Arrival day - meet/greet offer to anyone new to London

I've discussed this with Lord Tice, FF-UK London CR, and since it's getting closer to CE, I'll post it now.

As an ex-RSA for the FF-UK, I am happy to meet any newcomers (or just those unfamiliar with travelling round it) to London as they arrive at the central train stations - Euston, Kings Cross, etc - and then help "ferry" people via the tube and DLR (Docklands Light Railway) to their hotels near the ExCel center. I won't be able to come out to the airports unfortunately, but anyone needing help getting from city center out to the convention on their day of arrival, I'll be more than happy to help out. Yes, that includes helping with bags if need be.

I spent a weekend just two weeks ago scouting the ExCel area (a thread on that very very soon, promise) and using London transport to get around. I have a good working knowledge now of what routes we need to use to get between places, plus I have enough info from the tourist/info center which I'll carry with me.

At this moment in time, my arrival date is the Thursday, but I'm happy to come down earlier if need be, in fact I am seriously considering it anyways even without anyone needing the meet/greet idea. There is just so much to do in London, and I think I need more time than what we have with CE, plus it may be my last big holiday for a while.

I may need some helpers with this - FF-UK members please let me know asap if you can help be a meeter/greeter. For less than £6 we can travel unlimited all day (after 9:30am) around zones 1-4 of London (that's within the zones of city center to ExCel).

Anyone needing this "service" please post below. I'll need to book more hotel time asap. Do not post arrival and such details below, though you can PM expected arrival times so we can start working out how to organise this. I am happy to hand out my moby number so that on the day we can co-ordinate over late arrival, and other such stuff.

 

....if you fancy meeting us lost looking Northerners coming down to the Big City, we are coming down

Thurs 12 July
Ncle 13.01 ? LKings X 15.51

Would be nice to be met and greeted - with the Rolls Royce this time please?

 

I wouldn't mind the help as this is my first trip to London on my own, I will be arriving on Thursday afternoon at King's Cross. Hopefully I will be on the same train as the FF-UK North crew but if unable to get seats I will atleast have some help getting me to the Excel

 

No worries - FF-UK North will get their rolls Swiss ones in fact

Dan - if you are with the FF-UK North, then you'll be escorted to the place along with them. So no panicing mate If u are arriving later/earlier we can work it out.

-- Tim B, FF-UK Ewok Scout/Ranger

More takers are welcome! Keep posting

 

I know the way to the Excel from King's Cross anyway.

 

See you at ExCel then grumpy

 

Just saying. It makes your job easier if I get everyone to ExCel while you're taking care of others who don't know the way.

 

I'll wait for the text "Sie has got us lost, save us Tim. We are on an island btw" then

 

Ha! I'll lead everyone to a place where there is no mobile phone signal, therefore leaving me to save the day

 

I'll just do what I always do in a city: wander around until I get lost, and then try and find myself again until I get to where I'm going. I usually manage it okay, only exception being Venice, where I managed to get lost for 5 hours

 

hhhmmmm... who would I want to save the day if I was lost... Spike or Tim....




I owe Spike a beer...

TIM IT IS!!

 

Well the Cozmic one will be in the City early in the day so I'm happy to save those lost Northerners if your busy Tim

 

Booked into hotel for Weds now anyways. So I will be in London and free on Thursday.

So far I am meeting -

12pm - Lady Poison
4pm-ish - Fan Force UK North (just to make sure Sie doesn't get em lost )

Are they any other takers - let me know asap please.

 

Will there be a group of people doing stuff? I'm pretty confident I can get to where I'm staying but I don't like the idea of milling around on my own.

 

Im pretty sure people will get together to do stuff at night etc. So dont worry about that moose.

But I dont necessarily need a guide, but more some advice on how to get from Liverpool Street station to the Excel center the easiest. I checked a couple of sites but they all seem to give a different advice/routing.

 

Liverpool Street to Custom House (for Excel).

