Last-minute London trip-- Great Time (after Some Glitches)
Jun 7th, 2008, 10:11 AM
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Last-minute London trip-- Great Time (after Some Glitches)
Got back London last weekend. I've never attempted write about my travels before-- I keep detailed scrapbooks, not journals, of trips-- but this time I just want to post a report to thank all those who were so helpful when I was freaking out about last-minute plans, and to provide some tips for other first-timers who may be as confused as I was.
This trip had been planned for NEXT spring, but last month while searching in vain for cheap November fares for Paris, I looked at London fares for this spring (just out of curiosity, to see how much more expensive it would be, so I'd feel better about the Paris prices), and it turned out to be much cheaper! (Why? Is it because everyone's trying to save money by travelling off-season this year?) So I called up my mother and we decided to go for it, even though that gave us only 3 week to plan. Plus, I was busy making a complicated gown for an event, so that really left me with less than 1 week to plan-- not enough time to read through the thousands of questions that had already been answered over and over, so I just had to ask again and hope not to get yelled at. Thank goodness for all the Fodorites who came to my rescue!
Found an apartment on VRBO-- a studio in Earl's Court. I soon found that the plane ticket was the only thing cheaper than Paris-- everything else costs about double.
Picked up a London Redmap (similar to the Streetwise ones), AAA Spiral Guide London, and Artistik London (a new compact book that concentrates on museums, theatres, and galleries).
This trip had been planned for NEXT spring, but last month while searching in vain for cheap November fares for Paris, I looked at London fares for this spring (just out of curiosity, to see how much more expensive it would be, so I'd feel better about the Paris prices), and it turned out to be much cheaper! (Why? Is it because everyone's trying to save money by travelling off-season this year?) So I called up my mother and we decided to go for it, even though that gave us only 3 week to plan. Plus, I was busy making a complicated gown for an event, so that really left me with less than 1 week to plan-- not enough time to read through the thousands of questions that had already been answered over and over, so I just had to ask again and hope not to get yelled at. Thank goodness for all the Fodorites who came to my rescue!
Found an apartment on VRBO-- a studio in Earl's Court. I soon found that the plane ticket was the only thing cheaper than Paris-- everything else costs about double.
Picked up a London Redmap (similar to the Streetwise ones), AAA Spiral Guide London, and Artistik London (a new compact book that concentrates on museums, theatres, and galleries).
Jun 7th, 2008, 10:13 AM
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Day 0-- The Cat's Revenge
Having only 10 vacation days year, I always try to fly on a Friday night straight from work. Despite being a vain clothes-addict, it was easy to pack just an 18" carry-on with some room to spare.
My cat gets sent to the vet for boarding when I travel. Usually, when I bring out the suitcase a few days before the trip to start packing, he starts whining a little. This time he didn't, and I thought he was getting used to it-- little did I know he had other forms of protest planned. Friday morning I got out of the shower to find a splotch if cat pee right in the center of my bed! No time to deal with it-- I still had to drop him off at the vet and go to work-- so told myself, well, at least it wasn't in the middle of the open SUITCASE, or else I'd really be in trouble; gotta go.
After work, I used to take the Airporter bus from Port Authority to JFK, but after a previous bad experience of a 3-hr traffic jam and being denied boarding (even though the flight was delayed and not taking off for several more hours), I wanted to avoid the roads. Took Long Island Railroad from Penn Station and then the AirTrain from Jamaica-- very easy and stress-free. I recommend this route for anyone who going from midtown Manhattan to JFK.
Uncomfortable flight. At first there SEEMED to be comfortable leg room. Until the guy in front reclined almost into my face. Then they ran out of food 2 rows before me. They said the catering people forgot a whole cart while loading. Those of us in the back got just an entree (chicken) without the rest of the tray.
Having only 10 vacation days year, I always try to fly on a Friday night straight from work. Despite being a vain clothes-addict, it was easy to pack just an 18" carry-on with some room to spare.
My cat gets sent to the vet for boarding when I travel. Usually, when I bring out the suitcase a few days before the trip to start packing, he starts whining a little. This time he didn't, and I thought he was getting used to it-- little did I know he had other forms of protest planned. Friday morning I got out of the shower to find a splotch if cat pee right in the center of my bed! No time to deal with it-- I still had to drop him off at the vet and go to work-- so told myself, well, at least it wasn't in the middle of the open SUITCASE, or else I'd really be in trouble; gotta go.
