northie

the Raphael exhibition sounds wonderful as does the Beatrix Potter..
A fun get together with friends.

Hello back

janisj

A bit of an explanation -- it may seem weird to stay in 3 different hotels for a short 6 night visit. But it all made perfect sense and couldn't have worked out better. Sanctuary House was comfortable, cheap as chips (well, not all that 'cheap' but definitely reasonable). It was convenient to HCP trains and some of the sites I visited in west/central London. The Rookery was posh and traditional and lovely and really convenient to the north and east London sites. Plus staying there saved me a boatload of £££/$$$. Similar to my Savoy stay back in December, I booked it as an AA Vacation. Because it was a 'vacation package', business class flights both directions and 3 nights at the Rookery worked out more than $1,000 less than just flights booked Business eastbound and coach home.. When I started looking for flights R-T Business class was running over 6,000 bleedin' dollars!!. Business over and coach home brought the fare down to the region of $5200. But adding 3 nights at the Rookery brought the R-T Business Class package price down to a little over $4000. So basically the hotel was free and the flights were seriously discounted. win win Then my final night was out at the Sofitel LHR Terminal 5 for my 09:45 flight - and Farringdon station 2 mins walk from the Rookery was so convenient for the new Elizabeth Line to the airport. Plus traveling HBO means the packing/unpacking 3 times wasn't much of an ordeal.

Wed. July 6. Royal Family photographs at Kensington Palace, Tiffany at the Saatchi Gallery, Pre-theatre dinner (complete with fire alarm evacuation) and a sublime Anything Goes at the Barbican.

Had 10:30 tickets for Kensington Palace. I was only interested in the Life through a Royal Lens Exhibition which is included in the Palace Admission. Having been to Kens Palace more times than I care to admit -- I didn't really want to spend any time touring the State Rooms. So as soon as I entered I explained I'd been many times and didn't want to tour the Palace but was hoping to only visit the Photography exhibit and they sent me down a couple of 'hidden' corridors to the other side of the complex and lifted a couple of barriers so I could go straight into the exhibit -- which meant I was there before many others early ticket holders arrived. Lovely show -- Lots of formal and official portraits back to Queen Victoria - The oldest photograph was an 1842 shot of Prince Albert. But also a LOT of personal family pictures mostly From George VI and forward. Many taken by the Queen, Princess Anne, the Duke of Edinburgh and others. Several glamour shots of Princess Margaret taken by Lord Snowden. Some may not realize - considering her unchanged hairdo for decades, lack of any sort of make up, and 'sensible' clothing - how pretty, stylish and even trendy The Princess Royal was in her younger years. Went outside to take a few photos of thr new Princess Diana statue in the sunken garden. IMO it looks better than in any of the photos I saw from the dedication last summer.

My next appointment is 12:30 for Tiffany & Co. Vision and Virtuosity at the Saatchi Gallery. Not knowing how long I'd spend at Kens Palace, I'd always planned on hopping in a cab to get to Sloane Square . . . WRONG. I walked out to Kens High Street and just assumed I could flag down a taxi in a minute or two.. None -- not a single available taxi passed in more than 10 minutes. At that point I should have just walked to High Street Kensington tube station but I just 'knew' a cab would appear soon. So I used the trick of going to the nearest hotel (in the case the Royal Garden) and have the doorman flag down a taxi . . . well he said wait and went out into the street with his whistle and waited and waited and waited . . . not a single cab. Did I say I should have just cut my losses and walked to the tube station . . . . but noooooo. I got the 'brilliant' idea to start walking in the general direction of South Kens/Sloane Sq just knowing a cab would come around the corner any minute. . . Didn't. Oh, and did I mention this was the warmest day yet? I walked and waled and walked and 20 mins later I'm in the pedestrian road in front of S. Kens Station and its 12:45. Hopped on the tube for the one stop ride to Sloane Sq - the gallery is just up the road. What could/should have been a 5 or 6 minute cab ride morphed into a 45 minute ordeal.

But even though the website mentioned strictly enforcing arrival times, the Gallery didn't blink -- no problem being 20-ish minutes late. The exhibition was absolutely amazing !! Spanning several galleries over two floors. Lots of spectacular pieces owned by famous people -- Elizabeth Taylor et al. High art pieces. The Lombardi Super Bowl, , Larry O'Brien NBA Championship, and World Series trophies. One room had outtakes and shots, scripts with Truman Capote's margin notes, etc from filming inside the store for Breakfast at Tiffanys. Several pieces designed by Paloma Picasso. In one gallery they had a cubicle where you could take a selfie wearing a digitally created necklace centered by a 130 carat yellow diamond. There are 3 or 4 mock ups of window displays from the Manhattan store. One massive necklace is shown in photographs over many decades worn by everyone from Jean Schlumberger, to Audrey Hepburn, to Lady GaGa to Beyonce. Photography was only allowed in the last couple of rooms so I really wanted to purchase the massive catalog - but they would only ship to UK addresses. The V&A had no problem posting the equally large Alexander McQueen and Dior catalogs but Saatchi wouldn't budge.

