American visiting London?

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WhoDaresWins

Not at all. Thousands of people flood into the city everyday and over three hundred languages are spoken. Being American won't cause stigma, just show others courtesy and they'll do likewise. London in rush hour can be a pain in the butt as everyone's rushing to get somewhere.

Have fun and welcome to London

P.S. Make sure you visit Covent Garden!

Carrie S

Given our history together (fighting side by side in the 2nd world war) we love the Americans.

You have nothing to worry about and we often feel a little grey and drab next to the colourful loud Americans with their different accents.

We do like to gently tease the Americans on the way they pronounce things differently such as herbs (we pronounce the H) and saying Edin borrow for Edinburgh. Deep down we love them and love to show off our country to them.

The only advice I would give is to try to be subtle rather than brash. We generally salute any North American who owns a passport, never mind makes it this far so you will be made most welcome.

Londoners can seem a bit cold when you first arrive because we're not in the habit of talking to strangers and would rather hide behind a book. But catch us in a pub after work and we're actually really nice.

Don't worry - you'll be fine!!

origamimark

London is a massive melting pot of people from all corners of the world and so where you come from will be about the last thing on anyone's mind, unless you decide to make an issue out of it. We have a much more cosmopolitan outlook than you, and know more about the world than you do, because most Americans are not informed by your media about much beyond your own shoreline.

Come and join in.

Some things to remember, though ...

Our currency is Pounds Sterling, NOT Euros. Credit cards are widely accepted for purchases over Â£5.00, but not below. If you go down the pub for a drink with friends, we take it in turns to buy the drinks - this is called 'getting the round in', and you must take your turn, and only your turn. Rounds of drinks are paid for as they are served. Do not tip bar staff. If you plan to travel around, get an Oyster Card (Google for the website). Don't even contemplate for a second hiring a car to drive around London. You will get hopelessly lost. Public transport here is fantastic so get some train, bus and tube maps, an A to Z, your Oyster card and do some homework - Google Transport for London for info. At a pinch black cabs (which are no longer all black, but the same basic shape) can get you most places in central area, but are expensive and can be slow. Never, ever use a minicab hailed or offered from the street - they are generally unlicensed, uninsured, unroadworthy, and driven by rapists or murderers. The steering wheel in a UK car (automobile) is on the correct side of the vehicle and we drive on the correct side of the road. Trucks are called lorries. Sedans are called saloons. Not everywhere has air conditioning - we open the window. Bring a raincoat. You can talk about the weather but don't complain about it - it is how it is ! Cricket, soccer (football) and rugger are good, baseball (rounders), (American) football and basketball (netball) are bad. We are not all on daily intimate terms with the Royal Family. We have regional accents too, and are not all cockneys or from Scotland. We are not all stupid, but some are - best avoid them.

Enjoy your stay.

Frank S

if you can find any british people in london , you will be welcomed by the majority----- the accent will be a bonus-----there will be obvious places to avoid at night [ same for anyone ]----- tourist areas will be no problem---------- in addition there will be many other American visitors so you will not be alone-- p.s thanks for your help during ww2 [even if a bit late joining ]

Eva xx

I don't think people will HATE you. That's rather strong.
However, I live in London, and tourists are quite irritating. Especially when you just stand there with your map and camera and we are trying to get on with our normal lives lol.

I suggest if you really want to fit in, don't wander round with a camera round your neck and a guide book under your arm. Just go with it. London is a beautiful city, so why not just walk round and see what you discover! There are loads of non-touristy places you can go to and you may be more respected for doing that.

Michelle

To be honest, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Most Brits are very accommodating and as long as you do not make a nuisance of yourself and annoy anybody you will have a fantastic time.

Enjoy your stay with us :)

MamaBas

Had to laugh at Frank's reply re 'native Londoners'. He's right! You'll be hard put to find a Brit in London these days, it's totally multi-cultural. Hate is a strong word, and I'm sure, if you take it easy, be yourself, you will find the reaction to your American accent won't put anybody off. In these difficult economic times, people will be happy that you have come over to spend your dollars here!! You will find the Southerners are rather 'cold' however - we don't tend to speak to strangers in the street. And do be careful with your personal belongings - do not put them down, anywhere, or they will most likely get nicked (that's stolen lol). Be aware of who is around you, especially if you are female.

