Final Thoughts and Tips

Final Thoughts and Hints for the Traveler.

Prices: as a general rule, things in London cost as much in pounds as they do in dollars in Los Angeles. Food (prepared), alcohol and hotels are good examples. Theaters are an exception; tickets cost about the same in both places.

Transportation: do not rent a car in London. Public transit is more than adequate. Buy a Travelpass for the time you will be there and don’t even bother to compare single ticket prices to the pass. It’s cheaper. It covers tube and bus, but not the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) or trains or river transport, but with a valid Travelpass you get a discount on those tickets. You can buy a Travelpass at any tube station, including the one at Heathrow. The price depends on the zones you need to be in; we found zones 1&2 covered everything but the trip to the airport.

Weather: as I write this on Saturday morning, the BBC is going on about how cold the winter has been and how late spring is this year. Thank you very much. Always bring layers and a good raincoat. We knelt down every day and gave thanks that we brought gloves and warm hats.

Photography: with very very few exceptions, nobody wants you taking photos indoors.

Bargains: with one exception nothing is cheap. Some things are good value.

• That one exception is museums. Most major museums are free (British, V&A, National Gallery, both Tates, etc.). One exception we know of is the Royal Academy of Art. All of them are worth a visit.
• If you are staying for a week or longer, check out apartment rentals; they will cost less than hotels if they are off the beaten track, and public transport keeps you close in time to major attractions. Buying groceries and cooking light meals will save you lots of money in a week, plus it’s really convenient to have snacks and a fridge in the room.
• Many but not all theaters and musical venues have what they call ‘concessions’ – discounts for students, disabled, and senior citizens (60+). They usually kick in an hour before performances and depend on the house not being sold out. If you qualify, you get best available seating for a very low price. There are many discount ticket sellers in the theater district; only one is ‘official’: “tkts” is its name. The best price is the concession, but if it is not available try tkts.
• We can’t speak about shopping, because we didn’t do any. We bought two washcloths, a tea towel and a piggy bank in the shape of a mailbox.

Strangest Anomaly of the Trip: in London, the wind is in your face 76.2% of the time. I kept track.

Biggest Thrill of the Trip: for Alice, the two nights at the Royal Opera and Ballet. For me, our target opera and the first act and a half of the Flying Dutchman. We’ll leave the pub-crawling and beer tastings for another trip.

Biggest Disappointment of the Trip: not being asked for I.D. for concessions.