Why London? Part 1
22 Aug, 2009 by James L. Clark in London, Musings, Travel, United Kingdom
I love the UK. No seriously, it’s one of my favorite countires in the world, and London is one of my favorite cities. Why go? That’s easy… it’s huge, old, and has a ton of things to see—Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The Portobello, Tate Modern, The Imperial War Museum, and so much more.
Not to mention that it’s crazy hip. There are majestic museums and theaters, cutting-edge art and fantastic music scenes both over and underground, and world-class restaurants.
The first time I hit the city was in 1997. I flew in to Heathrow from San Francisco for a trip out to the Hebrides and took the train north into Edinburgh. I can’t believe it’s been over ten years already. But I remedied the problem of having to fly over the US and then the pond by moving there.
My next trip into the City was after I was already living in Scotland in 1999. I had a car, so typical of being an American I just made the 8 hour drive to screw around for the day. It’s about as far as driving from San Francisco to Las Angeles. Actually, the UK is about a third of the size of California, so for those of us used to making long drives to see sights and visit friends and family, it’s not a big deal—until you get your petrol bill.
Unleaded gas in the UK is extremely expensive compared to the US. In part, it’s because they have a major tax on it, which makes driving a far less attractive mode of transportation for long hauls. If you’re living on the economy, it’s not as bad—you sort of get used to being gouged. I mean, it’s pretty crazy how much it costs when you consider that there’s refineries in Scotland and some of the biggest reserves of oil are pulled right out of the North Sea. It’s even worse if you’re on vacation in the UK and are dealing with serious exchange rates where the Pound Sterling is valued at 1.6 to the Dollar. Of course there are other ways to get there—plane, train, and bus are all very reasonable options.
Taking the train is the most expensive of your public transit options, unless you have a rail pass good for days or even a month as a tourist; taking the train for a singular trip, such as on the sleeper, never really did it for me. The cheapest two that I found are taking the Mega Bus for one Pound (about $1.65) from any of the major cities in the UK, or taking one of the cheap non-frills airlines. Ryan Air, for example, is one of the best ways to travel anywhere in Europe, not just the UK.
But all of that changed when I moved to England. I lived about 45 minutes away to the north-west near Oxford and used to drive in just to screw around for the whole day. I probably went into London two to six times a month with my family to go shopping at the Portobello or just have a day out.
The Portobello is a dream for people like me who are always looking for unique things to put in my house or on my body. I once purchased a set of evening tails that had been custom tailored for a gentleman (and I actually meant to use that word) in the 1950s; the suit was in perfect condition and even had the original owner’s "calling card" in the tail pocket—how cool is that? I had it retailored to fit my slightly slimmer frame and have had them ever since. I also purchased three or four Barbours that were made famous by Prince Charles. They really are one of my favorite jackets. I once read that in the UK you can show up to a black tie affair in a Barbour, a pressed pair of jeans, a nice collared shirt, an expensive watch, and bad ass pair of shoes and nobody would think the less of you—in fact, they may actually think you’re somebody of status.
London has tourist traps just like any other place, and some are worth going to. I like to collect mugs for some reason—I have some from just about every country, state, or major city I’ve been to. Piccadilly Circus has a ton of shops—good and bad—to get your tourist consumerism fix at. And there are a ton of shops around Parliament, the Thames, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace. But while I’ve seen all of those places, you know what really excites me? Seeing local London, where people who live, work, and procreate further generations visit during their lives.
My buddy Dean lives near Golders Green, a predominantly Jewish area in London. I’ve had "American Corned Beef" sandwiches, but places like "Blooms" in is a authentic Kosher Restaurant and one of the first to serve Salt and Spiced Beef in London.
Just to clarify…
US = Corned Beef
UK = Salt Beef
The latter is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish delight that kicks ass on a cool overcast day in London. It’s cooked, cured, or whatever the hell they do to it over like 40 days; it isn’t injected, which the owner was quick to point out, like in the US. He was very adamant about how much better his was. And, well, eaten as a sandwich with rye bread, plenty mustard and full sour dill pickles—I was in F-ing culinary heaven. So, twist my nipple, he was right.
I have to point out that this isn’t what the US Department of Agriculture identifies as a "traditional Irish" dish. They state, "Originally ‘Corned Beef and Cabbage’ was a traditional dish served for Easter Sunday dinner in rural Ireland. The beef, which was salted or brined during the winter to preserve it, could then be eaten after the long, meatless Lenten fast." Although, funny enough, I’ve never really seen this dish widely advertized on my travels to Ireland. Anyway.
I also love to see theater shows in London’s West End. For goodness sake, it’s THE place to do it. New York and Paris fall behind in my estimation—London is the bomb. My wife and I saw The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the Haymarket for example—it was incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s experiences like seeing a show that make a trip to London worth the effort. Just going and seeing the typical sites isn’t enough; you need to really get out there and absorb yourself.
END OF PART ONE
