Im not sane.

Delores said:

I can actually vouch for that

First things first.
The Holiday Inn Express Docklands is right next to Canning Town station from which you can take the DLR or Jubilee Line.
It's 1 stop on the Jubilee Line to Greenwich and 2 stops to Canary Wharf.
Or you can take the DLR to Canary Wharf, changing at Poplar and get off at West India Quay which is where the pubs are.

The Travelodge Docklands is next to East India DLR Station so it's 2 stops to West India Quay on the DLR or 1 stop to Canning Town and then the Jubilee Line to Greenwich.

The Custom House Hotel Docklands is right next to Custom House DLR Station so it's 2 stops from Canning Town (and about 300 metres from my house ).

Bearing in mind Custom House is the most deprived neighbourhood in Britain with Tower Hamlets (which is where East India Station is) being second or third, I personally wouldn't drink in Custom House, Canning Town or Tower Hamlets.
It has the highest level of car-jackings in the country and just last week there was a raid by over 60 armed Police.
So you can imagine the kind of people that live there and if you're an outsider the chances are there'll be problems.

There are however loads of bars at West India Quay in Canary Wharf, along the dock.
It's where all the workers drink so it's safe and always buzzing.
It's not that cheap though.
It's easy to find - just get off the DLR at West India Quay station and all the pubs are right next to the Marriott hotel which is next to the station.

If you're staying in Custom House hotel, you could even meet at the Crowne Plaza hotel.
it's about a 2 minute walk and on the edge of Royal Victoria dock so it's a nice location.
It's the other side of the rail tracks from Custom House so it's like being in a different area.

As for taking taxis, it's not that cheap and as the dome's on the other side of the Thames you'll have to go through the Blackwall tunnel.
Far easier to take the Jubilee Line from Canning Town which is only 1 stop and 2 minutes to Greenwich.
Even if you're at the Crowne Plaza hotel here it's still only 1 stop on the DLR to Canning Town so it's very east to get to the Dome.

Whatever you do though, get an Oyster Card.
Journeys in Zones 2 & 3 are £1 with an Oyster Card or £3 if you're buying individual tickets.
There's also a daily price cap of about £6 so no matter how many journeys you make it's still only £6.

For the area you’re staying in, the Crowne Plaza is about the best option as it is central to all 3 hotels and right next to Royal Victoria DLR station which is 1 stop from Canning Town which is 1 stop on the Jubilee Line from Greenwich where the dome is. Takes 10 minutes door to door. The hotel actually encourages people who don’t stay there to use the bar and restaurant. All the local residents have discount cards entitling them to 25% off so I wouldn’t worry about using the bar or restaurant if not staying there.

You can also see the dome from the pub – it’s only a few hundred metres away across the Thames.

Check out the Oyster website for prices, etc: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Oyster is easy to use – you just touch it on the card reader when you enter the station and touch it again when you leave.

And you can top it up using machines, the internet, phone or have an auto top-up set up so when it goes below a certain limit it automatically debits your card.

I’ve attached a map of the area and a Tube/DLR map.
The key to the map is:

A: Travelodge London
B: Holiday Inn Express Docklands
C: Custom House Hotel Docklands
D: Crowne Plaza Hotel
E: West India Quay Pubs

so does anyone else have any other input or suggestions or shall we designate the crown plaza docklands hotel bar the official meetup location? it's close to the main 3 hotels and next to the station so easy to get to the o2 from so sounds as good a place as any and is recommended by someone who lives in the area as the best place for our requirements, so i doubt you can do much better than that, unless people really want to meet in a bar inside the o2, which would be fine by me, only the place isn't open yet so we don't know what the details are

London gigs, orgers falling down.....drunk.

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

You should make a guest appearance.

so does anyone else have any other input or suggestions or shall we designate the crown plaza docklands hotel bar the official meetup location?

unique said:

Up to you, but as a Londoner I'd suggest a pub in Greenwich, then get a bus to the venue at Greenwich North. The pubs around Docklands and Canary Wharf aren't great (in fact that end of town is grim!), but Greenwich is very pretty.

I got a hotel close to the venue to avoid subways, taxis, buses ... can't we meet walking distance from the venue? it makes things so easy for everybody who's going to the concerts... dont you think?

Thanks to everybody involved in giving infor about possible meeting points.

And its still more than two months ahead ... jeeez.

hey unique mate-greetings from nz!-im coming from nz in september-havent got any tickets yet so will be hoping lady luck will help.

see you 4 a pint in that london if i get a ticket!

hope alls well with you(can u believe its almost 5 years since i left edinburgh!!!)

Let's meet at the Holiday Inn Greenwich hotel bar.

Delores said:

Hear! hear!

how far is it from the 3 main hotels in docklands to one of your suggested pubs in greenwich, and how do you get there?

unique said:

Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you, I've been in hospital, but I'm on the mend now.

It would mean going further away from the venue, but it might be worth it. Greenwich is very pretty and has nice pubs, even a Wetherspoons if you really want (The Gate Clock), or The Trafalgar Tavern right on the waterfront (http://www.trafalgartavern.co.uk).

Greenwich is on the overground and the DLR, to get from there to the venue we'd need bus 129 or 188 which go from near the Cutty Sark (or should I say 'smouldering wreck'?).

If you need to check any transport www.tfl.gov.uk has a journey planner which is good, if a little confused about some things (it thinks 'The Dome' is by Trafalgar Square...). I'd really, really recommend you get Oyster cards if you can, they make travel much cheaper.

Hope that helps, let me know what you decide.

can you post a map a bit similar 2 the 1 i posted above and show the area in relation 2 the o2, say marking a dot where weatherspoons is 2 show a comparison? .... so it's important 2 find a place 2 suit the majority rather than the minority

unique said:

It's fine, don't worry. It's a lot further away that the drinking places you're looking at, so the Crowne Plaza bar is probably better.

I'm only doing one night and I'm unlikely to make a pre-meet (I work full time), so the suggestion was based on wanting you to see the nicest bits of London, not convenience!