No Grits-But there was Krispie Kreme And the 10 things I learned about London
 

No Grits-But there was Krispie Kreme!
And the 10 things I learned about London
1. You don’t need to go to Alaska for wildlife.
After settling into the fantastic Renaissance Chancery Court in Holborn (99bps a night!!) we had done the full two hour loop on the Big Bus. Our last stop was Aldwych so we walked up Chancery Lane towards our hotel on High Holborn. It was a quiet Sunday evening and since Holborn is a business district, Chancery Lane was deserted. When we looked down a side lane, we saw a gorgeous, very healthy fox running across the road! I imagine he gets a pretty good diet from the fat pigeons in the nearby park and other city animal dwellers. A couple of days later we came across a group of birders (gotta love those British birders!) with scopes aimed at one of the tall buildings overlooking the Thames. A peregrine falcon was perching on a ledge. It’s rare to see those here even in the “wilds” of Virginia.

2. You can wear anything you want in London.
Don’t worry about it. It is more important to be comfortable. Forget the warnings about white trainers (tennis shoes). They were everywhere and everyone was wearing jeans. A lot of the kids were wearing Converse types and there were some “fashionable” Pumas etc but I also saw many traditional sneaks. I had brought a couple of tiered skirts, navy twills, dressy pants, and a jean jacket and was fine. For shoes, I packed a very comfortable pair of embellished flat sandals, ballet flats and threw in my tie less Sketchers at the last minute. On our two rainy days I wore the Sketchers and did not feel at all out of place. The only time I felt inappropriate was when I wore my navy Burberry trench coat. LOL. Even at dinner time it seemed a “bit much.” I have to mention that the British men know how to dress. They pair beautiful colored ties with bright shirts and lovely pinstripe suits. Purples, pinks, stripes with stripes, etc. The British working women could take a lesson from them. If I saw one more capped-sleeve white blouse with a black skirt I was going to scream.

3. Traveling with teens to London can be fun.
Sure we got some “attitude” some times and there were a few meals where we separated so one could get Pizza Hut and McDonalds while the rest ate more exotic fare but overall it was a fantastic experience with them. We probably wouldn’t have gone to the war rooms or Imperial War museum if we had gone without the WWII nut son or stood on the concrete at the Globe for two hours to watch Comedy of Errors with the Shakespeare fan daughter. And forget the London Eye without kids. I have to say that I enjoyed every one of those activities and am really glad they got us to go. Do get your Globe tickets early and try to get a voucher for the Eye from your concierge.

4. The London Tube system is one of the wonders of the world.
We bought 7 day Oyster cards at the tube station and it was the best purchase of the trip. We were on tubes at least 3 times a day. It really freed us up to go anywhere at anytime. We would start together on one line and then split up to go in different directions on different lines. We traveled out to Earl’s Court to see the Body Exhibit and to Waterloo to board the train for Windsor. We never waited more than 5 min. for a train. Since we had seen a lot of the city during our Big Bus tour it didn’t bother us to be below ground so much. It was great to see two suburb-raised kids become seasoned public transport travelers. I was dyin’ to turn to the people next to me and in true Southern fashion ask “Where are y’all from?” but there wasn’t much conversation on the tube and my kids would have died from embarrassment. Don’t get into the queues at Waterloo. Use the info desks for questions and the ticket machines to get your tickets.

5. It is very important to go to the more “spiritual” places at quiet times.
Following the always fantastic advice from fellow Fodorites, we headed over to the Tower first thing one morning. We didn’t get there until 9:30 but it was still relatively quiet and there weren’t any queues. I had already purchased our tickets at the tube stop but could have bought them at the Tower without much of a wait at that time. The courtyard was so peaceful and the very worthwhile warders’ tour was not a massive throng of people. When we left after noon, the crowds were horrible. We were also smart to go to St Paul’s early in the morning. There were very few people and even fewer that made the climb to the top. St. Paul’s is gorgeous and worth seeing. I look at the dinky Wren building at William & Mary now and think it must have been Christopher Wren’s student project before he became good enough to design fantastic buildings such as St. Paul’s. Westminster Abbey was lovely during the last hour and half of the day. The cloisters and garden were very quiet until we became a little uneasy when we heard 3 helicopters hovering overhead. Remember, this is one week after the “liquid bomb” arrests so I’m trying to stay calm and not go into “American Mom” panic mode. We later found out it was TV copters following the suspects as they were moved from court to jail.

