Quick London B'day trip
 

Ten exhibitions/events, Six posh meals, Four plays/concert, Three hotels, One Fodors GTG, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree :)

Got back Thursday evening after six and a half days in London - sort of tradition now to spend my birthday there. Because this coming week is nutso busy I probably won't get to work on my trip Report and photos for several days.

But a quick rundown / intro

Exhibitions/shows:
• Christmas market / Illuminations at the Chelsea Hospital . Nice but not blow your socks off or anything. Not as extensive as say Kew. It is early days - I believe this was the first year of the light trail and 2nd year for the Village - so they will make improvements. But is was a lovely way to walk off some of the jet lag on arrival.

• Marie Antoinette at the V&A. Really terrific - enjoyed it more than I expected

• Costume Couture - 60 years of Cosprop at the textile museum in Southwark. Not enormous but what a neat show! Costumes from several Merchant Ivory films, plus many BBC/ITV series (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Peaky Blinders, etc etc etc. Unfortunately, it did NOT include Colin Firth's wet shirt :( ;) ;)

• Theatre Picasso at Tate Modern. Enjoyed it but not the best Picasso exhibit I've seen over the years.

• Denis Severs House. GO!!! it was wonderful.

• Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists at the National Gallery. Really REALLY wonderful

• Early morning members' tour at the NPG.

• Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World at the National Portrait Gallery. One of the best shows I've seen at the NPG

• Wayne Thiebaud - American Still Life at the Courtauld. Home town boy so I had to attend (I own a very small painting of a slice of cake that I 'won' at a local art auction in 2019) Two of the loaned works were loaned from my local Crocker Art Gallery and UC Davis just across the river. It was a small exhibition as these things go - just three rooms but it was really well done.

• Truner & Constable; Rivals and Originals at Tate Britain. Massive show - not just their paintings/drawings but letters, diaries, palettes, and other items they owned, and some of the best descriptive/explanatory information I've seen in any exhibition.

That's all for now - The restaurants/meals, hotels etc will have to wait. Headed out to an early Christmas party and running late.

Looking forward to more!

Hi Janisj, agree about the Chelsea Hospital illuminations. Was OK, pleasant festive walk but the Christmas market area is a bit messy. That market is accessible without ticket.
We also loved Radical Harmony at the National Gallery, and I saw the wonderful Cecil Beaton in October. Yesterday evening was the member´s Christmas at V&A with lots of Marie Antoinette themed workshops and talks. Even a dance lesson in the Rafael Room - maybe come a bit later next year to include that!

Oh good, I love hearing about your trips, especially the wonderful food you eat.
I'd love to see the Turner/Constable exhibition. Turner painted lots of scenes local to me up here in North Yorkshire, including the river Ure and bridge just down the road from my house.

Seeing that post, now I know why people say visit London during the eve of Christmas.

Nice!

I'd love to hear about the plays.

always nice to be able to catch up and celebrate your birthday in London Janis - thanks for telling me that Marie Antoinette was worth it- so agree, much more to it than some fancy shoes and dresses!! looking forward to reading the rest of your report as always!

happy birthday Janis-a great celebration

Thanks everyone. Sorry for the delay . . . I'll get to this tomorrow evening at the latest (like I said this is a CRAY CRAY week)

But in my initial "Ten exhibitions/events, Six posh meals, Four plays/concert, Three hotels, One Fodors GTG, and A Partridge in a Pear Tree https://www.fodors.com/community/ima...ted/smiley.gif" - I totally forgot "and a close encounter with a (real) princess! "

To whet the appetites the main meals included HIDE, Petrus, The Portrait, Applebee's (no, not your mother's suburban chain -- a really wonderful seafood/fish restaurant adjacent to Borough Market - sort of Bentley's-esque), the original Ivy West Street - and cocktails all over including the Savoy American Bar and Swan's Bar at Maison Assouline. Which Princess shall remain a mystery til I get to the actual TR . . .

Following along, thank you. I envy your ability to make these regular quick fire trips to beautiful London! Belated birthday wishes!

Exciting bday trip ahead of you, enjoy, and many Happy Birthday wishes.

Its become an annual 'thing'. Birthday in London, Art, Theatre and some yummy meals. Planning started in late September. No real date requirements - just as long as I was not arriving nor departing London on my actual birthday on Dec 2. A few days before / a few days after was not really an issue. I had assumed flying ON Thanksgiving Day would be cheaper with the Wed before and Sunday after being such frantic travel days. But no -- surprisingly flying on the Wed before thanksgiving was about $500 less. So the plan was fly out of Sacramento on Nov 26 and fly home on Dec 3 or 4. After checking for plays/concerts/exhibitions over that timeframe - there were so many options I picked the 4th to give me an extra full day in London. Then I started looking at routings. SMF > LAX > LHR or SMF > DFW > LHR are my usual choices but with all the AA terminal construction/upheaval at LAX (a mess!), DFW it would be. Digging deeper - just a little less convenient SMF > DFW > MIA > LHR adding only about 90 minutes total travel time (due to quite a bit a shorter connection at DFW) saved another just over $500. Saving $1000 just on the airfare - deal :) $1000 will definitely pay for a lot of funs stuff in London!