The rooms were quite crowded but with patience you could see just about everything. Eventually pulled myself away -- I had planned on having lunch in one of the restaurants around Sloane Square but since I have an early pre-theatre dinner I decide just to go to the top floor cafe in Peter Jones - had poached salmon and glass of Chablis.

Took the Circle line around to Farringdon / the hotel where I put my feet up for s few minutes . . . and woke up an hour later

Dinner reservation is 5:30 at Osteria in the Barbican Centre prior to Anything Goes. Its a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel . . . but that is just to get to the Barbican . . . Been to the Barbican several times and its probably a lovely place to live - but it is a BEE-ATCH to find anything once you are in the complex. Its like they don't want you to get out alive LOL. Almost no signs anywhere. But once I saw the church (St Giles Cripplegate) I knew exacty where I was and eventually found the restaurant. Had a 3 course set meal - (prosecco to start ), Chilled melon and cucumber soup aperitivi, Risotto w/ radicchio in starter size, and poached halibut w/ leeks, peas and caviar in seaweed broth main. Just as they brought my second glass of wine and they were clearing away the risotto the fire alarm went off. At first staff didn't really react and it seemed to be a test . . . But then all of a sudden out come every waiter and barman who each went to a different table and escorted everyone our into a back passageway and staircase. The siren kept blaring but after about 10 minutes they ushered us back in and about a minute later the noise quit. Everyone in the restaurant was comped a glass of wine but I really didn't need another one so they took one glass off my bill. The food was actually quite good -- better than I expected truth be told. And my waitress was terrific.

From there I walked across to the theatre for my front row center dress circle seat. If anyone is in London while Anything Goes is still running . . . GO!!! Anyone who knows the show knows the plot is beyond silly but my oh my -- what sublime music and dancing. Cole Porter at his very best. This is partly a new cast from the original which closed due to covid. The female lead is now Kerry Ellis and the reviews hint that she is not quite as good in the part as Sutton Foster but if Foster was a 10 IMO Ellis is a 9.75. (I had seen the original recording on PBS here at home). And now we have the wonderful Simon Callow as Elisha Whitney. The dance troupe is absolutely wonderful. So many great numbers - I get a kick Out of You, You're the Top, Easy to Love, Friendship, It's De-Lovely, and more . . . But Blow, Gabriel, Blow brought down the house.

Stumbled out of the theatre -- there were (literally) 40 or 50 people who were in te same boat as me -- how the heck to get out of here???!! They must have a rule against any helpful signs. You have to walk through various alleys and tunnels and just hope yu are heading in the right direction. Once I would get to the Barbican station I'd know my way -- just as easy to walk. About 8 of us set out together with fingers crossed and by truly accident went the right direction. 20 minutes later I'm back home at the Rookery.

Next: Thurs. July 7 - Superbloom at the Tower, Lunch at te Ivy Tower Bridge (with most of it comped . . . ) Walter Sickert at Tate Modern

janisj

Some Photos of the Diana memorial, and a few of Tiffany that are not that great -- like I mentioned they didn't allow photography in most of the rooms. I do wish I could get the illustrated catalog . . .
















This shows how bone dry Kensington Gardens is this summer

Vicky

Sigh. I love London and was in Anything Goes twice (SArasota community theatre). I’d love to see it even tho I wish I could see Sutton Foster.
it sounds like a lovely trip. Nothing stopping me except airport chaos at Heathrow and that alot of people are getting covid after trips...

Vicky

Oh and the fact that Heathrow told airlines not to sell tickets until October!

stokebailey

How fun, janis.

I too am envious of fodors all-stars GTG.

As someone for whom business class is a distant dream, I appreciate your breaking it down. Staying in different hotels makes perfect sense to me; my daughter and I once stayed in three of them during one week in Manhattan, to experience different neighborhoods. Plus you're doing research for the rest of us.

