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Autumn in London

I LOVE London. While I've been there many times, it had been 12 years since I had ventured across the pond for an extended stay. So when my oldest son, C.J., asked me if I wanted to go, to celebrate my birthday and his, plus take in some sightseeing, pub crawling and soccer games, it took me all of a "New York Minute" to say "LET'S GO!"

September 19

Arriving at London Gatwick Airport a bit before 7 AM on a Friday aboard British Airways, I cleared customs and immigration and headed out to the arrivals lobby to meet the car he had sent for me. The driver took my bags and told me to wait while he got the car. A few minutes later he pulls up in a Mercedes Benz S Class. (This IS a good start to my mini-vacation.) The driver originally was from Liverpool and, like me, was a staunch supporter of Liverpool FC in the English Premier League (soccer). Needless to say, we hit it off and talked soccer for the next 90 minutes.

A tad after 9 AM, we arrived at The Connaught Hotel. Built in 1897 as The Coburg Hotel, it was renamed The Connaught in 1917 after Queen Victoria's third son, Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught. Located in London's most exclusive postcode, Mayfair, it's walking distance to some of the most trendy hotels, restaurants and shops in London. This landmark brick Victorian has reclaimed the glory of its golden era thanks to a $140 million renovation, creating a sophisticated throwback that no modern hotel could ever hope to emulate. Travel+Leisure rated it one of Top 30 hotels in the world in their "It List 2008."

Exterior and Lobby of The Connaught:

My son came down to meet me at the hospitality desk and since my room was about 30 minutes from being ready, we hit the restaurant for some coffee. After checking into my room I had a shower and we got ready to hit the streets for sightseeing and, of course, pub crawling. It's already a beautiful day in London; shirtsleeve weather with temps set to rise into the low 70s.

London is the ultimate "walking city." And when your destinations are too far to hoof it, there's always the famous London Underground (subway system.) We decided Friday was a walking day and we headed out to our first stop, the Burlington Arcade, Britain's very first shopping arcade. It opened in 1819 to great acclaim and now recognized as a historic and architectural masterpiece. The Arcade epitomizes impeccable service, specialist knowledge and elegant surroundings. From the classic to the contemporary, a huge variety of the finest goods are on offer in the shops.

If Burlington Arcade looks familiar to you it's because it was the location of the rare book shop, run by the terrorist collaborator Dennis Cooley (played by Alex Norton) in the movie Patriot Games.

From there we headed over to LSE (The London School of Economics) so my son could show me where he lived and hung out (that means the pubs) when he was in graduate school from 2002-03. On the way to LSE, we stopped for a pint at one of the oldest pubs in London, the Lamb and Flag. (See pic below) Since the days of Charles II, this pub has been a famous ale house. Know as "The Bucket of Blood" for its prize fights in earlier days, the inn has hosted historic figures such as Samuel Butler, the poet Dryden (who was attacked by rogues outside the pub) and Charles Dickens (who worked nearby). The Lamb and Flag is in its fourth century of operation. Amazing!

The Lamb and Flag has been serving patrons for over 400 years.

After our first pint (with many more to come) we went by Freemasons' Hall which is both the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the principal meeting place for Lodges in London. (See pic below) An imposing art deco building, covering two and one quarter acres, it was built 1927-1933 as a memorial to the many Freemasons who died on active service in the First World War. Initially known as the Masonic Peace Memorial, it reverted to the name Freemasons' Hall at the outbreak of war in 1939.

Freemasons' Hall.

Nearby is the Old Curiosity Shop, immortalized by Charles Dickens. It's a 16th century shop and literary landmark. While some doubt has been cast over the assumption that the shop was the inspiration behind Dickens' novel of the same name, the building certainly does a very good job of convincing skeptics otherwise. Built in 1567, it was made using the wood from old ships. The building miraculously survived the flames of the Great Fire of 1666 and the Nazi bombs of WW II.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, straight out of the eponymous Dickens novel.

After a quick stop at a deli for a bite to eat, we arrived in the area of the London School of Economics, we were treated to a good, old fashioned English protest march. We learned that there had been a rash of stabbings of youths (possibly gang related) in outlying areas of London proper and this march was to call for more government action to stop the killing and maiming. I saw no television coverage, so whether this protest had an effect on the government is but a guess.

Protesters had their say in the streets.

Around the corner from the marchers was a pub my son used to hang out in during his studies. And, of course, we had to go in and partake of the brew. Our thirst quenched, we entered the LSE campus. LSE is an unusual university. Few university institutions in the world are as international. The study of social, economic and political problems covers not only the UK and European Union, but also countries of every continent. It's not a university campus as we tend to know them in the USA, but rather a collection of multi-use buildings as you can see by the pics below. One was taken near the library and the other is the front of the dorm my son lived in for a year.

