This is one of the sites in London that I visit frequently lately, due to my research. It is open…read moreto the public. We didn't stay long to witness a court hearing / in action.  It's known as the Law Courts locally. This Grade I  listed building is in Westminster, housing the High Court and Court of Appeal of England and Wales. (The Central Criminal Court, known as Old Bailey is next to the Royal Exchange.)  Before 1875' courts were housed in Westminster Hall' Lincoln's Inn, and a few other buildings around London. When it was decided to have a centralized court, Parliament paid £1'453'000 for the 7.5-acre site. Reported that 4'175 people lived in 450 houses had to be moved. George E. Street (1824-81) was appointed in 1868 as the sole architect, building began five years later, and Queen Victoria opened it on December 4th 1882.

Really intersting to see and learn the history!…read more You should take the time to see this place when your in town!

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Merely four stops away on the 56 or 4 bus routes, or a pleasant 15 minute walk past City…read moreUniversity, the India Visa office is conveniently located in The Angel, in Central London. Rather than busying yourself with the rigamarole of the Indian High Commission in Aldwych, you should *definitely* pay a visit to this cute little office just off Angel's Upper Street. Its only function is to provide you with a visa (any visa) to go to India, be you tourist or jetsetting business person. Inside they have: - One non-smiling (but very helpful) receptionist/ticket-giver - One coin-operated photocopier - One computer for last-minute online applications - One photobooth (specializing in the Indian visa's particular passport picture sizes) - One vending machine - One hundred straight-backed chairs - Three loos (male, female, accessible) - Twelve counters, each manned by a smiley brown person - One travel information counter - Two ticketing screens with Bollywood adverts My favourite thing about this office is how easy the staff make the Indian Visa application process -- as long as you're not expecting the glitz of an Embassy, you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised with the service. When they say "There's a problem with your application," they talk you through how to fix it. When they see you apply for visas almost every other year, they tell you how you could save money by applying for a one-year or 5-year visa. Most importantly, when they say "Your passport will be ready for collection in 3-4 business days, please check our website," your newly-visaed passport really is ready in such a short time. I like how well-informed and well-organized the little office community are. My only problem is the décor and general appearance of the offices -- they haven't been refurbished since the late 90s/early noughties, and it seems a shame they don't have somewhere for the kids to play while the parents wait for their passports. Would come again Would recommend to a friend Am encouraging you to take a trip to India!

This place does a perfectly fine job of what it's supposed to do. And that is provide somewhere for…read morethe final stage of the headache-inducing process that is getting a visa for India. If you're heading here you've probably already been on the fairly unhelpful website whose links send you round in circles. You will have completed the temperamental online application form. You will have torn your hair out trying to find somewhere that takes 2in x 2in photos rather than the standard passport sized ones, and winced when they cost you at least £7. You will have winced again at the £90 cost of the visa. You will have been told to download the mysteriously undownloadable checklist before you come to the centre. And you may even have tried to book an appointment at the centre and found the next one isn't for a fortnight. None of which is the fault of this place, but does explain why stress levels seem to be elevated when you arrive. Luckily it should be straightforward from here. They take applications from 8.30am to 2.30pm and after a nightmare lunchtime visit last time I went for an early morning attempt which proved better. On arrival you'll see The Queue of Tension snaking out the office door - appointment or not, everyone has to join this. The front dozen lucky people even get to stand inside the building. Tension peaks upon reaching The Desk of Determination, where 2 very helpful gents have the unenviable task of telling everyone what's immediately wrong with their application. Perhaps a third of the queue is turned away here (usually a wrongly sized photo or they need extra documents if applying for someone else). Another third get given extra instructions (usually to sign the form or glue their photo on with the pritt stick in the corner). The final third get an approving nod that triggers a rush of relief (this was me, phew). You'll then be given a ticket number and waved through to the The Room of The Painfully Long Wait. Take a seat, you're going nowhere fast. I'd say bring a book as the signs say no electronic devices, but the vast majority of people were typing on phones without anyone objecting. People-watching is also good fun (and mentally guessing the purpose of everyone's trip!). I did actually bring a book and almost fell into the trap of getting so absorbed in the story that I missed my number eek! They have toilets, a vending machine, a glue stick and a photo booth (though if you didn't bring pics, the one at the newsagent down the road is cheaper). All appointments get a fast-track counter and there's maybe 7-9 others open for everyone else (which is most people given how limited the appts are). Expect the ticket numbers to count up at approx one per minute as a rule of thumb. It's almost impossible to resist a fist pump when it gets to your turn, and it takes about 5mins at the very efficient counter then you're done. To give you an idea, for a plain vanilla tourist visa I joined The Queue at about 8.30am, reached The Desk at just after 9, and was seen at a counter at about 10.15 so make sure you allow enough time. With the benefit of hindsight I'd say get there half an hour earlier, triple check what you need to bring (esp a second photo!), don't bring your kids and pick up a coffee en route!

Oh I think she's a wonderful personality and I could watch youtube videos of her for hours on end…read more In 1998, I sent her a portrait drawing of herself (which was pretty good considering I've had no art training) in a rotten old jiffybag. I was surprised when it came back rolled up in a tube with a letter from her secretary and a signed photograph. A lot of the manufacturing went overseas but I think that was starting to happen anyway before she took over. She transformed Britain from 'The Sick Man of Europe' into the world's fourth largest economy. She was bang on about Britain staying out of the Euro currency zone and it was her venom at the end of her premiership that I think has echoed with successive prime ministers. Okay, so a lot of soldiers died in the Falklands war but Blair wouldn't have lifted a finger to protect British citizens from the Argentines and more British soldiers have died in the Middle East. I liked the Thatcher government's response to the AIDS crisis and its strong advertising about condoms advice that has probably saved my life. I do not like bitchy, bullying people but I do not see Thatcher as that at all. I positively like her. The people I've got sympathy for are the passengers on Pan Am Flight 103 who were blown out of the sky and then had the culprit released by the Labour government. It's the Blairs I'll be celebrating the death of!