I'm putting V&A and your royal family photos tip on my short list for September.

janisj

There is no embargo on selling tickets -- the airport authority asked the airlines to cap the number of departing passengers to 100,000 per day. The typical number is around 104,000 - 105,000. So it caused big headlines but in reality a pretty small impact. Traveling hand baggage only is a big help because it eliminates one of the biggest problems (lack of ground staff)

janisj

I suffered traveling in the back of the plane for years -- just couldn't justify the cost. Or so I thought. Eventually I amassed enough miles (maybe 8 - 10-ish years ago) to buy economy tix and upgrade with miles. Flying in the pointy end ruined me for life Used up too many miles so after that I had to pay real money so the first few trips I flew business east bound (to get the private pods and lie flat beds for the overnight leg and coach home for the daytime flight), which saved a lot of $$$. * Then coach got more expensive so I started booking business both ways and economized in other ways. And then I discovered the AAVacations gambit (UA, BA and other airlines offer similar packages) I avoid BA metal whenever possible because their Business is mostly a 2-2-2 configuration while AA and others are 1-2-1 which makes a HUGE difference IME. And Jet Blue has become a great option for east coast residents -- generally lower fares and apparently their Mint Business class is amazing.

By shopping around one can often find reasonable business fares and I find the comfort, sleep, better service, better food plus the expedited immigration and security makes the crappy parts of travel so much nicer. Plus twice I've been upgraded to First class (once home from Japan and once to the UK) which puts things on a whole different level. I still have/use the pajamas and slippers

* Some advocate flying coach on the overnight flight instead and business for the daytime flight to better enjoy the extra service while awake, and sleeping through the crappy economy food/service overnight. But IMO/IME the comfort and sleep trumps a few extra drinks.

stokebailey

Good to know!

denisea

I would want the Tiffany exhibit catalog too! It reminds me a bit of the Cartier exhibit in Paris a few years back…an all time favorite of mine. I still flip through my Dior catalog from the V&A exhibit a few years ago.

i have totally done the same thing with the cab situation…certain one would surely be along soon. Where do they all disappear to?

janisj

Life just interrupted so it may be a day or two before I get to the last couple of entries . . . but in the mean time thought I'd post some of the SuperBloom photos.

Super Bloom is the domestic and wild flower meadow planted in the Tower of London Moat in honor of the Platinum Jubilee.

curiousgeo

Totally agree (and chuckling) with your post on flying business whenever possible. We’ve managed to accumulate mileage points over the years since retiring and began using them for upgrades, what a difference in travel comfort. We also prefer using them on overnight flights to lie flat, those few hours of sleep make such a difference arriving in the early morning.

janisj

Yes - and if one still can't sleep even with the lie flat beds -- its still a far better experience. Not having to climb over anyone to move around the cabin, or better yet others not having to climb over me, the recliner with leg rest, noise canceling headphones (I use my own Bose earbuds, but headphones provided at every seat). Generally much better food, and exponentially better service - just makes the slog of long distance flight that much less exhausting.

stokebailey

Love the flower moat.

So, tempting to fly business, janis, especially if not planning to go to Europe so often. How do you shop around? Like on different airline sites, or with different dates?

maitaitom

I don't have the heart to show Tracy the Super Bloom.

janisj

Don't be afraid - You were in London too early. It was planned to be in full bloom by early May but spring weather simply didn't cooperate so it really wasn't in full flower until even after the Jubilee Weekend. But it was spectacular when I was there (I assume the heat wave the last couple of weeks knocked it back quite a bit)

janisj

I now mostly stick to One World airlines because I've finally reached Platinum (that's only mid-level status but even that gets you extra perks). Back when I was more price sensitive I was pretty much a free agent and flew who ever had the cheapest fare. A lot of people use GoogleFlights to search for options. One thing on most airlines websites there is an option to look at fares on a calendar which is a big help. If you have flexibility re dates, one or two days one way or the other can save hundreds of $$/££/€€/¥¥

bilboburgler

super Bloom, is right, I spend ages trying to do that in our little town, that is a great set of photos

stokebailey

Nice. Thank you!

janisj

Thurs. July 7 - Superbloom at the Tower, Lunch at te Ivy Tower Bridge (with most of it comped . . . ) Walter Sickert at Tate Britain

Today I have a 10AM booking for the SuperBloom at the Tower. One can look down on the sea of flowers from the parts of the walkway around the Tower, but booking lets you walk through the meadows - access down into the moat is by a ramp, stairs. . . . or a slide which would be fun. Took the Circle line to Tower Hill and the the short walk to the Super Bloom entrance. I didn't book Bloom + Tower tix because I've been to the Tower maybe 100 times (not really but at least 15-ish). There were very few people at 10:00 and no queue at all, even though it opens at 9:00. Many more people arrived while I was there so my guess is mid day gets quite busy. The slides were not open when I arrived so just walked down the stairs. There is ambient music in various areas and all in all it was really lovely. Spent nearly an hour in the moat and when I walked you the surface noticed the slides were now open so I went back to the entrance and showed them my ticket and asked if I could get back in just to ride the slide -- he let me through but when I got to the slides a huge school group had just arrived so I figured it wasn't worth the hassle.

