london: week two

After a very dramatic end of our first week in London, we enjoyed a more predictable week of tourist outings and a three day visit with friends from the Bay Area. During week two, we managed to pack in a lot of activities that were recommended by friends and family, got a whole lot more savvy in terms of navigating the city and made a few observations about London and English culture.

* We took live Peloton classes at the Covent Garden location. We both took a Susie Chan treadmill class and my husband took a cycling class with Ben Aldis, his #1 Peloton instructor. Because of these classes, we stumbled upon the shopping in Covent Garden and observed something we had not seen in a while – a line of people waiting to buy the new iPhone at the Apple Store. 

* We are warming up to our fellow Padel clinic participants – they consist of an Irish woman (Breed), a man from Wales (Mike) and a Canadian woman (Constance) – all of whom live in London. Mike, the most competitive in our group, let us know that he grew up playing “real tennis” which is a predecessor to lawn tennis (what I have played my entire life).Since we have never heard of real tennis before, we will be digging in deeper on this topic in the coming weeks.

* My husband is thrilled by the overwhelming number of cool barber shops in our neighborhood. He had a great haircut this week which included a hot towel and mini facial. He will eventually get to one of Ted Baker’s “Ted’s Grooming Rooms” for the “Full Ted Service.” I would guess that the US would embrace more full service men’s salons and I am not sure why we haven’t seen more of these offerings.

* Through a friend of a friend, I was invited to play tennis at Paddington Sports Club in Maida Vale – a quick six tube stops north of SoHo (about 20 mins round trip). My hosts were two American expats and an Australian woman and the tennis was great. It was even warm enough to play in a tennis skirt. I know it went well because I got an immediate invite to a clinic and another game and have tennis on the calendar through the remaining five week of our stay.I feel very fortunate to have found a game at my level and have to give a big shout out to Terrie for connecting me to this group. Luckily, some of the tennis is at an indoor facility because the rain has arrived!

* We have been to two yoga classes at a place called Fierce Grace and, while we loved these challenging classes, we are open to additional yoga referrals that are more convenient to where we are staying. 

* We saw the play “The Lehman Trilogy” – the story of the Lehman Brothers from the time they arrived in America through the collapse of the firm in 2008. It was over three hours long but really excellent. I recommend it.

* Our dining recommendations for this week are “modern European classics” at The Arlington in Mayfair, casual dining at le Bob in Kingly Court off of Carnaby Street and drinks at The Connaught martini bar. 

* My husband is keeping up his average of one pub a day and, during week two, really went full bore on the pub fare. (See photo of a meal that was consumed while, luckily, I was at tennis. My stomach is not strong enough to be experimenting with Shepherd’s Pie.)

* Last Friday, we went to “The Moth Mainstage” in a very cool, old church in Islington. The Moth is something that happens in many cities around the world and, for whatever reason, I finally got around to buying tickets here in London. We highly recommend this experience because the storytellers are so moving, inspirational and impressive. For those unfamiliar with it, please check it out. The podcast seems amazing as well. It is my goal for 2025 to submit at least one pitch to tell my story live but, as of right now, I have no idea which story I want to tell. I am taking suggestions.

* Based on a recommendation from an English friend, we took the boat on the Thames to Greenwich and stood at “the beginning and end of time.” If you are visiting London and only have one day to go beyond the city, I would vote for Richmond over Greenwich. But, if you are not pressed for time, do both!

In terms of our observations of English culture after two weeks of living steps from Piccadilly Circus, we can confidently state that the trench coat is alive and well in London. It is a necessary part of an English wardrobe and makes sense here because the rain appears to be a daily occurence. Men and women are wearing sneakers with all forms of dress just like in the US but I have seen more people dressed for work (suits, sport coats, dress pants) than I have in years.

We were told ahead of this trip that London is a quieter, cleaner city than New York. And, we agree. I have yet to hear a car alarm go off anywhere. There seems to be a more conservative use of sirens and virtually no honking even though there is significant traffic. I have seen zero rats so far on the streets or in the Tube. London – and especially where we are staying which is highly touristy – is surprisingly clean, polite and civilized. We have been late to dinner reservations and tours and, in both cases, to our pleasant surprise, were accommodated. We have no idea if that is a cultural phenomenon or we were just lucky.

We are looking forward to week 3 because our son is coming to stay with us and are hoping that six nights on our pull out sofa in our one bedroom apartment is a viable arrangement for the three of us. It could go either way.