London Trip - 10/25/09

[SoCal Bong]

Post any info about tickets, travel and tips for anyone who is planning to go to the game.

When do tickets go on sale?

What is the best area to stay in London for a first time visitor?

What will the weather be like in Late October?

Since Halloween is just a couple of days later, do they celebrate it there?

Find a good deal on a hotel? Let us know and maybe a bunch of us can stay at the same place and hang out. Better to book now before the travel agencies get big room blocks for their package tours?

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Can only comment on the weather and Halloween bud and thats more than likely fine rain and yes, we do celebrate it.

 

[Rossmci90]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Post any info about tickets, travel and tips for anyone who is planning to go to the game.

When do tickets go on sale?

What is the best area to stay in London for a first time visitor?

What will the weather be like in Late October?

Since Halloween is just a couple of days later, do they celebrate it there?

Find a good deal on a hotel? Let us know and maybe a bunch of us can stay at the same place and hang out. Better to book now before the travel agencies get big room blocks for their package tours?

Tickets are going on sale mid January for some obscure reason, you need to register interest for tickets from the 15th of December on NFLuk.com.

If your a first time visitor, and are planning to visit the city aswell as go to the game i'd suggest staying in more central London rather than closer to Wembley as it really easy to get around London and to Wembley. Alot of the main tourist attractions (Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St James' Park) are withing walking distance of each other. They are in South London, on the banks of the thames. Hotels will be abit more expensive round here than slightly more north.

But if your in a hotel in the City you wont have a problem wherever it is as its so easy and cheap to get around on the tube (Subway). Once you get a basic handle on how it works you'll have no problem. I'd recommend buying a Oyster visitor card (https://oyster.tfl.gov.uk/oyster/entry.do). You can get unlimited travel for around £1.50 a day with that rather than paying for individual journeys which will be expensive if you plan on using the tube alot.

The weather will be quite similar to New England, cold, almost always overcast and dull and will more than likely be raining. From the first two games, Giants fans seemed to be wearing a similar level of clothing to Brits, whereas as Saints, Chargers and Phins looked like they were prepared for a blizzard .

Yeah we do celebrate Halloween, if you stay for a couple of days after the game check out the London Dungeons or the Tower of London. They usually do stuff around Halloween.

 

[PJM]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Uk fans will be getting our tickets as mentioned above. There may also be some sold through the usual Patriots sources: season ticket holders are definitely covered via the USA.

One very basic point: no-one drives in London. The Underground (rail) is crowded but pretty good. The buses are good and give an excellent view of the city. Get an all day or multi-day pass - it saves money and you can hop on and off the transport.

I recommend looking for solid budget hotels (3* or thereabouts). The Bloomsbury area is nice and they are usually affordable and clean. For students or those on minimum budget the Youth hostels are fine. The various usual guidebooks (Lets Go, Rough guide etc) are fine.

This is one of the world's great capitals and is great for arts and culture (mostly free) British Museum and National Gallery are essential. Also a big sporting place. The game is right in the middle of the Soccer and Rugby seasons so go along on the Saturday. Even if you don't much like soccer, the atmosphere at a Premiership game is usually good. Tickets are hard to get unless you book early. There are also a lot of shows in the West End.

The food is very mixed. There are some great places but also a lot of terrible tourist traps. Perhaps our London members can plug some really nice, good value places. There is usually an official 'tailgate' event before the game but you will not be able to do it privately (it is not a tradition here). English pre-match tradition is a few pints in the pub before the game and a few more pints with a curry after.

 

[Batman]

Re: London - 10/29/08

My tip is stay outside london hire a car and drive to wembley. I do it this year well i didn't stay just outside of london I drove from my house 250 miles got right next to the stadium and roads were clear back out. The year before i used the tube waited 2 hours for it cause it was that busy.

 

[SoCal Bong]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Some links I found on the Chargers message board as they of course just played in London also as the visiting team this season. Will also check out the Saints board and post anything useful found there.