After work, I used to take the Airporter bus from Port Authority to JFK, but after a previous bad experience of a 3-hr traffic jam and being denied boarding (even though the flight was delayed and not taking off for several more hours), I wanted to avoid the roads. Took Long Island Railroad from Penn Station and then the AirTrain from Jamaica-- very easy and stress-free. I recommend this route for anyone who going from midtown Manhattan to JFK.
Uncomfortable flight. At first there SEEMED to be comfortable leg room. Until the guy in front reclined almost into my face. Then they ran out of food 2 rows before me. They said the catering people forgot a whole cart while loading. Those of us in the back got just an entree (chicken) without the rest of the tray.
Jun 7th, 2008, 10:16 AM
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Day 1-- Slow Start
My mom flew earlier from ATL to Gatwick. I arrived at Heathrow, went to the ATM to withdraw cash, and it says my PIN was wrong. Tried another ATM, same thing. Bought an Oystercard (PAYG) with my credit card and took the tube to the apartment. Expected my mom to have settled in hours before, but found her outside, with the helpful shuttle driver. We were supposed to get a 1st floor apartment but the key they left us was for the top floor instead (4th flr, but about 6 flights up-- I myself wouldn't mind, but my mom has knee pains). Neither of us had cell phones, so the shuttle driver helped us call the apt management from his cell phone. Eventually, we were told to "temporarily" settle into the top flr apt, and they'd try to move us after the long weekend. (Never happened).
Trying to sort out the apartment mess took up half a day. Called Citibank; they said nothing was wrong with my account or card. My mom was sleep-deprived from the flight and took a nap. Wanting to take advantage of the 2-for-1 discount vouchers, I went to Victoria Station to buy us 2 paper 7-day Travelcards (to start the next day). Thanks to Succeed's instructions on this http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35129357 thread, I easily found the right queu for that. (No, they weren't available at Heathrow, or at least not where I asked). A warning for those of you who plan on getting the paper cards: make sure YOU yourself are familiar with all its rules, because most of the employees and agents are NOT. (More on that later).
I love old train stations, and Victoria (especially the Southern Rail part) was charming and photogenic. Had my first delicious Cornish pasty from a vendor in there.
By the time I got back to the apt, the day was almost over, mom was still in bed, and while perusing my guide books, I too dozed off. So much for planning to hit the ground running.
My mom flew earlier from ATL to Gatwick. I arrived at Heathrow, went to the ATM to withdraw cash, and it says my PIN was wrong. Tried another ATM, same thing. Bought an Oystercard (PAYG) with my credit card and took the tube to the apartment. Expected my mom to have settled in hours before, but found her outside, with the helpful shuttle driver. We were supposed to get a 1st floor apartment but the key they left us was for the top floor instead (4th flr, but about 6 flights up-- I myself wouldn't mind, but my mom has knee pains). Neither of us had cell phones, so the shuttle driver helped us call the apt management from his cell phone. Eventually, we were told to "temporarily" settle into the top flr apt, and they'd try to move us after the long weekend. (Never happened).
Trying to sort out the apartment mess took up half a day. Called Citibank; they said nothing was wrong with my account or card. My mom was sleep-deprived from the flight and took a nap. Wanting to take advantage of the 2-for-1 discount vouchers, I went to Victoria Station to buy us 2 paper 7-day Travelcards (to start the next day). Thanks to Succeed's instructions on this http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35129357 thread, I easily found the right queu for that. (No, they weren't available at Heathrow, or at least not where I asked). A warning for those of you who plan on getting the paper cards: make sure YOU yourself are familiar with all its rules, because most of the employees and agents are NOT. (More on that later).
I love old train stations, and Victoria (especially the Southern Rail part) was charming and photogenic. Had my first delicious Cornish pasty from a vendor in there.
By the time I got back to the apt, the day was almost over, mom was still in bed, and while perusing my guide books, I too dozed off. So much for planning to hit the ground running.
Jun 7th, 2008, 11:34 AM
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Day 2 -- Bus Tour and Courtauld Gallery
There's a huge Tesco store a few blocks away, and in the morning I wanted to pick up some groceries for the apartment. However, under the enormous "Open 24 Hrs" sign was the fine print "Monday-Friday." On Sundays, they don't open until 10 (or 11?) am. Went to a smaller grocery store on Earl's Court Rd instead. I didn't see any bakeries like the boulangeries in Paris but was happy to discover that all the grocery stores have fresh-baked croissants and cheese twists (my new favorite) in the mornings, and cheap too. I figured the six flights of stairs several times a day (plus 500+ steps of St Paul's later in the week) justified a few extra pastries.