Of course - after booking it AA changed the schedule so instead fo 90 mins at DFW it was cut down to 45 minutes. I decided not to sweat it - since I had no major plans for arrival day if the worst happened and I missed the DFW > MIA connection they would either put me up at DFW and I'd fly out on the 27th - or they'd re-route me through Philly or CLT or NYC or somewhere.

Then I started searching hotels. This probably sounds nutty but I don't at mind changing hotels once or twice on even a short trip like this. Three or four nights in a more modest/economical place frees up major $$$/£££ for a splurge 2 or 3 nights up market. Then staying at LHR the night before flying home is both convenient and can save hundreds. Plus I do travel light so packing up and moving isn't really a big deal. Two properties in London are on my bucket list -- Claridge's and the Ritz. The Ritz was SKY high, but Claridge's - booked through the AA hotel portal was expensive but not stratospheric. I definitely wanted to book the hotel through AA because it would give me enough extra points/miles to qualify for Platinum Pro. So I get on the site and work through all the hoops to book Claridge's for Dec 1 and 2nd. The site was really acting up and I had to reload and refresh several times. In the 20-ish minutes it took me to finish -- . . . the last room was GONE 😩 (except for a special suite that was waaaaaaay above my pay grade) What to do/. Fall back and punt. Since the Ritz and Claridge's were out I'd still go posh but save about $1000 and stay at the (very nice) St James's Hotel and Club just around the corner from the Ritz and the Wolseley. I've stayed there once before and like the location, the rooms are lovely, service great, its listed as a 5 star but really isn't in the same class as the grand dames. No massive public spaces and such. A nice but low key bar, etc.

So two nights settled. The first 4 nights I thought about a flat but that might complicate things leaving my bag on 'moving day'. So I split the difference and booked Citadines South Kensington up Gloucester Road from Cromwell Rd/the tube station. (I've stayed in maybe 4 other Citadines in London and Paris and this was the nicest yet). Then for the last night out at LHR I booked the Holiday Inn Express Terminal 4. It might seem strange to stay at T-4 when flying out of T-3. But the logistics are really easier than any of the hotels along the Bath Road. No taxis or buses or the HOPPA. The HIE is co-located with the more expensive Crown Plaza and has a covered walkway into the terminal where the Tube and Elizabeth Line are both a short free ride to Terminal 3. (The easiest would be the Hilton Garden Inn right at Terminal 2 - but I swear Hilton thinks its the Savoy or something - they charge almost as much for it as THE London Hilton on Park Lane. Plus it is almost always booked up.)

Next: Nov 26-27 Flights (and fights ! ), Citadines, and Chelsea Winter Village and Light Trail.

So interesting to see your choices in London. Thanks for all the details.
Haven’t been there in a while but it’s definitely on my repeat list and you have given me some good places to visit.

janisj, I’m so envious of how you make these short hops across the pond, and manage to cram in so many interesting activities in that short time. I haven’t been to London since pre Covid and your TRs are my way of vicariously being there. Thanks, hope you had a fantastic birthday!

I really hoped to get more done on this tonight - but I seem to have either sprained or torn a ligament in my thumb. I'm typing OK-ish but If I just move my thumb 'wrong' a little it hurts like heck. I think I'll tape it up and take it easy tonight and see if it feels better in the morning.

Thumb still hurts like hell but if I don't get to this darned TR soon I'll forget what I did :) But typing one handed is a slog!

So here we go. Dec 26/27 Flights, fights, travel glitches

Things didn't start out well, I went to bed a bit early on the 25th - the driver was to pick me up at 08:30 and I still needed to do some last minute packing in the morning. Why is this important - cuz I turned off my phone about 9:30 PM before hitting the sack. And at 10-ish the driver sent a text that his car broke down and he wouldn't be able to pick me up. I get up in the morning and finish the packing, feed the cats and fish pond, make my bed, have a cup of tea and THEN turn on my phone about 7:30. EEK!! -- no parking is available at SMF, uber is down, and the local taxi company has no drivers available (probably because uber is on the fritz). I am (almost) in a panic and preparing to wake my tenants next door to see if they could take me over -- when the taxi dispatcher phoned that they had a last minute cancellation and if I could be ready in 5 minutes they could do it. Yay! The cost went up from $40 for the driver to $110 for the taxi but at that point I would have paid anything.

SMF > DFW on time, uneventful and a decent meal. I had a short connection and had to change terminals at DFW to get to the MIA flight but I know the airport very well and the sky train is efficient. I depart the train at the first terminal stop (low gate numbers) and look at the display and see the flight has moved to the very far end (high gate numbers). Second EEK! of the day (not the last :) ). The new gate is about 30 gates away and they are already boarding. I go down the elevator and the only other passengers are a wheelchair attendant and his TWO elderly charges. He tells me to rush because he thinks they are already boarding the standbys. He toodles off with his wheelchairs and I start my trek to the other end of the terminal (fast-ish but I ain't running). About 2 mins later Wheelchair Guy shows back up - w/ both chairs but sans passengers - and tells me to jump on, he throws my rollaboard underneath and literally runs the full length of the Terminal and deposits me at the gate. In the end, the run wasn't entirely necessary -- they were only boarding group 7 and the poor slugs in groups 8- 9 were still hanging around. And being up front there was still room in the overhead above my seat.