Ticket-wise: get the Day Travelcard (Zones 1-4) - if you buy after 9:30am it's £5.70. You can use this between central London and Excel. If you land at an airport, you may have to get a further zone, can a Londoner please post which zones will be needed for airports?

The most direct route would be get on the Circle line (Southbound I think or failing that it'll be Eastbound - on tubemap looks South to me) and go one stop to Tower Hill.

Tower Hill is the problem for most people arriving with bags, hence why I was cool to accompany people and help with bags. You have to actually exit Tower Hill and walk to Tower Gateway for the next part of your journey.

Exit from Tower Hill via the big escalator towards the street.
At the bottom of the escalator you'll see stairs going down into pavement (subway) - those take you across the road to the right, so you can use that set of stairs (not recommended with big bags) or just cross the road (on your right) to the right of where the stairs go down. Once you are there, keep the Tower of London on your left and walk in same direction you used to cross road, it's a short path towards Tower Gateway DLR (Docklands Light Railway) station.

At Tower Gateway, take the DLR towards Beckton and get off at Custom House for Excel if you are at the Ibis or most other hotels. For Premier Travel Inn or Ramada (sp?) you need to get off one stop further at Prince Regeant.


The other route would be to get you to Bank, where there is no exiting of the subway, but that's more of a convoluted journey from where you are at Liverpool Street.

 

I'm pretty sure Heathrow is Zone 6. I live 5 miles from there and when I buy a Travelcard to go into London it is good for zones 1-6. You're on your own with Gatwick though - I've never been there. I know you can get the Gatwick Express which goes into London Victoria (I believe). From there it would be a seperate fare to get to ExCel or your hotel.

 

I won't be available to assist with directing people to CE unfortunately since I have offered to house some members who require accomodation.
However, I am more then willing to show anyone how to get to other parts of London during CE should they require to.


After all, with the SW Exhibition and the concert thing, there will no doubt be some people who wish to venture away from ExCel.

 

Which zone will is the Orchestra playing in? I was going to get a 1-4 travel card for Friday but if it's not in any of those I'll have to get a different one. Where would people be meeting for it?

 

Canary Wharf is in Zone 2 so you should be fine with a Zone 1-4 ticket.

 

I would like to ask for this wonderful service. Could someone meet Skiara and me at Kings Cross or Heathrow?
At the airport would especially cool, since more time to talk.

We arrive at Thursday, 12th of July at 14:25.

Thanks.

 

Update on travel cards then.

Zones 1-4 (for those in UK arriving at central London stations and not arriving at airports) - £5.60 Day Travel Card

Zones 1-6 (for those arriving at Heathrow) - £6.70 Day Travel Card.

You can use both all day after 9.30am.

Laj - ta for that extra info

Richie - oh noes! Remember what happened last time? One local called Richie vs one Tim dangerously armed with a London A-Z - who won out? J/K.
But would be good to have you along for some of the other stuff dude.

Moose - stop panicing, you'll be with us ok?

Mr Flo (and Miss S too) - welcome aboard

Just quick checked Heathrow to London (I am guessing you land at 2:25pm right?) -

Outward journey: Thursday 12 July 2007 Station Arr Dep Travel by Service Provider
HEATHROW TERMINAL 4. 14:40 Train HEATHROW EXPRESS
LONDON PADDINGTON 15:04 15:04 Tube*
LONDON KINGS CROSS 15:49

It takes about an hour from Heathrow to Kings Cross.

So I can meet Lady Poison for 12pm. Get her to the hotel. Get back to Paddington for around 3pm. Pick up Flo and Skiara at Paddington.

I can leave Flo and Skiara at their Kings Cross hotel, and meet up with FF-UK North. That sound ok?

Anyone else need adding to this?

Edited: cos I need to check profiles more often before I use "Mr" lol
Edit 2: Cos I just realised Flo is staying away from the Excel area lol.

 

But panicking is what I do best.