The Library and a Dormitory at the London School of Economics.

Next stop was..... you guessed it.... a pub. (Hey! We're on vacation!) At this point, we're in the area of Covent Garden Market. A settlement has existed in the Covent Garden area since Roman times, around the first century AD when the town was known as Londinium. Rules, the oldest restaurant in London, was established on Maiden Lane in 1798. The restaurant is still thriving today and serves traditional English food specializing in game. Covent Garden was used as the backdrop for the film My Fair Lady, where the cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, is successfully introduced into high society by the professor of phonetics, Henry Higgins.

Convent Garden Market.

Leaving Covent Garden, we walked a bit to the British Museum. I've been to London over a dozen times. Surprisingly, I never took the time to take in the museum. This trip I was determined to go inside and see one thing above all others... the Rosetta Stone. "The Stone" (as the museum employees call it) was the key that unlocked the mysteries of Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was discovered in Egypt in 1799, at Fort St. Julien in el-Rashid, known as Rosetta. It dates from the Ptolemaic Period, 196 BC. In the pics below you see the main entrance (that's my son in the lower right corner) and the Rosetta Stone, encased in bullet-proof glass.

The entrance to the British Museum and the Rosetta Stone inside the museum.

With both of us starting to feel the jet lag, we decided to start heading back to the hotel. Of course, we went by numerous pubs and just HAD to stop in one for another pint of fine English bitter.

A side note: Across from our hotel is an interesting meat and related items store. I got a kick out of the sign in front. Obviously PETA hasn't intimidated everyone in England.

A sign seen across the street from our hotel. Apparently PETA isn't much of a concern in England.

After a quick nap to catch up on our jet lag, my son was determined to take me to a cigar lounge. (The UK smoking laws are as restrictive, if not more so, than New York City or California.) The concierge at The Connaught told us the nearest one was about kilometer away so we started walking to The Lanesborough Hotel. Formerly the St. George's Hospital (built in the 1830s), it was turned into a luxury, Five Star hotel in 1990. Located across from the southeast corner of Hyde Park, it truly is a magnificent structure.

The Lanesborough Hotel.

To comply with the strict smoking laws, The Lanesborough located the cigar bar entrance in the deep bowels of the building and then out into a below street level patio with walls going up about eight feet and then a two-three foot screened opening at the top of each wall. A tent top serves as the roof. While this may sound a bit tacky, I can assure you the hotel management spared no expense on the furnishings; leather chairs, granite and glass top tables, fine drinks and a cigar selection that would make any of us jealous. I chose an aged Ramon Allones 898 varnished and a dram of Lagavulin 1991 Distillers Edition. If Heaven was like this, I'm ready to go. Of course, it takes TWO drams to properly finish an 898 so I convinced my son to have another drink before we headed out to dinner.

He wanted to take me to a place he frequents on his business trips to London. So we walked a few blocks to Nobu, a Japanese bar and restaurant that hosts some of London's finest parties. I've been a lover of sushi all my life. This place really impressed me. The service was impeccable and the food top notch. Nobu is part of the Myriad Restaurant Group and celebrated Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa with locations in the US, Australia and the European continent in addition to two in London.

One more thing: The "eye candy" in the bar averaged 8.5 to 9.5 on a scale of 10.

After dinner it was back to the hotel for a nightcap or two or three. It wasn't long before the time difference of 5 hours hit me like a load of bricks, With a big day of sightseeing and soccer ahead of me, I went back to my room and crashed.

September 20

I'm pretty much an early riser (5:30 AM) but being on vacation, I slept in until 6:30. My son doesn't recognize life taking place before 9 AM on weekends, so I had time to myself to do a walkabout Saturday morning. With my London newspapers under my arm, I found a delightful coffee shop about three blocks from the hotel and had a "white coffee" (what the Brits call coffee with milk or cream) and a sausage roll. After acquiring a refill to go, I headed over to Grosvenor Square, a nice park just two blocks from the hotel. (London parks are incredibly clean and well maintained.)

Located in the park is a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt which was erected by the people of Great Britain for his role in helping the Allies win the war.

The statue of FDR in Grosvenor Square.

Located at the west end of the square is the United States Embassy. As you can imagine, security is incredibly tight. Armed guards and concrete barriers are all over the place, including the roof. I wanted to get a picture of the embassy so I told one of the (British police) guards I was an American and asked if it was ok. Even though I was in the park, at least 200 feet from the building, he suggested that would not be a good idea. Since the police and US Marines across the street (all of whom had their eyes on me) had the assault rifles and I had only a camera, I immediately agreed with him. (So I went to the other end of the square and took this shot.)

The United Kingdom's American Embassy, viewed out of the Marine Guards' visual range.