Side comment -- last month I'd seen some wild youtube videos about arrests and crazy s#it at various airports -- DFW and MIA featuring predominantly. I'd never seen any real fights or arrests at any airport . . . and on this trip it happened at BOTH airports. At DFW after scanning the boarding pass I start to the door to the jetbridge and behind a pony wall there is an attractive mid-30's couple screaming at each other at the top of their lungs. The guy was seated on a bench with 2 cops and an AA employee standing there - he wasn't in cuffs. But yelling something like "Melissa -- I wouldn't do that! WHY are you doing this to me?!" over and over. His wife/girlfriend is standing in from of me screaming back at him. Lots of cussing on both sides. A gate agent is trying to calm her down and I sneak around and head to my window seat in row B. A few minutes later she boards and sits directly in front of me. The seat next to her was already occupied so not sure where her partner would have been seated. No sign of him -- lots of discussion at the door between 2 flight attendants, one of the pilots and a gate agent, and then a very burly AA employee comes on and asks her to step off. She does but a couple of minutes later she's back in her seat with big headphones on. And off she flew to MIA . . . without her companion.

Then in MIA as I was walking from the Admirals Club to the gate there were 4 police officers literally dragging a young woman who's in handcuffs - she was yelling at everyone they passed to 'Get this on video. They are abusing me! I demand my Miranda rights'. I heard one of the female cops say "all you had to do was comply and you'd be home by now. Now its Federal"

My goodness gracious -- I can think of nowhere it makes less sense to cause a scene than at an airport. What with TSA, Border Patrol, Airline security, local police and Feds - and everyone has your ID. Must be some screws loose for sure!!

Back to TR -- the MIA > LHR flight was smooth and the food was really good. It was late -- a totally full flight and apparently one seat was broken. Instead of offloading the passenger (I know I would have bee unhappy if that happened to me) they called engineer to fix it. That took almost 90 minutes and by the time we were ready to go part of the crew had timed out. So we waited another 30 or so minutes. Luckily its an AA hub so there were crew on site.

After all that we only landed about 45 minutes late, immigration literally took seconds and I was in the Arrivals Lounge about 10 minutes after the plane doors opened. it was 1:15 and it closes at 2PM but all I wanted was a quick cup of tea. Topped up my Oyster Card and jumped on the Piccadilly line to Gloucester Rd. Its a 5 or 6 minute walk straight up Gloucester Rd to the Citadines South Kensington. As I mentioned it is the nicest Citadines I've personally stayed. Party because the staff was really great. I had a medium sized studio with couch, occasional chair, small desk, etc plus an entrance hall, a fully equipped kitchen and a very nice though small-ish bathroom with tub / shower over.

I unpacked, had some tea, walked around the corner to Partridges (one of the most expensive groceries/delis in London) and picked up basics -- bread, yoghurt, some fruit, cheese, paté (that's essential ;) ) a small bottle of wine and chocolate digestives ( a MUST )

Then I headed over to Chelsea Hospital for my 6 PM booking at the Chelsea Light Trail and Christmas market. I gave a short critique up thread -- I was fine and a good choice for getting some fresh air on arrival day. But it was a modest light trail compared to others I've visited. One problem is its in the grounds (the same area as part of the Chelsea Flower Show) and some of the route is over muddy / graveled paths. They's tried by laying those plastic paths in the worst parts but it made the walking uneven and I can imagine a real slog for anyone with mobility problems. I'm sure they will make improvements by next year -- this was the inaugural of the light trail part. The Christmas village was modest but they did have some lovely booths -- and some decent food options. I was dying to try the lobster rolls - but right in from of the lobster roll booth there was a guy entertaining a group - mostly kids - with a sing along of the Twelve Days or Christmas over and OVER and OVER again and I give him credit for gumption but none for talent :) it was pretty excruciating (hopefully he'll learn a new song by next year). I'd get my lobster roll fix the next evening at The American Bar (at 4X the cost)

I made my way back to Citadines and had a late-osh dinner just around the corner at Coco Momo -- had a glass of prosecco, olives to nibble on and a very nice beetroot riisotto and nice chat with the couple at the next table. They live in the neighborhood and asked me for all sorts of suggestions/advice for visiting California and Oregon.

Waddled back to the hotel and turned in.

Next: Dec 28 An hour in the cold in my bathrobe, Marie Antoinette, encounter with a Princess of the Realm, The American Bar, and Paddington the Musical

Too late to edit/fix the typos - there are probably more (I blame the bum thumb)

• His wife/girlfriend is standing in from front of me screaming . . .

• Party Partly because the staff was really great.

• They's They've tried by laying those plastic paths in . . .

• I It was fine and a good choice for getting some fresh air

• but right in from front of the lobster roll booth . . .

• had a late-osh ish dinner . . .

we'll forgive you the December typo lol . enjoying the trip

I'm going to ignore all future typos - unless they result in unfortunate/inappropriate 'stuff'. Meant to mention my dinner at Coco Momo (Prosecco, Olives, Risotto) totaled £32 + service -- and I took most of the olives back to the flat to add to the cheese and paté.for another evening.

