Continuing with our guide to London neighborhoods for those of you who are moving here and wondering where to rent London apartments, today I’ll move East of the city-center that was the focus of yesterday‘s post. Let’s revisit those fun London postcodes, shall we?
London’s East-side neighborhoods include:
E1 – Mile End, Shadwell, Shoreditch, Stepney, Wapping, Whitechapel
E2 – Bethnal Green, Haggerston, Shoreditch
E3 – Bow, Bromley, Bromley-by-Bow, Mile End, Old Ford
E4 – Chingford, Friday Hill, Hale End, Highams Park, South Chingford
E5 – Clapton, Hackney Marshes, Lea Bridge
E6 – Beckton, East Ham
E7 – Forest Gate, Upton Park
E8 – Dalston, Hackney
E9 – Hackney, Homerton, Victoria Park
E10 – Leyton
E11 – Leytonstone, Wanstead
E12 – Aldersbrook, Little Ilford, Manor Park
E13 – Custom House, Plaistow
E14 – Cubitt Town, Docklands, Isle of Dogs, Millwall, Poplar
E15 – Clapton Park, Stratford, West Ham
E16 – Canning Town, North Woolwich, Docklands
E17 – Higham Hill, Walthamstow
E18 – South Woodford, Woodford
I won’t go code by code, but generally East London offers a contrast to other parts that people are more familiar with or generally associate with the city—in interesting ways, though, which can make this an underrated area.
Historically, the East side has been largely infused with immigrants given inexpensive land and proximity to the docks. Industry and poverty was prevalent, but today it’s an area of urban renewal that has drawn artists and designers. The Docklands is primarily a financial district, which can make the area less appealing to some for residential purposes, yet it and Canary Wharf in E14 do draw those seeking new construction and more value for their pound. E15 is the home of the London 2012 Olympic stadium and village, and E16 contains the ExCeL Exhibition Centre and City Airport, to give an idea of the extent of commercial development around here.
There are still pockets of low income and a rough-around-edges feel (sadly, many historical buildings were lost to the Blitz), but the bonuses for living here are affordable rent prices and great diversity in cuisine, shopping, and just people in general. There’s an arty, bohemian spirit in some areas here that is a pleasant diversion from the mainstream, especially when so many expats flock to the West side; of those that don’t, Shoreditch and Hackney vicinities seem common choices—in Hackney specifically, Broadway and Columbia Road are recommended.
Perhaps least recommended neighborhoods for accommodation in this area are Hackney Central, Bethnal Green, and Brick Lane—the latter is, however a well-known street in E1 that all the Jack the Ripper tours get close to (indeed, it’s the neighborhood where his victims lived), and what their paying customers ought to do immediately after the tour is come back for dinner—delicious ethnic options galore! And as our East End correspondent who writes the “East Siiide!” guest posts will enthusiastically endorse, the near-East London postcodes have an abundance of quirky and fun vintage shops and markets like Spitalfields to explore. Whitechapel Art Gallery is another popular draw. If tired of the bustle, moving outward to, say E4 or E6 will bring you to more open, natural space on London’s outskirts—although there are city farms in E1 and E2; how fun is that?
Just a general overview in case you’re considering accommodation in London in the East or perhaps haven’t before and might now be more interested in exploring it further—either on your own or with the aid of London Relocation Ltd. .
As a guide to London neighborhoods for those of you who are moving to London, yesterday I started out with explaining the London postcodesystem. Today, I’ll begin to break down those cryptic letters and numbers to their respective neighborhoods, area-by-area of the city.
If you’ve visited London before, you are likely most acquainted with the major sites to behold in its historic center. Even though the London homes and offices in many films and TV shows depict windows overlooking Big Ben, that’s really not what your reality will be when you actually live and work here . London’s city center houses predominantly governmental and corporate buildings, as well as museums and other tourist sites, rather than personal residences. Though the modern-day city of London stretches rather far and wide, residents will refer to this central district specifically as “The City,” just as Americans would say “downtown.”