6. You can’t avoid lines all the time so enjoy the fantastic people watching.
If you are in London when Buckingham Palace is open, you go and you know you will stand in line. We bought tickets from our concierge so we only had to stand in queues for an hour rather than two hours. We could have pre-bought tickets for the London Eye but didn’t and almost didn’t go because of the queue. I’m glad we did because it really is fantastic and the line moved quickly. London tourists are a wonderfully diverse lot. From the group of African-American LA women and the large traditional Jewish family at Buckingham to the gorgeous Muslim woman with the jet-beaded long, black dress and veil at the London Eye and the many, many Italian tourists (was anyone left in Italy this summer?) it was a great mix of people.

7. You can’t do everything.
Yes, we went to Madame Tussaud’s but did not step foot into the British Museum or Library. Oh, the shame! We did, however, go to Sir John Soane’s Museum (great!) and the Theatre Museum where we watched a cute little boy become transformed into a “Cat’s” character in the Stage Makeup Demo. DD and I also ran into the Victoria & Albert Museum just to see the clothing exhibit (fun Mary Quant pieces) and Morris exhibit (closed!) I would have loved to go to the theatre every night but could only manage one night at Les Mis for which we were able to get great tickets at TKTS. Of course, the great drama of the week was the Pakistan vs. the cricket referee scandal.

8. There is more to London than Krispy Kreme – like mushy peas!
We never had a bad meal in London nor did we have a fantastic meal but this was a family trip not a foodie trip. Most of our meals were eaten in our hotel neighborhood. After a first morning terribly overpriced buffet breakfast at the hotel we bought our breakfasts at the many take-outs in the neighborhood. Paul and the aforementioned Krispy Kreme. Marquess of Anglesey, Tuttons Brasserie, The Ship Tavern, The Shakespeare, and The Crypt at St. Martins all offered good lunches. We had great Indian at Hasan Raja, good Thai at Pu Brasserie, very nice Italian at Café Pasta and a great steak dinner at Gaucho Grill. Bank Aldwych was a fun dinner place with decent food. DD did fall in love with the mushy peas often served with her fish and chips.

9. The Brits perception of America can be as laughable as ours of Britain.
I’m going a little off-track here but I have to tell you about an article that appeared in the British magazine Time Out while we were in London. The writer, Maggie Davis was describing her trip to Virginia and North Carolina. “…a land of unpredictable weather conditions…freak floods and treacherous terrains” “a 4x4 is advisable” Dang! I feel like a tough mountain woman able to survive that day in and day out. She drove up the Eastern shore where there are “beavers (I believe they were groundhogs) and rabbits running along the side of the road” to Chincoteague with its “strange but pleasant parochial people.” North Carolinians were “less wealthy, less conservative” than Virginians and unlike the Virginians didn’t give “phony flashes of very white teeth” GRRRR. Do you see my teeth now Miss Maggie??

10. London is a gorgeous, tourist-friendly, wonderfully historic city.
The British have a right to be proud. As I was floating above the city on the London Eye I couldn’t help but remember my surprise that our French foreign exchange student wasn’t more impressed with Washington DC. I thought it was just typical French ennui. Now I am beginning to understand. Yes, I know I’m gushing and sound naïve and yes, I know London didn’t even make Travel & Leisure’s top 10 cities in the world but I did love it. Even DD, who hates NY, fell in love with London. When we celebrate Jamestown’s 400th next year I will remember all the gorgeous 14th, 15th , and 16th century buildings and the piece of the Roman wall we saw. I can’t wait to go back.