Dec 28 An hour in the cold in my bathrobe, Marie Antoinette, encounter with a Princess of the Realm, The American Bar, and Paddington the Musical

Woke up about 0600, made a cup of tea and nestled back in bed to catch up on e-mails and texts and decide about getting up. 6:30 I decide to bite the bullet and actually get up and shower - in no hurry though because I have nothing planned until the V&A opens at 10AM. Go in the bathroom and check out the shower 'idiosyncrasies' (I swear every shower in the UK works differently) - Anyway its aboy a quarter to 7 and I start the water and . . . tahe exact moment the fire alarm goes off. Praying its a drill/test I wait a few minutes but it keeps going and going and going. So I throw on a robe, garbe my shoes and purse and head out. I'm on the 3rd floor (4th to us Yanks) and of course one can't use the lifts in a fire so down the stairs with all the others. The minute I hit the lobby it dawns on me that IF this is a real fire . . .I'd neglected to get my passport out of the safe. Staff was in the lobby directing everyone outside and down the street away from the bldg. It was funny- everything was pretty well organized but three middle eastern looking young women guests were crying and yelling and ran behind the front desk speaking mostly in (perhaps) Arabic but with some broken English and pick up the reception desk phone and are instructing each other to call 911 in a real panic. Heck - there were fire truck already driving up - and besides, 911 doesn't do it in the UK . . . in case anyone reading this has an emergency the number is 999.

It was cold outside but at least it wasn't raining. Chatted with a mother / daughter who were just having all sorts of bad luck. Their flight from Austin was delayed/cancelled so the lost the first day/night of their trip thus missing the closing night of Hamlet at the National, and two days later they were in an accident between a bus and cyclist and they missed an exhibition (but the gallery took pity on them and let them visit outside their ticket time).

It turned out someone had started a fire in a kitchen on the 6th floor. After about an hour they announced the all clear except for anyone in one section of floor 6. A few people were in a real state because the fire interrupted packing and check out.

Well that well and truly woke up so I finished getting ready, had another cup of tea and walked up to the V&A. Had a light breakfast in the Members Room -- fruit, a croissant, tea and a mimosa.

Then went to the Marie Antoinette exhibition which definitely exceeded my expectations. It was wonderful. She definitely suffers from 'bad press' thanks to the revolution. So many of her possessions and clothing were destroyed or stollen so most of the gowns were owned by royal families and aristocracy in other countries but quite a few of her personal things do survive. Some jewels, a piano, perfume bottles, fans etc. A lot of the exhibit focused on her influence on culture, clothing and art throughout Europe. The (real) guillotine was a bit shocking - I think it was a loan from Mme Tussaud's .and is thought to be the actual blade that beheaded the queen.

From there I did a little Christmas shopping in the wonderful V&A gift shop and returned to the Members room for lunch -- Carrot ginger soup and a mushroom risotto. Not sure what the bill was -- I have the receipt somewhere -- but it wasn't a lot.

Then I walked up to Harrods - which was an absolute zoo!. But I was only headed to one place - the Halcyon Days shop on the lower ground floor so I could avoid all the mobs in the food halls and the whole of the ground floor. They had two enamel boxes that interested me and I took a few minutes to decide while other customers came and went. Once I'd made the final decision and was working with the staff on the VAT deduction/shipping details they asked if I had a Harrods card (not a credit card but the 'membership/points' card). I said I'd had one years and years ago but I was sure it was no longer valid. It would have gotten me free postage or points or something but I said never mind - not to worry. I'd have no idea what phone number I'd used to sign up. It was then that a young woman standing behind me asked if they could use her Harrods card to get me the perks . . . I turned around and it was Princess Eugenie (!) and her older son - she had the 4 year old with her but not the little one. I mumbled something like 'Oh - thanks so much but I'm fine' and both sales staff said they didn't think that would work. She asked them to hold a music box for them and they'd be back after lunch, and left. I asked them if she really was who I thought she was and yes she was - she and her husband have been in several times over the last year or so.

I have tickets to Paddington the Musical at the Savoy theatre and planned on hitting the American Bar before the show. But it was too early to head east and I was starting to drag just a little so I jumped in a cab back to the hotel - put my feet up for a while, made some iced tea and freshened up and changed shoes and set back out. Took the Tube to Westminster and walked the rest of the way. Could have gone to Embankment but I hate that walk up the hill from the station - or - I could have gone to Covent Garden but on a Friday evening that tube station would have been a mob scene. plus it was a nice evening and its only about a 15 minute walk. Normally one can book a table at the American Bar but they suspend that during the 'Festive Season' which I guess stars in November?? There was a chance I couldn't get in but I guess 5:30 was early enough that they weren't full. I wasn't very hungry but wanted something more than the olives and savory crackers. So I ordered champagne, the four cutest yummiest little lobster rolls, and four dark chocolate and passion fruit frozen bonbons - . . . £108 inc service! (but at least the olives and cracker were free) LOL ;) It was the Champagne that was expensive - the food totaled about £45 or £50-ish

