This belated Trip Report stems from an eight-day visit to London in early May. On arrival, one of our best decisions was to buy a plain pay-as-you-go Oyster card, with no bells and whistles, right at the tube station accessed via Heathrow Terminal 3. My wife and I put 15 pounds on each of two cards and off we went on the regular Piccadilly Line, ignoring signage directing travelers to the faster and much more expensive Heathrow Express.

An Oyster card is a blue plastic card used in lieu of a paper ticket. Just swipe it on a reader at the tube turnstile or on the bus. You pre-load it with whatever amount you guesstimate you'll use. We do a lot of walking so we started off with only 15 pounds each. You can add more if you need to, at almost any station, and you can get an easy refund of the unused amount when you leave London. It saves time and money.

Our hotel, The Chesterfield, is in the heart of Mayfair, a very workable location. The hotel itself is a gem. Gems can be expensive, but we splurged, and it was worth it. You'd think its manager and staff lie awake at night wondering how they can please you. We're told many rooms are small, but that's par for the London course, although our Superior Double (thanks to an upgrade!) was large enough, and even had what passes for a view in central London. We would stay at The Chesterfield again in a heartbeat.

Right around the corner is Shepherd Market, a small area of shops and restaurants. We tried almost all the restaurants at least once, with excellent results. Hard to choose, but we especially liked Al Hamra, a Lebanese place with a big and eclectic menu at reasonable (for London) prices. Almost across from The Chesterfield is The Only Running Footman, a popular pub.

We'd been to London before, the last time about 15 years ago, whlch accounts for the absence of comment on the A-list tourist attractions: Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, etc.

Things we liked about London this time:
Ease of transportation. Our hotel was near the Green Park tube, good for both direct and transfer lines.
Interesting shops and department stores. Hamley's is five full stories of toys and games.
Selfridges rather than Harrod's. (I don't know what that says about us.) It was closer, too.
The ethnic food. Yes, the food. For small stuff, even including gelato, Selfridges again.
The British Library. A remarkable exhibit of antique maps is there through September 19.
The urban parks. We were near both Green Park and Berkeley Square (but heard no nightingale singing in the latter).
Chelsea Physic Garden. Wonderfully soothing oasis of medicinal and other plants, established in 1673.

Things we didn't like about London:
Wife's purse stolen heads the list.
The weather while we were there. It was cool and gray most of the time; a little sun, a little rain.
The hordes. You could go mad on packed-to-the-elbows Oxford Street -- but all is serene a block away.
The prices. You can cope, but London is very expensive by U.S. standards. Are London salaries so high?

We made two side trips, one to Hampstead village and the Heath, the other to Greenwich. Hampstead is largely surrounded by urban London, maintaining many of its village characteristics, though now in an upscale atmosphere. At its outskirt is Hampstead Heath, a forested, undeveloped area with a much-touted view over distant central London. Some call it a pleasant stroll from Hampstead. Maybe so, but our tongues were hanging out after half an hour, mostly uphill. Thank heavens there's nice outdoor dining at the top. As for the distant view, it's nice (but see Royal Observatory, below). Tip: You can reach the dining spot and the view via a city street on a regular city bus. We didn't know that. That's how we went back. The Heath is pleasant enough, but a harder walk than anticipated.

We had some of the best weather of the trip most of the day we went to Greenwich. We got there by tube and light train, entirely on the Oyster card. We liked the Old Royal Naval College. Despite the steep climb we loved the Royal Observatory, its Prime Meridian line and the magnificent view of central London from the observatory parapet. The National Maritime Museum was OK, but we were't as impressed as others have been. Our return was via a tourist ferry on the Thames. Worth doing, but the weather had turned gray by then and our "voyage" was not the highlight we expected.

Watch your purse or wallet even in civilized London. My wife's stolen purse put a big damper on the trip and our memories of it. Long story short, my wife put her purse down near her chair in a chain eatery in Chelsea and, poof, it was gone. She never does that, but she did it. Everything but our passports -- credit cards, cash, driver's license, etc. Nobody saw the theft. We phoned Visa immediately and so far nothing untoward has happened other than having to replace everything.

To our surprise we encountered the pounds/dollars switcheroo -- called Dynamic Currency Conversion to make it sound better. The merchant puts the tab on your credit card in dollars rather than pounds, giving you a rotten rate and pocketing the difference (or his exchange service does). Believe it or not, it's legal -- but the merchant must give you the option of being billed in pounds or dollars. The currency used will show on your receipt, but you might not notice. We did, once, and insisted on being billed in pounds. Another time we did not notice, and our credit card bill back home showed the jacked-up amount. When we protested, the merchant (in a belated touch of English honour) agreed to credit our card with the difference.

Can't think of a graceful ending. Sometimes trip reports and trips themselves just end, like that. Like this.

hi parkhill,

great report about what was clearly a great trip, though it's a shame about your wife' handbag. Just as London attracts tourists and business people from all over the world [who push up the prices] it attracts crime as well.

shame the report, and the trip, had to end.

annhig, if I get only one reply I'm glad it was you and that you liked the report. Your lively reports are some of the best on the Forum. This latest was not one of my most inspired, admittedly, but maybe the info will help someone. That's the idea, right? (Not to mention the fun of writing.)

>>Selfridges rather than Harrod's. (I don't know what that says about us.)<<

It says you have rather more up-to-date tastes than a lot of people.

>>Are London salaries so high?<<

There of course astronomically rich people in or passing through London, but as in America the median is a lot lower than the mean. Most of us don't often spend money on the things visitors have to buy, and know where to find the bargains.

So sorry about the theft, and glad it wasn't more than the inconvenience - but it puts a damper on a trip, doesn't it?

Interesting report, thanks for sharing. We are Australians who currently live in London and I couldn't agree more with your comment about chaotically crowded Oxford Street. It's a nightmare but as you say, step a block away and it's so peaceful. If we want to get from one big store to another, we often go around the back way, it's quicker than stepping on and dodging hordes of people. We don't think much of Harrods either but Selfridges is OK, expensive though.

And after having lived here for over 4 years, the dull grey weather you experienced is normal, it's like that most of the time.

Kay

parkhill, you are too kind.

you're right about the fun of writing - as I'm travelling I am often thinking about how to express what I am experiencing. the trick is to remember it!

And after having lived here for over 4 years, the dull grey weather you experienced is normal, it's like that most of the time.>>

for shame Kay - you should try Cornwall!!! [or perhaps not].