Saturday in England means one thing for most of the year. FOOTBALL! Or as we call it in the US, soccer. Both my son and I are huge soccer fans. I never played the game but he started at age 6 and kept with it through club, ODP and high school ball, eventually going on to play for the University of North Carolina. He had secured some tickets for two games that weekend and the first one was a good distance away in East London. We had a late breakfast at the hotel, then figuring we had done a considerable amount of walking the day before, we hopped on the tube to do some more touristy things.

We exited the tube right by the River Thames and I started looking for the nearest pub. (Like I said, it IS a vacation.) One pint later we walked over to the Royal Courts of Justice on The Strand (the name of the street). Opened by Queen Victoria in 1882, this Victorian Gothic style edifice became the permanent home of the Supreme Court. The clock was emplaced in 1883. The dial is 8 feet in diameter. I was amazed by the detail work on the historic timepiece.

The entrance to Britain's Supreme Court and detail of clock below.

The pic below was taken in front of the Courts. The dragon sits on a pedestal, on an island in the middle of The Strand. On several of the main roads leading to the City of London* the boundary of the Square Mile is marked by statues of dragons, taken from the coat of arms of the Corporation of London.

*The City of London is a geographically small city within Greater London. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern metro area grew. The City's boundaries have remained almost constant since the Middle Ages, and hence it is now only a tiny part of the much larger London metropolis. It is often referred to as the City or the Square Mile.

One of the dragons located on The Strand.

One more pub stop before we head off to Boleyn Ground, the home of West Ham United (The Hammers) of The English Premier League (EPL). We then got on the underground at Temple station and the trains were already packed with West Ham supporters (fans as we call them.)

Disembarking at the Upton Park station, I was struck (but not surprised) at the massive police presence. You couldn't walk 20 yards without passing a "Bobbie." As many of you know, back 15+ years and more, England had a huge "hooligan problem" at their soccer games. Since then many changes have been made, not the least of which is a large and quite visible police presence at major sporting events. Hooliganism at English soccer matches are mostly a thing of the past these days.

As we walked down Green Street toward the stadium, it seemed like everyone had a can of beer in his/her hand. Drinking is permitted on the sidewalks in London. But get drunk and disorderly and you get "nicked".... arrested. C.J. popped into one of the many stores along Green St. and came out with two cans of Holsten Pils, a lager. At this point, it's just fun to lean up against a light pole, sip the beer and people watch.

Boleyn Ground, home of West Ham United FC.

Above is Boleyn Ground (also known as Upton Park), a 35,100 seat stadium that was built in 1895 and has undergone numerous upgrades and reconstruction. It has an old and rich history like that of Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. What never ceases to impress me is the condition of the pitch (playing field) in every EPL stadium. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the playing surface as being akin to the putting greens at Augusta National.

We entered Boleyn Ground by inserting our tickets into a slot where the bar code is read. If your ticket is legit, a turnstile cage clicks and in you go. Everything is automated. There are no human ticket takers. (But there are stewards with handheld bar code readers there to assist if there is a problem.) Once in, there is beer and soft drinks and coffee/tea is available but it must be imbibed in the concourse areas. Beer sales are cut off 3 minutes prior to kickoff and resume at half time, where the three minute rule is also in effect. No drinks or food are allowed to be taken back to your seat. Makes for a clean seating area I must admit.

One other thing that would drive the likes of Bud Selig, Roger Goodell and David Stern nuts... you can place bets on the game (as well as others) INSIDE the stadium. Ladbroke's and other betting companies have kiosks to serve the gamblers' needs. At half time you can go "push" your bets or make completely different ones. And not just on the score are bets taken. Want to place £10 on which player will score the first goal in a match? You can do it. There are very few things you can't bet on at an EPL match.

At 3 PM, the referee blows his whistle and the match is on and the singing begins. Yes, singing. Supporters of teams have favored songs and chants for their specific side (team) and the match is almost a constant concert. Takes a bit to get used to but it sure adds character to the match. (FWIW: West Ham's "theme" song is "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" but don't ask me why. You can look that up yourself.)

The Hammers, hosting Newcastle from England's northeast, go up 3-0 before Newcastle's Michael Owen scores and the final score is 3-1. (Match pic from our seats is below)

Interior view of Boleyn Ground.

After a packed subway ride home, we hit the Argyle Arms pub just up the street from our hotel. Planning only to stay for one pint each, we ran into a delightful father and son from Germany who were doing the same thing we were, celebrating birthdays. One pint of London Pride turned into three as we thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.

If we didn't get something on our stomachs to counteract all the beer, we'd be hurting in a serious way, so we went back to the hotel and cleaned up for dinner. The concierge booked us into a wonderful Italian restaurant (see pic below) just 100 yards from the hotel. The food was outstanding, the service super and the vino was magnifico. This place is a definite revisit the next time I go to London.