I had planned on visiting Tate Modern later in the afternoon so wanted to book lunch across the river - somewhere between the Bridge and say Borough Market. Then I noticed yet another Ivy has opened -- this one is on the edge of Potters Field across from City Hall, so I booked there for 11:45. Very nice room with indoor and outdoor dining and the typical Ivy menu. Ordered a glass of . . . yep - The Ivy Collection Champagne while reading the menu. I had a nice waitress but you could tell she was new and was being 'mentored' by a more experienced server. There was quite a delay getting the drink and when my waitress approached I just knew disaster was going to happen. She was carrying a tray with about 8 or 10 drinks -- 9 for the hen party two tables over, and my glass of champs . . . and just as she got to the other table my champagne fell off and crashed to the ground (somehow she recovered and all the other glasses stayed upright). Much angst and rushing around with mop and broom by the poor waitress and her 'mentor'. I didn't catch exactly what 'Mentor' (from here on out called 'Queen of the Prom' - it was obvious she felt really superior to the other servers and sort of strutted around the dining room) but you can tell it wasn't nice and my waitress was in tears. They served the other table and my waitress dashed back towards the bar (I still haven't ordered any food). Many minutes pass and Q-o-t-P walks by and I ask her if my drink was coming and she literally snapped at me that it was coming - More like 'don't get your knickers in a twist' -- huh? So I responded (and not in a nasty way - honest ) that I hope it wouldn't take another 15 minutes. Well that ticked her off big time. She went to the bar, got my replacement drink and literally slammed it on the table. Then she walks over to the service hatch and starts berating my original waitress -- then looks at me and starts laughing -- I still haven't ordered any food. The original server came over and apologized for 1) dropping the drink, 2) the delay with the replacement and 3) stuff in general. I told her it wasn't her fault - accidents happen and now I'd like to order.

Had a lovely meal but Q-o-t-P kept giving me the stink eye and actually pointed at me when speaking to a different server. Had Roasted scallops with pea puree and potato starter and pan fried salmon with asparagus main followed by a pot of tea. Both were very good. Q-o-t-P was still being overtly nasty but the original server was taking care of my table so no further 'confrontation'. Until . . . I wanted the bil and my waitress was nowhere to be seen Flagged down Q-o-t-P and asked for the bill -- and she threw it on the table. That's when I snapped -- I don't typically complain about service unless it is egregious - especially now with staffing problems. But Q-o-t-P came close to ruining a lovely meal. I said I wanted to speak to a manager. After about 10 minutes he came over and I asked him to take a seat because this could take a while He said they weren't allowed to sit with the guests (he was in a servers uniform but did have a name tag that said manager). I said that I've eaten in various Ivy's at least a dozen time over the years and had never experienced anything like this. Explained the whole situation and that my original waitress was totally blameless -- dropping a drink isn't a capital offense. But that Q-o-t-P's attitude had been totally unacceptable. I said it appeared Q-o-t-P was training the other server and that she was rude to her, rude to me, and that to laugh at paying customers is not a good look. I said "This is an American term so may not translate all that well but she is acting like 'The Queen of the Prom' strutting around the room like she owns the place". He said he totally understood what I meant and apologized profusely - took my bill away and brought it back and the only charge was . . . the glass of Champagne

My goodness -- the whole thing was weird --

phew . . .

I changed plans and decided to go to Tate Britain for the Walter Sickert (just noticed I had earlier typed Tate Modern instead -- its definitely Tate Britain). Walked over to London Bridge station - still undecided which Tate to visit. Opted for Britain/Sickert - took the tube to Green Park > Pimlico and walked over to Tate Britain. Must say it was REALLY fascinating but I didn't actually 'enjoy' it that much - maybe all the dark and sinister paintings weren't the best choice after my lunch experience. Some were very difficult to see. the underbelly of London life. His dark and shadows are often very intense I was definitely surprised by his later works -- from Edward VIII to an Edward G Robinson / Joan Blondell movie poster.

Went up to the Members Room and had a pot of tea and scone, then made my way back towards Farringdon by way of Oxford Circus - popped into Liberty but didn't find a scarf I couldn't live without. Then I walked down Brook St to Claridges for my only truly posh drink of the trip . . . a 'Cucumbagne' - Hendricks’s gin, Cucumber, Citrus, Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée - sort of a high class Pimm's

Then back to the hotel - picked up a salad in the station to eat in my room.

Next: Disney and lunch at the Wallace Collection, Selfirdges, My first ride on the Elizabeth Line, Sofitel LHR