1. Be very careful when crossing the road. The Brits drive on the right side. In the U.S., we look left when crossing the street or road. In London, you look right first. I had two friends killed crossing the road in England. One was a CEO of a large newspaper chain and the other was a former sports editor for a Copley newspaper. I almost got wiped out in London when I looked left crossing an intersection on Piccadilly.
2. Bring a packable umbrella. If you already didn’t know, it rains a lot in London.
3. Eat fish and chips at least once. It’s an English staple. The food in London used to terrible but not anymore.
4. Keep a lot of one pound coins and 50 pence pieces (half pound) with you for tips, cabs, buses, public restrooms, etc.
5. Everything is expensive. There are no bargains.
6. Don’t eat at an American fast-food chain no matter how tempted and even though there is one on every block.
7. Pack lightly. No one is going to see you two days in a row except maybe the doorman at one of the high-end hotels.
8. Learn the public transportation because no one is going to give you directions. The Underground is great and reasonably priced.
9. Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is at 11:30 a.m. daily spring to fall. It’s 11:30 a.m. every other day fall to spring.
10. London coffee is strong but good.
11. Must sees. Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge. Don’t, however, expect friendly service. Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, the ornate Albert Memorial (Queen Victoria’s tribute to her husband), Tower Bridge, Tate Modern Museum, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the world-famous British Museum, Trafalgar Square, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Churchill’s War Room and the Natural History Museum.
12. Take a stroll in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Shop on Bond Street, ride the London Eye, take a cruise down the Thames to Greenwich and see a play in the theater district.
13. Purchase a London Pass. You will save a lot of money. There are one-, two-, three- and six-day passes. Go to www.londonpass.com.
14. Great places to stay (but expensive). The Ritz. My favorite London hotel. It has Old-World class, perhaps the best afternoon tea in London, a stunning dining room with superb cuisine and great doormen. The Dorchester, one of the world’s best hotels. The Berkely (pronounced Barkley). It’s a short walk to Hyde Park and the Blue Bar is SRO at cocktail time. The Kensington Hotel, next door to Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens. Cliveden Townhouse in Cadogan Gardens has been refurbished to be as wonderfully opulent as its sister property, Cliveden House in Taplow, Berkshire (another one of my favorite places and a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle). When I last stayed at Cliveden Townhouse it was Faulty Towers but the room, with its fireplace, was loaded with charm.
— Stan Wawer
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