London again...
 

After all the trouble with moving to Berlin-including a major problem in my bath caused by a broken pipe in the apartment above me, resulting in a new wall in my bath (dirt, dirt, dirt...)I decided that I need a break-I booked a flight to London and have a whole day there next tuesday :-)!!!!!(Thanks to very good prices atr Air Berlin!)
Now my questions; as I have just from 8 in the morning until 5 in the evening until I have to go back to the airport my day is packed, but I want to:

go to the bookshop "Crime in Store", it has moved to Great Russel Street-is it worth a trip, I haven`t been there before?

I am thinking about visiting one exhibition and do not know if I should go to:

Fame&Beauty in Victorian Society (NPG)
or
in the "Raphael" exhibition at the (NG).

decisions, decisions-who has been to one or both exhibitions and can tell me something about it?

I also want to do a bit of shopping (retail therapy is v.g. against stress) and plan to do it in the morning as soon as the shops open to avoid the crowds, where can I find a good, not so structured jacket, in style like a jeans jacket but a bit dressier? I have seen one in a mag by Marc Jacobs but have no idea if it is from this season. (I know there are some fashion fans here, please help, this time I do not have the time to look around!)

And: anything that is so special that I must do/see/buy/eat it in London at the moment?

Crime in Store looks to be reasonably well-stocked. If you like that sort of things, it's doubtless the sort of thing you'll like.

Personally, I was highly disappointed by the Raphael. The National Gallery really doesn't have enough space for special exhibitions, and the crowds were awful. The only person I've met who claims to have found a way round the problem had tickets for the moment the show opened, went in on the dot, rushed to the end and then did the exhibition in reverse. You have to have timed tickets, and it's rare to get them on the spot: I could get them only for 45 mins later. You might conclude you just don't have the time. Mrs F discovered, though, that there are tickets available on the phone for times the website claims to be fully booked.

It's very much padded out with drawings that are normally on view (without the crowds) in other London or Oxford museums, or with non-Raphael paintings that didn't contribute much to my enjoyment. Mrs F agrees with me on all this - an event noteworthy in itself.

IMHO the absolute best exhibition on right now is the Carlsberg Glyptotek show at the Royal Academy. OK Degas and interesting Egyptian stuff (though in London, that's a bit coals to Newcastle). BUT very good Etruscan things and utterly gob-smackingly glorious Roman sculpture. If you thought Roman sculpture was there to bore schoolchildren being dragged round museums, look at the Pompey, Crassus and Virgil/Hesiod statues. Closes Dec 10.

I agree with FlannerUK about the Glypotek exhibit...I saw those pieces a few years ago at the Glypotek in Copenhagen (it's being renovated, which is why the artwork is out on loan) and they are well worth seeing.

Hi holly, I sometimes do London for a day, thanks to a flight that leaves Antwerp at 7 am, with a return flight at 20.30. I'm afraid that last time (2 weeks ago) I didn't do anything other than shopping, lunch, drinks.
I don't shop for books anymore; order them from Amazon, so I won't have to carry them home.
The Gap has some great jackets, but maybe you have that in Berlin? We don't have Gap in Belgium, so I stock up when I go to London. They have some great things now (the best flower corsages too), and they open at 9.30, while most shops open at 10.
Something else we don't have here; Marks & Spencer. The lingerie department at their Marble Arch store is great, and so affordable.
Selfridges is right next door; in the women's fashion department, there's Momo; great for a quick lunch while shopping, if you like Morroccan food.
By the way, did you used to post at the UK Vogue forum? You sound familiar!

My apologies.

The flanneruk eyes are clearly getting ready for the knacker's yard and read "Thursday" where you'd written "Tuesday"

I wasn't planning to gloat over your missing an exhibition that will have closed before you get here.

Another negative on the Raphael exhibiton - my partner went last wek and was very disappointed, so perhaps give this one a miss and save Raphael for a trip to Rome sometime.

Since I've already commented on the Raphael exhibition on another post, I won't burden you with further pronouncements.

There is an exhibit at the Royal Academy of Sir William Nicholson. Those of you with children may know him best as the illustrator of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and author of "Clever Bill". Those with an interest in posters know him as half of the Beggarstaff Brothers, whose work from the 1890s was revolutionary. In addition, in the 1890s he produced a number of woodcuts and portfolios published by William Heineman: An Alphabet, An Almanac of Twelve Sports, London Types.

His other works until his death in 1949 include still lifes, portraits and landscapes which are in many collections. The Tate has a number of them.

Go and expand your horizons.

Brown's in South Molton St. stock Marc Jacobs collections, as does Harvey Nichols in the Brompton Road. If you are in Mayfair/W1 then the former will be easier.

Wow, so many nice replys:-)

I will skip the Raphael-with so many bad reviews I will not waste my time!

I have seen the Glypotek exhibition in october and I liked it very much-maybe I will go in the exhibition about Nicholson, I have just looked it up on the RA site, very interesting!

