Recap and Reflections

After nearly 21 hours of travel from the time I exited the flat in Belsize Park, I opened my own door in Massachusetts, thus cementing the firmest resolution to emerge from this trip: I will never take a connecting flight to LHR again (unless Aer Lingus resumes its Hartford>Dublin>London route, which has worked so well for me in the past). And I will never book on Expedia again. While they did offer me the best fare I could find, I figured out that the cheap fare I got resulted in the carriers putting me in the last group to board and/or the worst seat. Lesson learned. 

When I set about back in February to plan this trip, I had two very clear aims in mind: to soak up as much history and culture as possible, making up for not being able to travel in 2020 and 2021, and to experience London as a Londoner, albeit a temporary one. The means of accomplishing this was by doing tons of research, scouring event listings and subscribing to various listservs whose target audience is residents rather than tourists. Secondarily, I hoped to meet new people and have genuine conversations, though I wasn't exactly sure how I'd go about that. But I knew that I didn't want to be perceived as a daft American whenever I opened my mouth. I found that the Londoners I encountered were open to chatting with visitors who are knowledgeable, engaged and who ask intelligent questions about their city and their lives. My curiosity about All Things London knows no bounds. As a result, I had many pleasant conversations with strangers on buses, in shops, at exhibitions, and on walks, all of which made my visit much richer. 

I've put together some other observations, travel tips and general reflections to share with you all.