Make sure your passport is up to date
Passport Home

Map of the underground:
http://www.bulgarianlondon.com/bg_lon/bg/images/tube_map.gif

Hotels around Wembley
Accommodation close to Wembley Stadium, London

General tourist info and other general transportation links
The London Tourism Guide - a free tourist and visitor guidebook for England's capital city

Maps | Transport for London

Exchange rates (currently 1 pound = 1.49 Dollars / 1 Euro = 1.27 Dollars)
XE - Universal Currency Converter

Mods: please correct the date in my thread title to "09"

 

[gomezcat]

Re: London - 10/29/08

I'm happy to look at those links when I get home and add my own suggestions.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: London - 10/29/08

English pre-match tradition is a few pints in the pub before the game and a few more pints with a curry after.

For those among us who are teetotalers, is the beer necessary for the proper enjoyment of the curry (i.e., to either hide the fact that it has no taste or the fact that the heat is destroying your taste buds)?

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Re: London - 10/29/08

I think it's to aid diarrhea.

Never been a fan of ale and curry/indian food. Last time I had that was when we all passed basic training and I sh!t mine out 20 mins later.

 

[gomezcat]

Re: London - 10/29/08

For those among us who are teetotalers, is the beer necessary for the proper enjoyment of the curry (i.e., to either hide the fact that it has no taste or the fact that the heat is destroying your taste buds)?

Kind of depends. If you go to a local curry house and there are lots of Asian people in there, there is a good chance that the food is tasty and authentic. There are plenty of mild curries as well.

 

[Ciara's Dad]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Tomorrow afternoon the register opens on NFLUK for those who want tickets for Wembley.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Re: London - 10/29/08

I've registered my interest, hoping that NFLUK members may get priority. We'll see ...

There isn't too much to add to the answers above.

Ditto to Bloomsbury for a hotel area, but whatever you find on the web should be fine, given that London is huge and you'll have to spend time on the Tube anyway. Provided you're not somewhere down near Gomez in Sarf London there'll be plenty to do. There are some outstanding pubs, bars and gastro-pubs.

If you want help about places to eat, I'd recommend buying the Time Out Guide to Eating and Drinking in London. It will be on sale on most newsstands and is very good and comprehensive. (Time Out is a listings magazine that is invaluable.) It's a while since I lived in London so I won't give you my own favourites, although mention of curry reminded me of a top tip around Bloomsbury. There's a little street called "Drummond Street" near Euston Station which is full of South Indian vegetarian restaurants and food stores. My favourite is the Ravi Shankar. The food is unusual, delicious and cheap.

 

[gomezcat]

Re: London - 10/29/08

I echo Mike's point about Timeout. It is the best way to find cheap, good food in London. They do a guide called "cheap eats" or similar and it costs less than £10. I guarantee that you will come out on top financially if you buy it; like everywhere else, London is full of places that see tourists coming.

There are plenty of good pubs in London and loads of cr*p ones. I am more than happy to advise on real ale pubs. Some are slightly off the beaten track, but worth visiting nonetheless.

The other tip I would give anyone is to behave as if you are in a big American city. London has a lot of robberies and thefts, so be careful.

 

[SoCal Bong]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Bump to remind members of the ukpatriots (as of 12/6) to get your payments in this week as the deadline is approaching quickly.

If you are going to try to get the tickets through the lottery, register at nfluk.com now as they selections are going to be done later this month.

 

[PatsFaninCalgary]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Got 2 Wembley Club tickets - Section 228 - 35 yrd line behind the Patriots Bench today....can't wait for the game and trip.

 

[waspie (UK)]

Re: London - 10/29/08

The UKPatriots are planning a series of events around the weekend.

Currently being discussed are:

1) Friday Evening. UK Patriots Dinner. A sit down dinner - possibly at a very large curry house (they can handle a party from 100-500), but still informal. Open to all Pats fans, this is where we are hoping to get guest speakers from the Patriots organisation, the Boston sports media, and from the UK NFL broadcasters. This will be open to all ages.
2) Saturday daytime. Group activities - a brewery tour has been suggested, a stadium tour at Wembley, maybe a Premiership Soccer or Rugby game, depending on schedules.
3) Saturday Evening. Joint party with UK Bucs fans; probably in Central London. Given the number of fans from all teams who will be descending on the capital, expect to see jerseys from every team in the league. Probably an over 18's event.
4) Sunday: Tailgate. We're hoping to get a lot at the stadium, otherwise there are a number of locations nearby that we can use.

