London, September 2000

I was in London from Friday morning (9/8) until Wednesday morning (9/13), but was in a conference from Sunday night onwards, so I won't bore you with those details!

Flight

I flew Virgin Atlantic for the first time, and really liked it! I had asked to be moved from my bulkhead seat (I know, everyone loves these seats - but I don't) and it was a full flight. The flight attendant was able to find someone who wanted to switch with me; very accommodating.

Hotels

For the personal part of the trip, I stayed at the Rathbone Hotel in Fitzrovia. I highly recommend it. For £75 per night, I got a very roomy single room - double bed, window seat, nice bathroom - very good. The neighborhood is great - a short walk to Oxford Street, and tons of restaurants in the immediate area. The conference part of the trip was at the Royal Horseguards in Whitehall. This is a lovely hotel: big rooms, fluffy bathrobes, views of the river, you name it. Central location, although it does get very deserted at night. Not that it felt unsafe, but it was impossible to get a cab late one night. But the hotel staff did an excellent job with our conference; we had a cocktail party, 2 lunches, and one dinner here: the food was pretty good, but the service was excellent.

Restaurants

Some British friends took me to the Gourmet Pizza Company at Gabriel's Wharf. It was rather popular and the food was very good (feta cheese salad to start, and a wild mushroom pizza for dinner) and reasonably priced. I also ate at Butler's Wharf Chop House with some colleagues. I really liked this place. Our table overlooked the Tower Bridge, which was lovely. I had some wonderful oysters from Ireland to start, and the prime rib of beef, which was cooked perfectly medium rare, with Yorkshire pudding. I had to try the sticky toffee pudding for dessert, served with clotted cream, & it did not disappoint! We had cocktails before dinner, 3 courses, and wine with dinner which ended up being around £50 each. The New Delhi Brasserie in SoHo was an excellent Indian restaurant. I've been to London twice before this, and I know that this is the cuisine to have while here. It's the best. I feel like some of the Indian restaurants in New York "dumb down" the spices for us pale people, but not here! I started with a spicy aubergine dish, and then had chicken boudeka (sp?) which was cooked in tomatoes, onions & peppers - again, very spicy. And of course, some naan bread & rice, and a King Fisher beer.

Sights

I did the London Eye on Friday evening which was the worst weather day! Slim to no visibility, but it was still nice, and I say do it if you go. I went to the Tate Modern, which was oh-so-crowded on a Saturday afternoon! It was great, though - I love the way they have it laid out: history/memory/society; nude/action/body, etc., rather than chronologically. The Thames River cruise was very enjoyable, especially given the great weather we had that day. I also visited the state rooms at Buckingham Palace, which were amazing. It reminded me of Versailles, but of course, people actually live here, which makes it a completely different experience.

Odds-n-Ends

I love the cabs here! Not just the way they look, but they are so roomy, and the drivers are delightful. And being from New York, I consider myself somewhat of a cab connoisseur.

Thanks to the board, especially those who answered my question on where to buy wine. I found an Odd Bins almost immediately, and was able to buy a case of 1995 Médoc at very reasonable prices, to give out as gifts at the conference.

I might get beat up for this one, but Covent Garden just didn't do it for me this time. I loved it ten years ago (is it age-related?), but now it just reminded me of a South Street Seaport...or an Inner Harbor...or a Fisherman's Wharf...Regardless, I did buy a cassette of a wonderful string quartet I heard there. And I had an interesting experience I would like to share: while I was listening to the quartet, a woman came along and asked me to contribute to the band. (which incidentally was playing on the lower level while we were on the upper one.) Now, I had seen this trick before, so I looked her right the eye and said "NO." She looked stunned & I felt horribly afterwards, doubting myself, and thinking well, maybe she was with the band...? So I watched her; a lot of people gave her money. She made a complete circle around the crowd, and then at some point, I looked for her, and poof! she was gone. She had never given the money to the quartet. In hindsight, I should have said something to the musicians, but just wasn't thinking about it...Ah well, they have my money, and I have their wonderful music...

I loved St. James Park! I wanted to see many other parks, but just didn't have the time. But there were flowers everywhere - just beautiful!

They charge to get into St. Paul's now? Unless I am completely mistaken, they didn't when I was here as a student 13 years ago! I always think it's a shame to charge to get into a religious institution, although I completely understand why it needs to be done.

I love the people here. They're very polite, friendly, and really go out of the way to help you. And I happen to be a complete sucker for their accents, but that's neither here nor there.

London was great! Being a Paris freak, I tend to overlook London as a convenient destination from NYC, and had completely forgotten how much I liked it. I will definitely be back before another ten years passes!