Then I walked the one minute over to the theatre. Paddington the Musical -- what can I say - it was deleriously fun. The plot is silly and the 'Cruella Deville-ish' villainess was so over the top to be ridiculous - but the staging was wonderful, and the rest of the cast was top class with great voices (I have to dig out my program to get everyone's names). But the highlight is Paddington himself(s). The way they do it is amazing and it still makes me smile. There is an actor that is on stage a couple of times mostly just walking hand in hand with Paddington -- he is Paddington's voice and is mostly off stage. He does all the vocals. Paddington is about half the height of the adult actors but he is not a puppet or a child actor. She is a little person who spends the entire play in a Paddington costume with the voice and Paddington's mouth movements perfectly synced. Paddington just looks 100% real and from her stage movement it truly looks like a small bear walking/dancing around like any old body. It is only at the final encore that she comes out in 'civies' with her long flowing hair and holding hands with her voice double who towers over her. While there were some children in the audience, it was probably 80+% adults. The tickets definitely aren't cheap and it amazed me how many families were spending £150 and more for their 6 and 7 year olds to sit in the stalls!

Leaving the theatre I knew the chance of finding a cab would be slim to none so I started walking up The Strand, got as far as Charing Cross/Embankment and it was such a nice night I kept walking. Yesterday I'd tweaked my knee coming out of the Tube station - I could walk just fine but stairs, especially 'up' stairs were a slog so I wasn't thrilled about the idea of the tube home. I figured I walk west, maybe along Piccadilly, and get far enough away from the theatres that I could catch a taxi. Before I knew it I was to green Park and no cabs had yet materialized . . . jump on the tube or keep walking? Kept walking. It was really quite warm -- maybe 50-ish° and not at all windy. I did start seeing a few taxis but I ended up walking all the way from the Savoy to the Citadines. I think it is just over 3 miles and it took a little over an hour - I walked in the door right at 11:30. Decaf tea, chocolate digestives, and a great night's sleep.

Next: Sat. Dec 29. Southbank all day long - CosProp, Borough Market, Applebee's, Tate Modern/Picasso, Noel Coward @ the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Sounds like an amazing birthday tradition! Quick rundown already makes it feel like a whirlwind, can’t wait to see the full trip report and photos when you get a chance. London really suits a birthday celebration like that.

Very nice, janis! You certainly make the most of your time in London!! I would have done maybe a quarter of those activities! Happy Birthday, as well.
Let's have some good details about the food, please.

What vicarious fun.

(I'm ashamed to admit, but will, that I watched a whole string of airport arrest YouTubes awhile back. Fascinating.)

American Bar is fun, isn't it. I see that they make up £ for the free crackers.

Nice to read about Princess Eugenie's kindness, and her not realizing how it would be shared. Thank you for that detail.

Back to the TR - slight hiccup. Friday car ended up in the body shop and me in the ER (A&E to our Brit friends) I'm fine and the car will be in a few days

Now where was I before the idiot hit me . . .

For today (Saturday Nov 29) everything is within about a 1 mile circle in Southwark. I sleep in a bit after the busy day and long walks on Friday, take a looooong bubble bath, have yoghurt/tea/juice/toast in the flat and wathch some of the morning telly before heading out by tube to London Bridge. I'm headed to the small Fashion & Textile Museum which is just down the street from the station for Costume Couture: Sixty Years of CosProp. Not a huge exhibition - not like V&A 'huge' - just a few rooms. But they managed to cram in soooo many iconic costumes from several Merchant Ivory films and BBC and ITV shows. But as I mentioned up thread - no, Colin Firth's wet shirt was not included :( Some early examples from the 60's and 70's were Great Expectations, The Forsyte Saga (the original), The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Duchess of Duke Street, Tess, Upstairs Downstairs, and Poldark (the original). A few on display from the 80's/90's were The Elephant Man, Brideshead Revisited (again - the original), The French Lieutenant's Woman,Victor Victoria, A Passage to India, A Room With a View (some really memorable costumes for both Helena Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith), Out of Africa, Howards End, Pride and Prejudice (TV), Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Titanic and Jefferson in Paris (quite a few items). And 21st century examples included Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice (film) The King's Speech, Downton Abbey (lots) Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders, Mrs Haris Goes to Paris, and All Creature Great and Small . . . Phew (!) - and those are just the ones I jotted down - there were even more. For some there were two identical costumes - one pristine and one after whatever disaster befell the character. It is also amazing how small some of the actors are.

From there I walked over to Borough Market thinking I'd have a wander around before my 1:15 booking at Applebee's which is just outside the Market in Stoney Street. OMG -- I've been to Borough Mkt on slow days, busy days, and BUSY days but I have never ever seen it as crowded as it was this early Sat afternoon (and still a month before Christmas no less) It was an absolute zoo. It was difficult to walk anywhere and I was a bit too early for my lunch booking so I just found an empty spot at one of the picnic tables in the little open space near Borough High street and checked e-mail/texts and waited it out. I'd not been to Applebee's before - have eaten in in Fish! inside the market 2 or 3 times but there is NO comparison. What a find - very busy - they were turning people away by the scores, great service, wonderful food, open kitchen (the chef got annoyed when my main wasn't quickly brought to my table so he came out of the kitchen and delivered it himself). Had grilled scallops with pancetta and a dusting of cheddar crumble (I ended up having a scallop starter three times during the trip and this was by far the most generous with 3 large sweet scallops -- though the scallop at HIDE is monumentally, stupendously delish). My main was a seafood skewer - grilled prawns, scallops, monkfish, and mussels, with a gremolata sauce - was really good. The two dishes, a glass of champagne (or maybe sparkling wine - I don't quite remember) and the house white plus service came to just under £80 and well worth every pence. Plus it was an island of tranquility on the edge of the Market madness.