I hope the sun shines for you (you will need rainwear, but if you live in New England, you won't be expecting it to be dry like on the West Coast eh?) and that you have a great time.

Add - Just to say apart from the obvious culture shock, you are going to find it very, very crowded. Plan a day or two outside London if you can because you will need a 'time out'. Even if you can just get to Windsor, it's lovely down by the river.

jamesawild

Hi, Well, you have attracted some interesting answers haven't you? There's lots of good advice there (and a few silly comments). One thing I would say is that the US is a very popular destination for British tourists so it is quite possible that any Brits you talk to will have been to NYC or Florida and have a good feeling about the US. If you have any specific questions feel free to email me jamesawild@yahoo.co.uk I was born in London and have and spent the last 50 years exploring London.

ryssee

OK, I'm not a Brit, but I've been to London 10 times, including working at a pub for three months as a young naive student. Like you, I'm from New England, by the way. Not sure if that matters though. Everyone likes to meet and talk to people from other countries and it's the same there, whether they've been to the US, or if they have an interest in where we're from.
I've only ever met one person there who had a problem with my nationality, and even his neighbors didn't like him. Go and have a great time. Be friendly and open, let them make fun of you the way the do (because it's all in good fun), and enjoy meeting other people from all over the world, because it's one of those places where the world converges.

anaaaa

you wont be hated,

dont talk loudly and dont make your self known as a torrists

as beautfull as london might be, there are alot of pickpockets
just dont be a loud mouth yank like lots of people think
be yourself by all means, but dont be over the top

SophieJonasified

You will find that there are lots of Americans in London so you won't be the odd one out. No-one will really mind where you are from. The majority of people who visit the historic places are usually tourists anyway. I've been to many of them myself but there are not often lots of Brits there. Hope it helps. :)

luddite

You'll be fine.
But........ if you don't want to annoy anyone, may I advise you:
Not to talk loudly in public.
Never try to mimic an accent you may hear (I've witnessed this several times, it's incredibly rude and provoking).
When exiting a tube train or getting off an escalator keep moving. This is not a good place to get your bearings or look at a map. If you do this you will cause chaos behind you.

Zebraman II

Generally speaking, most people wont care less who you are or where your from if you keep to yourself and dont start randomly chatting to people.

We get a lot of American tourists so there shouldnt be any problems unless you start something. Just try to blend in.

Beatnick

You'll be made welcome here in London - your city.

If you are coming to London this year [2009] I strongly recommend you try to be here for the Queen's Birthday Parade.

Trooping the Colour [Queen's Birthday Parade].
Saturday 13 June 2009 explained in the link below.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/trooping.html

What is Trooping the Colour like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMnBjoWpi0

The Royal Air Force Queen's Birthday Flypast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCUc90dTzeI&feature=related

Where can you see Trooping the Colour?

You can see the march on to the parade from any point in the Mall - the road which runs from Buckingham Palace towards Horse Guards. See Google map below.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl&q=buckingham%20palace

The Mall is the road running north east from the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace.

Royal Gun Salutes of London
http://www.4london.info/londoninformationgunsalutes.htm

Try something completely different when you are her in London.

10 Quirky places in London
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPNJV-SK--k

Trafalgar Square webcam live
http://www.camvista.com/england/london/trafalgarsquare_streaming.php

360 photos of London - the views etc
http://www.urban75.org/photos/london/panorama.html

Shopping in London
http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/

Don't try and take it all in in one day. Take your time, have a look around and stop worrying about your accent. There are already 500,000 Americans living and working here in London.

US Embassy London
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=american+embassy+london&meta=&aq=f&oq=

Welcome to London - your city.

A Londoner.

princess pie

Americans are fine in the uk ,don't worry you will be very welcome here the brits love a good Yankee accent.....lol enjoy your stay in sunny london

Idio

I'm from London and I hate it when I hear an American, their accents are so grating in real life. But they will be friendly to you, well in there own way, to be honest British people are mean to everyone.
*edit* Also are you going to just London?? Well let me tell you there are some amazing places to vist in ENgland that arn't just London, also there are some fantastic places in London that are not featured in guide books, if you want some help and advice just email me via my profile page.

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