Sorry about the typos. My edits didn't take.

What a great trip report! One question, please expand on "Body Exhibit."

Hi Birdie - thanks for posting about your trip. I love hearing visitor's opinions on my home city, and I'm pleased you had a great time!

As a female communter however, it sounds like I need to dress more adventurously!

Hope you can return to London again one day.

Krispy Kreme in London!?!?!?! :-)

Bodies the Exhibition is one of a few different body exhibits touring the world. The organizers have taken cadavers and replaced the tissue with a silicon substance so that you see the entire system (respiratory, nervous etc) in realistic 3D. The exhibit was held in the Earls Court Hall which is a large convention center. I don't know the date it ends. I thought it was fascinating and very educational. My kids reacted in different ways. The 17 yo boy thought it was kind of interesting but just one more educational thing his parents were dragging him through. My 15 yo daughter was a little grossed out because most of the figures were anatomically correct males.

Great report.

Sorry you couldn't make it out to Ashbell's for the grits; perhaps on your next trip.

Dukey:
Is Ashbells still open? The only references I found to it say it was closed.
quiUK: I have to explain that women in the south wear a lot more color than our counterparts in the more northern metropolitan areas so I tend to notice color. Our men dress in a very boring manner compared to yours. I also loved the Orlando Bloom spiked hair I saw on so many.

I may get crucified for this by true southerners, but I've had grits in London a number of times. Many Italian restaurants serve them. They just call it creamy polenta.

Not this southern gal, but there is Fodorite that DOES get upset when someone calls polenta "grits".

Hmmm...maybe it's time to make a batch of cheese grits :-)

GREAT trip report. Loved the way you set it up!

Hi Neopolitan

>I've had grits in London a number of times. Many Italian restaurants serve them. They just call it creamy polenta. <

Polenta ain't grits.

Polenta is cornmeal mush.

((I))

Krispy Kreme is certainly taking over London these days. New stores are springing up all over the place at a fast rate.

Hominy grits is dried corn treated with lye but a lot of the grits in the south are just ground dried corn. I make grits and I make polenta and, to me, they are very different in both taste and texture.

Well, your trip report is amusing and charming and I enjoyed it thoroughly! Even with a lack of Good Grits, London is wonderful, thank you for posting this :)

My point exactly. Grits are coarsely ground corn meal as well (although I guess technically the corn is dried more before being ground and is sometimes --but not always -- a little coarser ground. My mother made grits for years -- by buying yellow corn meal and slow cooking it. When she moved to a condo and had an Italian born neighbor who was always raving about polenta, she mentioned she'd never had it before. The neighbor brought over some polenta. Mom took one taste and said "oh, they're grits". Ends up the woman couldn't find true polenta as they didn't have a decent Italian market in town. So she was actually using the same brand of yellow corn meal for her polenta that Mom was using for her grits. And their cooking of them was identical.

While the texture may be the biggest difference, I've actually had polenta that was more coarsely ground than some grits. The point is -- since both are not totally consistent in texture, preparation, or taste, there can be a true crossover of the two.

And strictly for amusement:

http://tinyurl.com/rzafl

LOL, thanks Neo ~

Birdie, I loved your post. I agree with Scarlett that it was charming. I am so glad you were able to see my favorite city in the WHOLE WORLD! I just would love to have a home there!!!! Come on Lotto!

Birdie - super trip report. Your enthusiasm and love of the city shone through the report - Loved the piece from Timeout!

Thanks for the lively trip report. I love the format - very readable.

We must have been in London with our teen the same week you were. I will post our trip report soon, I hope. Did you get 2 rooms at Chancery Court?

We saw Les Mis on the March trip - and were blown away by the singing voices, and the cool staging on the revolving stage.

Birdie...

I have spent most of my life living within 3 hours of London, and yet while I have seen the same sights as you I have not been as impressed as you. Maybe it's because I've never gone to London because 'it's there and has sights to see' - I've usually gone because I've had to for some reason, be it business or social.

