London 2022 - Days 1-2

---

I arrived in St Pancras Station on the day of the strike. So, aside from the already chaotic travel season, London workers decided to plan a transportation strike that weekend. I have little luck with the London Underground the last couple of trips... However, I knew this was coming so mentally prepared myself to have a hard commute to our hotel. C was texting me on her progress from Heathrow, where she had taken a car the hotel had sent for her, and they also encountered quite a bit of traffic. I saw huge line at the station for the underground, and decided to try my hand at a taxi. The line was slow but it was moving. While in line, I checked out the uber possibilities and after getting abandoned by 2 cars the third was interactive and moving. He said to meet him at the nearby Pullman Hotel so he could avoid the crazy traffic, and I warned him that I would lose service because I just had wifi. So I made my way to the hotel and did not see his car on the street, walked inside to get wifi and thought to check the parking area - as I was going outside the bellhop asked if I was waiting for a car and motioned to one waiting - and it was mine! It was a super nice Somali driver and we chatted the whole way - we actually made pretty good time and I arrived about 20 minutes after C did. Yay!

Pan Pacific Hotel, Dinner and Drinks

C and used to meet up at various cities in the US each year, often along with our friend L and maybe others who wanted to join. Due to Covid, it had been 3 years since we had seen each other. She was coming to London to meet up with her friend who was studying here and may be leaving soon so we decided to do our annual meeting here and since it was international, a bit more special. C booked a nice hotel near the Aldgate area, near to certain sights like the Tower of London and the Gherkin. The hotel was absolutely beautiful - the room was nice but the bathroom was phenomenal! Heated tiles, heated towel racks, giant shower.... all it needed was a giant tub and this would be my design for if I ever get a house of my own... :p

We decided to walk around and try to visit a pub and getting a bite to eat. We stopped at one nearby which looked cute and had menus.... but didn't serve food. We moved on until we found one where we could get food and drinks (fish and chips for me!). Then we went to get a massage at a hole in the wall place. C's massage was apparently nice, but mine was weird - my masseuse was scantily clad and the massage felt very sensual. Thankfully, it was just 30 minutes! It was a good massage, but had a weird vibe. We had another drink at a very herbal, instagram themed bar across from our hotel. Very nice, but a bit too fancy.

We got ready to meet her friend at the Ned, a social club about a 15 minute walk away. We met K and went to the rooftop bar, with pool and clear view of the sunset over St Paul's Cathedral, where we had a quick drink and caught up. K gave us a tour of the extensive building with various bars and restaurants, live music playing, some of the areas were for members only (which she was), so it was quite interesting.

Then we walked to the Duck and Waffle, between the Ned and our hotel for dinner reservations. The restaurant is located at the very top of the tall building and was very crowded, but had amazing views of the city. And the food.... omg. So incredible! We decided to just get a bunch of plates to share. We started with bacon wrapped dates, then got delivered at perfectly placed separate times honey glazed jalapeno cornbread, lobster mac and cheese, and the signature duck and waffle dish which was surprisingly delicious!

Harrod's and Brigit's Bakery tour and tea

The next morning, we got a taxi to Harrod's on the other side of town so C could enjoy the famous store, where she got a pair of socks. 😉 We were able to spend a bit of time wandering, including trying a couple snacks. Then we walked to the adventure we were planning for the day: Brigit's Bakery Tea - a double decker tour of the city where we would have tea and biscuits (and champagne). We reached Victoria station and finally found the location, where apparently two buses were loading at the exact same time and it was a bit confusing, but we were able to board soon enough. C had got us VIP seats at the top front of the bus which was already set with the cakes and sandwiches. Soon, our server came and brought us champagne (and tea) in adorable re-usable cups. We were driven around various tourist points within the city, many people staring as we passed, but we really did not hear too much of the audio because it was a lively group! It was very fun though and C and I got to catch up some more and get ideas on places to see while we were here.

We then disembarked and made our way to Buckingham Palace, walked towards Westminster Abbey, stopping in a pub for a drink part-way. The Abbey was busy and was closing until Monday, but the weather was beautiful so we got nice photos, especially of Big Ben which was under construction the last time I visited; Big Ben is actually just the name of the bell, but it is generally applied to the entire clock tower. Then I was like, ok, supposedly the strike is better today so you should try the Underground at least. Big mistake. The Circle (yellow) line was earlier the least affected by the strike and would take us to our next stop. I purchased not cheap tickets (6 quid each!) and we waited ..... and waited.... and waited some more. The green line was going fine, after 15 minutes of waiting and with the next four trains indicating green line, I went up stairs to ask the agents if they yellow line was working and they said yes. I said, well, we've been waiting 20 minutes and the guy called me a liar. And that just set me off. So we stood for a few more minutes to figure out what to do and then we decided to just leave and try our luck with an uber.

And this is why I avoid London when I come....

(Though, to be fair, this was really the only time I was frustrated for the trip. I do think the alcohol helped though!)

Wallace Collection, Marleybone, and the Wolesley

We met K at the Wallace Collection, a former "house" turned museum where the previous owner displayed their art collection for the public. Free entry and a lot to see - kitchenware, armory, paintings, sculptures, miniatures, etc. My favorite painter, Jan Steen, had a few pieces on display here and I was happy to just look at them for a few minutes - he always has some hidden, usually sardonic, meaning to them. The museum closed promptly at 5, so we then walked to K's apartment about 15 minutes away. She lives on the top floor (5th?) of these beautiful buildings and the apartment is indeed gorgeous. Simple, but great location and views. She has a small balcony that looks out over the rooftops of the buildings and reminds you of the chimney sweeps from Mary Poppins. Super cool! Then C and I walked back to Oxford Circus area to visit the massive Liberty store, housed in a Tudor style building and has a bit more eclectic and earthy options. It was super nice!

For dinner, C had made reservations at The Wolesley, a very nice European restaurant highly recommended by friends of hers. It is in a beautiful art deco building and has a very old time like feel to it. I had a spinach and goat cheese tart for an app, and a roasted chicken for dinner. It was quite yummy. By then, I think we were both exhausted and made our way back to the hotel - I think it was almost midnight at this point. Two days and we had already done so much!

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

London
London is one of the world's great cities and I'm always eager to go back. I will take Bridgett's Bakery Tour next time we are there. It sounds perfect.