possess something so powerful. Why four stars? Giving in our bags as recommended rendered us purse-less, so that last area was a bit of a let down - once you exit, there's no re-entry on the day, so it was a quick nose around and then out again. Coming out at £50 a ticket, you'd also think that perhaps that the tea party drink could be on the house. Whether you go for 'eat me' or 'drink me', I recommend the Alice's Adventures Underground Experience. Just, please, don't eat the jam tarts!

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, which was completed in 1997. I…read morevisited with my husband on a recent trip to London earlier this month and had a great time. There are a couple of ways to experience the Globe. You can attend a performance (they typically have 1-2 performances per day at a range of rates) or you can tour the theater. The performance times didn't work well with our schedule (such a short trip), but we were able to fit in a tour, which was great. Our tour guide was wonderful. We started the tour inside the attached visitor/admission center, where he provided some context. Then we walked over to the theater itself and sat on each of the three levels to get a sense of the different individuals who attended Shakespeare's plays and how they would have experienced the performances they attended. We learned that the theater was built in 1599, when there was only bridge connecting Bankside and London. People either took barges across the river or - if they didn't have the money for a boat - walked to and across the bridge. We learned how much a performance cost for people sitting in different sections of the theater. We learned that the Globe burned down during a performance of Henry VIII in 1613 (the theater was rebuilt the following year but closed by 1642 and torn down in 1645). The modern recreation you can visit now is close to the original site (you can find the original site just a few steps away) and based on historical drawings and designs. It's as close to Shakespeare's Globe as we can get, and it's an incredible thing to see and experience. If you can fit in a performance, I'm sure it's amazing. But the tour was pretty great, too. I learned a lot about Shakespeare, the Globe, and London. We had a pretty tight schedule due to it being a shorter trip, and a tour of the Globe was a great way to take in such a historic and important site.

Even if you're not planning on seeing a show here, do the tour!…read more William Shakespeare's company built The Globe Theater very close to this spot in 1599. This is a replica of Shakespeare's theater which was built in the late 1990s. Originally, the idea was to mostly perform Shakespeare plays during the summer months, demonstrating exactly how those plays might have been seen in Elizabethan/Jacobean London. So, all-male casts, no modern technology, etc. Nowadays they make a lot more concessions with the aim of putting on enjoyable shows, but this is still an outdoor venue with a courtyard "groundlings" area that has no seats. The outer ring is covered and has wooden bench seating, with cushions available to rent. If you're a tourist who has spent the day hoofing it around this great city, you should probably make sure you have a seat. Furthermore, you might consider that a back-row seat would allow you to lean back, which you can't do in the other rows. This is very much a true professional theater experience. It's not just a gimmick; the original artistic director was no less than Sir Mark Rylance so you know you are going to see a high-quality production. However, the expertise on hand regarding the history of William Shakespeare makes for a very informative tour. I've done it multiple times and always loved it. But the production I saw of A Midsummer Night's Dream was lots of fun, easy to recommend. They involve the audience a lot, even bringing people on stage during actual scenes. Anyone who considers themselves a theater nerd owes themselves a visit. I strongly recommend the tour, and if you can make it to an actual show, you won't regret it. There are concession stands with a decent selection of snacks and drinks, alcoholic and otherwise. And there's a very large gift shop which was closed at the end of the show I went to, sadly. I would have bought something. But that's normal. NOTE: a second stage has been added to this complex, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. It's a traditional indoor theater. If you're booking tickets, you might want to make sure you know which stage it's on, as that greatly impacts the experience. ANOTHER NOTE: I spoke to some people who believed the final scene of the movie Hamnet was filmed here. Although that might sound right, it is incorrect. That sequence was all done at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.

Small lovely museum, funded mainly by donations with lovely staff. Educational and mind opening…read moreexperience. I hope the museum gets the opportunity to expand and have more exhibits. When we came they had an exhibit about menopause. I think more people need to learn about the vagina in general and as a whole and understand what it is like to have one and all the burdens that come along with it and without it in the end.