Now after reading your trip report you have made me think that I am probably missing something about my home capital city, and next time I go 'up to town' I hope I shall see it with a fresh enthusiasm, engendered by you. Thank you for the proverbial kick up the ****!!
And I loved Neopolitan's link re polenta!

Loved your report Birdie!

Now watch out for the marauding packs of small furry things menacing our fair town.

Very nice report, Birdie. I'm the one who said on your original post that grits and polenta were the same and got blown out of the water, so I really enjoyed Neopolitan's comments and tiny url.

Enjoying the report and enjoying the banter.

BTW, just put the cheese grits casserole in the oven. I'm going to tell the others at dinner tonight that it's polenta :-)

Loved your report! Thanks for posting.

OK I have to wave the white flag on the grits issue. I always thought they were different. Could it be the type of corn? For instance, I only use my White Lily wheat flour for my pie crusts and biscuits but northern flour for bread. Or maybe it just tastes different because it has to be polenta with my osso bucco and grits with my country ham.
Obxgirl - we're going to have to watch out for those wild beavers. They're leaving the ponds and coming after us. I just can't believe that Miss Maggie didn't stop at Stingrays for some grits (polenta) on her way up the Eastern Shore. I do want to thank you for suggesting Time Out. In addition to the laugh, I found a discount coupon for the Body exhibit.
noe847: Yes, we had two rooms. At that price plus some free nights on points, it wasn't very painful.
julia_t: I feel the same way about Colonial Williamsburg where I live. Except now I realize its not so old after all and we have the outhouse (the Wren Building) to St. Paul's.

I love London, I loved this report, and Neopolitan..LOL More than I ever thought I'd know or WANT to know!!!! Only Alton Brown.

Starrs - We had cheese grits casserole at a friend's house last night. Yumm!

The Yankees turned up their noses. After a forced, tenative first bite, they all loaded up their plates with large servings.

We also continued the grits/ polenta discussion. It was as interesting there as it's been on this board.

Hey, Alton hails from my neck of the woods. He doing a fundraiser for the state's organic farmers association at a ritzy restaurant downtown. I'd rather eat his grits :-)

Foxes in London... Yes, they are the true enemies of so many central Londoners who keep chickens in the backyard!

Krispy Kreme... They were novelty items when first surfaced at Harrod's concession. Now, it's everywhere--heck, even my neighbourhood Tesco Express has one!

Thanks for a good report. Glad you enjoyed the trip.

ROTFLMAO regarding the grits, polenta arguement. My first trip to Europe we were in Venice and I was excitedly awaiting my first meal, star struck that I was actually in Europe. The meal came, I tasted the polenta, put down my fork and told my husband, "I'ts Grits! I traveled all that way from South Carolina to Venice, Italy just to eat grits." We laughed about it for the entire trip and still burst out laughing and say, "I'ts grits" every time we are served polenta. I don't care what you call it, it still tastes like grits to me. I don't like it at home and don't like it any better when you call it polenta.

Yea, sort of like that famous line -- "You may call it pate, but it tastes like chopped liver to me!"

Neopolitan, that is so funny! I grew up with liverwurst sandwiches, and loved them. The first time I tried pate, I was a grownup. I just about broke out laughing - same flavor as my childhood favorite!

Where does "potted meat" enter this discussion? Is it indeed humble pate?

It might more accurately be described as "potted parts."

I grit my teeth just thinking about polenta.

:-)

I have only had grits once, some small cafe where we had breakfast when we were leaving Naples and driving to Miama via the Tamiami (sp?) Trail. The grits I had was not like polenta. But maybe those grits were prepared differently than the standard receipe? I can't eat either anymore due to a corn allergy.

Grits served at breakfast with the consistency of oatmeal is one way to serve grits. I agree. That way is not very "polenta-like".

But, grits cakes, baked cheese grits, and similar dishes come closer to polenta as it has been served to me.

Hi Starrsville, that is a good description, oatmeal consistancy!! That is the only time I have ever had grits.