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GREAT ESCAPES A POUND-WISE GUIDE TO TWO SEASONED TRAVELERS SHARE HOW TO GET THE MOST DAZZLE FOR THE AMERICAN DOLLAR IN PRICEY LONDONTOWN

BY JACKI LEVINE AND ALAN AGRESTI

OW EXPENSIVE WOULD LONDON have to be before we’d stop going?” We ask each other that question on “H our every visit, aghast anew at the price of everything from a short taxi ride to a cup of cof- fee. Once upon a time, you’d translate prices by imagining a dollar for every British pound. Today, make that two dollars. So if you’re not in love with the city already, you might just decide this isn’t the year — the decade, the lifetime — to go.

116 GAINESVILLE MAGAZINE A NIGHTTIME VIEW OF PARLIAMENT AND FROM ACROSS THE THAMES RIVER.

VISITLONDON.COM GAINESVILLE MAGAZINE 117 GREAT ESCAPES

But the truth is, London is mag- ical to us, a truly global village so historic and contemporary, so brimming over with things to see and experience, that we’d likely stow away on a steamer and pitch a tent in a park before we’d give it up. Instead of letting it come to that, we’ve taken it as a challenge to see how far we can stretch the pound and still make the most of every moment there. So come along on our personal pence-pinching jour- ney through the city of which 18th-century writer Samuel Johnson famously declared: , IN THE CENTER “When a man is tired of London, he is OF LONDON’S THEATER AND tired of life.” ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, IS HOME TO SPECIALTY SHOPS, RESTAU- BEFORE YOU GO RANTS, AN OUTDOOR MARKET Your first — and worst — case of AND FREE ENTERTAINMENT. sticker shock will likely come when you a hotel room. VISITLONDON.COM Even the least costly rooms are roughly twice the freight of their everything from theater to gal- U.S. equivalents. But we’ve found leries to Parliament and Big Ben THIS STATUE OF GEORGE some satisfying bargains on are within walking distance. Both WASHINGTON STANDS IN Lastminute.co.uk, the British web- areas have convenient “under- FRONT OF THE NATIONAL site that features enticing dis- ground” and bus links to every- PORTRAIT GALLERY. counts, with better deals closer to where in London you might want the date of arrival. You’ll find to go. some rooms at as little as half the price of the hotel’s own “rack FIRST rates.” You can pay as little as 60 THINGS FIRST pounds a night for a three-star You’ve arrived, now before you hotel and 80 pounds for a four- leave the airport, pick up a copy of star hotel. (Do check to make sure Time Out, London’s weekly listings the price includes the 17.5 percent magazine. This lively and irrever- VAT — value added tax — and ent guide really is invaluable. As breakfast.) Another site that often you peruse it on your way into has good hotel bargains is London, you’ll find all you need www.hotel-assist.com. to plan your visit, including music and theater events, LOCATION, exhibits, walking tours, bar- LOCATION, gains and free readings by LOCATION everyone from the hot nov- While an out-of-the -way elist of the moment to spot may save you money celebrities hawking their on the room, it will cost you biographies. in travel time and fares. Two And here’s the best reason of our favorite central areas to buy Time Out before you leave to stay: , close to the airport — its two-for-one a myriad of and royal coupons often include discounts JACKI LEVINE attractions, such as Kensington for train rides into central Connex South Central. It will add ? Take the Picadilly Palace and Gardens and the shop- London. If you’re landing at only a few minutes onto your underground line directly into ping Harrod’s, and the West Gatwick Airport and can’t find a journey to Victoria Station in , your most eco- End/Covent Garden area, the coupon, forgo the pricey Gatwick Central London, but save you five nomical option of all. What better heart of tourist London, where Express for the better value of the pounds per ticket. Arriving at way to start your trip!

