I was there in September, 2010 for the first time. Even though I couldn't find anyone willing to blow a few thousand to join me on my dream trip, I had a blast.
Everything went smoothly and I can't think of anything really worth pointing out except...
-If you're going to take the tube back to the airport (Heathrow), there is a point at which you must switch trains. Maybe it's obvious to others, but I did not see any indication of this when I mapped out and planned my trip in advance. I only discovered this after seeing my directions were at odds with what the in-train map was indicating. I got off briefly at the next stop and an employee pointed me in the right direction. That probably saved me a good hour of wandering around lost, ha. Wish I could remember exactly which stop required the switch but it's been awhile since the trip. I guess the lesson learned here was advance planning of public transportation is kinda dumb since they are constantly changing due to construction and other delays and goings ons. Plan and check your routes the day before!
-I always thought it'd be fun to run into a crazed beggar woman a-la Sweeney Todd while in London until I ran into a crazed beggar woman of sorts after a performance of Blood Brothers. No kidding.
She wasn't begging though, and she was quite pretty (short, thin blonde) but the stuff drugs does to people. Another thing drugs do to people: randomly select innocent tourists to attack.
I was the random, innocent tourist that night and while I'm lighthearted about it now, it terrified me at the time and placed a huge damper on the remainder of my trip. She just, without warning, ran up to me and begin strangling me. She had this extremely furious look on her face. It happened out in a very busy street and nobody stepped in to help. We just went in circles for a minute as I tried to get the bitch off of me. Finally she let go but stood there grinding her teeth at me and seemed about ready for another round. I was mostly stunned than anything but I managed to muster some anger and called her a "f*cking c*nt* before I continued on my way. I gave the small group of people that gathered but who did nothing the death glare. The nerve!
I look on the bright side nowadays and just tell people I tangoed with a blonde on the streets of London under the light of the moon.
-A nice, cozy place to stay that I recommend is the Ridgemount Hotel. I wrote and posted a review of it over at Trip Advisor. Check it out by clicking below and have fun on your trip!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187680-r83575953-Ridgemount_Hotel-London_England.html
Recreation of original John Cameron orchestration to "On My Own" by yours truly. Click player below to hear.