Sigmund Weis School of Business London Program

Fall 2007

William Toy & Clayton Seifried

London by Night

Although seeing London by day is a wonderful experience, London by night has some amazing attractions which must be seen. For starters, London has some fabulous dining spots which offer delicious yet affordable meals. Piccadilly Circus has plenty of first-class restaurants that are open late. The Queen’s Arms in Kilburn and The Angel in Islington both offer great food with exciting local atmospheres. At The Angel you can get a burger and a beer for 5 pounds; in our stay in London, that is the best prices we found for a great dinner with a sports atmosphere.

After dinner, there are many options which you can choose to do for the rest of the night. For example you can enjoy a night on the town in Piccadilly Circus, ice skate in Hyde Park during Winter Wonderland, enjoy a night at the many theatres in London, or simply grab a pint or two with your friends at a local pub. Hyde Park offers a great experience for a night in Winter Wonderland. The park, at night is definitely a site to see when lit up in Christmas theme. Enjoying a night at the theatre is always a great way to relax for an evening. Victoria theatre is currently showing the play Wicked which has received rave reviews. Also some of the other plays which are highly recommended are Fiddler on the Roof, Boeing Boeing, and Phantom of the Opera.

Oxford and Piccadilly Circus are great places to go for a night of shopping. Oxford Street offers hundreds of stores both high end stores as well as cheap street vendors. If you’re interested in relaxing with your friends over a pint or two, The American Sports Café is the place to go. The atmosphere and the prices are hard to beat. On Tuesdays, they offer a pound pint deal which always packs the house. On Thursdays at the Sports Café, it’s “Wing Night”. The deal is 20 wings for 3 pounds which, once again, packs the house. And on Sundays, it’s always a great place to go to catch up on how your favorite football team is doing back in the States. They have many projection screen televisions that play football games throughout the night.

Much like in the United States Sunday shuts down and everyone watches football. However, in England, it’s futbol not football. If you want to catch the local futbol game or even your favorite team in Europe, the best place to do so is at any pub or sports bar. Just beware of whom you are cheering for due to the fact you may be sitting next to a guy who is extremely passionate for the opposing team.

However, if you’re interested in an evening clubbing, then London is the place for you. London has many themed clubs which are open until 5 am. Some of the hot spots which we highly recommend are Walkabout, Tiger Tiger, O’Neil, and as stated above, The American Sports Café. Join membership at Walkabout for 5 pounds and on Wednesdays, its one pound fifty drinks and free admission. On Thursdays, O’Neil is a great place to because they have live music and a free cover fee. Most clubs offers free admission before 10 pm. and after 10 the average admission fee starts around 5 pounds. We suggest if you’re interested in an evening of clubbing to go before 10 o’clock because the queues tend to be quite long and the clubs tend to get very crowded. All of these clubs are near Piccadilly Circus tube stop and fortunately for those of you living in Islington, there is a Walkabout, as well, down the street from The Angel. Dinner at The Angel and dancing all night at Walkabout is definitely a must.

One bar, in particular, which we feel everyone needs to attend is the Absolut Ice Bar. The cost is 15 pounds and you need to make reservations ahead of time; however it’s definitely worth the effort. The Ice Bar is quite small in size yet it offers a uniquely cold experience. When entering the Ice Bar at your designated time and day, you receive 1 free drink in a glass made of ice, a set of warm gloves, and a heavy overcoat. The Ice Bar is constantly kept at subzero temperatures and is a great and special night out in London. For the fifteen pounds, it’s definitely worth the trip.

London has much, much more to offer. Fortunately for us, we were able to participate in Guy Fawkes Days on the weekend of November 5th. Guy Fawkes in 1605 attempted to blow up Parliament. Since then, in England, it has been a tradition to celebrate the failed attempt by launching massive fireworks displays and throwing massive city-wide parties. Most of us who were here that weekend enjoyed the fireworks displays over looking the River Thames and the London Eye.

Overall, London has some amazing attractions both by day and by night. We would highly recommend exploring London and all of its nightly activities during your stay in the city.