I've spent the last two days traipsing around London, getting to spend Memorial Day weekend in the city after going for work. Instead of a full review as I've done for other cities/vacations, I'm going to do this rambling style. There's a few reasons for that, one of which is that's how I reviewed the city the last time I went in 2010 - in the blog's infancy. I've flown through it once since, but haven't left Heathrow until now. Without further ado, here come some piping hot London taeks:
* Driving in London is abhorrently inefficient. Like absurdly so. For many reasons. First off, the roads are never straight, rarely more than one lane on each side, and the traffic lights seem to have no sense of coordination, meaning so often you get a green and then 100 feet later are stuck on a red. Second, and maybe most important, the drivers are awful. Complete lack of decision-making, such timid drivers, often taking up lanes when trying to turn. It all adds up to making seemingly short drives by distance into an aggravating series of stops and starts. Uber, luckily, is quite cheap, but going around by cab in London is just a nightmare even during non-rush hours (late night).
* Not all of these will be anti-London, but I find a lot of it a bit annoying. Their bars and clubs close way too early (to be fair, I'm a bit biased spending so much time in New York), and there were multiple places in Shoreditch, the trendy, hipster area I stayed in, that didn't allow single entry, which is some 3rd world shit. These weren't exclusive clubs. These were normal bars and lounges. In a city like London, places like that should trust their cache and clientele to allow single entry.
* Some positives, walking around London streets is about as good a time-waster as anything. The streets are lined with picturesque buildings, ornate decorations, good greenery, classical style architecture, and a good variety of designs. London streets are so much nicer than other big cities its size (mostly comparing it to the US and/or Canada - Toronto - here). The city is stunning at times. My favorite part of the trip really was the walk from Abbey Road Studios to the British Museum and then to Parliament via Buckingham Palace. A never-ending series of surprises of varying aesthetic perfection.
* The British Museum was the highlight of my Sunday in London, a truly mesmerizing place. I probably could have spent twice as much time there as I did. The collection is that vast. Now, it should be said the collections aren't without controversy, as a lot of it made its way back to England at a time where the old British Empire raped and pillaged the world with impunity (might be a slight exaggeration), but if you look past that you see how incredible the collection is. The gems are probably the collection of Egyptian and Greek artifacts, statues and friezes, especially the Egyptian collection of statues, mummies and of course the Rosetta Stone. I spent a good three hours in the musuem, trying to see everything I could and I'm sure I missed a lot of good stuff still.
* The other site I visited in depth was the Royal Albert Hall, with a guided tour of that gem of a concert hall. There was a performance rehearsal going on, which lended a great atmosphere to the tour, including getting a first hand listen to the brilliant acoustics and facility that the English built in honor of Price Albert. The tour nicely covered both the history of the building, the way the hall could transform to hosting concerts, orchestra, ballet, plays, sumo wrestling, tennis and everything in between. It also included a trip to the Queen's Box and Queen's waiting room, which was furnished as aggressively regal as you would expect.
* My meals ranged from small and eclectic (brunch at 100 Hoxton in Shoreditch), to very fancy and exquisite (the tasting menu at Kitchen W8 in Kensington, a Michelin starred joint), to a mix of both (the dining hall at Harrod's - overpriced but you know what you're getting into). London is a food-lovers paridise, and the prices are no higher than New York (lower in many ways). Still, the cuisine often has to involve another ethnic influence (for example, Korean at 100 Hoxton), or be close to gourmet for it to work.
* I don't want this to come across badly, but the best part of London may be how accessible the airport is from the city. Having the Heathrow Express is such a luxury. Heathrow itself has improved quite a bit from my last visit, especially since I wasn't at Terminal 5 and didn't get to judge it at its best.
* Overall, it was a nice trip to London. Surely I was not planning to go, so when your flight and most of the lodging gets taken care of its changes perceptions. However, with some combination of cliched London weather, the inefficiency of driving around, the more inefficient Tube (rides take WAY too long - and that is with it working well), and its strange existence trapped between honoring the past like the great European cities and heading forward like a New York, I will say I am in no rush to go back. I now work for a company HQed in London so may be back again, but outside the trappings of a work trip, I'm not sure when I would make a trip back to London.