118 GAINESVILLE MAGAZINE GREAT ESCAPES IT’S YOUR FIRST TRIP: 10 THINGS TO SEE ON A BUDGET

VIEW FROM ONE OF THE 32 CAPSULES OF THE . A LAN A GRESTI

1. THE ORIGINAL LONDON bank of the Thames as a part of SIGHTSEEING TOUR the millennium celebration. It’s (www.theoriginaltour.com) now part of the permanent land- An easy way to get your bearings scape and visited by 3.5 million and see the ’s major sites, people a year. There’s no better including the Houses of view in London. £13.50 for Parliament, , adults; children 5-15, £13; under Abbey, the Tower of 5, free; disabled or 60 or older, London and St. Paul’s Cathedral, £10. J from the open top of a double- ACKI EGYPTIAN INSIDE 5. COVENT GARDEN decker hop-on hop-off bus. L THE . EVINE £16.50 per adult and £11 for a (www.covent-garden.co.uk/) child between the ages of 2-15. Hang around and soak up London at its liveliest at this piaz- adults; £7.50, children between 8 . za. 2. BRITISH MUSEUM 5-16; students and seniors, £9. AND ITS MUSEUMS (www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk) (, www.nation- Free. Trace the history of human 6. FOR A GLIMPSE 7. algallery.org.uk and National existence, from pre-historic to OF PURE ROYALTY, Even if you don’t want to spring Portrait Gallery, modern times. Long on crowd- visit , a work- for a view inside the palace, take www.npg.org.uk). pleasing . Join a free ing royal residence for more than a saunter around the lovely Sample the museums and then tour of various areas of the muse- 300 years, whose occupants have Kensington Gardens and the people-watch in bustling um’s collection or, for £8, join included Queen Victoria and nearby neighborhood of Trafalgar Square or have a snack the highlights tour. Princess . The Kensington. Princess Di’s old in the crypt of St. Martin-in-the- Apartments and the Royal stomping ground is royal London Fields church. Free. Ceremonial Dress Collection, 3. GO TO THE THEATER at its classiest. Free. (www.Londontheatre.co.uk) including dresses worn by Queen 9. CROSS THE THAMES The productions are arguably Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess at the pedestrian bridge below the best in the world. Remember, of Wales, are on display. £11.50, station and walk there’s no reason to pay full price along the to the if you’re willing to line up for Modern. Free. half-price tickets at or for £10 day seats at the 10. GO TO THE OPERA National . at (www.royalopera.org) or a con- 4. LONDON EYE cert at a historic church or the (www.londoneye.com) British Air built the world’s (www.rfh.org.uk). tallest observation wheel on the KENSINGTON PALACE.

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lot of sites in a little time. They VICTORIA AND ALBERT GETTING AROUND also throw in a free river cruise. MUSEUM BRIMS WITH THE One more “must-have” and BEST OF THE WORLD’S you’ll be ready to go. You’ll save THESE WALLS DECORATIVE . money, and just as importantly, avoid lines, with a London CAN TALK Travelcard (they come in one-, The Beatles are on the balcony, three- and seven-day versions) for and we’re on our way to take a instant access to the Underground look. We’ve just arrived in and buses. If you think you’ll be London, and we’re fighting off jet sticking close to inner London, lag in the way we usually do, with purchase the Central Zone a quick visit to the National Travelcard. Pick up the card at any Portrait Gallery at Trafalgar underground station or tourist Square, our favorite first stop. office or buy it online (www.lon- Behind its stone facade, British dontravelpass.com). history meets People magazine in an enlightening and entertaining GETTING fusion of portraits in every medi- YOUR BEARINGS um. Here you can look Royal You are spoilt for choice in Britain in the eye — from King London, so much so that figuring Henry VIII to Prince William — out what you want to do and and rub shoulders with common- when and how you’ll fit it all in ers from Shakespeare to Jane can be overwhelming. Austen to the Beatles. Buckingham Palace? Tower of But what keeps us coming back London? ? If year after year are the ever-chang- it’s your first visit to London, you ing exhibits that give this 100-year- V ISITLONDON may want to invest in a 24- old gallery a sense of immediacy. hop-on, hop-off bus tour with a On this day, for example, we wan- company such as the The Original der through a show of Beatles . COM London Sightseeing Tour photographs — many by the late (www.theoriginaltour.com). You Linda McCartney — and album HAVE MORE TIME AND WANT can pick and choose among 90 covers, including St. Pepper’s Lonely SOMETHING OFF THE TOURIST TRACK? attractions as you take in the view Heart’s Club Band and the contro- from the comfort of an open- versial and quickly pulled “butch- 1. TAKE A WALKING TOUR OF THE EAST END, stopping at the color- topped red double decker bus. If er” cover. ful Bengali-Bangladeshi textile street market on Brick Lane, and you book online, you’ll save a cou- The National Portrait Gallery, going on to the Geffrye Museum of Historic English Interiors ple of pounds per ticket — £16.50 like most of London’s museums (www.geffrye-museum.org; £2. for adults; free for children under per adult and £11 for a child and galleries, is free, which makes 16), followed by a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant. (For more infor- between the ages of 2-15. It’s an it easy and guilt-free to pop in mation on London markets: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/data/discov- investment, but probably worth it without devoting to any er/data/ markets.cfm) since it will allow you to take in a one visit.

2. EXPLORE THE SATURDAY MARKET in Notting Hill and take a peek in ’s attic. Free. ONE OF THE OF TRAFALGAR SQUARE WITH 3. VISIT A TOWN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON, such as ST. MARTIN-IN-THE -FIELDS (home of the and the Royal CHURCH IN THE BACK- Observatory) or Richmond. Free. GROUND. THE SQUARE IS A HUB OF ACTIVITY, DAY 4. SAMPLE THE MUSEUMS OF SOUTH KENSINGTON. Within a block OR NIGHT. of one another, you can explore the world’s decorative arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum and immerse yourself (and your kids) at the interactive and highly engaging Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. Free.