Postcodes denote “C” for “Central,” and are divided between WC and EC for West-Central and East-Central, respectively:
EC2 – Barbican, Bishops Gate, Clerkenwell, Liverpool Street, Moorgate
EC3 – Aldgate, Broadgate, Fenchurch St., Monument, Tower Hill
EC4 – Blackfriars, Fleet Street, St. Paul’s, Temple
In WC, Bloomsbury is known in the literary circuit as where author Virginia Woolf once lived (and was a member of the “Bloomsbury Group”), and it is home to the British Museum as well as a lot of college students. WC2 is active day and night as London’s popular theatre district. Piccadilly Circus glimmers like Manhattan’s Times Square, and Leicester Square sparkles with celebrity as the site of many London film premiers. Restaurants abound to service the pre/post-theatre crowd, and the Strand offers a long row of shopping. The famous Trafalgar Square—meeting point for celebrations and protests alike—National Gallery, and Charing Cross (where you can access trains for Southeast London and out to Kent) are also in this postcode.
In EC, you delve more into London’s financial district, though EC1 has become trendier in recent years as an area for restaurants and bars, as in the streets around Farringdon and Smithfields Market. If you’re looking for something nice and quieter on the weekends, you might consider the Hatton Garden and Exmouth Market areas of EC1 near Farringdon tube station; conversely, you may want to avoid Old Street. The Barbican itself in EC2 is Europe’s largest venue for the multi-arts, and, in addition to the Museum of London, many City offices are headquartered in this postcode. You can also find London Liverpool Station here, which services Underground Lines as well as overground trains to and from Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk (and providing routes to Norwich via Ipswich and King’s Lynn via Cambridge), plus the Stansted Express service to Stansted Airport. EC3 and EC4 encompass such notable architectural features of central London as the centuries-old Tower of London, Monument to the Great Fire, and St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as the ultra-contemporary Lloyds of London and “Gherkin” buildings that have transformed the modern London skyline.
Join me next time as we move onto more of the city’s postcodes and get you oriented for your London move!
Researching a move to London is a tremendous task ahead of you, and the hardest part is determining which London neighborhood to live in. It isn’t enough to have visited London’s big tourist sites before, as it’s doubtful you’ll be living next door to Westminster or the Tower of London. The staff at London Relocation Ltd. will discuss with you straightaway what your property and local area requirements are so that your flat-search can be narrowed down to neighborhoods most compatible to your lifestyle, desired aesthetic, and budget.
Below you can see a London map of postcodes to help you get oriented with the layout of Central and Greater London, as well as how those postcodes work! Those moving from a country where zip codes are comprised of only numbers might at first be daunted by the letters included in those of the United Kingdom, but don’t worry—they actually greatly simplify your bearings on where a certain address is situated in this large city. The letters actually represent the direction of a neighborhood from the city center, so “N” means “North,” “SW” is “Southwest,” and so forth.
Pretty logical, ay? What is not always so logical is the arrangement of the subsequent numbers, but, in general, they will increase as they stem further out from that central point. The directions+numbers indicated here are only prefixes to the full postcode; the entire code will include another 3-4 digit alphanumeric combination as its second half. For example, London Relocation‘s office is presently located in postcode W11 2SH, which is found in the “W“-for-”West London” neighborhood of Notting Hill.
You may find it useful, then, to get a sense of which postcodes will be most conducive to accessing your locations of priority—e.g., work, school, airports, etc. As you explore this, it will be important to cross-reference with London tube and bus maps as well to have a realistic idea of what your commute will be like. I’ll speak more on the specific London neighborhoods that correspond with these postcodes in future posts of this series.
* * SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the movie Closer!!! * *
After a nice walk through Notting Hill, Kensington Gardens, and Hyde Park yesterday with my cousins who are visiting London, I caught the Tube to the City to meet my husband and friends for dinner. Quite pathetically, I had confused the days (it’s actually tonight that we meet ), so there was a period of time when he was underground on the Tube when I was trying to reach him and figured he was in a meeting or conference call; to kill some time, then, I strolled across the street to Postman’s Park.
