Traveling to London! Just to let you know and don't know if this is a common happening.I guess trading up "meaning umbrella" happens. I was at a nice restaurant and was asked to leave my umbrella at the door along with other patrons. It was a very nice umbrella, a established designer "name brand" It was not your average umbrella that someone would have accidentally mistaken as their own. Upon leaving the establishment I realized my umbrella was taken! Does this happen a lot I asked? The owner said you leave it at your own risk. In responce, I said you told me to leave it at the front door. He told me have to have my choice! I was absolutely blown-away. So the next day I purchased another umbrella and certainly not as nice or as costly. You won't believe it; it happened again at a clothing boutique the following day. What's up with this! come on the pound is two to one can't people afford an umbrella!!!

What restaurant was this? I don't have costly umbrellas so nobody wants mine. In fact, I leave behind my blue umbrella in every flat I rent in London.

So if you rent an apartment & there's a bright blue umbrella that says in a small circle on top "It never rains in the Virgin Islands, but just in case. . ." you'll know I've been there before you. They only cost $7.00.

That's why you carry a collapsible/fold type that fits very easily in the standard purse....specially if on travel.

You ask is this a common happening in London.

Have you never read Howards End by E M Forster?

An (unwitting) umbrella theft is crucial in bringing poor, doomed Leonard Bast into the orbit of the Schlegel sisters.

What Leonard Bast did c. 1910 is still going on, apparently!!

Sounds like a bit of a streak of bad luck...sorry.

But the pound being "two to one" has no bearing on whether Londoners can afford an umbrella. It's not as though they have twice as much money as Americans.

I picked up the wrong umbrella in a Paris restaurant once, but realized it at the front door and went back in to switch for the correct one. In my case the two looked similar, both black, etc....

lol, sounds like bad luck to me too! We just purchased two compact umbrellas for our upcoming trip to London. Now I am glad since we will be able to discreetly carry them with us!

Sorry for your misfortune!

A "designer" umbrella? Does it keep you drier?

This has happened to me here in Brussels before. Left my lovely smart black umbrella by the door in a restaurant and came back to find a crummy old half broken one in its place.

Apropos, a friend of mine had an excellent technique for finding an umbrella when caught out by a rain shower.

He'd go into a restaurant or pub and say: "I was in here last week and I accidentally left a black umbrella behind. I don't suppose you found one?"

Invariably, a supply of forgotten black umbrellas would be brought out for him to choose from!

Would the owner of this place say it was "your problem" if your nice winter coat had been lifted from the coathook?

In London, you hear 'mind the gap'. Unfortunately, in this life, you have to 'mind' everything.

<b>&quot;Beware <s>London Umbrella</s> Thieves&quot;
</b>
Be careful out there.

London Umbrella Gang is the major problem for both domestic and international security. Official sources from Scotland Yard admitted that it has ramifications known as the Paris Umbrella Gang and the Milan Umbrella Gang. It is believed that Interpol has some undercover agents infiltrated, but further information is not disclosed.

Har har! Lobo Mau - I confess. I am indeed an umbrella thief.
Well, what else was I to do? The dear ol' gent seated opposite me on the tube got up and after the train pulled off I noticed he had left his umbrella on the seat. I waited until we pulled into the next station and grabbed it just as the doors were opening.
Today, his umbella is my most prized of all my collection. Everytime I use it I think of London and my tube ride - and I think of HIM missing his lovely umbrella!

I've never, ever had this happen and as I live in London I go to London restaurants a lot. When it's raining I nearly always do leave my wet umbrella with them even if it's a small, folding one, since who wants a dripping wet umbrella with them at the table?

Never had one nicked but then again mine are usually inexpensive (since even expensive ones can get blown inside out and broken) so no reason for anyone to nick them.

Hanl, thanks for the tip!

I've only got those crappy free brollies you get with a magazine. The ones that blow inside out first time you put them up.

But thanks for the 'switching' tip -I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for a Pucci brolly, or a Liberty print, then 'exchange'. 8-)

I only buy Chinese umbrellas at 2&euro;. I usually buy three at a time since they don't last long.

If they are stolen, who cares?

I think that those nice designer umbrellas get shipped to Venice where the gangs of street vendors peddle them along with the authentic Prada purses and other expensive goods.

The one we bought there was quite nice, and the vendor told us it was just that day imported from the UK!
A &quot;steal&quot; (excuse the pun) for only 4 Euros!

Does anyone want to buy a nice umbrella?

A branch of LUG (the notorious London Umbrella Gang) apparrently has inflitrated Boston's North End. My lovely Monet's Water Lily umbrella was lifted from a restaurant there. Please notify Interpol.