going to london and cambridge
Jul 4th, 2009 | 06:49 AM
#1
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going to london and cambridge
i went to a conference in Cambrige in june and stayed in london for a few days.
continental now flies out of heathrow after many years of flying into gatwick. one of the great things about flying into heathrow is that, if you buy an oyster travel card, getting into london is free. i got a room on priceline for $200 at the grosvenor house, on park lane between hyde park tube station and marble arch. i got off the picadilly line at hyde park and rolled my stuff up park lane to the grosvenor. i was less than excited when they told me (at about noon) that they didn't have any rooms ready. so i sat in the lobby for 90 mintues until a room opened up. i was wondering whether i was getting the priceline treatment because it seemed others were getting rooms. and then 90 minutes later i got a room. they gave me a suite. it was an extremely nice room. huge bedroom, big flat screeen tv, huge bathtub, etc. very very nice. i saw on bidding for travel that people are getting rooms at the grosvenor at some times for $150. a steal.
the royal court theater at sloane sq is having a wallace shawn summer--i got a ticket to a read through of one of his plays at 4pm. so i went to sloane sq and had lunch at Oriel. this is one of the nice restaurants with a patio on sloane sq. it was good and not expensive, with the plus that you could watch fashionable london walking by. i then heard the read-through.
then off to the national theater to see helen mirren in phadre. some nodding off due to jet lag, but very enjoyable. then back to my room for my too short stay in my suite. the next morning i wandered around oxford streeet a bit, and then got my stuff and went to king's cross station for my train to cambridge.
the non-stop trains are about every hour, maybe more frequent--they cost 29 pounds round-trip if you leave after 9 or 9:30. so--went to cambridge and got there a little before noon. got a taxi at the station, and took my stuff to where i was staying (one of the colleges by the name of caius). then went to my conference at the law faculty.
one great things about the timing of my conference was that it was at the same time as cambridge graduation. it really is very special. cambrige is comprised of a number of colleges--maybe 40? and each college has its own graduation ceremony. so, the way it works, is that each group marches together from the college to the university building where the graduation occurs. I think there is a ceremony for a college every 45 minutes or so. so, all day friday and saturday graduations were going on. I was sitting on the main drag on trumpington st. on sat aft when I happened to see the group from King's come out of their gate and walk 3 abreast down trumpington st to the university building. all the graduates were a black gown and also a white fur cape. quite impressive.
i was able to eat dinenr one evening in one of the college dining halls. many are centuries old and very beautiful. then on sunday--back to london!
more to come.....
continental now flies out of heathrow after many years of flying into gatwick. one of the great things about flying into heathrow is that, if you buy an oyster travel card, getting into london is free. i got a room on priceline for $200 at the grosvenor house, on park lane between hyde park tube station and marble arch. i got off the picadilly line at hyde park and rolled my stuff up park lane to the grosvenor. i was less than excited when they told me (at about noon) that they didn't have any rooms ready. so i sat in the lobby for 90 mintues until a room opened up. i was wondering whether i was getting the priceline treatment because it seemed others were getting rooms. and then 90 minutes later i got a room. they gave me a suite. it was an extremely nice room. huge bedroom, big flat screeen tv, huge bathtub, etc. very very nice. i saw on bidding for travel that people are getting rooms at the grosvenor at some times for $150. a steal.
the royal court theater at sloane sq is having a wallace shawn summer--i got a ticket to a read through of one of his plays at 4pm. so i went to sloane sq and had lunch at Oriel. this is one of the nice restaurants with a patio on sloane sq. it was good and not expensive, with the plus that you could watch fashionable london walking by. i then heard the read-through.
then off to the national theater to see helen mirren in phadre. some nodding off due to jet lag, but very enjoyable. then back to my room for my too short stay in my suite. the next morning i wandered around oxford streeet a bit, and then got my stuff and went to king's cross station for my train to cambridge.
the non-stop trains are about every hour, maybe more frequent--they cost 29 pounds round-trip if you leave after 9 or 9:30. so--went to cambridge and got there a little before noon. got a taxi at the station, and took my stuff to where i was staying (one of the colleges by the name of caius). then went to my conference at the law faculty.
one great things about the timing of my conference was that it was at the same time as cambridge graduation. it really is very special. cambrige is comprised of a number of colleges--maybe 40? and each college has its own graduation ceremony. so, the way it works, is that each group marches together from the college to the university building where the graduation occurs. I think there is a ceremony for a college every 45 minutes or so. so, all day friday and saturday graduations were going on. I was sitting on the main drag on trumpington st. on sat aft when I happened to see the group from King's come out of their gate and walk 3 abreast down trumpington st to the university building. all the graduates were a black gown and also a white fur cape. quite impressive.
i was able to eat dinenr one evening in one of the college dining halls. many are centuries old and very beautiful. then on sunday--back to london!
more to come.....
Jul 4th, 2009 | 11:55 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,268
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Graduation: in my day, you had to do the mediaeval ceremonial of kneeling to clasp hands with the Vice-Chancellor (sort of a combined praying posture), and then stand back and up in one movement. The college official demonstrating had a party piece of showing what would happen if you didn't make sure you'd hitched your gown up and away from your heels beforehand.....
Jul 4th, 2009 | 07:55 PM
#5
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
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<I>youngtom2910 on Jul 4, 2009 at 10:49 AM
if you buy an oyster travel card, getting into london is free.</i>
This is a nit, I know - but TfL isn't that generous. If you load a 6-Zone Travelcard, you will paying for far more transport than you can use, which will cost you money for nothing. The other strategy is to load a 2-Zone Travelcard and load an airport transfer supplement to that. They're (IIRC) £1.10 (off-peak) or £2. Not expensive - but not free either.
It could be argued that if one goes over the daily cap, one's LHR ride is free. But that may happen or not.
if you buy an oyster travel card, getting into london is free.</i>
This is a nit, I know - but TfL isn't that generous. If you load a 6-Zone Travelcard, you will paying for far more transport than you can use, which will cost you money for nothing. The other strategy is to load a 2-Zone Travelcard and load an airport transfer supplement to that. They're (IIRC) £1.10 (off-peak) or £2. Not expensive - but not free either.
It could be argued that if one goes over the daily cap, one's LHR ride is free. But that may happen or not.
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