Days 1 & 2 - London

British Architecture

The trip is finally underway and I’m reporting on the first two days in one post as they kind of blend together anyway because of the over-night flight in the middle. It was pretty much an inauspicious start, nothing bad but nothing outstanding either. We left in rain, Jeanne left her umbrella on the airport shuttle, the flight was number 20 in line for take-off from Newark so we were late leaving, the entertainment system on the plane wasn’t working and it seemed like our seats had less space than normal. That is kind of par for the course these days.

St. Martin's Theater

We landed under cloudy skies and took an Uber to the hotel. We are staying in the Kensington section of London at a Hilton and the rooms here are really small, but it is convenient to public transportation. After an afternoon nap, we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus for a walk around Soho. The weather is cool (upper 40s and breezy) and the Londoners are still wearing their winter coats. In a lot of respects, the tube and the crowds in the street seem a lot like New York and there were a ton of American stores and restaurant chains everywhere. But everywhere else it is different. When you look above the streets you see the distinctive British architecture and red double decker busses are everywhere.

Soho is the main theater district in London and the longest running play there is the The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. It has been running for 61 years and I saw it the last time I was here, which was 37 years ago. Still playing at St. Martin's Theater. I hope they have new actors!!!

Punjab Restaurant

So what do you eat in London? You would think it would be something like Fish and Chips, but in a recent poll the number one favorite British food is Chicken Tikka Masala, dating back to the British Colonial days when they controlled India. So when in London, you do what the Londoners do and we ate at Punjab, which is the oldest Northern Indian restaurant in London and the tikka was excellent.