London
Diary of my adventures in London with the Chadwick Family.
Day 1
- Lunch at Cote Brassiere
- Coming from New York, Dallas, New Orleans, and Paris, we were all somehow able to make it to a late lunch on Sloan Square at Cote Brassiere. A little jet-lagged, we enjoyed a fixed menu 3 course lunch that for me included mussels, a seafood pasta, and chocolate mousse. Nothing like a light meal after a travel day.
- Night Cap
- The evening festivities included Susan and I enjoying facemasks, room service cheeseburgers, and hand-delivered gelato by Winslow Chadwick.
Day 2
- Private Tour around London
- In order to cover as much of London as we could, we took a 4-hour car tour of the British capital with a private guide. It was a great way to see the major tourist spots and get an idea of what places we might want to visit during our stay. The tour included stops at Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, and Smithfield Market.
- Welcome Dinner
- To start off the week, we enjoyed a nice meal at Zafferano Restaurant hosted by Grand Slam Tennis Tours (the tour company that was used to purchase our tickets to Wimbledon). At the dinner, we were able to meet other Americans who were in London to attend Wimbledon. We also had the opportunity to hear tennis star, Tracy Austin, speak about her experiences playing at Wimbledon and how it differs from the other Grand Slam tournaments.
Day 3
- Wimbledon
- The Wimbledon experience through Grand Slam Tennis Tours was fantastic. The train ride from our hotel to the town of Wimbledon was a breeze. The tour company had rented a house a couple of blocks from the entrance to the All England Lawn & Tennis Club for us to eat brunch, have some drinks, and get our ticket passes for the day. Once inside the tournament, we were easily able to get to our seats at Court 1. The facilities were gorgeous and as it was the first day of play, all of the grass courts were in great shape. On Court 1, we were able to see Sloane Stephens, Milos Raonic, and Serena Williams play. During the second half of Raonic’s match, I ventured over to court 3 to see John Isner play for a bit. Overall, the day was perfect and was made even better by some strawberries and cream and a Pimm’s Cup.
- Dinner at Dishoom
- I want to first say that before I met the Chadwicks, I had never eaten Indian food. It was Reid who first introduced me to the gourmet dining of Taj Mahal, a Metairie Rd institution, and my life has forever changed. As London is known to have some of the best Indian food in the world, we naturally went and ate some. Upon recommendation, we ended up at Dishoom. It was delicious. The food was tapas style and we ordered a wide arrange of items from curries to masala to tofu (which Win thought was cheese).
Day 4
- Wimbledon
- For day 2 of Wimbledon we had center court tickets. We were in the shade all day and were directly across from the Royal box. We were able to see Garbine Muguruza (one of my favorites), Rafael Nadal, and Simona Halep play. It was another fabulous day at Wimbledon.
- Dinner at Zuma
- The best way for me to describe this Japanese restaurant is sexy. The crowd was glamorous and I felt extremely underdressed as I was still in my Wimbledon clothes. After a 1.5-hour wait, we were able to get a table and trust me, it was worth the wait. This was some of the best sushi I have ever eaten. The raw tuna melted in my mouth.
Day 5
- British Museum
- The British museum was established in 1753 and its original collection largely included works owned by physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. Today, the British Museum houses 8 million works, most of which were obtained during the reign of the British Empire. While you could argue that many of the items in the museum should be in the countries of their origin (i.e. Parthenon Sculptures, etc.) it was nice to be able to see numerous works of art that I studied in AP Art History in one place. The most well-known items in the museum include the Rosetta Stone, an impressive collection of Egyptian mummies, the Parthenon Marbles, the Colossal Granite Head of Amenhotep III, the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial Helmet, and the Easter Island Statue.
- Dinner at Jean-Georges at the Connaught
- Tucked inside a beautiful hotel, Jean-Georges is a trendy, French restaurant with some hints of Asian influence. The décor is beautiful and the food matches it. I had beef tenderloin with mustard sauce and asparagus. For dessert, the table enjoyed a cotton candy creation with lime sherbet at the bottom and a mini-chocolate cake.
Day 6
- Tower of London
- Throughout its long history, the Tower of London has served as a prison, royal residence, army barracks, armory, and lastly a museum. Today, it houses the crown jewels and visitors are able to see where Anne Boleyn was beheaded. The museum is very well done and I highly recommend following one of the Beefeaters during their free tours of the grounds.
- Lunch at Borough Market
- Located on Southwark Street and Borough High Street, this sprawling market is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London. The market includes everything from vendors selling cheese and meats to soaps and hand towels. There are numerous international food stands offering anything from German brats to Indian curry. I enjoyed some chicken pad thai, a giant chocolate chip cookie, and some fresh made tea.
- Churchill War Rooms
- The Churchill War Rooms Museum is comprised of the Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum. The Churchill Museum walks you through Winston Churchill’s life – from his childhood through the year of his death in 1965. I particularly enjoyed hearing the various speeches and hilarious quotes that Winston delivered over his long and tumultuous political career. The Cabinet War Rooms allows you to take a peek into what life was like for the Prime Minister during WWII in the underground bunker. In the Cabinet War Rooms, you get to see a series of rooms including the famous Map Room and the Cabinet Room. You can also see where Churchill slept (although he was known to need only a couple hours of sleep) and the Transatlantic Telephone Room, where Churchill was able to speak with FDR over a secure line.
- Tip: I highly recommend purchasing ahead of time the Imperial War Musueum Membership (it only costs $10 more than a ticket) so that you can get in for free and skip all lines even if the museum is totally booked for the day. This is a great way for you to feel like a king/queen while in London.
- Dinner: Room Service
- Jimmy Cliff Concert
- I will admit that I had never heard of Jimmy Cliff before Will told me that he had bought tickets and that we were all going to a Jimmy Cliff concert in London. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that he sang reggae music and one of his most famous songs is a cover of Johnny Nash’s I Can See Clearly Now. Arriving at Roundhouse music venue in Camden, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. The concert exceeded my expectations and I came out of it with the song Vietnam stuck in my head. I am now officially a Jimmy Cliff fan.
Day 7
- Mary Rose
- Because my father loves woodworking and history, I have decided to do an entire post on my trip to Portsmouth to see the Mary Rose. Please refer to my post about the Mary Rose to learn more.
- Tea at Fortnum and Mason
- Originally founded as a grocery store in 1707, Fortnum and Mason is now operated as an upmarket department store with a tea salon on the top floor. Even though it was very hot outside and to be honest a little hot inside, we enjoyed a nice afternoon tea at this beautiful store.
- Dinner at Hawksmoor
- For our last meal in London, we ate at the Hawskmoor steakhouse. Capping off a weak of great meals, the Hawksmoor did not disappoint. I enjoyed a filet and we ordered various sides for the table including mac and cheese, french fries, buttered english greens, and creamed spinach.
- Night on the town
- Not wanting our last night to end, we headed to Barts, a speakeasy hidden in an apartment building that Will used to live in. Small and tightly packed with dress-up boxes at the front door, Barts was a unique bar with a fun crowd and was definitely worth the visit.