I’d always wanted to visit this park ever since I saw the film Closer with Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, and Julia Roberts. Once the lunch-break area for workers at the old post office nearby, the consequently named Postman’s Park is a sweet little haven from the bustle of London’s financial district, which also coexists with much tourism—in the case of the park, it is located very near the popular St. Paul’s Cathedral, but its low-profile entrances maintain it as a virtual London secret off the worn touristed path. In addition to its intimate seclusion, the charm of Postman’s Park lies in its gallery of beautifully hand-painted tiles that memorialize everyday heroes. It was founded by artist and philanthropist G.F. Watts in the Victorian era as a tribute to the self-sacrifice among common citizens, who all gave their lives in trying to save others. Gazing upon them in solitude, I was very affected by the bravery of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and marveled that so many of them were children. Be it rescue from drowning, fire, trains, or runaway horses, each individual’s selfless acts will forever blossom from those tiles.
This July-in-review blog post is brought to us all by Sue Hillman of It’s Your London touring company. Providing custom tours of London tailored to your personal interests, It’s Your London will help you make the most of your time in this phenonemonal city. (For more information, see our previous blog post on It’s Your London as well visit www.itsyourlondon.co.uk)
Here’s your London Relocation review of July 2010 in London when I did the reverse trip and went to visit the USA! I spent 2 wonderful weeks in New York and New Mexico but still managed to have a very busy London July around that so here goes…..
One big highlight was my trip to Wimbledon on finals day but not on the famous Centre Court sadly. Each year Wimbledon runs a public ballot and you put your name in to them and if you are very lucky they send you a letter with your offer of tickets – mine were for Court 1 on 4th July. When I opened the letter I thought it was for men’s final but I was still very excited to have won anything. It meant we could skip all the queues, have a leisurely morning coffee before the matches started, tour the whole venue at peace and then settle in on Henman Hill to watch the main match. It was absolutely packed and is very steep so it’s easy to slip away downhill at the exciting moments! The photo shows how busy it was. We took our allotted seats on Court 1 for a wonderful women’s invitation doubles match with Martina Navratilova as the star player playing with Jana Novonta versus Tracey Austin and here’s a shot of that wonderful venue in action. We also saw Pat Cash in doubles and managed a glass or two of Pimms to complete the experience.
A great event in my neighbourhood is the annual street party when all the residents of my cul de sac get together in the Notting Hill garden we have at the end of our road. We take a few hours to chat over wine and snacks about life, the local events, house renovations and who is new in the area. It really doesn’t feel like you are living in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world and I always look forward to it One photo of the garden gives you an idea of how lovely it all is.
I had some visitors with my tour company (It’s Your London) and we did many of the key London sights but they had also requested a visit to Billingsgate Fish Market so off we went for the 6.15am start of our tour! A very well informed guide took us round the trading floor explaining how to spot good quality fish and shellfish and how to spot the duds! We saw loads and learnt a good deal too. We squealed at the eels in their trays and I have put in a photo of them to save you having to get up that early!
With the World Cup so far behind us now, it was time to step back into the world of football and with the help of complementary tickets we went to see the Tottenham Hotspurs in a friendly against Villa Real. The atmosphere was great with loads of kids as it was a summer pre-season game but unfortunately Spurs spoiled the party with lax defending and lost 4-1! There’s a photo to give you the feel of the place. Spurs’ ground is not the best looking and there is talk of them bidding to take on the Olympic stadium after 2012 which would be fun but it’s not in Tottenham and that makes it a bit odd for supporters…..
Each year the Serpentine Gallery runs a competition to design each year’s pavilion. This year’s was won by the architect Jean Nouvel who has brought us an exciting structure in bright red to sit beautifully in the green of Hyde Park, a modern vision against the classic style of the gallery itself. Also, a good place for a glass of wine or snack on a summer’s day as the photo shows.