A soon as I saw the name on the sign outside I HAD to go in. They have a wide variety of products…read moredisplayed from information pamphlets, books and jewellery that looks like ummm well I'm not sure what word Yelp will consider PC or risqué so just read the name of the business and you'll know exactly what I'm messing. You can wear them on your ears with a knitted sweet or on a chain around your neck made of an plastic type material, they had bold showing every size, shape and colour. You can also get t-shirts. The staff stayed behind the desk but they were friendly and greeted everyone that entered. I realised like myself most people seemed to be coming in out of curiosity and don't make any purchases but b they staff took that in stride and continued greeting everyone with the same courteous smile. Kudos to this company for celebrating woman so boldly

Just as a prior reviewer mentioned the orchestra seats are not tiered enough so you will have…read moredifficulty seeing over a tall monster sized man whose head obstructed my view during the entire show. The space between the backseat of the person in front of you and your seat is so narrow I had less than 3 inches when I crossed my legs. There was no ventilation and the stuffy heat made me fall asleep a few times. I'd have to ask Hubby what happened during the show I missed. Seats were uncomfortable too. Getting to the bathroom was a journey. Down the stairs, up the stairs, walk a hallway, up the stairs, get in line on the stair steps. I'd prefer to see the show in another city theater that wasn't so uncomfortable. The special effects on the shows were great. You have 2 hours between Part 1 and Part 2, night time to get dinner at the ample restaurants in the area. But if you want to dine at a popular one, it's best to have reservations and let them know you only have an hour to eat. Otherwise, it's fast food. We both thought the script wasn't well written and as Hubby puts it, they spent too much time talking to explain things. The actors were all good though. I had low expectations as a family member had seen the show when it played in our city. It was better than I expected.

Seeing this play may have been the best part of our trip to London! Plot aside, The Cursed Child…read morewas so well done, the magic effects were hugely impressive, the actors gave it their all, and we were left stunned at the end of each set. I wish I could've taken more pictures and videos because I want to relive the play over and over. The play is broken up into 4 acts, with a couple of hours break between Act II and Act III. It seems like a long time, but the play itself flies by. I was concerned our 9 and 11 year olds wouldn't have the attention span to make it through the entire play, but they did because it did a great job of keeping everyone entertained. Some advice: although there aren't really any bad seats, be sure to book your tickets as far out as possible because some areas are cheaper or have more legroom. We were at the front of the second balcony, which was great, but I was a bit cramped (not too bad). Also, be sure to make reservations at a nearby restaurant during the intermission. This area was slammed with tourists, and I was happy we had a table waiting for us. We have been talking about The Cursed Child nonstop over the past couple of weeks. It was worth every penny.

Big! Giant! Huge Collection! I think that describes this museum. Be prepared to spend at least half…read moreday here. For fast pace like me, it takes us 3 hours. This museum need reservations ahead of time. It is free to public. The museum is popular, if you try to get in at the day arrive, you have to hope not many reserve the ticket. The museum has a lot room with different regions in the world. Many of the collection even the host country doesn't have it. The Egypt collection includes the many types of mummies. This collection not even the Egypt has it. The entrance basically enter to the round section that connected to the different room. You may need a good leg to walk entire museum. They also have folding chairs that you can use and portable to open at the display.

