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.