If you're looking to book a hotel, you should be aware that there is not much to do close to Wembley itself, and that the underground stops running not long after midnight, so you may find a hotel in Central London is more convenient. All the major tourist sites are easily reached by tube; it takes 25 minutes to get to Wembley from Central London.

I don't know where the Patriots will be staying, but there's a very good chance that one of the teams will use The Grove Hotel near Watford, which is about 10 miles north of Wembley, and which the Saints used in 2008.

Let me know if there's anything you'd like us to consider at our end. If you'd like to know more, you can keep in touch here or at UKPatriots.com

 

[Patsfanuk]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Waspie & the UKPatriots will have some great events organised ready for the big game in October. I can highly recommend anything the UKPats set up.

There will be plenty of events & choice of things to do for this game. London will be very busy as Pats fans invade the city.

In addition to all the events the UKPats arrange there will also be a 'Great British Tailgate Party 3', held on game day at a large pub (the Green Man) & grounds a short walk from Wembley Stadium. This event has been held since the first NFL International fixture in 2007, & organised by a UK football team the Colchester Gladiators. For the Saints / Chargers game last year we had around 5000 NFL supporters attend this event. Full details of GBTP3 will be announced closer to October.

As Waspie said if you want to explore London, base yourself in Central London rather than near Wembley Stadium. Plus a lot of the hotels near Wembley are getting booked up around game day. If your hotel is away from Wembley, be prepared for a decent length wait for the tube at the Stadium after the game, as unfortunately the queues will be very long....

 

[SoCal Bong]

Patriots-Buccaneers game is a hot ticket in London

Patriots-Buccaneers game is a hot ticket in London - Projo Pats Blog

LONDON (AP) -- The first 70,000 tickets for the NFL's third regular-season game in London have been sold, with 20,000 bought in the first seven minutes of availability, the NFL said Tuesday.

The New England Patriots will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 25 at Wembley Stadium. The previous two NFL games were also sellouts.

"We have been delighted with the way fans have got behind the game, especially considering the challenging economic climate," NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood said in a statement. "The response is indicative of the must-see nature of our game and the place it has cemented in the UK sports calendar."

In addition to those already sold, more tickets have recently been made available to the public, though the NFL did not say how many. At a late date, fans in New England and Tampa Bay will have a chance to purchase tickets.

The NFL first staged a regular-season game in London in 2007, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Last year, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32.


MODERATOR: another reminder to correct the thread title to be 10/25/09; I don't want anyone booking the wrong dates to be there!

 

[Nellie]

Re: Patriots-Buccaneers game is a hot ticket in London

I am very much looking forward to the trip and this game. I do have a question about the CW seats. Are they worth the extra money?

 

[Paddy Patriots]

Re: London - 10/29/08

Waspie & the UKPatriots will have some great events organised ready for the big game in October. I can highly recommend anything the UKPats set up.

There will be plenty of events & choice of things to do for this game. London will be very busy as Pats fans invade the city.

In addition to all the events the UKPats arrange there will also be a 'Great British Tailgate Party 3', held on game day at a large pub (the Green Man) & grounds a short walk from Wembley Stadium. This event has been held since the first NFL International fixture in 2007, & organised by a UK football team the Colchester Gladiators. For the Saints / Chargers game last year we had around 5000 NFL supporters attend this event. Full details of GBTP3 will be announced closer to October.

As Waspie said if you want to explore London, base yourself in Central London rather than near Wembley Stadium. Plus a lot of the hotels near Wembley are getting booked up around game day. If your hotel is away from Wembley, be prepared for a decent length wait for the tube at the Stadium after the game, as unfortunately the queues will be very long....

The Paddy Patriots will discuss maybe joining you guys also If thats ok of course.