In London for 1.5 months--advice? (rental, home, living)

[yahay]

Hi everyone,

I will be in London for a month and a half starting in early September. I've never been to London or the UK, and I would appreciate advice on any of the following. I'll be staying in the City area near St. Paul's Cathedral.

-What is the best way to get from LHR to the City?
-How are prices for food, clothing etc ? Is eating out expensive in general?

-Are there any good rental phone services which can call use to call domestic and internationally (US)?

-Is there a good gym in the area I can join for only a month (or perhaps 2 months) and quit, without doing any long contracts or initiation/cancellation fees?

-How is the weather around this time (Sept-Oct)? Should I bring coats?
-Is the subway reliable? Should I also learn bus routes?

-Recommendations for entertainment/museums/etc?
-Any living tips (good Twitter feeds to follow for info, etc appreciated)?

Advice on any of these is greatly appreciated. Thanks !

[wikiwikirunner]

Originally Posted by yahay

-What is the best way to get from LHR to the City?

-Is the subway reliable? Should I also learn bus routes?

The tube is the best way to get from LHR to the city, blue line goes all the way out there:
http://www.bulgarianlondon.com/bg_lo...s/tube_map.gif

Yes it is extremely reliable, the bus is also very reliable, and you should probably get familiar with the ones in your area, at least vaguely before you get there. You use the same card to board the tube as you do the busses, it's called an oyster card, it's re-loadable. London has the best public transportation of any city i've ever been to.

[ben86]

Originally Posted by yahay

-How are prices for food, clothing etc ? Is eating out expensive in general?


-How is the weather around this time (Sept-Oct)? Should I bring coats?

-Is the subway reliable? Should I also learn bus routes?

-Recommendations for entertainment/museums/etc?

-Any living tips (good Twitter feeds to follow for info, etc appreciated)?

1. It's expensive here. You'll probably find the prices of almost everything high, except a lot of the major museums are free.

2. Changeable and mild (50s/60s). Bring a raincoat, but you shouldn't see any proper cold weather. This summer has been the coolest in decades if that's anything to go by (after the warmest spring on record).

3. Yes, except some lines close down for upgrades from time to time at weekends. Bus routes might be useful for coming home at night - the Tube shuts at around 12.30 at night. If you get an Oyster card and load it up with a monthly pass you'd save money.

4. Depends on what you're into, but the magazine Time Out tells you what's going on in London that week.

[Crystal is a mess]

A good twitter feed is @londonist.