Post-match eats.

After dinner drinks at The Connaught are next. C.J. had some friends from London and New York join us. I stuck around for two Lagavulin and with a good "buzz" on, excused myself to hit the sack. Can't drink like I used to when I was their age. As Dirty Harry said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

September 20

Yesterday was a lonnnnnnnnnnng day with a tad more imbibing of the ales of England than I'm used to, so I slept in til 7:30. After some coffee at the hotel, I went for a walk to check out areas around the hotel I hadn't seen and a closer look at some previous areas. Across from the hotel is a small fountain and statue. No one seemed to know the story behind it but it proved to be a nice place to sit a spell and do some people watching.

The Fountain of The Unknown Purpose.

One thing I noticed upon my arrival on Thursday is that the famous London taxi cabs had succumbed to the "maximize revenue syndrome." The old ones were all black (or dark gray) with no advertising on them. As you can see below, the vast majority of cabs look like this; painted various colors with advertising on the sides. <Sigh> Another London icon has bit the dust.

The new London cab.

After a 90 minute sojourn in Mayfair, I went back and met my son. We had a quick brunch and then walked to the tube station. Destination: Stamford Bridge... home ground of Chelsea FC and the venue for their match with Manchester United. Tickets for this match had been sold out for months, at ten times face value, but my son managed to procure great seats. (Amazing what one can get by knowing the right people and a considerable amount of cash.)

Chelsea is an area of London rich in heritage. Its focus has changed many times (good and bad) over the years but the Chelsea Football Club has weathered all the storms and has some of the most passionate supporters in England. And did I mention these supporters HATE anything and everything about Manchester United? Both have great players and win a lot. As a rivalry, it has become as intense as college football games like Alabama-Auburn or Michigan-Ohio State.

It was 13-14 years since I was last at Stamford Bridge and I was amazed at the upgrades and changes fueled by the deep pockets of their owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. It now seats 42,500. The concourses outside the stadium are almost spotless and quite fan friendly. Food and beer are plentiful from a variety of kiosks. And like yesterday, the "Bobbies" are everywhere and quite visible.

Below is a pic of C.J. I took against the background of the stadium. Notice how the club offices and even apartments have been constructed into the stadium. On the other side of the ground (not visible) is a modern hotel. None of these things were there the last time I was here.

C.J. in front of Stamford Bridge. He takes after his mother.

We had great seats in the upper deck. As the pre-match buildup took place, a giant Chelsea banner was unfurled and passed from one end of the viewing stands to another. These fans ARE passionate about their side (team).

The giant Chelsea flag at Stamford Bridge.

The English do a great job in keeping rival fans separated at these matches. While that sounds quite odd to Americans (separate seating for visiting supporters, who are not allowed in other sections for the most part) it's the order of the day in England. This grew out of the rampant hooligan problems that plagued the game in the 70s, 80s and some of the 90s. In the pic below, you can see the separate seating for the visiting Manchester United supporters. The people in yellow are the stewards and police officers who line the aisles, keeping the rival fan bases separated.

Heavy police presence keeps rival fans well-separated.

Below are two pics I took; one before the match after the players have filed out and face the stands and the other taken during the game. As you can see, we did have a superb view.

Spectacular views inside Stamford Bridge Stadium.

The match ended up a 1-1 draw. On a scale of 1-10, I ranked it a six. Both sides had their chances but it seemed both played not to lose rather than to win. Saturday's match at West Ham was more entertaining. But seeing two of the best sides in the world was a thrill. (These two teams played in the Champions League (CL) final last Spring with Man United winning on penalty kicks. The CL is the most prestigious and toughest tournament next to the World Cup.)

After the match, we headed to one of the few pubs that were open near our hotel. (Sunday in the Mayfair District is dead.) Both of us wanted to have one last pub meal before flying out on Monday. The concierge told us where to go and here's what we found.

Last stop for pub grub!

After an initial pint of Fuller's London Pride, we ate and decided to call it a night and head back to our rooms. It was a long day and both of us were beat.

The US had just won the Ryder Cup, so I turned on the telly to catch up on all the action. And I did so in relaxing style, with a nice hot bath, sipping on some Lagavulin while burning an H. Upmann Corona Junior.

The HDTV in the bathroom of our hotel. The British know a thing or two about luxury.

Yes, that's an HDTV.... in the wall of the bathroom.... at the end of the tub.... and those ARE my toes. I MUST get a setup like this in my home. LOL

Sunday morning was a quick breakfast and then off in the limo to Gatwick Airport and the flight home to Atlanta.

I slept most of the way across the "pond." Of course, the four English ales served me by British Airways may have had something to do with that.

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Autumn in London