quick London trip

I love the bus tours - you can see all the sights while relaxing on a bus...plus it's not super expensive & you can say you've seen it all!

Is there a specific tour bus company you recommend? Do you just hop on when you see one stopped and buy the ticket or do you have to go to a central location first? Just curious...

i like the original tour  it's the best one i've done here!!!  it's a hop on hop off...i *think* you can buy on the bus!  There are little kiosks everywhere for them!

http://www.theoriginaltour.com/

 The bus tour looks great. And especially if you can just hop off and on at any point. Definitely looks like a well worth it way to see most of the sites. The free river cruise thrown in looks fun too.
Its ok if the room is just average at the Regent. Just as long as it is clean and safe. 
I dont have that much time to post but when I do you guys are all so helpful.   

Yup - that's what I've done...the original bus tour.  It's brilliant & the river tour is fantastic too! (plus there's cool shopping in Greenwich!)

What about the Jack the Ripper walking tour at night?! I've always wanted to do that - every year dh and I say we're going to go and we never do! I bet a teenager would love that though!

Also, this might be too geeky, but I've always wanted to go see the Cabinet War Rooms. One thing that struck me when I came here as a tourist was how WWII actually HAPPENED here. It was always something out of a book and suddenly here was actual evidence of it.... I think making history real to kids is really important....

The Cabinet War Rooms are fascinating...I remember going there as a kid and loving it.

Being interested in history isn't geeky...I hope!


Victoria

The only walking tour I did with that company was the old pub one (so can't recommend that to a teen) but they are very professional and interesting...I've heard good things about the Jack the Ripper tour.

Come up at picadilly circus, it will make an impression!!!

  it really does...wow. When we did it...I came up the stairs and...wow your just met with sensory overload!  It was cool

An alternative trip is to catch the riverboat from embankement to Greenwich. You go under tower bridge but then get to see all the old warehouses to the east that have been converted into fantastic riverside apartments. Take lunch in a Greenwich pub then on to the old naval college and obsevatory (stand on the Greenwich meridan line - GMT), a look round the Cutty Sark (an old tea trading ship now open to the public) and then back to Tower Hill or Bank on the DLR thru the ever chaging Docklands. This area of london is all relatively new and is more akin to an American business district. 

You guys are great!  I just happen to be taking a Stateside buddy to London next month and all your suggestions are terrific and very timely.