I'm planning to be in London next month for a family vacation. Since there seem to be a bunch of London folks on the forum, I though I'd see if they had any suggestions for things to do that a geeky traveler might want to be aware of (after I've taken the family to the classic sights).
Well we DO have a board game café :P
I can help out with some shops...
Forbidden Planet Megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue for geeky toys, comic books, books etc.
Orbital Comics on Great Newport Street or Mega City Comics on Inverness Street in Camden for comic books and graphic novels.
Orcs Nest on Earlham Street for a boardgames and RPG quick fix, or Leisure Games on Ballads Lane in Finchley more of the same- definitely worth it if you can make it there.
I also recommend the Science Museum and/or British Museum. They both very geeky in their own ways.
Do we?? I know there is one in Oxford.
As for geeky things to do it depends on what sort of experience you are looking for, what kind of budget, and whether it's a family event and how old the kids are. It's a big city so there is something for everybody here. You could even come and play a few games with some of us one night!
A few left field suggestions:
The Science Museum is awesome.
That's about the extent of my London knowledge though. ;)
I was planning to keep an eye out for the April London meetup date in case it happens to coincide with my trip. I don't think my wife would want me taking hours away from our vacation to go and play boardgames, but she wouldn't object to me visiting and saying hello. The two of us will be in London for a week with our 11yo daughter, who I've been brainwashing from a young age so she's into Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Superheroes (yes, she plays Sentinels too!), and other geeky stuff. My wife enjoys some geeky things, but is more into arts & crafts markets (she wants to go mudlarking on the Thames to find strage bits to use in her projects).
This'll be our daughter's first-time in London so she wants to see the classics (e.g. The Tower of London, the British Museum, The London Eye, the Zoo, etc) and do on the WB Harry Potter Studio Tour. My wife and I enjoy more eclectic sites like the Sir John Slone Museum or the V&A. I've yet to see the Churchill War Rooms or so the Globe Theatre tour, so those are probably on our list. We were discussing Greenwich, but can't tell how interesting it really is.
Thanks for pointing me to the Ministry of Stories / Monster Supply Shop! I've visited a number of the 826 shops in the US and didn't know there was a similar thing in London. I'll have to try to make it there. A bunch of interesting ideas in the walking tour too, thanks!
The list of comic & game shops is helpful too. I'll plug all of those into G Maps and visit them if we're nearby,
Ahh, if you want an unusual museum that is kid friendly then you absolutely can't go wrong with the Horniman Museum. Greenwich is OK if you are interested in the maritime museum, otherwise there is a steep walk up a hill to the meridian line that is worth taking but it gets ludicrously crowded up there. The best thing about Greenwich is the view which is quite spectacular but not as awesome as you'll get from either the Shard or the Eye. Also, you get to ride on the driverless Docklands light rail which snakes between all the swanky skyscrapers to get there. Oh yeah, there is also this really cool building somewhere around the university complex that has the most amazing interior decor. I can't remember the name of it but it's easy to find as it's in the Christopher Wren buildings by the riverside.
edit: linkies! The Painted Hall and The Horniman Museum
We do! There's a place called Draughts in Hackney: http://www.draughtslondon.com/
Oh, that's superb! Apparently it's quite new, only a few months old. Same setup as the Oxford one, a fiver to get in or a bit cheaper for kids.
There is a Doctor Who walking tour:
http://britmovietours.com/bookings/doctor-who-london-tour/
Not sure if it would be suitable for an 11 year old, but there are quite a few Jack The Ripper walking tours too!
A nice thing about London is you can shoot out to other places fairly easily, so if things like Historic sailing ships appeal, you can visit HMS Victory in Portsmouth (it's somewhat more impressive than the Golden Hind (South Bank) or Cutty Sark (Greenwich)). I'm not sure what Roman sites are worth visiting, but we've got a few of those too.
If you're planning on saving money, it's easy to find free things in London (one of the most amazing photography exhibitions I've seen was near the GLA building by Tower Bridge)
http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/free-london
If I think of more nerdy stuff I'll post it here
If you like late medieval/early modern British history, Hampton Court Palace is absolutely top-notch. It is about a half-hour train ride away from London, and is one of the best museums I've ever visited. It is much less touristy than something like The Tower, and whoever is the currator has done an amazing job.
If you like theater and will be there in late April or after, go see a Shakespeare play at The Globe in Southwark. It looks like they have The Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet this spring.
If you like British pubs and cask ale, I recommend my favorite pub in London, Ye Olde Mitre. It is a tiny pub built in 1547 and tucked away into an alley that makes it genuinely difficult to find, even with GPS directions. The beer will be fantastic, they will have pub food-type snacks, and there will be no tourists. It is only open on weekdays, and gets quite busy in the evening.
I think this might be a picture from inside Ye Olde Mitre: http://www.spatzel.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=39427
It definitely is!