Food and drink in July? A great tapas restaurant in Kings Cross called Camino, a good pub of Trafalgar Square called the Old Shades, a rocking Saturday night bar in Soho called Cafe Boheme and cocktails at the top of the Peninsula Hotel in New York (couldn’t resist putting that one in!)
Okay, so one of the not-so cool things about moving to London is the higher taxes you will have to pay.
Buuuut, one of the oh-so cool things about moving to London is the quantity of free museums thanks to the higher taxes you will have to pay
(Obviously, the non-UK tax-paying tourists are the ones who win in this situation…)
In any case, since promptly after your London relocation you will need to learn to accept the huge chunk of your paycheck that will not be going into your personal bank account, the bright side is that you’ll save £££ on your museum visits—this is especially useful when you’re entertaining visitors and possibly going to the same places again and again.
* (I just discovered a fun new London blog that gives an expat’s personal perspective on these museums: Emm in London)
For a more comprehensive listing of free museums, visit the Days Out Guide.
Even when a London point of interest charges admission or could otherwise sell you something, though, there are still ways of seeing some of them free. For instance, if you’re keen to see the inside of cathedrals like Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s, consider attending either a morning service or the afternoon evensong. Sneak a peek inside St. Paul’s crypt at its Crypt Cafe; rest on a bench overlooking the Tower of London; ride the elevators up and down Harrod’s department store; play with the toys in Hamley’s of London; mosey through the markets like Portobello Road, Borough, Smithfields, and Camden; watch the street performers at Covent Garden or on the South Bank; explore the grounds of Kensington Palace; stroll through St. James’s Park and view Buckingham Palace. Other free ways to soak up London’s atmosphere: sit by the fountains in Trafalgar Square; collect artifacts on the Thames bank; walk or cycle through Hyde Park; picnic in Hampstead Heath; watch the sun set from Primrose Hill…the list goes on and on of all that is free in London to explore and stretch that pound further—it’s just a matter of doing your research and being creative.
Dear readers, if you have any good freebies that you’d like to add, please post them in your comments to spread the wealth!
Earls Court is once again hosting the annual Great British Beer Festival! Spanning the 3rd through 7th of August, the event features 500+ varieties of beer from around the world, along with live music, pub food, games, and tasting tutorials. Tickets are £6 if purchased in advance and £8 at the door.
So get those beer goggles out to better stomach (pun intended…wait for it…) the sight of grown men wearing half-tops to display the fruits of their ale-drinking labors. Me, I can’t wait for my pork scratchings.
While we want you to have fun, London Relocation Ltd. also encourages you to drink responsibly for the health and safety of yourself and others. Cheers!
Folks, I’ve got a plane to catch to Chicago, but wanted to pop in and give any French expats or visitors in London the heads-up that Bastille Day (the French Independence Day on 14 July) is being celebrated in London’s Battersea Park this Sunday, 11 July!
This is going to be one of my more all-over-the-place posts, giving you a glimpse at an average day in the life of a Londoner.
It’s a busy week ahead as I prepare to fly home for Chicago on Friday, and mixed in with my packing are a couple great visitors. Very excited about today in particular, as one of the top Anglophiles is in London this week – Jonathan Thomas of Anglotopia! I’ve given a shout-out to Anglotopia here before (“London Relocation Loves Anglotopia” post) and have the privilege of meeting with Jonathan this afternoon for lunch. In selecting a central meeting place, we’ve opted for Ye Olde Cheschire Cheese off of Fleet Street (yes, the Fleet Street of Demon Barber renown). Rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire, it is believed that its cellars date back to a monastery that once stood on the site, dating back to the 13th century. So, in about a half hour I’ll be catching the Central Line at Notting Hill Gate tube station.
