Personally I'm more interested in the Pulp reunion than the Oasis cash-in nostalgia-fest, and I hope you enjoyed the snark of blur announcing a live movie on the eve of Oasis returning to concerts as much as I did
Definitely head to the East End, wander Brick Lane, visit Rough Trade Records, and go to Old Spitalfields market. Our family has been to London a handful of times and getting out to this neighborhood is our only constant bucket list item. Lots of fun shops, the food is incredible and diverse, and the vibe is funky and vibrant.
I didn’t come around on Joan Baez until I saw A Complete Unknown. Somehow Monica Barbaro singing as Joan singing Dylan got me to dig into real Joan singing Dylan, and now I’m all in.
Tower of London is obvious but brilliant - so much to see and do in there
Get the boat downriver to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich - brilliant museum next to one of London's best parks (and park views of the whole city from the observatory)
Other end of town but Hampstead Heath/Parliament Hill great parks/views too
Victoria Park/London Fields and Broadway Market - great option to get away from the central/touristy areas
Hi Steven! I was lucky enough to be at the Oasis show on Friday, and as well as the near-perfect setlist they sounded better than ever too – absolutely huge. Strangely, it reminded me of the absolute wall of guitars you get from Smashing Pumpkins live these days, although possibly not a comparison either band would enjoy. The audience was also incredibly up for it. You'll have a great time at Wembley.
Speaking of London, looks like you have some great tips here already, but I'd add that the Natural History Museum currently have an immersive experience narrated by David Attenborough (Our Story), plus any of the parks are a great vibe on a sunny day, or walking one of the canals (e.g. from Kings Cross to Camden). I hope you and the family have a great time!
Canal boat ride on Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden Town was a hit with our fam, with the bonus that you end up in a kind-of funky neighborhood in the end.
For London with families, British Museum will probably have *something* of interest to kids (mummies, ancient Egypt artifacts, etc)
Regent’s Park is great for a long walk on a nice day, see a bunch of swans and relax near the fountains / lakes.
Harry Potter studios is amazing for fans.
Churchill War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum for history buffs.
Worked in London for about ten years and here are some fun options not mentioned yet:
Covent Garden on a nice day when the buskers and performers are out
Theater in the West End, so many family options - go to the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square
Hunterian Museum (skeletons and other fascinating stuff, maybe for teens but not kids)
Sir John Soames Museum
Madame Tussaud's wax museum
Westminster Abbey
London Eye
St Paul's Cathedral
Plenty to do - have a great time!
And btw love Joan Baez, saw her perform and her voice was/is still amazing.
So good to have yr writing back on Substack!
Personally I'm more interested in the Pulp reunion than the Oasis cash-in nostalgia-fest, and I hope you enjoyed the snark of blur announcing a live movie on the eve of Oasis returning to concerts as much as I did
Definitely head to the East End, wander Brick Lane, visit Rough Trade Records, and go to Old Spitalfields market. Our family has been to London a handful of times and getting out to this neighborhood is our only constant bucket list item. Lots of fun shops, the food is incredible and diverse, and the vibe is funky and vibrant.
Excited about this new Ryan Davis. The last one was maybe my favorite album of the last few years.
I didn’t come around on Joan Baez until I saw A Complete Unknown. Somehow Monica Barbaro singing as Joan singing Dylan got me to dig into real Joan singing Dylan, and now I’m all in.
Adding to what others have said:
London Transport Museum is brilliant, especially for kids. Same with Tate Modern gallery
It has plenty of rock/indie history, but avoid Camden (unless you've got a gig to go to) - nothing but crap food and bubble tea these days
Beatles walking tour for sure - https://beatlesinlondon.com/
Tower of London is obvious but brilliant - so much to see and do in there
Get the boat downriver to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich - brilliant museum next to one of London's best parks (and park views of the whole city from the observatory)
Other end of town but Hampstead Heath/Parliament Hill great parks/views too
Victoria Park/London Fields and Broadway Market - great option to get away from the central/touristy areas
and of course NES/Indiecast meet up ;)
I did a Beatles walking tour with my Dad for his birthday about 20 years ago in London and it was really wonderful. I think the family would enjoy it!
Hi Steven! I was lucky enough to be at the Oasis show on Friday, and as well as the near-perfect setlist they sounded better than ever too – absolutely huge. Strangely, it reminded me of the absolute wall of guitars you get from Smashing Pumpkins live these days, although possibly not a comparison either band would enjoy. The audience was also incredibly up for it. You'll have a great time at Wembley.
Speaking of London, looks like you have some great tips here already, but I'd add that the Natural History Museum currently have an immersive experience narrated by David Attenborough (Our Story), plus any of the parks are a great vibe on a sunny day, or walking one of the canals (e.g. from Kings Cross to Camden). I hope you and the family have a great time!
I was talking to a (drunk) guy from London recently and He said Shoreditch is a lesser known hipster area. So much stuff to do there, have fun!
Canal boat ride on Regent's Canal from Little Venice to Camden Town was a hit with our fam, with the bonus that you end up in a kind-of funky neighborhood in the end.
Seconding the canal boat ride
Wife and I did one of those walking tours that went to a bunch of famous rock music spots in London that was fun and not expensive.
Looks like the Ryan Davis album is out now on Spotify—or at least 7 songs, which feels like a little more than an EP.
Seems like there was a technical error, it's not supposed to be out yet.
Also, the album is about 60 minutes long, definitely not an EP.