You know it's Spring when you're in Greenwich. Greenwich is a World Heritage Site, packed with historic buildings and museums, with plenty of exposed outdoor space between to catch some precious sunlight. I am not sure if it is really east London (depends on your definition), but it is just across the river, on the DLR, and an Olympic host borough.
The biggest indoor attraction is the recently expanded National Maritime Museum, and the most popular tourist attraction is the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian and its museum charge; the other museums in Greenwich are free are less crowded on the weekend then museums in west London. The Royal Observatory, which houses London's only planetarium, educates about astronomy through interactive videos and extraterrestrial bling. The most easily overlooked sight is the Queen's House, a delightful art museum with learned staff. The Fan Museum is my favourite place anywhere for cream tea.
My favorite in Greenwich is the famous local brewery with good chips, Meantime, now with a 2nd museum location. Aside from that, it is surprisingly lacking in places to eat given the number of visitors. Unfortunately, the queues at the Pavilion Tea House, both inside and outside, are always forbidding -- they could easily have a 2nd location. The permanent indoor market and the outdoor market have many international offerings but do not, unfortunately, offer seating. There are no picnic tables in sight. The hill up to Greenwich Park is full of barbecuing Brazilians in the summer, adding to the south London vibrancy of the area (although it is isolated from the other tourist attractions further west along the river). The hilltop affords an excellent view of east London including the new Olympic Park and Anish Kapoor's Orbit. You can also spot along the river some chain restaurants popping up on the dock, unworthy of their riverside view, but I suppose optimal for the boatloads of tourists in need of reliable food options.
Also on the river, I am most excited to see Cutty Sark getting back into form, woo hoo! (Already looking even better than the "plan" below.)
If you want to get a bit of shade, past the attractions on the way to Blackheath there are lovely gardens, trees, deer, and sometimes pony rides and concerts. It is a Royal Park within a Royal Borough and looks beautiful of course.
The biggest indoor attraction is the recently expanded National Maritime Museum, and the most popular tourist attraction is the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian and its museum charge; the other museums in Greenwich are free are less crowded on the weekend then museums in west London. The Royal Observatory, which houses London's only planetarium, educates about astronomy through interactive videos and extraterrestrial bling. The most easily overlooked sight is the Queen's House, a delightful art museum with learned staff. The Fan Museum is my favourite place anywhere for cream tea.
My favorite in Greenwich is the famous local brewery with good chips, Meantime, now with a 2nd museum location. Aside from that, it is surprisingly lacking in places to eat given the number of visitors. Unfortunately, the queues at the Pavilion Tea House, both inside and outside, are always forbidding -- they could easily have a 2nd location. The permanent indoor market and the outdoor market have many international offerings but do not, unfortunately, offer seating. There are no picnic tables in sight. The hill up to Greenwich Park is full of barbecuing Brazilians in the summer, adding to the south London vibrancy of the area (although it is isolated from the other tourist attractions further west along the river). The hilltop affords an excellent view of east London including the new Olympic Park and Anish Kapoor's Orbit. You can also spot along the river some chain restaurants popping up on the dock, unworthy of their riverside view, but I suppose optimal for the boatloads of tourists in need of reliable food options.
Also on the river, I am most excited to see Cutty Sark getting back into form, woo hoo! (Already looking even better than the "plan" below.)
If you want to get a bit of shade, past the attractions on the way to Blackheath there are lovely gardens, trees, deer, and sometimes pony rides and concerts. It is a Royal Park within a Royal Borough and looks beautiful of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment