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2 London ?s
H and I are going to be in London for a day layover (on purpose, just for fun!), so we're trying to plan it out more than we normally would because of the time limit.
1) we're going to have afternoon tea at Harrods (yay!) and it says "smart casual" for dress - what does that mean in the UK? just want to double check so that we're dressed appropriately (maybe this is overkill, but I like to try my best).
2) Our current plan is to head straight to The Tower of London after dropping off our bags (we land at noon) and then we have tea at 5:15. Depending on how that all goes, we also will try to stop at Buckingham Palace on our way to tea. After that, no idea. What is a good night activity? (it will be a weekday)
And feel free to comment if you have other suggestions or think this is a bad plan, thanks! 
Re: 2 London ?s
thanks! yes, we're coming from the US and leave in the morning. We're staying at a place somewhat close to the airport (which we decided on so it would be easier in the morning), so ideally we'll be able to get there easily, drop off our stuff and go.
I saw that the last Yeomen tour at the tower is at 3:30pm, do you think we could make it to that?
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yea you should be able to make a 3:30 tour if you are flying in in the morning. It takes about 45 minutes on the tube from out by the airport to central London
smart casual means your dh doesn't have to wear a suit - but should have a collared shirt & no jeans or sneakers
I wouldn't think you'd have time for all that in one day - it will take a while to get through Heathrow and then the Tower takes at least 1-2 hours.
I agree with Monique - smart casual means basically no jeans or sneakers. Although you could probably pull off nice jeans with a button down shirt look, but you might as well have fun dressing up a bit!
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thanks!
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so you don't think we could make the Tower & have tea? (just trying to clarify what parts you're referring to)
yes, I love an excuse to dress up, and H doesn't mind too much either
what would you guys suggest doing after tea?
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well what are you intersted in? there are a million options
since you only have 1 night maybe go to covent garden and look around and find somewhere to eat? that's such a gorgeous area
or go to a show? or do a jack the ripper tour & get a curry in brick lane?
etc etc - so so many options
thanks for the suggestions! For the evening part I mostly wanted to know if there was either something to do that's especially fun at night or if there is just a general area that's good to walk around and hang out. I'm hoping we can find some good fish and chips too
I'll look up those things and see what H thinks!
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I'm surprised to hear folks say 1-2 hours at the Tower, although I guess that's said as a minimum. I think you'd be either racing to make it in 1 hour especially, or you aren't really interested in seeing a lot of things. You know, like the people who only go for the Crown Jewels. I think 2-4 hours is more realistic, but I guess I might be a plodder.
For tea, I wonder if you've got your heart set on Harrod's? The reason I ask is because there are several places where you could do tea that would be relatively closer to the Tower of London (although I appreciate that Harrod's is in the direction of your hotel). For instance, Brown's is in Mayfair, or you could do a more casual tea at the Tate Modern dining room, with views of St. Paul's.
At night, I agree with the suggestion of walking around Covent Garden, or having a wander along the Southbank. For fish and chips, the Golden Hinde (BYOB) in Marylebone is an unassuming eatery with delightful fish and chips--which is pretty much all they do. The Marylebone High Street is really nice to wander at day time--lots of nice shops, a fabulous bookstore,etc--and there are quite a few pubs along there if you wanted to have a few drinks after.
Enjoy your layover!
thanks so much for the response!
Tower of London - I guess we're just trying to fit in more than one thing even though I realize 1-2 hours isn't very long. If we spent 4 hours then it would be evening and I really want to have tea (most seems to serve the last one around 5ish). I'm sure we'll come back to the UK someday and do it all properly
Harrods - I actually don't have my heart set on Harrods and we debated whether to go to a place closer to the Tower, but we picked Harrods because it was in the direction of our hotel and because I've been told that's the best place to find a tea cup (for my collection), so it's sort of 2 1/2 birds with one stone. I'm open to finding another place if you have a suggestion for finding a tea cup somewhere else!
And thanks for the fish & chips rec!
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