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London has such an abundance of [[squat]]s that you shouldn't ever have to pay for accommodation. Having said that, most squats are places where people live and go about their normal business, so don't expect too much from them. Perhaps it would be good to find some friendly squatters by word of mouth or on [http://www.couchsurfing.com couchsurfing] or similar. Don't worry about the negative connotations associated with squats. They generally aren't crackhouses or scabies-infested punk hangouts. People of all types squat in London and their homes are usually very nice. They are especially helpful if you're planning to stick around for a while, but can also be great if you're just passing through. [[User:Zac Stewart|Zac]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Zac Stewart|talk]]</sup></small> ended up with a squat to sleep in on his first night, and in [[Mayfair]] of all places! There is a strong community of squatters especially in the north east of London where a new group has been set for resistance and solidarity. The North East London Squatters Network are having meetings every month as well as a mailing list etc... For more info, get in touch with the '''[http://www.hackneysocialcentre.blogspot.com/ Hackney Social Centre]''' .. (unfortunately this has now been evicted).
'''[http://www.rampart.co.nr/ rampART]''' is a squatted social center in [[Whitechapel]], east London. This place isn't a residential squat, but they do have a "crash room" for visitors. They make it clear that it is not a tourist hostel so you needn't bother them unless you are interested in getting involved with their project for some time while you're there. To stay, you need to contact them well ahead of time. If nothing else, it's a great place to meet squatters and find a place to stay. They also have free internet!(As of last month rampART was evicted by the police and is no more.) Interestingly, the new place at Bowl Court Road that was squatted a few months ago has already been evicted (August 2008). The '''[http://www.squatter.org.uk/ Advisory Service for Squatters]''' is helpful for people that are planning to find a place to live and cannot really help you find a place to crash. It's located at the Freedom Bookstore in Whitechapel and is another great place to meet squatters as well as get online for free. The address is Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High Street, Whitechapel, London, England, E1 7QX. (Tel. 020-32160099) For more info on social centers in London, check out [http://www.socialcentresnetwork.org.uk/ Autonomous London]. == Eat ==Cheap and free food abounds in London. === Free ===Hari Krishna offer free food from several locations in London at lunchtime: outside SOAS by Russel Square at 1pm, for example. Expect to queue for 30 minutes, arrive early to guarantee a fill - the food does run out. Otherwise... In the UK, the term for eating food that would otherwise be thrown away, is called skipping. Lots of people do it, all from people that come from poor countries and see all the food that goes to waist, to people that are political in there way of living. Many people, especially in the squat scene live totally out of food from the bins... Plenty of places throw out food at closing time. Always check the bags out front of '''Pret a Mangers''' and '''Benjy's''' at 5-7pm. If you feel up to it, you can even go inside when they are closing shop and explain that you're homeless and pick out all the food you want instead of getting it off the sidewalk. Feel no shame, you're helping to curb wastefulness! The '''Coffee Republic''' on Great Marlborough Street near the Oxford Circle and Carnaby Street is reported to put out garbage bags with totally normal food--boiled potatoes, sandwiches, etc. every evening around 8pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. The sandwich company "Eat" throw away lots of stuff everyday all over town. Have a look in there bins or outside the shops on the street. The bakery 'Paul' in Blackfriars and Paddington throw out a lot of cakes, all extremely luxurious and scrumptious. From Blackfriars station walk up the main road, and Paul's will be on your right after a few minutes. Wholesale vegetable markets at New Covent Garden Market and New Spitalfield Market have tons of stuff lying around on the floor that they cant sell but you certainly can eat... Go early in the morning, you probably run in to some other people skipping... Places like Sainsburys, Marks and Spencers, Tesco and so on have a marking system on their packed food that says when the food should be thrown away and when it should be eaten before. The gap between this days are often two days and you can still have it more or less a week more depending on what it is. http://freegan.org.uk/ Good places to try in Hackney are E.A.T. Pret, Iceland, supermarket metros or locals and markets. === Cheap ===If you're going to self cater, stick to '''Sainsbury's''' and '''Tesco''' rather than the convenient Off-Licenses for better prices. If you are a bit out of Central London, you might as well look for '''Lidl''', '''Morrisons''', '''Netto''' or '''Asda'''. Anyhow with a decent and wise grocery, you can get your grocery for nearly a week for about 10-15 pounds at any of the mentioned supermarket with decent, fresh and healthy food ''(to cook)''. Be aware though that these supermarkets are not in any sense "ethical". They are wiping out local shops, taking monopoly on feeding us, destroying the environment and throwing away food every day that could feed hundreds of people. It's better to eat out of their bins. <!-- Totally irrelevant information! --> If you get tired of peanut butter sandwiches or want to fill up for the weekend, try one of the many £5 all-you-can-eat '''Thai Buffets''' which are always always totally vegan! (some good all-you-can-eat start at £3,50). Go early, they get more expensive in the evening. While downtown, you can also get a ''<nowiki>'</nowiki>6-inch sandwich of the day<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' at '''Subway''' for 2 pounds. The markets in Camden Town have cheap food around 5pm, especially in the Lock Market where, if you walk for a few minutes past all the initial food courts, you can easily find dishes of noodles for £2. == Internet ==In Westminster, there's a public library which you can use for free Internet access. You might need to register yourself, though, and that progress (and waiting for the next available computer) can take quite some time. Go to the Apple store, Oxford street as I remember, ask any '''local''' around Piccadilly or Regent or Oxford street and they should be able to tell you the exact location. {{Template:Regions England}}{{Excellent}}[[trash:London]]{{IsIn|England}} [[Category:United Kingdom]][[Category:England]][[Category:E30]]
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