5. WALK AROUND THE LOVELY NORTH LONDON VILLAGE OF and its Heath and take a guided walking tour of its pubs.

VISITLONDON.COM 120 GAINESVILLE MAGAZINE GREAT ESCAPES LONDON’S National Gallery, next to the ours is the cool, dark crypt ties, with a meal at one of the dirt- MUSEUMS ARE LIKE National Portrait Gallery on beneath St. Martin-in-the-Fields cheap but delicious Vietnamese LONDON ITSELF Trafalgar Square. Church in Trafalgar Square for a restaurants on Kingland Road, Vivid, lively, and with a surprise quick lunch, cappuccino or typical such as Song Que. around every corner. And did we FEELING British pudding. Indian food is ubiquitous and of mention free? OVERWHELMED? In a city of 300 languages, it’s no high quality, due in part to Here are some of our other tried- HERE’S THE surprise that ethnic food is every- Britain’s colonial past. And it’s and-true favorites: The Victoria GOOD NEWS where, and still the best bet to save usually a good bargain. Some rea- and Albert, home to the best of Almost every one of these muse- money. Noodle bars, like the sleek sonably priced Italian chains, such the world’s decorative arts of the ums offers a free or low-cost tour and very cool Wagamama chain, as Carluccio’s Café and Strada, are last millenium, from the gigantic of the highlights. And they all are popping up all over the city. all over London, as is the chain great Bed of Ware, hand carved in have cafes for a light meal or an (Look for a half-price coupon for Pizza Express. 1590, to the latest in British fash- inexpensive cup of tea or an apple Wagamama in Time Out.) For a quick, inexpensive bite at ion; the two Tate Galleries, the crumble. The National Portrait Combine a walking tour in lunch, stop at a Pret a Manger, original , with its Gallery’s Portrait Café extends an London’s East End, which over the purveyor of creative (tandoori impressive collection of British added bonus: a spectacular view years has been the home to a suc- chicken, for one) sandwiches, masters, including the world’s across Trafalgar Square to the cession of immigrant communi- fresh salads and even sushi. It’s most extensive Turner collection, Houses of Parliament. taken London by storm in the last and its super cutting-edge younger decade. brother, the , FOOD, If you’re up for some quintessen- ensconced in an old power station GLORIOUS FOOD tially British fare, try a pub lunch on the South Bank of the Thames. British food has long been the or a traditional restaurant such as The British Museum is one of the Rodney Dangerfield of world cui- Porter’s in Covent Garden, which great museums of the world, and sine, but its bad reputation is so serves hot pies such as steak and if you’d like to take an afternoon’s last century. It could be a happy kidney or lamb and apricot. tour of in three by-product of the British spending dimensions — from Egyptian so much of their holiday time in mummies to the of the France and , but the standard HOUSED IN — don’t miss it. If your has risen significantly. Today, WHAT WAS taste runs to classic European London’s restaurants are world- ONCE A , you can treat yourself to class with prices to match. But POWER the genre’s greatest hits, from there are still some budget oppor- STATION, to Van Gogh, at the tunities. One quirky favorite of THE TATE MODERN BOASTS THE NATIONAL CUTTING- GALLERY WITH ST. EDGE ART. MARTIN-IN-THE- FIELDS CHURCH IN THE BACKGROUND. V ISITLONDON . COM J ACKI L EVINE

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A VIEW OF THE SOUTHWESTERN SIDE OF PICADILLY CIRCUS, FEATURING THE SHAFTS- BURY MONUMENT MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, TOPPED BY THE WINGED STATUE POPU- LARLY KNOWN AS “EROS.” THE LONDON EYE. V ISITLONDON . COM

If you really want to save money, grocery stores such as Sainsbury’s or Tesco and the food section of department store Marks and Spencer’s offer some tasty prepared offerings. You’ll be surprised at the variety and the quality. These are also good bets for inexpensive gifts to bring friends, such as tins of tea and jars of jam. LONDON UP CLOSE Explore London on foot and be entertained and educated while you’re doing it with a guid- ed walk offered by The Original London Walks tour company. There are hundreds of them — everything from pub crawls to Beatles walks to ’ London to the authoritative Jack the Ripper walk, led by the “world’s fore- most expert” (£6 for adults; £5 for seniors or stu- dents). No need to book ahead, just check the schedule online (www.walks.com) or pick up a London Walk pamphlet and meet the group at the designated underground stop. LONDON’S STAGES If you love theater, London is simply nirvana. Check www.londontheatre.co.uk before you go if you want to book ahead for hard-to-get tickets. (We recently scored the last few seats for a per- formance of Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” with Dame Judy Dench by booking in advance.) Most days, we simply check the boards at the Society of London Theatre’s TKTS ticket booth in the J ACKI middle of Leicester Square (pronounced L