I always enjoy an opportunity to venture into the City centre, especially on a gorgeous sunny day like today. It is unreal how warm this UK summer has been so far; unfortunately, the grass is the casualty—I’ve never seen the UK so brown. I’m still hoping to sneak a peek, though, at how the gardens of New Square off of Chancery Lane are holding up, as well as venture off to Sports Direct for a UK sports-related birthday present for my nephew—they usually have stellar sales and am hoping now that England is out of the World Cup that one good outcome is slashed prices on football paraphrenalia And what a lovely thing ’tis that I can run such simple errands with St. Paul’s Cathedral as my backdrop, which is an aspect of London that makes the everyday extraordinary. The spouse works around there, too, so perhaps I’ll catch him for a smooch before having to return home for…
…the Virgin Media guy. When you move to London and set up your utilities, a few options you have for TV/phone/internet packages are Virgin, British Telecom (BT), Onetel, and Sky. Londonistas from our London Living network have been asking me lately about this, and I’ve related to them that, while we might have opted for Sky for its movie channels, it required a landline, which we don’t have. Virgin Media, then, has been the provider of choice, and we’ve been so far satisfied with their broadband and cable (complete with On-Demand movies and television shows as well as DVR functionality to record and stop/rewind/fast-forward live TV); the only issue we’re encountering now is the not-so-”Smart Card” we recently received in the mail and had to swap into our box…alas. Not the best timing with the World Cup and Wimbledon underway, is it.
*sigh* After that, I’m sheh-juled to meet with another friend in town with his family. Today, they’re off on the Stonehenge/Bath bus day-tour, so their return should perfectly coordinate with my 4-7pm cable-guy window. As they’re staying in Earls Court, there are a myriad of restaurant options to choose from for dinner, be it a low-key pub like the Blackbird, a gastropub like the Pembroke, or my cafe fave, the Troubadour, not to mention a range of Italian, Thai, Indian, Greek and other cultural cuisine.
Oh, all the wonderful ways in London to procrastinate from packing…All right then, all this being said, I’ve gotsta’ go!
Stemming off of a previous circuit I recommended (the “Kensington Gardens Gallivant“), we’ll be heading West of South Kensington today for a nice neighborhoody stroll that won’t bog us down with too many big attractions. Instead, we’ll pass by and through points of interests and just soak up the atmosphere of a nice London neighborhood on a hopefully nice day outside.
If you’re in the vicinity of South Kensington station, start heading west on Brompton Road and stay on it as it becomes Old Brompton Road. You’ll pass by a string of shops and restaurants that you can pop into to your heart’s content. One cute one along the way is Bumpkin, which would make for a nice brunch stop. My husband also likes to ogle the Ferrari dealership further down on the left-hand side. If you’re more keen on a pub breakfast or lunch, two great options just across the street from each other are the Duke of Clarence (for higher grade gastropub fare) or the Drayton Arms (your more laidback variety with classic pub grub and a great English breakfast). Otherwise, around this same intersection you’ll see a variety of ethnic cuisines like Indian and Vietnamese.
Keeping on Old Brompton, on your left you’ll eventually see a long brick wall with a blue plaque signifying it as the site of the former home of Beatrix Potter, author of the treasured Peter Rabbit books. A primary school now stands on the site, but you can take a stroll around this neighborhood, called The Boltons, to get a taste for the affluent residences that have stood there since Beatrix’s time.
As you approach the intersection with Earls Court Road, to your left is the building where Lady Diana lived when she was courting Prince Charles, Colherne Court. Turning right onto Earls Court Road here will take you along a corridor highly populated with cafes and pubs, as well as Earls Court tube station if you’re needing to catch the District or Piccadilly lines.
Otherwise, if you’re a film buff, if you stay on Old Brompton, walk past Earls Court Road and turn left at the next street, 64 Colherne Road is the site of the famous metamorphosis scene in the cult-classic An American Werewolf in London—it’s Nurse Alex’s flat! The scene of a more recent film, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, is just a block further West on Old Brompton Road at the Brompton Cemetery. This graveyard is one of the Magnificent Seven located all over London that came into being during the Victorian era to solve the issue of overcrowding in individual churchyards. Almost 40 acres in size, it makes for an atmospheric and peaceful walk and/or sit, and is free, as opposed to its Highgate sister from yesterday’s London Bundle.