Then I walked the maybe half mile over to Tate Modern. The place was really disorganized because half of the staff was on strike and demonstrating outside with those staff working filling in at unfamiliar positions. I had a membership question - good luck with that. I ended up e-mailing them when I got home. First went up to the members room and had a cup of tea then headed down to the Theatre Picasso. Up thread I said it wasn't my favorite of all time -- but thinking about is some more it really was a worthwhile exhibition. There was no sense of chronology and things were sort thrown in together but there were some really amazing works including Weeping Woman from the Tate's own collection which may be my favorite Picasso.

After visiting a few other galleries and the gift shop I went back up to the members room for a snack and pot of tea -- the last Fri/Sat of each month the Tate stays open late so I stayed until about 7-ish before walking about 8 or 10 minutes over to the Menier Chocolate Factory for Noel Coward's Fallen Angels (It was opening night and I was lucky to get a ticket). What a deliriously funny show with a cast up to the material. The theatre is a small venue - less that 200 seats - so there is not a bad seat in the house, but shows generally sell out quickly. This is the 3rd or 4th show I've seen here over several years and I've never been disappointed. Pyro is a new-ish restaurant right next door that recently got a rave review in the Times that I'll have to try it out next time.

From there its a 5-ish minute walk full circle back to London Bridge station where the day started. Back to Citadines and a great night's sleep.

Next: Sunday November 30 - Spitalfields Market, Dennis Severs House, Fortnum & Mason, Fodors GTG

Hi janis, enjoying your birthday TR. yikes about the car accident and glad to hear you are okay (your car not so much however).

Hope you are ok - these things can shake you up.

Good to hear about the Prada flats (still envious!). I seem to recall you have a spare pair too!

Scallops are everywhere at the moment when it comes to Christmas menus. We are having scallops en croute with champagne sauce for our Christmas Eve dinner (thank you Marks and Sparks!).

How fun. I don't know how you master your quick visits; I feel barely warmed up when I have to go home after 3 or 4 weeks.

(I rewatched 1995 pride and prejudice lately, attentive at the part where where Darcy dives into his pond. Tried in vain to figure out what the big deal with the wet shirt. I mean, when he gets out of the bathtub and puts a robe on his manly form, yes. )

Thank you for Dennis Sever's house review. We will definitely have to do that, and Spitalfields market.

Happy Christmas Janis! Very happy to hear you are well post car crash. Loved the cheese tray and Swans Bar. London was absolutely heaving this year and as we discussed, I totally agree that the new helix staircase has not done F&M any favours.

Monday Dec 1 - National Gallery new Supporters House, Radical Harmony - Helene Kroller-Muller's Collection of Neo Impressionists, Portrait Restaurant lunch, Cecil Beaton, Early dinner at the original Ivy, The importance of Being Ernest @ the Noel Coward Theatre.

Today is crazy busy but everything is close together (except for the jaunt to move hotels).

Got up early and finished up the last little bits of packing, had tea and tidied up the kitchen before heading down to check out and leave my bag. Then on to the National Gallery for breakfast.

The NG recently opened they're Supporters House (members room). They do it differently than the V&A or the Tates. The NG instituted a two-tier membership scheme. Regular members get free admission to exhibitions but still need to book specific timed tickets. 'Supporters' pay a little more to get free admissions w/ no need to pre-book, and membership in the ne Supporters House. In the Fall I had upgraded my membership and this was the first time I've seen the House which accessed through a special entrance off Trafalgar Sq towards the Charing Cross Rd end of the bldg. Geez -- what a wonderful space. Quite posh really with a bar, restaurant and lounge plus a private dining room. Beautiful re-use of space that used to be just offices and security staff rooms. It is the nicest of the members rooms of the orgs I belong to (but it is also a more expensive membership tier) I had tea, fruit, a croissant and a mimosa. One of the staff took me on a tour of the whole facility - its very pretty throughout. The V&A main Members Room is light and airy, has a decent menu and is a great place to break a visit of the museum. The House feels more like a private members club/'destination'. I'm looking forward to visiting when I can have lunch or dinner there.

From there I went across to the Sainsbury Wing for Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists which I totally enjoyed. Seurat is one of my favorite artists and his influence is seen throughout the exhibition. IMO his works out shine most of his disciples by a mile. One of my favorite pieces is Le Chahut which os an absolute marvel. How he created that with just teeny points of color is a wonder. And of course there is La Grand Jatte/A Sunday Afternoon loaned from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Then I walked around the corner to the Portrait Gallery for and early lunch at the Portrait Restaurant. Had a glass of Champagne, Pumpkin soup starter, and confit duck leg with bits and bobs including date puree which was very tasty. I asked for my check and the waiter brought it but then hemmed and hawed a bit then said please wait just a minute and dashed off -- and came back with a bon bon and Happy Birthday written across the plate in chocolate icing. I hadn't mentioned my birthday (with is actually the next day) but they must have noted it from my Gallery membership or something. The two course set lunch and champs with my 10% discount, plus service came to £52.

