Posts Tagged ‘relocation to london england’

Relocation London: Relocate to the Pub- B@1

Tuesday August 30th, 2011

For a sect of our readers whom I think perhaps don’t get their fair share of posts, I thought I’d begin a series for night spots, clubs, and pubs. Now regardless of age or gender we all like to go out for a few belts sometimes and living in London affords you more than your fair share of places of opportunity. I thought it would be good to start with some chaps that know what it’s like to be an American moving to London. Owning directors

Relocation London: Relocate to the Bar

Steve Locke, Rys Oldfield, and Leigh Miller, all American bartenders who worked back in the states together tending bar for TGIFridays, until just over 10 years ago they moved here and started their own bar empire( the first bit there isn’t firsthand, but the empire is right on!) With 11 locations and one more in the works, I thought even if you’re looking for a place with your mates from work these locations are all about central London( everywhere but North London), and you’ll be close to one no doubt. Heck, if you are a student, or looking for jobs in London after your recent relocation to London, you’ll not have any trouble finding these spots.

B@1 is likely best known for its 190+ drink menu. With all kinds of specialty house mixtures the choices are endless. If you tell your bartender you don’t know what to order, or “what’s good”, they ask you what sorts of flavors or spirits you’re comfortable with. They actually attend a formalized training for 8 weeks, which I find pretty dedicated, but it certainly helps with all those concoctions and countless recipes’. If you’re the kind of person who likes to have a plan when you go somewhere than you can’t go wrong with the results of the top five B@1 mix’s as voted by the patrons.

I left the links for the Americans moving to London, in case you want to get a jump on the after work life over here in London. I couldn’t hardly list something like an “Irish Disco Biscuit” and leave it at that. B@1’s 11 locations, some of which are likely in areas your London relocation agents may mention, are :

I’m leaving these links for those of living in London now as they have a mighty nice Happy Hour offer. Two drinks for the price of one, and most locations run it from 5:00-8:00. And for all those budget conscious students who are living in London and open to suggestions as to what to have, they have a “bartenders special” every Wednesday through Sunday nights. Any two drinks the bartender chooses are sold for only 5 pounds all night. I can say that I have been to one or more (not saying how many) of these establishments and I’m kind of partial to some of their more exotic Margaritas. Irrespective of what you order once you get there, B@1 locations are fun spots to go out for a few after your work or school day.

Tags: Americans moving to London, B@1, jobs in London, Leigh Miller, living in London, London, London Relocation, london relocation agent, Relocation service, relocation to london england, Rys Oldfield, Steve Locke
Posted in: Americans Moving to London
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Relocation to London – Night Out, Down The Pub

Sunday July 17th, 2011

Relocation to London – Night Out, Down The Pub - Image via Wikipedia

That’s exactly the way you’ll hear it when you are living in London. In fact, one of the first things you have to do when you are moving to London is to find a neighborhood pub where you can go for a pint and an evening out. You could even go so far as to ask your London relocation services company to recommend a few pubs in the area that you will be moving to. Pub life and being part of the pub life is all a part of moving to London and immersing yourself in the culture, quirks and charms of this fascinating city.

The first thing you have to realize about moving to London is that people drink whenever they want to. Having a look of shock and horror on your face when your boss suggests popping out at lunchtime for a pint is not on. Drinking during the day is perfectly acceptable in London, unless of course you’re a surgeon or airplane pilot! Drinking during working hours is a dismissible offense in the US, but over here it’s just a part of the working day.

You can have a pint during your lunch hour, and then again after work with your colleagues, and then again with your mates close to home. Ostensibly, you can carry on drinking and visiting pubs from 11 am until shutting time. It’s great fun, and if you know how to pace yourself, you won’t be stumbling out of the pub at closing time and rolling home.

Is a pint a beer?

Generally speaking, yes, except that beer in England is usually called bitter. This is the most popular alcoholic drink in the United Kingdom and is served in pint glasses. The biggest difference in beer that you’ll find when you you’re moving to London is the temperature that it is served at. Beer, or bitter in England is served just below room temperature, which is completely opposite to the ice cold beer served in the states. Ale is served at room temperature in England, it is a beer that has not been carbonated, and is made from barley and hops.