Across the street from the cemetery, you can’t help but notice the enormous Earls Court convention center that houses major fairs like the London Book Fair and Great British Beer Festival, as well as the prestigious music award show, the BRIT Awards. And, actually, if you’re willing to back-track a bit, on Old Brompton Road just between Colherne Road and the cemetery is a great coffee shop/restaurant named The Troubadour. Established in the 1950s, its music venue downstairs has hosted performances by legends like Bob Dylan (it was the first place he ever performed in London, in fact), Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchell.
With all this celebrity exposure, you could continue the trend by staying on Old Brompton (which turns into Lillie Road eventually) and hang a left on Fulham Road to catch a flick at the Fulham Broadway Cinema. This positions you perfectly if you’re looking for dinner—there is plenty to choose from within the mall at the cinema or outside in the general Fulham Broadway area (a favorite of mine is Hell Pizza)—or ready to head back to the comforts of the fabulous London flat where London Relocation Ltd. has placed you after your move to London …this being because the cinema is located directly above the Fulham Broadway tube station. Ta da!
Now you can feel like you’re in the stands at the World Cup in South Africa from the comforts of your home or office Internet-browsing Evidently, there’s an iPhone app as well that will turn your mobile into a vuvuzela horn. But, of course, isn’t there an iPhone app for everything…
At any rate, if you’re able to skip out of work early on this fine, albeit chillier Friday afternoon, the U.S.A. vs. Slovenia match will be kicking off at 3:00pm GMT. Germany vs. Serbia will be underway in an hour, and England will face-off against Algeria this evening at 7:30pm GMT.
I, for one, am lucky enough to be able to skip out of work in time for the U.S. match. My American friend has rented space at the Duke of Wellington pub on Notting Hill’s Portobello Road, and I’m hoping for a more mild atmosphere than last Saturday’s U.S. vs. England match…oi, was that obnoxiousness incarnate. First of all, not to overly diss a certain establishment on the Kings Road in Chelsea, but despite its phenomenal beer garden space out back that I do indeed enjoy, its interior is very American bar-and-grill. I do not mean to likewise diss American bar-and-grills in that same sentence—I’m a Yankee and proud of it!—but it’s not exactly furthering one’s international experience by frequenting it. And when you combine that atmosphere with a match of those competitive proportions, it raises it to American Frat Boy level, a Code Red that sends this former sorority girl running for the hills. But it wasn’t just Americans…this was truly an event that united world citizens in pissy attitudes that was just not a climate I enjoyed. But that’s just me. I’m not a hardcore sports fan, and football is no exception, so perhaps I should reserve judgment; I just don’t particularly like when taking jabs that should be all in good fun loses perspective and turns into actual ethnocentric antagonism. I don’t perceive the athletic ability of several men running on the field to actually represent an entire country anyway.
So there’s my editorializing because it’s Friday and I’m tired, and when I’m tired, I’m ornary and sometimes knock what I don’t truly understand Hopefully this afternoon after a cool pint I’ll be able to embrace the more positive spirit of global community that does surround this game on its colossal scale and finally comprehend what all the buzz (and horn-blowing) is all about.
Last night I attended a charity event at Notting Hill’s Tabernacle. A friend had invited me since she’d received tickets from one of the opening performers (http://www.lucamusic.co.uk/), and, really, all I’d been looking forward to was the chance to catch up with good friends and enjoy some live music with my cocktails. When I finally started to wrap my brain around what the event was actually for, I felt a rush of optimism and goodwill for what this charity organization is seeking to accomplish.
In operation since 1996, Honeypot has been returning the joys of childhood to children who have otherwise had to grow up too quickly out of neglect and/or having to assume adult responsibilities around the household, such as when parents suffer from physical/mental illness or substance abuse. From their website:
“They have no time to just be children. When not at school they might be cooking, washing, cleaning, changing dressings, bathing, or offering emotional support. This leaves little time for their own social and personal development, putting them at high risk of depression, anxiety, poor mental or physical health, social problems, isolation, bullying and absence from school.”