* Driving in London is abhorrently inefficient. Like absurdly so. For many reasons. First off, the roads are never straight, rarely more than one lane on each side, and the traffic lights seem to have no sense of coordination, meaning so often you get a green and then 100 feet later are stuck on a red. Second, and maybe most important, the drivers are awful. Complete lack of decision-making, such timid drivers, often taking up lanes when trying to turn. It all adds up to making seemingly short drives by distance into an aggravating series of stops and starts. Uber, luckily, is quite cheap, but going around by cab in London is just a nightmare even during non-rush hours (late night).
* Not all of these will be anti-London, but I find a lot of it a bit annoying. Their bars and clubs close way too early (to be fair, I'm a bit biased spending so much time in New York), and there were multiple places in Shoreditch, the trendy, hipster area I stayed in, that didn't allow single entry, which is some 3rd world shit. These weren't exclusive clubs. These were normal bars and lounges. In a city like London, places like that should trust their cache and clientele to allow single entry.
* Some positives, walking around London streets is about as good a time-waster as anything. The streets are lined with picturesque buildings, ornate decorations, good greenery, classical style architecture, and a good variety of designs. London streets are so much nicer than other big cities its size (mostly comparing it to the US and/or Canada - Toronto - here). The city is stunning at times. My favorite part of the trip really was the walk from Abbey Road Studios to the British Museum and then to Parliament via Buckingham Palace. A never-ending series of surprises of varying aesthetic perfection.
* The British Museum was the highlight of my Sunday in London, a truly mesmerizing place. I probably could have spent twice as much time there as I did. The collection is that vast. Now, it should be said the collections aren't without controversy, as a lot of it made its way back to England at a time where the old British Empire raped and pillaged the world with impunity (might be a slight exaggeration), but if you look past that you see how incredible the collection is. The gems are probably the collection of Egyptian and Greek artifacts, statues and friezes, especially the Egyptian collection of statues, mummies and of course the Rosetta Stone. I spent a good three hours in the musuem, trying to see everything I could and I'm sure I missed a lot of good stuff still.
* The other site I visited in depth was the Royal Albert Hall, with a guided tour of that gem of a concert hall. There was a performance rehearsal going on, which lended a great atmosphere to the tour, including getting a first hand listen to the brilliant acoustics and facility that the English built in honor of Price Albert. The tour nicely covered both the history of the building, the way the hall could transform to hosting concerts, orchestra, ballet, plays, sumo wrestling, tennis and everything in between. It also included a trip to the Queen's Box and Queen's waiting room, which was furnished as aggressively regal as you would expect.
* My meals ranged from small and eclectic (brunch at 100 Hoxton in Shoreditch), to very fancy and exquisite (the tasting menu at Kitchen W8 in Kensington, a Michelin starred joint), to a mix of both (the dining hall at Harrod's - overpriced but you know what you're getting into). London is a food-lovers paridise, and the prices are no higher than New York (lower in many ways). Still, the cuisine often has to involve another ethnic influence (for example, Korean at 100 Hoxton), or be close to gourmet for it to work.
* I don't want this to come across badly, but the best part of London may be how accessible the airport is from the city. Having the Heathrow Express is such a luxury. Heathrow itself has improved quite a bit from my last visit, especially since I wasn't at Terminal 5 and didn't get to judge it at its best.
* Overall, it was a nice trip to London. Surely I was not planning to go, so when your flight and most of the lodging gets taken care of its changes perceptions. However, with some combination of cliched London weather, the inefficiency of driving around, the more inefficient Tube (rides take WAY too long - and that is with it working well), and its strange existence trapped between honoring the past like the great European cities and heading forward like a New York, I will say I am in no rush to go back. I now work for a company HQed in London so may be back again, but outside the trappings of a work trip, I'm not sure when I would make a trip back to London.
