Help me plan a nice gentle London Xmas shopping day...

[fuzzpig]

If such a thing in fact exists :o

I've never been majorly into shopping, but this year I have the opportunity to wander round London after hospital appts so I thought I'd make a very slow gentle day of it.

Just looking for quirky shops really - I know I can get stuff online but it'd be nice to browse for once.

Thinking of ideas for unusual presents:

• M&M store as they'd make good stocking fillers
• Lego store... TBH I'd better ignore that one as it might bankrupt me...
• Tokyo Toys and any other manga type stores as my DSD is getting into it (esp. Naruto)
• any geeky shops (forbidden planet?)
• national gallery shop for a browse as I forgot to go in when we last went, and there's a specific thing I want.
• Any other Xmas stores (went to the one in hays galleria today

... finished with a trip to the Haagen Dazs place, just for me :o

Any ideas/recommendations? Preferably places that are really easy to get to, near tube stations if possible as I get need frequent rests.

I would just go to car any street, love it around there

I'm assuming you mean Carnaby street :o

I think I've been there but only actually went in the converse shop (my friend is obsessed with converse), what else is there? :)

Yes sorry I mean carnaby street. Loads of shops but mainly just love the atmosphere and the lights will be up so will be lovely.

Which hospital (hope all ok!) - as in which area? I avoid Oxford Street all year round between October and December. The V&A, Science and Nat History Museums all have brilliant shops - and are all a) free and b) very close to each other. I'm sure I could do all my xmas shopping in one fell swoop in a day round there. Actually all the museum shops (BM, NatGal) are good - but then more spread out. Kings Rd is always a bit less manic than Oxford St, but best to go earlier in the day and use Peter Jones as an anchor point. If you're up near Euston, then you could do worse than spend some time around the Brunswick Centre and the shops at Kings X. There are some nice Indy shops (esp book shops) in the streets near the Brunswick.

Primark @ Tottenham Ct Road

It's where my 11 yo DD will drag me

Seventh Circle of Hell

It's st Bart's - have a chronic illness so have occupational/psychological therapy sessions there. I go via barbican station but might meet my parents for lunch. Will have a travel card anyway.

I'd forgotten about those museum shops! I love the NHM one... so many dinosaurs :o

Would definitely avoid oxford street unless any of the particular shops I wanted happened to be there. Not into big department stores, clothes shopping etc.

Also forgot Chapells (I play piano) but that'd really just be for me...

Forbidden planet is still great, and then you could walk down towards Covent Garden (hellish, I grant you) via the lovely little shops around 7 Dials - or go back up to the British Musem area.

Yes to all the museum shops. I would go there tbh have a nice lunch in the cafe, pootle around the shops & gallery. If you focus round trafalgar sq (charing x, covent garden & leicester sq tubes) there are lots of small shops which are more interesting.

St Martin in the fields church is opposite trafalgar sq &has a shop & cafe in the basement & is opposite to the National & Portrait galleries. Next to St. Martins in the field is a pret a manger, if you cross the road at pret & walk up St. Martins Lane it will take you to covent garden. It has lots of small shops & cafes as well as Notes coffee shop with a museum shop in the basement. The new photography museum is near covent garden & will probably have an interesting shop.

Notes cafe has a music shop in the basement not a museum!

Tiger on Tottenham Court Road is like a cross between IKEA and paperchase and has lots of cheap fun stuff from Denmark. I can't stay away.

notes-uk.co.uk/

Bumping this again as my shopping trip is on Thursday!

I will be meeting my parents at one new change or whatever that posh mall is by St. Paul's. Having lunch there and then heading off to a few places. Going to sit down with a tube map and figure it out :o

There's great Manga stuff in the Trocadero in Leicester Sq if you don't mind being squashed by the crowds.

Yep I am planning on going there for TokyoToys - looks fab! Anything else near there?

I'm not sure I'll bother with the M&M shop this time I might eat them all on the way home

M&M shop is more fun to look at than buy stuff especially as it's so overpriced

Yes I gather it's more merchandise than chocolate - I was planning to get a funky selection of chocolates to put on stockings but I don't think it'll be worth going there for - if I had limitless time/energy I would but I don't so I'll bear it in mind for another year :)

So definitely going to the trocadero as my main aim is to find naruto stuff for DSD! Haven't been round that way for years.

Will also definitely go to the national gallery shop - probably do that first after lunch as my parents are travelling that way too.

I could possibly fit in something before my appt (at 12) but it'd have to be near the hospital really as I hate rushing around.

If you are going to One New Change make sure to go in the lift to the terrace at the top. The view from the lift is fab and even better from the terrace.

It's great up there - my mum took me recently (she used to work round that area) and it is indeed lovely. I love the stone statues/mosaic that are up there. Might end up on the top again as dad hasn't been before.

I didn't notice any actual shops I'd want to go in (well except hotel chocolat that you get to via the outside :o) but I get a nice lunch so can't complain really

Fortnun & Mason is just off Piccadilly circus so about a 10 min walk from the Trocadero centre. Worth going for food gifts & the Royal Academy of Arts is across the road so you could have a look at the shop there too.

If you are having treatment, be careful about walking too much & carry a bottle of water with you. Any chance of extending the visit to Friday so you can visit the Xmas market at the southbank (opp national theatre)?

How about Upper Street? Lots of lovely shops to wander around and lots of nice cafés for breaks. Not so much in the way of mainstream shops, more independents and quirky shops.

The window displays in Fortnum and Masons are very pretty this year, I took DD last week for a nose. I was very impressed with the Christmas shop in Libertys, could have spent ages in there looking around.

I was going to say Liberty too..gorgeous decorations.Have a lovely day.

Took DD "up west" today for a bit of fun. I DON'T do any real Xmas stuff until 1st December so we didn't go for Xmas shopping but had a lovely time in Carnaby Street, visited Choccywoccydoodah, Liberty, Regent St and walked up to Oxford St to get the bus, NOT to shop!! I second the Brunswick Centre as a relaxing high st shop and I love Kings X and St Pancras although it is all chain and high street stuff. The Southbank will have its Xmas market up and running pretty soon which is nice, although I'm not sure you would want to buy much there but there are the South Bank Centre and BFI shops.
Having read this thread I now HAVE to go to One New Change, I will suggest it to my sister as we will meet for her birthday on 2nd December.

All very intriguing thanks!

What's the BFI shop?

The British Film Institute (BFI) at the Southbank has a cool shop and several eating places inside. The dining room nearest to the shop is a lovely, grown up eating place.