BudgetTravel

"Of course, we need shopping," says Kaley. "We're looking for things that aren't too expensive." Maria chimes in with a request for good spots to "walk around and see all the little stores." For smaller shops, they might try the pinwheel of streets radiating out from Seven Dials (just north of Covent Garden), which are packed with little tea shops, bookstores, and funky boutiques. Oxford Street offers a different shopping experience not to be missed, as it's lined with huge stores such as Topshop ("The World's Largest Fashion Store," with a vast selection of reasonably priced accessories and clothes for young women) and Marks & Spencer (a grocery-and-clothing-store combo beloved by the masses), as well as HMV and Virgin Megastore, which are both loaded with CDs. London is also known for its amazing flea markets, including less expensive trinkets, secondhand clothing, jewelry, and artwork, on sale daily at the Camden and Spitalfields markets. And finally, we steer the girls to the city's excellent official tourism site, visitlondon.com, and in particular to pages on Designer Discount Stores (under "Budget") and Chic on the Cheap (under "Shopping").

"The girls don't like a lot of museum-going," says Sallie. "But they'd be willing to check out an interesting one." Since Kaley and Maria attend a school for the arts, and all three girls are into all kinds of music, a morning at Trafalgar Square seems in order. First they can review works by da Vinci, Cézanne, and Degas at the National Gallery; like many London museums, it's free. Around lunchtime, they should make their way to St. Martin-in-the-Fields, which hosts free concerts on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Lunch prices at the church's Café in the Crypt are reasonable, and tables sit atop flat gravestones lining the floor.

Maria Finocchiaro, Kaley Boyles, Caroline Jackovich, and the scouts' chaperones, in Savannah (Imke Lass) MAY 2006 ISSUE • Table of Contents • Maui: Friendly, Quirky, and Full of Soul • Secret Hotels of Bali • 25 Reasons We Love Oaxaca • Family Travel: Guide to Summer Vacations • Road Trip: Nevada • 40 Best Vacations

In all honesty, the girls are looking forward to hanging out at the Hard Rock Cafe far more than an afternoon at any museum. Yet the Cabinet War Rooms, with its warren of underground chambers in which Churchill and his staff plotted during World War II, piques Kaley's interest. "That's awesome!" she says when we describe the layout. "I would love to see that."

Caroline is active in her high school drama club, and all three girls say they want to see one of Shakespeare's plays if it isn't too expensive. At Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, "groundlings" pay just $9 to watch a play while standing in the central open-air yard of this doughnut-shaped playhouse, a faithful Elizabethan-era reconstruction that should be familiar to anyone who saw Shakespeare in Love. "We were talking about the old theaters in class, and they sound really cool," says Maria. "We read Romeo and Juliet, and we went into what Shakespeare did and his world."

The only drawback: While the troop is in town, the Globe will be presenting Coriolanus and Titus Andronicus--a bit heavy for teenagers on summer vacation. We suggest they might be happier paying $18 for nosebleed seats at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, where they can pick from a pair of crowd-pleasing comedies: The Taming of the Shrew or A Midsummer Night's Dream. The latter seems particularly fitting for the occasion.

Surprise!

The Girl Scouts and their chaperones will not only get to go shopping at Harrods, they'll enjoy a free afternoon tea, courtesy of the world-famous department store. Keep those pinkies in, ladies!

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