It's not every museum that has a line wrapped around the building when it opens on a Monday…read moremorning. But the British Museum is the world's oldest public national museum, has the largest collection of artifacts of any museum in the world, and is the second most visited attraction in all of the United Kingdom. The museum is free to visit, but we reserved a timed entry ticket for when they opened on Monday morning. I suggest you do this, because people who had tickets were walking right through into the museum after a bag check, while people who had not bought tickets ahead of time were having to wait in another line to get in. The museum is so large and has so many artifacts, that it can be a little overwhelming. For that reason, we relied on the list of highlights of the museum to point us to certain artifacts we didn't want to miss: the Rosetta Stone; the colossal bust of Ramesses II (c. 1250 BC); Hoa Hakananai'a (basalt statue from Easter Island); the Ife head (Nigeria, ca. 1300-1400s); the Sutton Hoo ship burial (dating back to 7th century Britain); the Lewish Chessmen (Scottish, ca. 1150-1175); and more. Prepare for crowds and to be a little overwhelmed by people and artifacts and the size of the museum. If you want to see everything, be prepared to spend an entire in the museum. Since it's free, you can do as we did and just spend a couple of hours - that's all we had - and see what you can see (the highlights list helped)! But it's a great museum and easily one of the most important museums in the country.

Generally speaking Electric Cinema was a positive experience. Their customer based seems to…read moreprimarily be those who saw viral videos on Instagram of their luxury seats, which are expensive. They won't open the doors until shortly before showtime, food is extremely limited and even the popcorn is pre-made bags like what you would buy at a grocery store which I have never seen at a cinema before. The standard sears are very comfortable, the larger bed seats also look nice but they are right under the screen. Worth doing once, not sure I would go back again.

unfortunately wasn't able to see a movie here, as i walked in an hour before the next movie…read morescreening and they were all sold out (for the week!) so i would recommend booking in advance online. the lovely staff allowed me to take a look inside and its such a beautiful cinema. the movies change based on the season and i was in london for th holidays so they were showing love actually, elf, and the holiday. the location is wonderful, in the heart of notting hill surrounded by lots of cute shops and fun vendors. can't wait to see a film here! :)

Marvelous place, the Tate Modern, though unfortunately my children did not see the appeal…read more I had fond memories of our first visit, back in 2010, and wanted to peek into the Tate during a family outing along South Bank last month. I love London's free museums, which make this sort of perfunctory drop-in both easy and practical. Our kids didn't like the Musée d'Orsay, so we didn't have high hopes for the Tate, especially after a long walk from the London Eye. We'd barely gotten them up the escalators and into one of the exhibit halls when they started saying they wanted to leave. We admired what we could of the heavy-hitting collection. We also talked to our children about some of the art, and maybe a trickle of it got through. There was a still life I loved, that turned out to be a Picasso, and a Mondrian painting I'm pretty sure I learned about in first or second grade. Our six-year-old volunteered that he liked a still life of a beer mug by Fernand Léger, and both kids were drawn, just a little, to Warhol's Marilyn Diptych. I hope the boys remember this quick visit, but if not, I certainly will. Maybe I'll bring them back when they're older, and we can give the Tate the time it deserves.

I visited the Tate Modern for the first time earlier this month when I visited London for a few…read moredays with my husband. The Tate opened in 2000, but a new building opened in 2016. The museum is located in the former Bankside Power Station, and the museum's Turbine Hall is an incredibly large and open space (but I did wonder why they don't utilize the space to display any large sculptures since it's such an enormous and unused space). It's a striking space, it's one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. It's free to visit, but exhibits may have a cost unless you're a member of the museum. When we visited earlier this month, they had three exhibits: Frida: the Making of an Icon (though January 3, 2027); Ana Mendieta (through January 17, 2027); and Julio Le Parc: Light. Color. Action (through May 3, 2027). The Frida exhibit costs 25 pounds, the Mendieta 18 pounds, and the Le Parc 15 pounds. That means that if you wanted to visit all three exhibits, it would cost 58 pounds a person which is, I think, outrageous. I couldn't justify spending that much, so I picked one exhibit - the Frida exhibit - and then just explored the free galleries after our visit to the exhibit. The Frida exhibit (which was organized in collaboration was the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) was interesting. I've been lucky enough to see much of Frida Kahlo's works before in Mexico and Texas. But the exhibit included many works I had never seen before, and it also included works by artists that were friends or contemporaries of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and works by artists that were inspired by her. The inclusion of "Fridamania," the transformation of Kahlo into an icon, image, brand, made the exhibit different from other Frida exhibits I've seen. The exhibit was extremely crowded - but you have to expect that with an exhibit like this! I found the museum a little confusing to navigate, but we just wandered for the time that we had. Some of the works that really struck me were pieces by Gerhard Richter (the Cage paintings), Belkis Ayón, Sam Nhlengethwa, Carl-Henning Pedersen, Alberto Giacometti, David Hockney, Salman Toor, Mark Rothko, and more. The museum is definitely worth visiting, but I just didn't love it as much as I expected. Since it's free, I'm sure I'll be back to explore more of the permanent collection another time, but I did find it a little difficult to navigate and thought the exhibition admission prices were prohibitively expensive.

