THE PUB STUFF SHOULD HAVE BEEN LISTED AS OMNI, THANK YOU! CMDR* CATMAN.

OMNI POSTING: Thanks for the Pub guide info, Rudi. I only go to them on weekends and vacations (no drinking during the workweek!) It sounds like fun Matt, but before you go to sleep, take two aspirin/Tylenol so you can
ease the affects of "the morning after."

I would if you can get instant elite status with pub crawls? (I'm trying to stay in topic here!)

*The chief cat cop got a promotion the first of the year for his Honorable service at keeping threads ON TOPIC! And also because no one else wanted the job!!! CMDR CATCOP!

Meg Ryan would make a GREAT Commander. Did anyone ask?

OMNI Posting: I believe the Commander position is filled by a very capable person named CATMAN! And I think Meg's so busy making movies she wouldn't have time to be a CAT COP. Plus she's like "the girl next door" so she'll let OMNI postings run rampid
up here.

SO you are stuck with CMDR CATMAN!

Cdr. Catcop: The folling posting is of an OMNI-type nature. If you are looking for solid, hard ff information, read no furhter. WARNING: the surgeon general has determined that getting too involved in OMNI threads can seriously threaten your work productivity and/or eat away at you personal time at home. So proceed at your own risk and ultimate peril!

Thanks, Rudi...But I try to stay away from guide books (even the "good" ones) in favor of personal experience when it is available. I find travel so much more interesting that way. But I'll use it as a fall-back.

Bao, don't get me wrong! I enjoy Lucky Cheng's and Victor Victoria and probably even our own dear Marvella's show as much as anyone! So, no, I wouldn't mind a LITTLE local color. But my last time in london (for my honeymoon, of all things), we stumbled upon some chaps who were just in from a rugby tourney at a pub who decided to play a trick on us and sent us to a club in a not-so-nice part of town full of scary leather-and-chain-clad types who looked very much like they either wanted to kill or violate me. There is just something about the British sense of humor that I will never understand...

And finally, as for Meg Ryan: hubba-hubba! My dream girl ever since that deli scene in When Harry met Sally (with a scream like that, who CARES if she's faking!!!!)

OK, as we have gone totally Omni- I will proceed.

PUB GUIDES

Egon Ronay [very well known British foot critic] produces a number of guides every year Hotels/Pubs etc etc.

The last ones published were the 1997 editions (ISBN 1-89871893-8), however these are generally regarding as being of inferior quality.

Mr Ronay has nothing to do with them. The rights to use his name (for 10 years ending 1998) were sold to "Leading Guides Limited". My advice to anyone wanting to purchase one of these guides is to wait until Egon publishes his own guide again this year.


LONDON PUBS

The best way to impress is to look down your nose at anything own by Tom Cobleigh or similar (plastic pubs).

Avoid any pub with Firkin in the name ie. Rat & Firkin; Flying Firkin; Ball & Firkin (horrible pubs, horrible people, horrible beer).

Don't drink lager.

Of the mass produced bitters "Directors'" and "Old Speckled Hen" are well respected.

Avoid pubs with "Family Rooms".

Avoid pubs with "Restaurants".
If a good pub does food it will consist of Chill-Con-Carne; Chichken Curry; Lasagne; Sacmpi-and-chips; Chicken in the basket etc.


I would recommend the following sites for further reading on this interesting topic:

www.camra.org.uk
Campaign for Real Ale Homepage

www.brannigans.co.uk/goodpubguide
Brannigans 3-D Good Pub Guide

www.beerhunter.com
Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter Online

www.u-net.com/~thepub/beers.html
The British Real Ale Database

www.blra.co.uk
Beer and Pubs UK - Updated every month

www.breworld.com
breWorld - Beer and Brewing on the Internet

Nick


NB: The contents of this post represents the views of the author only, and is not intended to be definitive.

OMNI POSTING: Dr. Yaz and Dr. Eddie have warned me of the dangers of OMNI Postings: Dr. Eddie by deleting all my e-mail and Dr. Yaz by twice pulling out the phone connection cord. But FlyerTalk's only part of my wide and soemtimes wild world!

Thanks for the pub guide Merry. Maybe the best pubs are those on sidestreets that only a daring tourist like myself would venture in. It makes me thirsty for a pint. (but can't it's a work night!)

As for Fish and Chips: The best place I had is a few blocks from the Transit Museum (one of my favorite places to visit in London!) I forget the name, the "chef" is a real sourpuss but the best fish & chips I've ever had.

I just scan guidebooks, Matt to get maps and
get a rough plan of action, then I start walking. You are right, more fun to "experience" a place on your own. CATMAN

OMNI OMNI OMNI

(This thread never had much hope anyway)

Matt - I understand your caution... In addition to perusing Merry's web-sites, wandering about in Soho can be useful... just find a pub you like the look of and go in.

A few general guidelines:
If the pub is full of unpleasant leather-clad beings who look as though they might want to deflower you, back out...
If you hear loud American accents above the general noise (sorry guys), leave immediately.
As a general rule of thumb, avoid the pubs on major tourist toroughfares - find the smaller ones on back streets that only Londoners know about.
Take your A-Z with you, but hide it in your coat pocket. A lot of my friends photocopy the page they need if it's a part of London they're unfamiliar with... Every Londoner owns one.
Feel free to turn on your heel and walk out of a place. After all, you may feel silly, but you will never see any of those strangers again.

Merry's advice about not drinking lager (and above all, *not* Budweiser) is worth taking. Drink bitter - you can often walk in to a pub and ask for a pint of bitter, and they will simply produce the pub specialty (this varies from pub to pub & the area you are in). If they ask you what type you want and you haven't a clue, don't waste time looking ignorant and umming and aahing - just point to the most prominent tap and say "Directors/Smiths/Tetleys/Speckled Hen of course" You can always try something different for your next pint.

PS - NEVER trust any rugby players. Not unless you know them personally, and even then, be wary. They like to have a joke at the poor innocent's expense...

On Continental all they require is for you to send a copy of your elite card from any airline for the current year and a letter and they will normally heed your request for the first year. They will put you in the same mileage bracket, for example say you fly 75000 on United which puts you in their gold level Co will put you in the platinum if you can send a statement showing you flew 75000 actual flight miles.