Then on Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World. There is a lot to love and a fair amount to dislike in the vast exhibition. Gorgeous fashion photography for Vogue etc, amazing costumes for My Fair Lady and other shows, Hollywood stars, the Queen, Princess Margaret and others. But also a lot of 'souless' photos. I'm having a struggle describing the experience -- but on balance it definitely was an entertaining and engrossing show.

Then I traveled back to Citadines to retrieve my bag and move for the next two nights to the St James's Hotel & Club which is just down around the corner from the Ritz/Wollseley. Unpacked and freshened up a bit then out to the original Ivy in West Street for pre-theatre dinner. There are Ivy's simply EVERYWHERE now but I still like West Street. It's the mother ship. Had bread, smoked salmon starter, the 'famous' Ivy Shepherd's Pie (not the first time I've had this and likely won't be the last time -- Its really yummy) , ice cream/sorbet plus a glass of Champagne and a malbec - - came to £80 inc service.

Then just up the street to the Noel Coward Theatre for The Importance of Being Earnest with Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknall. This is of course a silly play and having Fry as the sort of pantomime Dame makes it even sillier :) He chews the scenery as expected and Algernon and Jack are really funny -- they play it more 'camp' than I've seen before but that might have more to do with Stephen Fry's participation. But the real stars of the show are the two female leads -- Cecily and Gwendolen are hysterical. The set is really terrific and the costumes are great. SF is a giant of a 'woman' with the tower of gray curls on top of his hesd and the massive purple gown.

Was going to walk back to the hotel -- its less than a mile, but as I crossed Trafalgar Square it started to drizzle so I hopped in a cab for the rest of the way.

Next: Tuesday Dec 2 - HIDE birthday lunch, Wayne Thiebaud at the Courtauld Gallery, Tony Hadley Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

Happy birthday! I am really enjoying your report.

Thanks everyone - Trying to finish but life just keeps getting in the way :)

Tuesday Dec 2 - HIDE birthday lunch, Wayne Thiebaud at the Courtauld Gallery, Tony Hadley Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

I had originally planned on doing an early morning pre-opening members tour of the National Portrait Gallery but decided to sleep in a bit instead. Didn't really have breakfast but grazed some snacks and tea in my room then took a walk through Green Park and across to St James's Park - it was almost a balmy morning with fluffy broken clouds and not at all cold so it was nice just being in the park. Went back to the hotel to gussy up a bit before heading down Piccadilly to HIDE for my 1:30 birthday lunch.

I really do love this place -- ate there for the first time this past January. Nice room up a big sweeping staircase with views across Piccadilly to Green Park. Looking back at my last visit I ended up having a really similar meal. Scallop starters both times (but entirely different dishes). This time it was prepared with seaweed 'caviar', teensy flowers (possibly alyssum?? ) and the yummiest emulsion I've ever tasted. I wanted to lick the shell it was served on. While I had squab back in January, this time it was grouse with blackberries, endive and cabbage. Again, the sauce was sublime. And finished with the same acorn cake I had last time, with smoked caramel, clotted cream and Balvenie whisky sauce (or maybe it was Macallan -- not sure now). And the service here is really wonderful. All that plus Champagne, sparkling water, a glass of wine, pot of tea and service came to £184. Somehow it was £30 less than the earlier visit. Probably the grouse was cheaper and a less expensive wine??

Down that big sweeping staircase and out on to Piccadilly and a taxi was right there dropping off so it was a sign - no trudging on the Tube. My next stop is the Courtauld in Somerset House for Wayne Thiebaud - American Still Life. I basically described the exhibition up thread in the first post. It was fun hearing the other visitors discussing art by a person I'd actually met more than once. He passed away 4 years ago on Christmas at the age of 101 and was working right up to the end. He wasn't born in Sacramento but moved here in 1950 and always claimed Sacrament and Davis as 'home' (He had taught at both Sacramento State and UC Davis)

Last stop of the day is the Royal Albert Hall for an absolutely wonderful Tony Hadley concert. kmowatt and his family was also at the concert and we texted back and forth a couple of times about how great it was. Great musicians and back up singers but it was really all about Tony Hadley singing Sinatra - Elvis - Bobby Darin - Sammy Davis Jr and TONS more. I had seen Spandau Ballet once decades ago but honestly wasn't that aware of his solo career until I was researching what was on at the RAH during my trip. What a showman!

I was in a Grand Tier box which a great view and very comfy - but unless one orders ahead of time (finger sandwiches, canapés, dessert trays -- mostly for a group booking) the only food available in the boxes are pizzas @ £18, and VERY expensive half or full bottles of champagne. So that's what I ordered - a margherita pizza and half bottle - which came to £107 total. Drank about 2/3 of the champs and not a single bite of the pizza - there was just no way to comfortably eat the pizza in the box seats, the only other option was standing at the back of the box - there is a bar counter in the box but no stools. So I said screw it -- and left it behind. I'll know next time to book in one of the several on-site restaurants/bars.

