That are not the mainstream tourist things like.......

1. Buckingham Palace
2. Chaning of the Guard
etc, etc.

1. Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park
This is where guys stand up on soapboxes and chairs and give speaches to the crowd. Often you can get some very lively debates here. Especially on politics or religion.

2. Soho
Just walk the streets of Soho and check out all the shops restaurants, bars, etc.

3. Abbey Road (Beattles Album Cover)
5 Abbey Road, in St John's Wood in the City of Westminster. Walk across the street like the beattles and get your picture taken.

[This message has been edited by mel99 (edited 6/29/2009 7:15p).]

A little touristy, but we did the "Jack the Ripper" tour in East London. Gave us an opportunity to get out of the city center and see a different area.

Very touristy, but I loved the Tower of London. The tour was awesome, and seeing the Crown Jewels was cool as well. Plus you have a great view of Tower Bridge near the Tower entrance.

Check out the London Eye as well. Great 360 degree views of the city.

Most of the other things we did were normal tourist things.

camden market.

Hyde Park (Princess Diana Fountain)

Go have lunch in Harrod's; decent food (by Brit standards anyway) and always a celebrity or two to be seen.

As a military history buff, the last time I went to London, I compiled a list of significant buildings and locations beforehand, such as 20 Grosvenor Square, where Eisenhower established an HQ during WWII (he planned some of the D-Day invasion from there) ... I love the fact that these buildings are still in use (in fact, the Navy still uses #20).

I probably drove my wife a bit crazy, but it's fascinating to visit a place that you've read about for years.

In that same vein, the Imperial War Museum is one of the best of its kind in the world. Well worth a visit.

Just stayed at the Grosvenor House which is right around the corner.

Just about any pub is worth a visit. And I know the London Eye is touristy but it is awesome.

The London Eye probably isn't top 5 material, but it is certainly worth spending the short time to do. Unrivaled views of London.

I know you said not mainstream tourist stuff, but defintely go inside and tour Westminster Abbey. Amazing place with all the famous people buried under the floor in there.

I think another off the beaten path neighborhood to check out is Notting Hill. If you are there when they have the August Bank Holiday, they have the Notting Hill Festival, which is a huge parade and party. Many of the businesses literally board their windows and leave town, but I didn't find it to be that crazy when I checked it out. Maybe there have been negative incidents in the past. Otherwise it's a really cool and eclectic neighborhood with lots of places to eat and drink. There's also a flea market/art market on Saturdays. Just head west from the train stop nearest the neighborhood.

The British Library (no, not the British Museum, althought it's great too). The British Library has a small museum inside, it only takes about two hours to see everything, but inch for inch, I think it's the best museum in the world.

Everything from some of the first maps of Europe and America, Gospels that were left out of the Bible, John Lennon's handwritten "Yesterday", the first sketches of Winnie the Pooh, a Magna Carta, a Gutenberg Bible, . . . all in a room about the size of a basketball court.

4. National Gallery
It has free admission and has some great works of art. You can easily spend an hour hear and see the majority of what you want to see.

Good call, Sr. Mandingo ... One of my all-time favorite museums. I believe you can also see Lewis Carroll's notebooks there, which he used to take notes for the stories that would become "Alice in Wonderland."

One good thing to mention: Nearly all of London's museums are free, making them an incredible bargain. I just wish the rest of Europe would follow suit!

Kinda touristy but definitely worth a visit. Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, I really enjoyed it.

+1 churchhill museum

And get some indian food from a good indian restaurant.

Fantastic Indian food in London.

[This message has been edited by BusterAg (edited 7/1/2009 1:49p).]