Though it was a very short visit, we really did a lot. During just three full days we had an "Absolutely Fabulous" time!
The surprisingly sunny weather made our trip most enjoyable. Instead of the expected "London weather" of rain, fog, overcast, etc., it was SUNNY every day until our departure! Only during our early Sunday morning exit did we experience typical London weather. Another plus was our location. Our friend and host, Kathy (who works with Leisha) is in a corporate apartment located just behind the County Hall Marriott, right across the Westminster Bridge from the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and close to Waterloo Station. Talk about Location Location Location!
We arrived around 1pm Wednesday, met Kathy, and picked up a key to her flat. We then took a nap until 5:30pm when we freshened up, ate dinner and headed out the Prince Edward Theater to see the ABBA-influenced musical Mama Mia. It was great; really lots of fun. After that we strolled about the Soho/ Leicester Square area which provides a "South Beach" type scene with bars, street musicians and plenty of young whipper-snappers (I'm 40 now!). We had a glass of wine at a nearby wine bar until their 11pm last-call (??) With a little help (read: red wine) we quickly adjusted to the 5-hour time change!
Thursday morning, Leisha and I shared a taxi to the West End, (Mayfair area) where she had work meetings. I strolled about, visited the famous Ritz Hotel and met with the first of two friends/trainers who work for a law firms. This one was on Curzon Street which is one a number of small streets behind Park Lane, next to Shepherd Market which is also known as a high-priced red-light district. We had lunch at a tiny Italian place (Da Corradi) in Shepherd Market which is an area reminiscent of Little Italy, with the small cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafes, etc... After lunch and a visit to my friend's office I took the Tube to my next stop in the downtown (Bank) area and enjoyed another very nice visit. Later on, Leisha, Kathy and I met at the flat for a champage toast! We then departed for my birthday dinner at Scalini, a popular Chelsea Italian restaurant, followed by dessert (read: Grand Marnier) at The Enterprise, just down the street. We then took a long stroll through the Chelsea area before catching a taxi "home" for the evening.
Friday we were off to a late start. After breakfast at a bagel and coffee spot just across the way, Leisha and I took a ride on the British Airways London Eye. The "Eye" is a huge Ferris wheel/Observatory with enclosed capsules from which you see spectacular views of the surrounding city. Many of our photos came from our 30-minute twirl on they Eye. We then walked past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and took a tour of Westminster Abbey and Cathedral. Later that night we enjoyed a great Indian dinner at a Piccadilly Circus restaurant called Veeraswamy.
Saturday we took a bus tour, drove over London Bridge, visited St. Paul's Cathedral, had a Sam Smith stout at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a pub dating back to the 1500's, through 16 Monarchies! Later, we walked through Hyde Park to the Lanesborough Hotel for high-tea (with crumpets, scones, clotted cream and much more, including champagne, strawberries & cream.) We then visited Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, both department stores with incredible food courts. We enjoyed a tasty late dinner that night at a Lebanese restaurant called Al Hamra, which I'd discovered during my first day in Shepherd Market. We even had a bottle of red wine from Lebanon.
Early the next morning we headed to Heathrow. Upon arrival in NY we learned that our flight from JFK to Miami was canceled due to Hurricane Michelle, so we happily returned to our NY flat :) for one more night in the CITY. As we walked to dinner, just three blocks away, we discovered a strip on E 7th (one block from St. Mark's place) with several pubs including McSorley's Old Ale House which dates back to 1859! (read: Stout) That's two historical pubs in two days! Afterwards we enjoyed dinner at our favorite new Pan-Asian bistro, O.G. on 6th Street near Avenue A.
We left New York for Miami at 9am Monday from LaGuardia.