After a referral and home visit, Honeypot arranges to transport up to twelve children at a time, whisking them away on their minibus to Honeypot House, located on seven acres just outside New Forest:
“Activities such as riding a bike, learning to swim, paddling at the beach, painting a picture, or simply playing freely in the fresh air without the need to worry are often experienced for the first time by the children who visit us.”
To learn more about how you can contribute to such a worthwhile mission through volunteering or donations, please visit the Honeypot website at http://www.honeypot.co.uk/.
My husband and I were married two years ago today on a brilliantly sunny and warm Chicago day…and three months later, we moved to London. That summer was a transition-and-a-half with all its life changes, but now that we’ve weathered the worst of the relocation storm, we look back on our first two years of marriage here in London as an extended honeymoon.
Last year, we made our own pilgrimage to Canterbury, England (yes, as in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales) to celebrate our one-year. This year, the weekend didn’t work so well for heading out of town, so we counted our earlier Devon/Cotswolds weekend as our main celebration. Yesterday, however, we decided to compensate for having a Monday workday anniversary by stepping out for Sunday tea at Claridge’s right here in London. A 5-star hotel in London’s posh Mayfair area, Claridge’s offers a decadent and essentially all-you-can eat Afternoon Tea within its opulent setting—we opted for the champagne tea so we could sip this golden, effervescent beverage as its bubbles tickled our noses before indulging in the assortment of finger sandwiches (salmon, cucumber, egg, turkey, and ham), scones (with clotted cream and jam), and rich sample of desserts. Lest I forget the tea…Claridge’s offers over 30 varieties of teas from around the world, including its own special blend, which they will send home with you in a little black tin as a memento of your exquisite experience there.
I found this means of celebrating to be especially meaningful, as the hotel’s atmosphere was so reminiscent of the Drake Hotel in Chicago, the location of our bridal suite as well as afternoon luncheon to tide our wedding guests over between our morning ceremony and evening reception. The Drake likewise hosts elegant tea parties, set to live instrumental music just as you’ll find at Claridge’s.
From there, we decided to hotel-hop as long as we were all dolled up, so we made our way to the nearby Dorchester, another 5-star hotel that offers an afternoon tea and assortment of restaurants and bars. A bit overly caffeinated for a Sunday night, we decided to counteract that stimulant with a couple smooth cocktails shaken, not stirred, in The Bar at the Dorchester. The Bar offers a low-lit ambiance and classic range of martinis of a calibre not encountered enough—sorry, chicks, you won’t find any Appletinis or Flirtinis here (thank God). Instead, you’ll drink like 007 does (try the Vesper or Gold Finger if you don’t believe me). It had been a while since I’d had a martini, and, man, was this the place to be reunited with it—they are utterly silky thanks to The Dorchester’s masters of alchemy.
As we sat at our barstools, we asked ourselves, “Why don’t we do this more often?” That’s why I’m sharing the experience with you now—if ever you’re looking for an alternative to the pubs and an excuse to get dressed up, make a day and/or night of it in Mayfair’s hotels. You don’t have to have a room there to still enjoy their elegance and quality fare.
Moving to London entails schlepping a lot of the worldly goods you already have over the ocean, yet it often also means leaving a lot of your stuff behind. The availability of furnished flats in London makes it more desirable to leave your own furnishings at home, whether you sell them, loan them, or put them in storage. Moving it all can be expensive, not to mention just a pain if it’s not a long-term relocation, and if you’re in the situation that my husband and I were when we moved (i.e., not having a flat lined up in advance, so just living out of a hotel until you find one), you simply don’t know what sort of space you’ll end up with to determine what will/won’t fit or to what extent you’ll be able to decorate, etc. Even if you’re able to rent a place with the major furnishings, you will find that there’s always something else that you need, be it a piece of furniture, home decor, pots/pans, and especially appliances. (Read my previous blog post on how differences in voltage will impact what appliances you can or can’t bring from home.)