I absolutely love this place…read more The gallery is decked out in Monet, Van Gogh and Holbein. The best piece in this gallery is the execution of Jane grey(in my opinion). Additionally, the gift shop had the cutest totes and post cards. You can honestly spend the whole day here if you wanted to. The only downside was the fact that the place was busy beyond imagination.

I visited the National Gallery with my husband when we were exploring London for a few days earlier…read morethis month. The truth is we meant to visit the National Portrait Gallery (which is right around the corner), but I didn't realize my mistake until we were already trying to figure our way around the National Gallery and we decided to stay for a while. I found the museum difficult to navigate even with a map, so we just sort of wandered. We saw incredible paintings. The highlights for me were works by Henri Rousseau, Max Pechstein, Jan van Goyen Ferdinand Hodler... We saw an incredible Manet (The Execution of Maximilian) and a painting by Paul Gauguin that was unlike any other Gauguin I've ever seen. These were just some of my favorites, but the galleries are chronological and have works by every painter you could think of: Botticelli, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Hogarth, Turner, Monet, Seurat, van Gogh... It's not your museum for modern and contemporary art, but if you're in the mood for European art from 1200-1900, the National Gallery will blow you away. They also host temporary exhibits and have several great options for a drink or a bite to eat. We stopped by Ochre, where we really enjoyed their happy hour. It's free to visit (although they appreciate donations), so you can pop in for however much time you have, whether that's a half our or three! The National Gallery might not have been our intended museum and we couldn't stay too long or miss out on the museum next door, but it really wowed me. Next time, I'll visit on purpose and save more time to explore and enjoy.

So much fun! Had to add a little gaming fun to counter all the history my children were…read moreexperiencing on our trip to London from California. A couple of items... my children 14 & 10. Like all other pre-teens and teens, they love to game. I joined them during the gaming session, which was about 1.5 hrs for both games, Tetris and Squid Games! Note that you will be moving around your space quickly. Jumping, stepping forward, backward, side to side, and toucing the walls as you play. You will get thirsty. No problem! They offer drink order and delivery to the room where you have a shelf to keep your drinks. Personal items: You can not keep on the floor or room with you. They will get in the way. No worries. They provide free lockers. It has been 2 days, and we are still talking about the fun we had there. Tried to get another trip in but may miss out. However, I learned there is one in Los Angeles, Ca. Will absolutely make the drive up from San Diego, Ca, (~2 hours) to play again! Thanks for the amazing family memories!

We visited Immersive Gamebox today and we played the Alien Aptitude game experience! We had so much…read morefun. It is located very close to Southwark Tube Station and to Nando's. We checked in and our greeter was fantastic! They also have plenty of lockers to store belongings in. The waiting area is nice too and there is a wide choice of drinks available. The box that we played in was fantastic and the screens were excellent and really interactive. There are four different games included in the Alien Aptitude experience and every single game was so fun to play! Each game was so thoughtfully designed . The rules for each game was explained clearly and presented in a way that wasn't overwhelming. We had such a great time and the time goes so quickly! The gif at the end is so fun to make as well! Thank you so much to Immersive Gamebox for giving us an A+ experience and we cannot wait to return for many more happy memories. I would highly recommend visiting Immersive Gamebox.