Travel Notes: London Jan/Feb 07

Trip Diary (retrospective notes): London, January/February, 2007

1/31/07
UA954 SFO 612P - LHR 2/1/07 1240P
10h 28m
B777
5368 miles
Fare SECATAZ $446.93
Seat 25C

HSBC ATM @ LHR Term 3 using HSBC card withdraw £50
Oyster top up £20 at TFL Travel Info Center

Thu, 2/1/07
Barkston Gardens Hotel
34 Barkston Gardens, SW5 (Mo. Earl's Court)
Hotwire $65 + 13.21 = $78.21
free wireless; old hotel, but ok

The Earl's Court area is farther west from where I normally stay in London and it was an interesting neighborhood. Too far to go for most of the tourist stuff I like.

Possible theatre:

• Pinter's People
• 12th Night
• 39 Steps
• Don Juan in Soho
• History Boys - Wyndham's CC Road/St Martin's Court
• Bash - Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall

Bash by Leil Labute, Trafalgar Studios £22.50

Dinner @ Masala Zone, Earl's Court

Fri, 2/2/07
Holiday Inn London-Regent's Park
Carburton St/Bolsover St W1W (Mo. Great Portland St)
Hotwire $39 + $13.68 = $52.68! I remember trying different combinations of dates and lucking out with this low rate. Too bad it meant moving each night, though the good part is that I was able to sample several hotels new to me. Hotel was being painted on interior, but smell wasn't significant in the room

Pret a Manger lunch £4.74

Walked Hampsted Heath in the afternoon. I used the Pathfinder Guide In and Around London Walks, which I got at Stanford's on a previous trip, as a guide.

TKTS: 12th Night @ Old Vic £20

Zizzi, 33 Charlotte St £18.20

Sat, 2/3/07
Hilton London Olympia
380 Kensington High St W14 (Mo. High Street Kensington and a bus ride west)
Hotwire $104 + 7.15 = $111.15
Noisy!

Grande Latte £2.15 Coffee Republic Tottenham Court Rd

Masala Zone beer £2.75 + grand thali £9.45 + £1.22 service = £13.42
9 Marshall St W1

Easy Internet cafe £2

TKTS: 39 Steps @ Criterion £22

Sun, 2/4/07
Novotel London Euston
Priceline 4* Bid $75; total $95.90
5 minutes walk from Euston; repeat Priceline "win"

Walked over to North Sea Fish, but closed (Sunday, duh)

Malabar Junction lunch; £4.99 by the British Museum

Covent Garden scenes:

Pizza Express dinner; Euston Rd £18.55 Yeah, boring, but convenient.

Mon, 2/5/07
Signed up at LHR for Iris Recognition Immigration System too bad it expires 4 Feb 09