I actually ducked out during the 2nd encore so I'd be able to snatch a taxi. I knew there would be some queued up waiting but after the huge crowd spilled out it would be a scrum. Got a cab back to the hotel - and made it back in time for a late room service order. Had a small caesar salad and spinach tortellini. Then started organizing/packing because I'm checking out in the morning

Next: Wed Dec 3 - Fancy lunch (yes, fancier than HIDE ) at Petrus, Constable & Turner at Tate Britain, out to LHR for the last night

loving this trip .I feel like I'm there. My daughter is in London at the moment for 3 weeks

The RAH concert sounds great, I would have enjoyed that. Must go back to Hide after reading about your lunch, have not been in a while. Nice way to celebrate a birthday.

Wed Dec 3 - Fancy lunch at Petrus (yes, fancier - and more expensive - than HIDE ), Constable & Turner at Tate Britain, out to LHR for the last night

I finish packing and order a basic continental breakfast room service and watch some morning telly before checking out and leaving my bag around 11. There's a couple of hours to kill before my 1:30 lunch booking. With both Hatchards and Waterstones just down Piccadilly I decide to have a lazy, bookish morning with tea in Waterstone's cafe.

Then I hop in a taxi for Petrus in Belgravia. This is the second time I've dined here - I wasn't sure exactly when the earlier visit was but thought it was just pre-covid. Well, not to worry :) I walk in and they greet me by name and say "Welcome back, you last visited December 5 2019." OK - do I feel special or what ?! Or did they really mean 'Where the heck have you been all this time?' LOL. Anyway that is the level of detail -- say what you want about Gorgon Ramsay -- at his higher end places they they know service and personal attention.

This was a 95% amazing meal with beautiful presentation. Canapés (two) -- fabulous, Amuse-bouche (two) -- delish, Starter (Isle of Skye scallop with Sabayon) -- luscious, Palate cleanser granita -- sooo refreshing, Dessert (chocolate crémeux w/ hazelnut and ice cream) - scrumptious, Bonbon/Madeleines/Macaron - delectable, Champagne and wine -- perfect pairings Unfortunately the main (Aynhoe Park deer with beetroot, blueberry & Roquefort - I used to live about 8 miles from Aynhoe Park which might have influenced my choice just a bit) wasn't perfect. :( Not bad at all but the venison was more chewy than it should have been. All in including still water, glass of champagne, glass of wine, and service came to £202.

The service is out of this world really -- the one niggle about the too chewy deer loin (the rest of the dish was fine) -- I debated about mentioning it but the rest of the meal was so wonderful I let it go. Funny -- it was described as 'deer' and not 'venison' and usually farm raised deer is more tender than wild venison.

From the restaurant I walked over to Knightsbridge station and took the Tube to Pimlico for Tate Britain. I've so been looking forward to Turner and Constable: Rival and Originals. And it did NOT disappoint. Just a wonderful, enlightening show. I've always been a huge fan of JMW Turner but mostly just thought of Constables as 'pretty pictures'. I have a wholly different perspective now. The two were born 250 years ago one year apart, and were rivals for many years. They were both true masters. Some Tate exhibitions miss the mark but this one is topnotch in every respect -- paintings, drawings, personal possessions and very good descriptive material/labels providing context without the 'preaching' the Tate sometimes sneaks in. Spent two full hours and could have done more.

Then is caught a cab back to the hotel, retrieved my bag, had a pot of tea in the bar and waited for my 6:30 JustAirports driver to whisk me out to the LHR Holiday Inn Express Terminal 4. (I booked for 6:30 to miss the congestion charge) He was right on time and we had a nice chat all the way out to the hotel. Lets just say -- this Pakistani driver is NOT a fan of the mayor ;)

I was not at all hungry so I just stopped in the small convenience shop and bought some crisps and biscuits and had tea / snacks in my room, Reorganized my bag/packing and watch TV until I drifted off. £200 for lunch and £5.80 for dinner LOL.

My flight isn't til 10AM and while breakfast is included -- HIE breakfasts are nothing to write home about so I plan on getting to Terminal 3 early and Lounge hop Cathay Pacific/Qantas/AA for breakfast goodies.

Now for some Food porn ;)
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Applebee's scallop starter


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Applebee's seafood skewer main


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Portrait Soup


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What the waiter rushed to bring at the Portrait


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HIDE scallop starter


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HIDE main course


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HIDE dessert - my new favorite. Even better than sticky toffee pudding!

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Petrus Canapés (teeny tiny tomato tart and a fish pate cup)


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Petrus Smuse-bouces -- cup of consummé and a teeny slice/paté-bread


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Petrus palate cleanser


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Petrus Main Course


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Petrus dessert


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Petrus 'after dessert'


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American Airlines flight starter


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AA Main course

Marvelous all from start to finish. That’s one fabulous over the top way to celebrate a birthday!!!

A few photos from the V&A Marie Antoinette exhibition


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influence on modern designers


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John Galliano et al


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And form Cosprop:


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A Room with a View


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Pirates of the Caribbean


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Jefferson in Paris


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The Charge of the Light Brigade


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Pride an Prejudice


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Pride and Prejudice (but Colin Firth's wet shirt was not to be seen 😢 )


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Downton Abbey


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Is it possible to post a photo of the Prada flats?!

I can take a photo of them later -- but they aren't at all 'sexy' -- just beautifully crafted 'driving' flats.