Could anyone help me plan a couple of days in London with my DS please?!

[OddGoingsOn]

Feeling completely out of my depth if I’m honest! 🙀

My wonderful 16 year old whom I adopted at just turned one has just finished his GCSEs. He’s not had the best time at school over the years with various issues but is so resilient and generous and kind and just lovely, and has worked so hard for these exams that I’d love to take him away, just the two of us, no DP, no DSS, for a couple of days in the summer. He’s never been to London and would love to go so I really want to take him.

The problem is I have no idea where to start. We’re from ‘up North’ and I don’t know much about London and the thought of trying to navigate it is very daunting, BUT I’m determined to do it. We’d go on the train, stay in a hotel and just want to see the sights and do some shopping, eat in cool places (he loves house music and is a budding DJ) and would love ANY tips please! We’d just go for 2 nights and 3 days so any ideas of places to stay, where to go, what to see would be amazing please!

OK no science or history what about

Flight club
Junkyard golf

Eat
Home slice for pizza
Meat Liquor
Flat Iron

You can do really cool walking tours around east London

There's a fun cinema in Notting Hill where you can lie on beds and he might enjoy that area

Does he like Harry Potter? The studio tour is fun

He sounds quite trendy so I'd go for Shoreditch/Brick Lane for graffiti art, fashion (maybe lunch at Ottolenghi) then on to Spitalfields (all within a short walk) then on to Sushi Samba/Duck n Waffle restaurants (pick either but sushi samba has a great terrace)near Liverpool St. Nice at dusk for a drink or meal but would need to book in advance. ££ though.

If you can afford it, the open top hop on/off bus that goes to all the main sights. Try a riverboat from the South Bank to Greenwich (Sunday market lively) and royal park, river, museum or there's Camden market which is huge and also good on Saturdays and Sundays.

Borough Market at London Bridge is a good foodie destination too (Thursday , Fri, Sat). Padella or Cafe Brindisa are my recommendations. Then stroll along the river to the South Bank (Oxo Tower or Sea Containers also nice for food but may be too grown up).

Brixton also cool on a Saturday.

He might like Citizen M as a place to stay. They have a hotel in Shoreditch and one near the South Bank (Bankside). Reasonably priced for London, especially if you can be a bit flexible with dates. The only possible drawbacks would be that they don't have twin-bedded rooms, so you'd have to share and also not a great deal of bathroom privacy. My teen DD will "suffer" these things for a chance to stay in a Citizen M hotel but don't know how a teen boy would feel! Or you, come to that. The beds are massive though.

Inamo is quite a fun place to eat

Shoreditch is great for all of this and my teens love it. You do can Brick Lane and then up to spitalfields, there are street art tours and can then do a lovely walk towards St. Paul’s and cross the bridge to tate modern (takes about 30 mins). Then walk along the south bank and cross bridge back to Covent Garden (or take bus if not up to all the walking 😉)

Sunday you have Columbia road flower market which is super busy but really good fun.

also my lot love Camden and you can walk along the canal to kings cross, which is super cool and loads of great places to eat. Also lots of free stuff during the summer, there’s a barge showing free films on the canal which looks great.

Enjoy, London is such a great city.

I thought the mousetrap was soooooooo boring in comparison to what else you can see in London theatres. I go to the theatre a lot and have never seen it and always wanted to and was so excited when DP got me tickets for Xmas and so disappointed thought it was totally outdated borefest. And I do like many classic plays.
OP - Go to War of the Worlds with a 16 year old.

If you want theatre tickets there’s a great app call Today’s Tix. We’ve got some bargains on here so really worth checking out.

Rather than one of the expensive hop on hop off tourist buses you could get a regular London bus No.11 . Sit up stairs at the front if you are lucky and get views of St.Pauls, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey etc. Goes from Liverpool Street to Victoria.Have a look at a bus route map to see where you would like to go. You see much more than using the underground.

Also 2nd eating at Home Slice if you like pizzas , they are absolutely massive.

Download l city mapper app. It provides journey routes in great detail.

If he likes fashion I'd go to the V & A museum in Kensington, check it out with him online and see if it appeals. (Remember to book a feee slot online in advance)

Look out for gigs and concerts that are on whilst you're here.

Hoxton/ shoreditch area might appeal for shopping/ lunch/ cheaper gigs

Camden has lots of cool fashion and gigs.

Definitely see a big show whilst you're here, they're so powerful.