The other big difference is the amount of alcohol found in each pint. There is a reason that beer is not served in pitchers over here. Beware. You will not be able to consume as much as you did back home and if you try, the landlord will be rolling you out of the pub when you’re on your ear!

Another English turn of phrase that you should know is “Bevvy”. It is short for beverage and you’ll find that many people will invite you out for a drink after work by saying “Fancy coming for a bevvy then?”

It is the norm for a group of people out at the pub to buy ‘round’ for each other, your turn will come which will mean that you will have to go to the bar and fight your way through the throngs of people and order a round of drinks. There is hardly any table service in pubs, unless you’re eating in the dining room. It might be best to take a British mate with you to the bar when you order a round of drinks for the first time or you may get it wrong.

Pub life is very much a part of English culture, tradition and history. While you don’t want to be spending every night down the pub, you will find that visiting your local pub is one of the best ways of meeting people and making friends as part of your relocation to London.

Tags: British Beer & Pub Association, England, living in London, London, Moving to London, Relocation service, relocation to london, relocation to london england, United States
Posted in: Relocation to London
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Top 10 Reasons to Move to London: Part I

Tuesday August 31st, 2010

Author: Colleen

The decision to relocate to London is easier for some than others. Maybe you’re being transferred for your job and feel like you have no choice. Maybe you’re moving to London without a job and have no clue how you’re going to get your visa, but you’re bound and determined to get there. Regardless what bucket you fall into, everyone will agree there’s something special about the city of London worth moving for:

1. The layers upon layers of London history. As my Weekend Warrior Sundays are now chronicling, the city of London dates back to ancient times, with a surprising amount of structures/artifacts still intact to prove it. One of my favorite moments of appreciating this aspect was standing in Ye Olde Cheschire Cheese with the founders of Anglotopia, when Jonathan commented, “This pub is older than America.” Historical sites and tales are endless, and most museums are free!

2. London’s cultural diversity. You aren’t moving into a realm merely of men in tweed suits and bowler hats; you’ll be immersing yourself in a rich and spicy melting pot of all ethnicities. Listen to the languages, taste the food, feel the various fabrics, and see the world from an entirely different perspective.

3. The perfect hub for travel. Whether you’re just road-tripping or jet-setting for a bank holiday weekend excursion outside of London, or delighting in the nationally mandated 5.6 weeks of vacation and joining the rest of Britain on its August mass exodus, there are simply not enough days in the year to accommodate all the places you can easily go to from London. Even just day-tripping in the UK is a valuable experience, but if you’re eager to skip the border, you can grab cheap flights on EasyJet or RyanAir or take the Eurostar into France.

4. First-rate entertainment. Be it at the West End theatres watching a musical or on your sofa watching TV, there’s gobs of talent in London waiting to be enjoyed. The variety of theatrical performances to choose from any given day is staggering, and the prices are more reasonable than Broadway. British humor on the telly alone is worth it with its dry cheekiness; yes, they love their reality TV as well (which inspired most of the reality shows in the U.S.) and show an awful lot of American sitcoms here, but one trait of UK TV that I particularly enjoy is the panel show. Whatever theme it is structured around, the participants’ discussion is both comedic and intelligent, reinforcing the art of conversation beyond the inane scripted babble of The Hills variety.

5. The mindset. Never in my life have I networked with such depth and frequency before moving to London. Because it is a diverse city, its population is comprised of many expatriates who are relocating to the UK and leaving their familiar support networks behind. This has the effect of making people very proactive in seeking friendship and professional contacts, opening themselves more up to new people and experiences than they might have in their home comfort zone. I’ve grown a lot in this respect and feel enriched by the people of substance I’ve had the pleasure of meeting since relocating to London myself and find this to be a very special aspect of the move that I hope you will enjoy as well.

All right, then, I’ll leave you in suspense until Part II of (in my opinion) the top 10 reasons to move to London.

Tags: colleen, London Relocation Services, moving to London advice, moving to london alone, moving to london checklist, moving to london from canada australia, Moving to London from US, moving to london where to live, moving to london without a job, relocation to london england, top ten reasons to move to london, top ten things to do in london uk, transferring to london for a job, why it's better to live in london, why move to london
Posted in: London Recreation, London Relocation Top 5 & 10 Lists!, London, England History, Moving to London: London Sightseeing, Moving to London: Tips & Culture, Moving to London: Weekend Excursions
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