Going to London for the 1st time! (hotels, price, trip)

[msjack]

Hi all! I'm hoping you can help me. I've looked at the other threads about London, and I've gotten good advice, but I'm not sure if my question applies, but I don't think it does. If it does I'm sorry for repeating.
I'm planning a trip to London for the fall, maybe Sept or Oct. I will be traveling alone and exploring the city by myself. The problem is I'm not sure where to stay? I want to be near the tourist spots, but don't mind somewhere that's out a bit that I can take the subway in to the city. Do you all have any recommendations of where to stay in the city? Somewhere near "tourist spots" that aren't outrageously priced? When I search travel websites they list many hotels, but I'm not sure exactly where they are by the areas they give. Can anyone give me the names of counties/cities of where I should be looking? Thanks to anyone that can be of help!

[BlueWillowPlate]

I've been to London several times and stayed in several different neighborhoods.
One that worked out well: Ten years ago, I was traveling with a girlfriend, and we hoped to see live theater as well as go to lots of museums.
We stayed in the Bloomsbury neighborhood, across the street from a lovely park. This worked really well because it was not far from the Leicester Square theater area, close to Euston Station as well as Russell Square.
It was within walking distance of the British Museum and British Library, and also there was a really good fish and chip shop, the North Sea, close by. Also nearby was the Camden Market and Regent's Park.
The place where we stayed, Avalon Hotel, has backpacker-standard rooms as well as "nicer" rooms, but it was not all that fancy.
We always felt safe and secure and we walked all over the place.
Maybe someone else will offer you a completely different scenario--this would give you a different perspective, which is always helpful.