• Location: I stayed in Lambolle Road NW3, which is in Belsize Park, a brilliant place to be. I was near to the Hampstead Theatre, several small museums and art galleries in Hampstead, and the wonderful greenery and open space of Primrose Hill, Regent's Park and Hampstead Heath. One of the best things I did was to get on the email list for the Primrose Hill Community Association and learn of their weekly walks and other programmes. I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to socialize and chat with people who live locally while walking across Primrose Hill or down to Regent's Park and back. The people I met were warm and welcoming, and I felt less like an alien each time I saw them. I regret that I didn't make time to participate in any of the other PHCA activities, such as their weekly lectures, movies, or the bar. I will do next time I visit. 
• Food: The fridge in my flat was very small, so I did grocery shopping frequently. The price of food has definitely increased since I was last in the UK (my previous visit was pre-Brexit), but it is still much cheaper to eat in London than at home in Massachusetts. As I almost never eat meals in restaurants, I'm basing this observation on what I paid in supermarkets, greengrocers' shops and farmer's markets. That said, sticker shock greeted me when I bought my first packets of HobNobs and Ginger Nuts. I used to pay 99p per packet for them; they now cost £1.35. But produce and staples on the whole were very reasonably priced. A 500gr package of whole wheat penne (Tesco brand) costs 99p. I pay $2.79 for a similarly-sized box at my local co-op. Tesco or Waitrose brand pasta sauce was around £1 for a 500gr jar; a 16oz jar of Field Day sauce is $3-4 at the co-op. When I went to the Saturday farmer's market at Parliament Hill, I could buy non-organic carrots (6-7 to a bag), two red peppers, a large head of broccoli or cauliflower, or a bunch of scallions for £1 each. All the supermarkets stock fresh baked goods (rolls, baguettes, croissants, pain au raisin) daily for very cheap prices, e.g. 45-65p for a whole wheat roll or mini baguette. Bread from the local bakers, either at the farmer's market or in a bakery, was comparably priced to home but the selection was much greater. I couldn't get enough of the walnut raisin bread and olive bread sticks, neither of which I can get at home. And I could bang on about my love of pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts)! I must have eaten a dozen while I was in London, paying between £1.50 and £2.50 each. 
• Transport: I had easy access to two tube lines -- the Northern Line at Belsize Park station, an eight minute walk from my AirBnB, or the Jubilee Line at Swiss Cottage, a 12 minute walk from my door. The nearest Overground station was about 20 minutes away at Hampstead Heath. Plus, numerous north-south and east-west bus routes crossed the area. It definitely paid off to purchase a one-month, zones 1-2 travel card. Only once did I inadvertently take the tube to a zone 3 station (Golders Green), using my cash balance, when I just as easily could have taken the bus (travel cards cover zones 1-6 on the bus). I did PAYG for the final 12 days, as I had three journeys beyond zone 2 that required loading money onto my Oyster card, and I think it worked out to cost about the same as it would have had I covered those days with a one-week travel card and five days PAYG. Note: You cannot load travel cards onto a Visitor Oyster card (purchased at Heathrow or ordered pre-travel from Visit Britain), but only onto a standard Oyster purchased at any station or from a newsagent. I've had my standard Oyster card for 16 years now.
• Currency: The exchange rate was really good while I was in the UK, varying between $1.13 and $1.19 to the pound. I took £500 from a cash point (ATM) at Paddington Station on the day I arrived and I came home with a few notes in my pocket. For museum, theatre, walking tour and transport tickets, I used my credit card, generally booking online. Britain has fully embraced contactless payment. Many restaurants, cafes and cultural venues no longer take cash. This irked me no end. Even the toilets in the Royal Parks, which cost 20p to use, have replaced the coin slots in their turnstiles with contactless payment pads. I usually walk around with four or five pounds worth of coins in the pocket of my coat or slacks. One- and two-pound coins can pile up if you don't spend them, and they are heavy, so I like to use them for minor purchases like my Meal Deal sandwiches or a sweet treat from a caff. I keep my credit card deep in the recesses of my bag, inside a RFID blocking sleeve, so it's a PITA to dig around to pull it out, especially when I need to use the loo.
• Culture: I made a real effort to seek out an array of cultural activities -- exhibitions, museums, walks, theatre, music -- that I could do on the cheap. My National Art Pass (~$82) was my key to exhibitions and museums, as it allowed me free entry to many venues and up to 50% off tickets to the pricier exhibitions. I ordered it a few days before I flew to London, and it arrived at my AirBnB (you need a UK mailing address to purchase) two days after I did. I thought that it would run for 12 months, but it actually doesn't expire until 31 Oct 2023! I'll be going back to London next autumn and putting it to further use. Most of the big museums offer free entry for their permanent collections and many venues, such as local libraries and archives, put on a host of talks that are free. At venues not participating in the National Art Fund scheme, I took advantage of concession price (i.e. discount for old people) whenever available. Some theatres offer discounted matinee performances for seniors. The events listing from ianvisits is a great resource for finding free and low-cost offerings. I subscribe to both his weekly events guide and the weekly news roundup. All in, I spent roughly $350 on ticketed entry. 
• Budget: I didn't set out a particular budget for the trip, rather just aimed to do it as affordably as possible while still cramming in a ton of activities. The total for my 42-day stay in London (after using the reward points I'd accumulated during the pandemic) was $4,100, including airfare, transport in the UK, lodging, food and culture. I'd say I did pretty well. 

My readers have two questions for me. One asked if I now have a British accent. No, I don't, though I think my "a" sounds a bit softer (it's taken a long time to lose my Midwest twang). A lot of British slang and terminology has crept into my vocabulary over the past decade, however. Several people, when asking where I was from, told me that they couldn't place my accent, so I reckon it's mongrel. 

Another reader asked what surprised me the most. I was certainly pleased that everywhere I went people were friendly to me, once I made an effort to overcome my shyness to ask a question or just chat. Young people and those close to my own age were particularly convivial. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was very comfortable going to events on my own. 

I asked myself what I'd do differently next year. It would be great to be able to take a workshop or course, perhaps at the Bishopsgate Institute or City Lit, if the timing worked out. I'll watch for listings of course offerings as I start my next planning cycle. While I was in London, I really missed my weekly volunteer activities at home, so I'll be on the lookout for volunteer opportunities next autumn and will ask people at the Primrose Hill Community Association if they could use a hand with any of their projects. 

Finally, as promised, here are some photos of the neighbourhood where I stayed.

Belsize Village, with little shops and cafes, on the way to Hampstead:

Eton Avenue, probably the loveliest street in Belsize Park:

Along my favourite route from the flat to Swiss Cottage station:

And so, to sum it all up, it was marvelous and memorable. Thanks so much to my friends, hosts and to the people of London for accepting me as one of their own.