Right, then. So if you’re daunted by how much shopping you’re going to have to do and how to get it all home if you won’t have a car here and don’t want to pay the hefty cab fare, here’s a heads-up on Westfield shopping center in Shepherd’s Bush, London:
- Shop hands-free: Westfield’s concierge service will arrange to pick up your bags when you make purchases and have them ready for you to collect at the end of your shopping excursion. This means you’ll be able to walk the mall freely without lugging everything around. This service costs only £7.50! As it is a popular option, try to arrange for this during off-peak times.
- Home delivery: Like most expats, you probably won’t have a car. You could hire a taxi, mini-cab, or Zip Car rather than haul everything on public transportation, OR you could simply cough up a few extra £ for home delivery service. Rates may vary depending on where you are shipping to, but one of our clients just used the service yesterday for only £17 for delivery to Maida Vale.
You can get to the shopping center via Tube by taking the Central Line to the Shepherd’s Bush station. Overground rail service also runs there in addition to a plethora of bus lines. Sound good? Then get out there and get your consumer thang on!
This one’s for the ladies. While my last bundle will bring you by an assortment of darling boutiques to enhance your wardrobe and accessories, if you want to get really hardcore, follow me…
Today we start at Oxford Circus Tube station, not to be confused with its far more obnoxious neighbor, Piccadilly Circus,
Photo: David Rose
although you could as easily start from there if you please and make your way to Oxford Circus via Regent Street; I won’t stop ya. Beginning at Oxford Circus, though, presents you with the immediate option of initiating your shopping extravaganza on eitherOxford or Regent Streets (SO fun to visit during Christmastime when they close the streets to traffic for holiday shopping!). I personally like to go South on Regent Street, down to the 250-year-old Hamleys of London toy store (go on, pop in and play! And if you want grown-up toys, it’s near the Apple Store); from here, you can keep wandering down into the Piccadilly Circus tourist trap.
Or, if it’s starting to look too Magnificent Mile or 5th Avenue and you want some old London atmosphere, cut off of the high street at Great Marlborough Street to the left and immediately see the Tudor-style Liberty department store. To the left of Liberty, you can then enter Carnaby Street. You’ll think you’re in the quaint little Epcot World Showcase for England or Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley when you wander into this intimate network of streets offering an array of shops and restaurants.
From here, we’re on to Knightsbridge! I leave it entirely up to you how you choose to get there–you can cut over to Hyde Park‘s Northeast corner from Oxford Street (Marble Arch area)—you’ll pass Selfridges department store on the way—and enjoy a relaxed walk through the greenery until you reach its South end at Hyde Park Corner. Or, if you do follow Regent Street down to Piccadilly Circus, you can follow Piccadilly Westward to Hyde Park Corner and ultimately onto Knightsbridge (check out the Ritz on the way). OR, you can zigzag through the posh Mayfair streets that contain some of London’s most expensive properties and fine dining (might I recommend Gordon Ramsey’s Maze off Grosvenor Square—across from the U.S. Embassy—for contemporary ambiance and small but flavor-packed portions or The Guinnea, a historical pub that serves high quality steaks in its rear restaurant—Guy Ritchie’s Punch Bowl is nearby there as well if you’re thirsty). If you’re game to window-shop for cars, you’ll find Aston Martin, Lamborghini, and Porsche dealerships in the area to gawk at.
However you get there, once you hit Knightsbridge, just walk on along for more high street shopping, drinking, and dining…all three of which activities you can do right inside the infamous Harrods, level upon level of garish opulence and high prices, well worth a look even if you are, in fact, only looking versus buying. Walking further West along this road (or cutting Southwest onto Brompton Road) will ultimately bring you into South Kensington, the vicinity of my Kensington Gardens Gallivant bundle, if that helps you get your bearings.
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Hopefully this afternoon after a cool pint I’ll be able to embrace the more positive spirit of global community that does surround this game on its colossal scale and finally comprehend what all the buzz (and horn-blowing) is all about.
