London-ites

[Guest The Beltster]

My Mrs is off to London in the next couple weeks, arriving at Paddington. Where is the best place for her to go shopping, biggest/closest malls and shopping areas to Paddington or within reasonable distance using a tube from Paddington...any help would be good. Oh and I expect her to bring me back something as its my VISA being burned, so the place has to include a Footlocker or Nike shop :lol

 

Thanks homies.

[Guest John Hancock]

The best mall is Westfield Stratford City, but it might be a little bother to get to. You'd have to either take the Bakerloo south to Oxford Circus, then change to the Central Line and go east to Stratford, or take the Bakerloo to Baker street, and then you take either the City, Metropolitan or Circle Lines east to Liverpool Street, then change to the Central Line, and then East to Stratford. Stratford station is basically in the mall, it's well signposted, the mall itself is very compact and easy to get around as long as you aren't a violent racist.

 

The best shopping sort of district is Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Regents Street and Soho, which form a sort of square, but it's relatively confusing to walk around if you aren't from here, especially if you aren't used to very, very busy cities, so I'd suggest looking up specific shops on Google Maps or whatever in that area beforehand, because I imagine it's pretty easy to get lost. Getting there from Paddington is easy, you just take the Bakerloo line south out of Paddington and get off at Oxford Circus and you're right in the middle of it, specially right outside NikeTown U.K., which is basically a Nike department store. I've been told by country-folk that that area can get a little overwhelming though.

 

I'd say the mall is better for out of towners, but Oxford Circus is easier to get to. Obviously there's other places, but those are the two tip-top no-where-but-London areas.

[Guest Boyo]

John pretty much has it covered, although I'd add Westfield in White City to that list. In my opinion, a superior mall to the Stratford one.

 

Oxford, Regent, Carnaby, Bond Streets, all in the same area and close to Paddington. Other good places within walking distances are Long Acre and South Molton Street.

 

But yeah, very hard to go wrong with London shopping. Your VISA should be afraid, Belty.

 

Cheers!

[Guest The Beltster]

Cheers boys I'll get all this info to her. I put £8k into her bank today so that should last her 30 minutes shopping :/

[Guest John Hancock]

She could probably get a pint and a half with that.

[ViciousPrism 177]

Or 10 minutes on a pool table.

[Guest FreeSpirit]

Paddington Underground Station is exit only at the moment on the Bakerloo Line until 21st August whilst escalator work takes place. However your Mrs is very near to Oxford Street and buses 7, 15 or 23 from outside the station will take her into Oxford Street (Selfridges, John Lewis etc) where all the main shops are.

 

When it comes to buying a ticket she can buy a Zone 1-6 paper travelcard for £8.90 from the underground ticket office which covers her for travel throughout the day after 9.30am on weekdays and all day at weekends/bank holiday. Alternatively she can purchase an Oyster Card. The card itself costs £5 but is refundable once the card is surrendered at any underground ticket office. All she will need to do is load £7 onto the card and that will cover her for travel in zones 1-2 after 9.30am weekdays and anytime weekends.

[Guest FreeSpirit]

Or what the Mrs can do.....

 

Take the Circle or Hammersmith & City Line train (towards Hammersmith) from platform 15 at Paddington and alight at Wood Lane. Wood Lane is right next door to Westfield London (a massive shopping centre adjacent to BBC's London HQ). Journey time is about 10 minutes by tube.

 

Once she finishes at Westfield, she can catch the Central Line from either White City or Shepherd's Bush to any of the four tube stops on Oxofrd Street (Marble Arch, Bond Street, Oxofrd Circus or Tottenham Court Road) to experience the shopping mecca of Oxford Street. I would recommend Oxford Circus though as she is right on the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street. Journey time is around another 10-15 minutes.

 

Then from there catch the Bakerloo Line train back to Paddington.

Edited July 7, 2014 by FreeSpirit

[Shaun2J 127]

The one in Stratford is the big-ass one near Olympic Stadium? I think I was there two years ago and didn't even make a quarter of that building. It really was a bother to get there, our tickets wouldn't allow us to exit the station but the bloke was nice and asked where we were from and let us in. :D

[Guest FreeSpirit]

Yeah the one in Stratford is right next to the Olympic Park which opened in September 2011.

[Burakiosaurus 129]

Ah crap I'm late to this one, has she gone yet Belty?

 

I was going to say Selfridge's as I'm a sucker for good clobber and Oxford Circus is like 1-2 stops on the Bakerloo line from Paddington and she will come out next to Nike Town (Nike Superstore) in Oxford Circus.

 

Plus she can walk down to Selfridge's from Oxford Circuse and hit up House of Fraser along the way.

 

If you want Nike stuff, the only place to really be for loads of variety is Nike Town as I said earlier, they have like a whole floor dedicated to Basketball attire, shoes, training jersey's, shorts etc...

[Guest Boyo]

Belty this one is probably more for you than the missus, should you ever find yourself in London...

 

...but you should look for a shop called (and I think I've got this right) "Ko Kon To Zai" in Soho. Just south of Soho Square.

 

It's this nutty little Japanese, erm, retail space would be the best word. They sell all manner of expensive clothes, accessories and trinkets, but they're also known for having incredibly obscure/desired trainers.

 

I also think you'd dig the Dover Street Market.

 

But these places are more for you to go to I guess, rather than 'er indoors.

 

Cheers!

[Guest The Beltster]

Cheers boys nope shes not off yet, I might go with her at this point, drag her to the Nike place and any Footlockers I can find ;)

[DC 536]

Belty this one is probably more for you than the missus, should you ever find yourself in London...

 

...but you should look for a shop called (and I think I've got this right) "Ko Kon To Zai" in Soho. Just south of Soho Square.

 

It's this nutty little Japanese, erm, retail space would be the best word. They sell all manner of expensive clothes, accessories and trinkets, but they're also known for having incredibly obscure/desired trainers.

Kokon To Zai

[Fletch 204]

When I went to London a few years back, I walked to Camden, spent quite a while there then just got an Oyster Card and zipped around all manner of places including Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Picadilly. Think it cost me about £7 for the card and got plenty of use from it

[Guest Boyo]

The underground is as invaluable as it is infuriating. For trips 4 stops n over, it's quick and excellent. However I find for single stop journeys, especially in the centre, it's probably slower than simply walking.

 

I'm no expert at all in London's geography, but I have got the main touristy parts pretty down pat. When I go these days, I try to isolate areas I want to shop in and generally try to avoid using the tube. I just find I get more done in a day.

 

For example I'll get a tube to Leicester Square station before walking Long Acre, Floral, Neal's Yard, Gt Newport Street, Covent Garden.

 

If I then know I want to go elsewhere, a smudge further away like Westfield (west), or Borough Market, or Knightsbridge, I'll get the tube again.

 

I always try to end up around Liberty and Carnaby come the end of the day, because I use the bakerloo to get to Paddington.

 

After wasting hours in London using the tube to go all over the place I'm pretty strict about my scheduling :P.

 

Cheers!

[Guest ScottyB]

I've been to London a fair few times now and until the last couple of times would get the tube everywhere, even if it was literally 1 or 2 stops. Then from just walking around realised a hell of a lot of stops are just 5 minutes walk from each other.