Californian in London June 30-July 7, looking for polo and polo friends to hang with :)

Hello lovelies! I'm gonna be in London June 30 until about July 7th. I am from Davis, California and I play polo! I'm "technically" out here for a conference at the London School of Economics and Political Science, buuuut I'm also making this a polo vacation. Would love to meet and hangout with some of you! And of course will also be looking to play polo when I'm in town! I see there are two locations you play at, I'll keep an eye on times and dates when you all plan to play.

I won't lie, I'm nervous about getting around town, any traveling and housing advice for a country girl?

Err, I feel like I should reply but I have no idea re: housing/hostels etc.

As for getting around, do you have a bike or need one? South Polo keep a few loaner bikes for playing on but riding around town they're not ideal

Hey! I will be bringing my polo bike with me but was planning on using public transit for getting around. Is public transit bike friendly do you know? Thanks :)

The tube (underground) only allows bikes on trains that stay above ground and you can't take them on during peak hours. 7:30am - 9:30am, 4pm - 7pm. This is a map of the lines that bikes are allowed on:
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bicycle-tube-map.pdf

For help navigating around get this app:
http://www.bikecitizens.net/app/
It routes you on quieter streets and downloads the city map to your phone so you don't need to use data while you are riding.

Yeah, Londons public transport really is one of the best in the world (It doesn't feel like it all the time, but then you go on holiday and realise it's amazing), but unless you have a Brompton, it isn't 'bike friendly'.

Depending on where you're going i'd say stick to one or the other. Bike or TfL.

Thanks everyone! I'm going to be staying near Buckingham Palace, I'm guessing a very touristy area? It was the closest AirBnB I could get to where my conference (London School of Economics and Political Science) is that wasn't ridiculous...well it is still ridiculous but in comparison, was "cheaper."

Now I've just got to figure out how to get from my Airbnb to polo :)

https://goo.gl/maps/5CzZm

Thanks! :)

Another newbie to wandering around the big bad city.

Some things i have learnt.
The buses do not take cash, you need a contactless payment card either a bank card or a city/Oyster card, you can buy train tickets with the extra of bus travel.
(a rail card and oyster card are my next things to get)

Not all public toilets are "Free" if you get any 20pence and maybe 50pence coins hang onto a couple of them in case you gotta go but you gotta pay first. The train stations seem to be pay-to-go.

The city will empty your wallet faster than a mugger......... more so at central tourist spots for coffee and snacks, look out for small mini-marts for dailys like drinking water (although tap water over here is safe to drink) but main street and tourist areas can be higher prices than normal around the UK, going off down some of the side streets will find quieter and cheaper food stops, although traditional pubs around the city seem on a par with other pubs(bar) for prices.

Bring a bike lock and use it. If you want hassle free and don't mind using one then the Santander rental bikes are a neat way to get about (also called Boris bikes)

If you find a tourist information center ( i haven't yet) you should be able to get free paper maps of the city for the bicycle routes and rental docking stations locations.

The citys fun, just don't be too touristy and pay attention to whats happening around you as people and vehicles whizz about as you try to take in the sights :)

Thanks for the tips! Luckily I'll have a kitchen to cook in where I'm staying so I'm hoping that helps me save a bit of money, hopefully....

A bit of pre london google-fu should show up what foodie shops/deli/mini-mart/supermarket are near to your location and little cafes etc etc.

If you fancy visiting museums or tourist hot spots go early if possible, the main ones can get really busy as the day goes on as do the main high streets.

Also a country person so not used to the sheer volume of people milling about, but just going down a side street for a bit is much easier for getting about, haven't seen rush hour yet......... avoiding that one :)

If you're near Buck Palace there's a big Sainsbury's supermarket on Victoria Street, just head down Buckingham Gate and turn right onto Victoria Street... To get to South polo (Newington) you carry on straight over Victoria Street down Horseferry Road, cross Lambeth Bridge, then do Lambeth Road > Borough Road > Harper Road... It'll take you about 20mins on a polo bike and it's a fun ride over the river... Enjoy!

That Sainsbury's on Victoria Street closed, the biggest branch is still pretty close though, on Wilsons Road, there is an underground carpark with bike parking too.

DO come along to South Polo on Harper Road.

Thanks everyone, I'm excited!

An odd reply from me now :)

JennyK came up on my facebook last night, think i hit follow for the moment, turns out you met ratcab in bristol, i know him, have evented with him, hence the popping up in FB

Kinda weird, planet must be getting smaller or maybe it's some karmic thing and i should have a go at polo (been looking into track taster sessions)..........

Small world :)