Brought the breakfast back to Mom, and then we finally headed out to see London. The area around the apartment is pretty-- Georgian townhouses, flowers, and adorable little Austin Minis in every color.
We took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus from Victoria Station to get an overview of the main sights. Beautiful weather for photos. http://images36.fotki.com/v1176/phot...11B2294-vi.jpg Got off at the Embankment for the Somerset House-- it's the last day of the Courtauld Gallery's 'Renoir at the Theatre' exhibit. I loved Manet's 'At the Ball'. Unusual fountain in the courtyard. http://images35.fotki.com/v1207/phot...30A9479-vi.jpg At first, nobody knew you could walk through it-- everyone was going around it, until one couple walked straight through, and then everybody else did too. You can pass through without getting wet at all, though some little kids were deliberately running into the water.
There's a huge Tesco store a few blocks away, and in the morning I wanted to pick up some groceries for the apartment. However, under the enormous "Open 24 Hrs" sign was the fine print "Monday-Friday." On Sundays, they don't open until 10 (or 11?) am. Went to a smaller grocery store on Earl's Court Rd instead. I didn't see any bakeries like the boulangeries in Paris but was happy to discover that all the grocery stores have fresh-baked croissants and cheese twists (my new favorite) in the mornings, and cheap too. I figured the six flights of stairs several times a day (plus 500+ steps of St Paul's later in the week) justified a few extra pastries.
Brought the breakfast back to Mom, and then we finally headed out to see London. The area around the apartment is pretty-- Georgian townhouses, flowers, and adorable little Austin Minis in every color.
We took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus from Victoria Station to get an overview of the main sights. Beautiful weather for photos. http://images36.fotki.com/v1176/phot...11B2294-vi.jpg Got off at the Embankment for the Somerset House-- it's the last day of the Courtauld Gallery's 'Renoir at the Theatre' exhibit. I loved Manet's 'At the Ball'. Unusual fountain in the courtyard. http://images35.fotki.com/v1207/phot...30A9479-vi.jpg At first, nobody knew you could walk through it-- everyone was going around it, until one couple walked straight through, and then everybody else did too. You can pass through without getting wet at all, though some little kids were deliberately running into the water.
Jun 7th, 2008, 12:02 PM
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Day 2 continued
The day was very warm, but in the evening after sunset it drizzled and the temperature dropped quickly. (Remember to dress in layers). By the time we arrived back at Earl's Court station, we were so cold, wet, and exhausted that we popped into the first restaurant across the street-- and had bad, overpriced Chinese food with rude service. Never again! Lesson: always look out for restaurants BEFORE you're tired / hungry / caught in rain. Walking home after dinner, we passed by so many charming-looking restaurants that we could have gone to instead.
The day was very warm, but in the evening after sunset it drizzled and the temperature dropped quickly. (Remember to dress in layers). By the time we arrived back at Earl's Court station, we were so cold, wet, and exhausted that we popped into the first restaurant across the street-- and had bad, overpriced Chinese food with rude service. Never again! Lesson: always look out for restaurants BEFORE you're tired / hungry / caught in rain. Walking home after dinner, we passed by so many charming-looking restaurants that we could have gone to instead.
Jun 7th, 2008, 12:48 PM
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Any chance you stopped into the little bakery directly across from the Earl's Court tube stop? It's a "must do" for me when I'm in London. They have great egg mayo sandwiches and these great square pastries with apple filling and covered in vanilla icing. YUM!
Jun 7th, 2008, 01:15 PM
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MademoiselleFifi, you mention finding the studio apartment through VRBO. Can you link the specific apartment and your verdict on the experience. If that's already planned to show up in a future post, I'll wait and look for it. Thanks!
Jun 7th, 2008, 01:40 PM
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Day 3-- Thames, Tower of London, Royal Ballet
Pouring rain. And so windy that umbrellas were flipping and many beautiful ones ended up in garbage cans. http://images36.fotki.com/v1179/phot...11B2566-vi.jpg Now I get to eat crow for laughing at my (even more fashion-addicted) colleague for packing boots for Prague in spring. Warm, water-proof boots sure would have come in handy today! Lots of local kids happily splashing through puddles in their boots, while I had to tread carefully to keep my only pair of shoes dry. Good day to go straight into a museum, but our Hop-on/off bus tickets and the included boat cruise were only valid until 1:30pm, and we didn't want to waste that.