Tulips, yes, you are right, I used to post at the Vogue forum but the posters changed the style and I felt a bit old ;-)...are you still there, how is it now?
I love Gap-but it closed all its German shops, I will certainly go to it and also to Marks...these are the cornerstones of each shopping trip to London, as well as HN, as M_kingdom2 might agree.I love to go to London even for one day!

I thought so Holly! I haven't seen the Vogue forum for a long time.
When you go to Gap, check out the velvet blazers and sequined corsages.
I also like the area of Westbourne Grove; Brora Cashmere, Diane von Furstenberg, Paul & Joe, Whistles, Joseph. All my favorite shops are there. But if you only have one day, you probably won't have time for that.

Have fun!

Although flying to the US for a day trip is not exactly feasible, todays Wall Street Journal has an article on the front page titled "As Dollar Declines, Europeans See US As Big Half-Off Sale".

A Gap reversible faux-fur vest is $68 in the US and $132 in London, iPod $299 in NY and $426 in London.

Jsmith, amen to that. I was just in Chicago for a convention and went mad shopping all the post-Thanksgiving pre-Christmas sales. The prices were dirt cheap compared to what we'd be charged for the same items in the UK. I bought mostly clothes this trip, but when friends come to visit us in early 2005, they'll be bringing us a new laptop and iPod. Much cheaper for us to order some electronics from an American company online, have it shipped to a U.S. address, and then have a visiting friend serve as deliveryman.

As I am living in Berlin (germany) London for one day allows me to be there for 8 hours and the possibility to buy things I can not get here (think Gap, Laura Mercier cosmetics, Fortnum&Mason tea, english books, Paul Smith and Joseph clothing and Pandora)no matter how much I would be willing to pay, but most important; I have the possibility to get inspiration and relaxation in a short time when travelling for longer is not an option-it`s a little escape:-)

BTilke; do you declare these things when you get to Customs in Belgium? I'm planning a shopping trip to NYC in April.

Holly; have a great time in London. Jo Malone is another one that I can't get here (love her Lime Basil Mandarin).
And do you know Links of London? They have wonderful charm bracelets; they are really nice Christmas presents (for yourself perhaps?). Their sweetie bracelet, with silver shoe and handbag charms is great for shopaholics!

Tulips, I have seen the Gap velvet blazers in a mag and I will certainly have a look at them. You are right, Jo Malone is wonderful, I am using her skincare and love many of the fragrances!

As I have not too much time I decided that I will go to Harrods, Harvey Nichols to see what they do have (Marc Jacobs and TSE) and I will have a look at Pandora the wonderful second hand shop. After lunch at HN I will go to Marcs&Spencer and I think I go to the Nicholson exhibition-thanks for the tip Jsmith-I haven`t know this artist but after doing a bit of research I recognised the pictures, and
I like them.

Any more ideas? I am looking for a nice cafe in the Knightsbridge area to have breakfast there as I am hopefully there very early before the shops open!

Tulips, with electronics, nope, never. (The computer has to be up and running to go through security on the U.S. side sand o I guess it doesn't seem new...we don't bring things back boxed up etc. As for clothes, no. I never even thought to do so...no one ever stopped us and asked any questions, so I guess I followed a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
The only time I was pulled over by customs was last week when coming back from Chicago to Dusseldorf. I told the customs guy I had bought some clothes for myself, but he just wanted to know if I had bought alcohol or cigarettes. After I said no to both questions, he waved me through.

Holly; go to Le Metro, in Basil Street, just around the corner from Harrods. They open at 8, and serve English or Continental Breakfast. The Gap just past Harrods opens at 9.30.

BTilke; I was just asking since I was slammed in another post for saying just that; does anyone really declare all the clothes they bought abroad? I was accused of encouraging criminal behaviour! Glad I'm not the only one doing this.

Btilke,

i am trying that now (buy from US site and send to US address - for delivery by friends or pick up next visit). the problem is that most online retailers will not take a foreign credit card BILLING address.

they are picky to begin with when the billing and shipping addresses are different. the billing address must match exactly what is on file with the CC and with no good way to enter a foreign address, this is impossible. amazon is ok for this but many electronics stores will not work for me. if you have any tips, please let me know.

Sorry about that...we have both U.S. and overseas credit cards. Although I think it would be ok with some stores to buy something over the phone and arrange for someone to pick it up. I know we almost bought a laptop from a store in Chicago that way (we decided the model they had in stock wasn't exactly what they wanted).
Tulips, you know, in all my trips to the U.S. over the past five years, I was never once asked about what I'd bought (except for the alcohol and cigs question last week). So it never even occurred to me I might have had something to declare!

I believe the current limit for bringing stuff into an EU country from a non-EU country is £145. There were articles in the papers a few weeks ago about the the footballer Wayne Rooney's girlfriend, who'd been pulled up at Customs after a massive shopping trip to New York & who'd never heard of paying duty.