We walked blocks and blocks to get to this spot to see where Freddie Mercury's last residence and…read morestudio was in London. There isn't much to see but a high wall painted in anti graffiti paint. There isn't much to see or do, no tour to take - therefore it was just an okay experience for me. The highlight was the memories that sprung to mind when being in this place.

I went to visit Freddie's final haunt more for sentiment than expecting to see some great tribute,…read moreor anything much more than a vandalised door and some bricks (as the previous Yelp pictures suggested). I was pleasantly surprised that it seems a compromise has been reached between vandalism and tribute; the bricks directly beside that famous door - now redecorated with 'Garden Lodge' printed on it - are covered in perspex but fans have slipped through letters, notes, doodles, all full of so much love. In reality, Freddie was a private man and I doubt he'd want a shrine (he objected to the place being turned into a museum, apparently) but to see the love people still hold for him nearly 25 years on is beautiful. My sentiments were fulfilled, and I respectfully left listening to 'I'm Going Slightly Mad'. Just around the corner (I kid you not) I bumped into a person dressed as a life-size can of paint. I was already wondering if 'slightly' wasn't quite appropriate for me but that just proved it - hah! Worth going for the sentiment alone, if you're sentimental like that. You won't be bowled over by what you see but more what you feel, if you're that way inclined.

If you're a fan of the Asian cuisine, then you gotta come into China Town London for some delicious…read morefood! There's Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai. And they're all amazing and authentic!

We never manage to find the same place twice in China Town, but we love the adventure and selection…read moreof authentic Chinese food! Make time to visit this neighborhood while in London.

We attended mass at The London Oratory and had a nice time. The sanctuary is absolutely stunning…read more We attended the Sunday evening service, so it was not as busy. The statues, art, and architecture are stunning! It's an incredible space and absolutely worth a visit even if you don't participate in the services. It's is also conveniently near a lot of nice restaurants and shopping, so you can visit it while doing other things in London. Be sure to pop in!

Located on the Brompton road between Knightsbridge and south Kensington, you can see this Catholic…read moreChurch from the distance. It's an architectural masterpiece and given that it's situated next to both the V&A museum and natural history museum, the building needed to make a statement which it does. This is one of the few Catholic Churches in London that offers the mass in Latin and as such is a must stop for any traditionalist. The Latin mass attracts lots of young people and is say its well worth experiencing. Services are offered in English too and the church is also open for private prayer.

Everyone has heard of Buckingham Palace as it is known to the home of the monarch,Royal…read morecelebrations and the Changing of the Guard. We did the State Room Tour which is only available from July-Sept. Breathtaking! So many priceless treasures. You definitely want to book your tickets in advance as it gets sold out. The checkin process was very easy as was going thru their security checkpoint. The only thing that was disappointing is No Photos are allowed in The Palace or on the Tour. The tour is a self guided tour with a head site that is provided. Small bags similar to what fits under an airline seat are allowed. After the tour you can visit the Garden Cafe or gift shop. Definitely a must stop in London!

We didn't get to enter Buckingham Palace but I'll say the place is impressive. It is massive in…read moresize and there were hoards of people visiting the grounds outside of the gate. We arrived just in time for the changing of the guards, something we wanted to see. But, there is a large swath of ground by a fence where you can stand to see the ceremony. But. the lines were over ten people thick - thousands of people already there, so we couldn't see anything. If you want to go, get there a couple of hours before the scheduled time, at least. The other thing you need to be aware of is there are no public bathrooms anywhere near to palace. We spent a good chunk of time there and two of our party had to go. One left to try to find one and had to walk at least a mile to find restrooms in the subway.

This is London's highest public garden that has 3 restaurants,2 bars and a gift shop…read more There is no admission fee but you must get a free ticket online.Tickets are available up to 3 weeks in advance of your visit and available time slots are listed. Arrive about 15 minutes early as you have to go thru security screening. Once thru security you take the elevator to the 35th floor. The views are amazing as are the gardens. Plenty of seating is available and there are public restrooms.

We snagged sunset tickets to Sky Garden. I logged in shortly after tickets were made available…read moreonline three weeks prior and was able to book tickets for one of the nights of our trip. I would have preferred an earlier evening time slot, but they were not available. They are quite strict about going in at your designated time slot and they let people up in the elevator only when its your time. We were actually waiting in the lobby of an adjacent building where there was lots of seating, not realizing that the line formed on the *other side* of the building so beware. We lined up, went through security, went up the elevators, and then had an unlimited time up in Sky Garden. Since we already ate dinner, we didn't buy any food or drinks. The enclosed rooftop space is really quite breathtaking. There are glass walls on all four sides which makes the views just unbelievable. There is a balcony as well, but it was closed at the time of our visit (at night?) From the "front" lower side, you can see River Thames and the Tower Bridge/Tower of London. From the back, there are amazing views of The Gherkin. Up at the higher side, there is more space and some platforms to sit. However, it was really hard to be on the stairs going up and down because it was so congested. As you can imagine, the photos out the windows are amazing because the views are amazing. However, it's not an ideal place to pose for group photos because there will be tons of people around you. The whole space is just packed with tourists. I was glad to have experienced it once, but I don't ever plan on returning and would try a viewing area that is less touristy. It's worth a stop but not worth taking a huge chunk of time from your day if it doesn't slot in naturally.