You Can Drink In The Street! (guest blog by Marissa- Ed's will follow shortly)
Marissa and Ed in London—October 26- 31 (Sorry for the length)
Greetings! This may well be the last guest blog since John and Jamie are moving back to the US in 6 weeks!
I have never been to Europe, and couldn’t wait to do so many things. Unfortunately, the first thing I did upon arriving at Heathrow was throw up from motion sickness after circling for 15 minutes. Ahhh precious memories.
However, things looked up considerably once we got through immigration and took the Tube the entire way to their house. It took about 90 minutes. It was great! The Tube is superb compared to the El in Chicago. We took the Tube everywhere. Love it! After thoroughly admiring and cooing over Jamie’s blossoming tummy, she took us to a tasty lunch and gave us a tour of their charming neighborhood. After bathing and napping we headed to John’s office to meet him for dinner. John had already been drinking at his in-office bar for a few hours as it was Friday. We headed out to find a pub, when Ed and I learned that Londoners drink in the street! You can legally drink practically everywhere, and people do. So, we stood on the sidewalk in front of a pub on a very crowded and busy London sidewalk drinking wine and beer and cranberry juice for Jamie and Cooper.
We then found a great Indian restaurant for dinner. After we were sufficiently full of some of the curry that London is known for, we headed to the very posh Goring Hotel to meet Jack Welsh and his wife for drinks. We had a fantastic time with them!
The next day we headed to Westminster Abbey, which was simply beautiful. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. We then strolled around, found a pub for lunch and went to Covent Garden market. Then it was back to their apartment to rest up before our night out. We met their friend Steve in Soho at the Red Lion and drank in the street again! Once food became a necessity we wandered about until we found a Thai restaurant for dinner.
The next day we woke up to John making us a delicious English breakfast which we enjoyed in their conservatory.
Ed and I headed off to the Cartoon Museum and the British Museum. The British Museum is really cool. Not only are the exhibits like nothing I had ever seen, but the settings in which they are displayed are entirely exquisite unto themselves. We met Jamie, John and Steve at their favorite pub, the Alex, for an Arsenal Football match. That was a highlight! A pub during a match is as quiet as a library, except when a goal is scored, at which point mayhem ensues. Fabulous! We had a quick dinner at a fish and chips restaurant which was marvelous. Then we went home grabbed road beers (a real term) and took the Tube to the Tower of London for the Ceremony of the Keys. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/ceremonyofthekeys.aspx
It’s the ceremony they do each night to lock up the Tower. You must request tickets and only about 40 people get to go each night. We enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it.
The next morning we went on the Big Bus Tour of London and saw it all! We sat outside on the top of the bus and saw every big site in London. And who says the sun doesn’t shine in London!?!?! We had fantastic fall weather the entire time. It only misted a bit on the first day.
We went back to the Tower and did that tour which included the Crown Jewels. If you like diamonds, it’s a must see! We then went on a boat tour down the Thames before heading off to a romantic lunch at a risotto bar, Ooze, recommended by TimeOut London. We walked about some more prior to heading home. Jamie cooked us a delicious dinner of her mother’s famous recipe of stuffed peppers, and we made our way to another neighborhood pub for merriment.
We started our last full day in London with a 10:00 AM sun-filled trip on The Eye
We then met Jamie at The Wolsey for fancy English breakfast. It was phenomenal and so cool inside. Apparently, jeans are unacceptable attire for the main room at the Wolsey so we were placed in the tiny side room for the underdressed commoners. We then went to Harrods and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Both places are full of so much stuff it’s incredible. Jamie left at this point to go to auditions for her last Showcase in London. Ed and I walked through the Inns of Court, which were absolutely gorgeous but they are likely only something my husband, the attorney, would want to do. This was the only time on our trip where I knew confidently that we were the only tourists!
At this point we were starving and headed to Mother Mash, a modern pie n’ mash shop (another TOL rec), in Soho for a delicious lunch. Once fortified, it was time to get really serious and do some London shopping. We found an amazing new winter coat for Ed at Muji and picked up a few things for myself at Top Shop. Top Shop is H&M on crack! After thoroughly exhausting ourselves at the shops we managed to rally and meet Steve and John at Trafalgar Square. From there we took a quick walk over to Chinatown to experience the Ramsburg-lauded Crispy Duck restaurant. All around it was darn good Chinese food, but that Crispy Duck appetizer is like nothing I have ever eaten before. It was so good!
We managed to pack a TON into 6 days in London, including loads of QT with John and Jamie. Thank you both so much for being such spectacular hosts. London is a fantastic city, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun as it was had we not been with you.