Not a great boat ride-- it was much too windy and rainy to sit on top, and the glass-enclosed lower-level was so steamed up that we could hardly see anything. My mom did get an interesting photo of the Houses of Parliament through a veil of water droplets-- looks kind of Impressionist. I don't think we missed much though-- the Thames is not the Seine; it's much wider so you can't get a close-up view of buildings from a boat, and there aren't as many interesting bridges. The main highlights along the river are the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, and maybe Tate Modern, and you don't have to go on a boat to see them-- you can get much better views on land. While I tell every Paris visitor that a Seine boat ride is an absolute Must-do (even if it's the only thing you do), a Thames boat ride is not necessary.
Tower of London had been scheduled for later in the week because I thought it would be too crowded today (a bank holiday), but not wanting to ride all the way to Greenwich in the rain, we got off the boat at the tower and decided to just go in, crowd or no crowd. Turned out fine anyway-- the lines for tickets were long and out in the rain, but they moved very quickly. Used our 2-for-1 voucher. Went straight for the crown jewels, and even that wasn't a long line-- moved right through and didn't even finish seeing all the films in the waiting rooms. (Do those get all packed in summer?) The jewels are fabulous-- we went back through the moving walkway 4 or 5 times! I wanted to take a Yeoman Warder tour but Mom didn't, so she went to eat at the cafe. Wasn't a tour anyway-- when it rains, they just take you to the chapel to tell stories. Quite interesting. Our warder had a dramatic, booming voice like a Shakespearean actor. http://images31.fotki.com/v1053/phot...11B2516-vi.jpg After that, we had scones with clotted cream at the cafe. Yum. Anyone know where I can buy clotted cream in NYC?
Nice view of Tower Bridge from the Tower of London: http://images35.fotki.com/v1197/phot...11B2542-vi.jpg
In the evening, we had tickets for the Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, with Sarah Lamb and Viacheslav Samodurov. I was nervous about buying the side Stalls Circle seats because they were partial-view. (Didn't have much choice when buying just 2 weeks before). I loved the seats. About 1/3 of the stage wasn't visible, but what was visible was SO close (and at eye-level) that it's well worth sacrificing the missing view. What a treat. http://images35.fotki.com/v1198/phot...11B2627-vi.jpg
Pouring rain. And so windy that umbrellas were flipping and many beautiful ones ended up in garbage cans. http://images36.fotki.com/v1179/phot...11B2566-vi.jpg Now I get to eat crow for laughing at my (even more fashion-addicted) colleague for packing boots for Prague in spring. Warm, water-proof boots sure would have come in handy today! Lots of local kids happily splashing through puddles in their boots, while I had to tread carefully to keep my only pair of shoes dry. Good day to go straight into a museum, but our Hop-on/off bus tickets and the included boat cruise were only valid until 1:30pm, and we didn't want to waste that.
Not a great boat ride-- it was much too windy and rainy to sit on top, and the glass-enclosed lower-level was so steamed up that we could hardly see anything. My mom did get an interesting photo of the Houses of Parliament through a veil of water droplets-- looks kind of Impressionist. I don't think we missed much though-- the Thames is not the Seine; it's much wider so you can't get a close-up view of buildings from a boat, and there aren't as many interesting bridges. The main highlights along the river are the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, and maybe Tate Modern, and you don't have to go on a boat to see them-- you can get much better views on land. While I tell every Paris visitor that a Seine boat ride is an absolute Must-do (even if it's the only thing you do), a Thames boat ride is not necessary.
Tower of London had been scheduled for later in the week because I thought it would be too crowded today (a bank holiday), but not wanting to ride all the way to Greenwich in the rain, we got off the boat at the tower and decided to just go in, crowd or no crowd. Turned out fine anyway-- the lines for tickets were long and out in the rain, but they moved very quickly. Used our 2-for-1 voucher. Went straight for the crown jewels, and even that wasn't a long line-- moved right through and didn't even finish seeing all the films in the waiting rooms. (Do those get all packed in summer?) The jewels are fabulous-- we went back through the moving walkway 4 or 5 times! I wanted to take a Yeoman Warder tour but Mom didn't, so she went to eat at the cafe. Wasn't a tour anyway-- when it rains, they just take you to the chapel to tell stories. Quite interesting. Our warder had a dramatic, booming voice like a Shakespearean actor. http://images31.fotki.com/v1053/phot...11B2516-vi.jpg After that, we had scones with clotted cream at the cafe. Yum. Anyone know where I can buy clotted cream in NYC?