EVINE “Lester”), near Covent Garden, to see what’s on offer for half-price. Expect to pay about £25 a

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LONDON IS A METROPOLIS MADE UP OF DIS- TINCT VILLAGES, NOWHERE IS THIS BETTER ILLUSTRATEDILLUSTRATED THANTHAN ININ THETHE NORTHNORTH CENTRALCENTRAL NEIGHBORHOOD KNOWN AS “.” THE HOUSEBOATS LINING THE CANAL SERVE AS HOMES TO LONDONERS.

JACKI LEVINE

ticket for a seat in the first few rows of the theater. (For the best deals, make sure to go to the offi- cial booth in the middle of the square, and not the commercial vendors on the side streets). Many believe that some of the finest acting in the world takes place at the National Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames. There you can queue early in the morning for inexpensive “day seats” for £10 held for the day of show for all their productions. During special seasons many ordi- nary tickets at the National Theatre are only £10. If you’re a music lover, don’t for- get to check Time Out. You may well be able to catch a favorite while you’re there. This year, for THE TKTS BOOTH IN LEICESTER example, we saw both Jackson SQUARE IS THE OFFICIAL HALF- Browne and Nanci Griffith. But PRICED TICKET LOCATION FOR THE any night you can find reasonably SOCIETY OF LONDON THEATRE. priced and even free perfor- mances, such as classical music 124 GAINESVILLE MAGAZINE GREAT ESCAPES concerts at historic churches and REGENTS PARK jazz and folk music in back rooms SOUTHAMPTON ROWCENTRAL LONDON of pubs. STREET PLAYING REAL GOOD, FOR FREE BRITISH MUSEUM So much of the best of London entertainment is free. On any given day or night the venues on London’s South Bank, the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre OXFORD STREET COVENT host music, speakers, art and GARDEN

BLACKFRIARS BR ST. PAUL’S photo exhibits and even high-wire LEICESTER CATHEDRAL acts. The South Bank promenade SQUARE WATERLOO BR that begins at the Royal Festival THAMES RIVER Hall and continues past the new Shakespeare Globe Theater and NATIONAL

PICADILLY . PORTRAIT TATE CIRCUS STRAND . Tate Modern offers more than GALLERY MODERN simply wonderful views of the HYDE PARK SOUTH BANK PICADILLY Thames: it has emerged from a LONDON ramshackle past to a lively present THE MALL EYE with new restaurants, book stalls, ST. JAMES PARK WESTMINSTER BR BUCKINGHAM . art galleries and street life. PALACE Back across the river, a three- HOUSES OF PARLIMENT circus of street buskers from around the world plays nonstop in Covent Garden, the entertain- ment and shopping mecca that was once the site of London’s rides later, you can get caught up famed flower market. in the shopping crowds along bustling Oxford Street, admire the DISCOVERING neon of Picadilly Circus or hike FOR YOURSELF the grassy heath of the village of Finally, what draws us back to Hampstead. London again and again costs And for us, there is no urban nothing at all — the sights and the landscape in the world to com- sounds of the city itself. pare with the view from the The largest metropolis in the pedestrian bridge crossing the European Union, with a popula- Thames near Charing Cross: to the tion of more than seven million, west, there’s Parliament, Big Ben London is a patchwork of villages and the -like London and parks, each with its own dis- Eye; to the east, the financial dis- tinctive, diverse personality. We trict’s towering skyscrapers form- like nothing more than to wander. ing a distant backdrop behind St. One afternoon we may visit the Paul’s Cathedral. state apartments in Kensington But best of all, we love to venture Palace, then stroll the royal gar- into new territory — an out-of- dens and later gawk at some of the-way neighborhood, a London’s most expensive real Saturday market, an obscure estate in South Kensington or museum. You simply never run Chelsea. THE STATE ROOMS OF You can amble among canals of out of surprises in London. All it BUCKINGHAM Little Venice in north central costs is a willingness to explore — PALACE, THE OFFICIAL London admiring the flower- and that’s affordable on any bud- LONDON RESIDENCE OF get. BRITAIN’S SOVEREIGNS bedecked houseboats, then head BRITAIN’S SOVEREIGNS V ISITLONDON down nearby Edgeware Road and SINCE 1837, ARE OPEN find yourself among the hookah The authors have been visiting TO VISITORS IN AUGUST

London together at least once a year AND SEPTEMBER. . bars and falafel restaurants of the AND SEPTEMBER. COM . Short underground for more than 20 years.

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