Greetings! This may well be the last guest blog since John and Jamie are moving back to the US in 6 weeks!
I have never been to Europe, and couldn’t wait to do so many things. Unfortunately, the first thing I did upon arriving at Heathrow was throw up from motion sickness after circling for 15 minutes. Ahhh precious memories.
However, things looked up considerably once we got through immigration and took the Tube the entire way to their house. It took about 90 minutes. It was great! The Tube is superb compared to the El in Chicago. We took the Tube everywhere. Love it! After thoroughly admiring and cooing over Jamie’s blossoming tummy, she took us to a tasty lunch and gave us a tour of their charming neighborhood. After bathing and napping we headed to John’s office to meet him for dinner. John had already been drinking at his in-office bar for a few hours as it was Friday. We headed out to find a pub, when Ed and I learned that Londoners drink in the street! You can legally drink practically everywhere, and people do. So, we stood on the sidewalk in front of a pub on a very crowded and busy London sidewalk drinking wine and beer and cranberry juice for Jamie and Cooper.
We then found a great Indian restaurant for dinner. After we were sufficiently full of some of the curry that London is known for, we headed to the very posh Goring Hotel to meet Jack Welsh and his wife for drinks. We had a fantastic time with them!
The next day we headed to Westminster Abbey, which was simply beautiful. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. We then strolled around, found a pub for lunch and went to Covent Garden market. Then it was back to their apartment to rest up before our night out. We met their friend Steve in Soho at the Red Lion and drank in the street again! Once food became a necessity we wandered about until we found a Thai restaurant for dinner.
The next day we woke up to John making us a delicious English breakfast which we enjoyed in their conservatory.
Ed and I headed off to the Cartoon Museum and the British Museum. The British Museum is really cool. Not only are the exhibits like nothing I had ever seen, but the settings in which they are displayed are entirely exquisite unto themselves. We met Jamie, John and Steve at their favorite pub, the Alex, for an Arsenal Football match. That was a highlight! A pub during a match is as quiet as a library, except when a goal is scored, at which point mayhem ensues. Fabulous! We had a quick dinner at a fish and chips restaurant which was marvelous. Then we went home grabbed road beers (a real term) and took the Tube to the Tower of London for the Ceremony of the Keys. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/WhatsOn/ceremonyofthekeys.aspx
It’s the ceremony they do each night to lock up the Tower. You must request tickets and only about 40 people get to go each night. We enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it.
The next morning we went on the Big Bus Tour of London and saw it all! We sat outside on the top of the bus and saw every big site in London. And who says the sun doesn’t shine in London!?!?! We had fantastic fall weather the entire time. It only misted a bit on the first day.
We went back to the Tower and did that tour which included the Crown Jewels. If you like diamonds, it’s a must see! We then went on a boat tour down the Thames before heading off to a romantic lunch at a risotto bar, Ooze, recommended by TimeOut London. We walked about some more prior to heading home. Jamie cooked us a delicious dinner of her mother’s famous recipe of stuffed peppers, and we made our way to another neighborhood pub for merriment.
We started our last full day in London with a 10:00 AM sun-filled trip on The Eye
We then met Jamie at The Wolsey for fancy English breakfast. It was phenomenal and so cool inside. Apparently, jeans are unacceptable attire for the main room at the Wolsey so we were placed in the tiny side room for the underdressed commoners. We then went to Harrods and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Both places are full of so much stuff it’s incredible. Jamie left at this point to go to auditions for her last Showcase in London. Ed and I walked through the Inns of Court, which were absolutely gorgeous but they are likely only something my husband, the attorney, would want to do. This was the only time on our trip where I knew confidently that we were the only tourists!
At this point we were starving and headed to Mother Mash, a modern pie n’ mash shop (another TOL rec), in Soho for a delicious lunch. Once fortified, it was time to get really serious and do some London shopping. We found an amazing new winter coat for Ed at Muji and picked up a few things for myself at Top Shop. Top Shop is H&M on crack! After thoroughly exhausting ourselves at the shops we managed to rally and meet Steve and John at Trafalgar Square. From there we took a quick walk over to Chinatown to experience the Ramsburg-lauded Crispy Duck restaurant. All around it was darn good Chinese food, but that Crispy Duck appetizer is like nothing I have ever eaten before. It was so good!
We managed to pack a TON into 6 days in London, including loads of QT with John and Jamie. Thank you both so much for being such spectacular hosts. London is a fantastic city, but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as fun as it was had we not been with you.
posted by Jamie & John | 6:10 AM
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