Nice view of Tower Bridge from the Tower of London: http://images35.fotki.com/v1197/phot...11B2542-vi.jpg
In the evening, we had tickets for the Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, with Sarah Lamb and Viacheslav Samodurov. I was nervous about buying the side Stalls Circle seats because they were partial-view. (Didn't have much choice when buying just 2 weeks before). I loved the seats. About 1/3 of the stage wasn't visible, but what was visible was SO close (and at eye-level) that it's well worth sacrificing the missing view. What a treat. http://images35.fotki.com/v1198/phot...11B2627-vi.jpg
Jun 7th, 2008, 01:55 PM
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Ah-ha! You were there the Bank Holiday Weekend! I was in Bath that day and I couldn't agree more with the crappy weather! It was in the 40s with gale-force winds. I thought it was a miracle that my umbrella didn't break!
Jun 7th, 2008, 07:19 PM
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I'm glad you're writing a trip report, MademoiselleFifi! I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences. The guidebook you mention (Artistik London) sounds good - did you like it?
That cold rain can be awful. I hope it didn't put too much of a 'damper' on your trip. We were at the Tower on such a day, and our Yeoman Warder gave us the vote of whether to go to the chapel and hear stories or do the tour. We all voted for the tour. No umbrellas were allowed, however.
That cold rain can be awful. I hope it didn't put too much of a 'damper' on your trip. We were at the Tower on such a day, and our Yeoman Warder gave us the vote of whether to go to the chapel and hear stories or do the tour. We all voted for the tour. No umbrellas were allowed, however.
Jun 8th, 2008, 04:35 AM
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@ MademoiselleFifi:
Clotted cream in NYC: Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, more options:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/397622
Clotted cream in NYC: Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, more options:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/397622
Jun 8th, 2008, 07:39 AM
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Thanks for the comments!
Now with this terrible heat wave at home, how I miss London weather, even with wind and rain.
MelJ,
No, we didn't see the bakery; I wish we had. Is it near one of the two old pubs? (I looked at my photos, and the pubs were my only photos from that side of the street). Will have to go back next time!
scotlib,
It was VRBO #90760. Unlike other VRBO places we've had before, this wasn't "BO" (by owner). It was by a rental agency which was a hassle to deal with, so I wouldn't recommend it even though the location was nice. Long story-- I'll post more detail later.
YK,
Will you post a report on your Bath trip? My cousin recommended Bath as a day trip, but we didn't even have enough time for London itself. Will have to to some other time.
noe847,
I liked the "Authentik Artistik" guide book a lot, as a supplement, not as a main guide (unless you're already very familiar with the city). It's pocket-sized and understated, with good maps, and lots of blank pages in the back for notes and journaling. Covers some of the smaller museums that aren't mentioned in general guides. They also publish two other guides for each city-- "Gourmet" and "Chic"-- but those are too high-end for me.
G Hopper,
Thanks! Oh-oh, can be dangerous to have it so accessible year-round. And when at Dean and Deluca, I have to get almond croissants too.
Now with this terrible heat wave at home, how I miss London weather, even with wind and rain.
MelJ,
No, we didn't see the bakery; I wish we had. Is it near one of the two old pubs? (I looked at my photos, and the pubs were my only photos from that side of the street). Will have to go back next time!
scotlib,
It was VRBO #90760. Unlike other VRBO places we've had before, this wasn't "BO" (by owner). It was by a rental agency which was a hassle to deal with, so I wouldn't recommend it even though the location was nice. Long story-- I'll post more detail later.
YK,
Will you post a report on your Bath trip? My cousin recommended Bath as a day trip, but we didn't even have enough time for London itself. Will have to to some other time.
noe847,
I liked the "Authentik Artistik" guide book a lot, as a supplement, not as a main guide (unless you're already very familiar with the city). It's pocket-sized and understated, with good maps, and lots of blank pages in the back for notes and journaling. Covers some of the smaller museums that aren't mentioned in general guides. They also publish two other guides for each city-- "Gourmet" and "Chic"-- but those are too high-end for me.
G Hopper,
Thanks! Oh-oh, can be dangerous to have it so accessible year-round. And when at Dean and Deluca, I have to get almond croissants too.
