London's calling? Are you sure you wanna answer?
One of the primary motivators for (temporarily) moving here to Amsterdam was the access. "The world" is at our fingertips! Who wants to say no to that?
I did. For a while. Because we have a toddler. And toddlers aren't the most portable people. Sure I can literally pick Alder up and tote him anywhere, but that isn't the same as portable...
So when Dre asked if Alder and I wanted to come along on her first work trip to London, I was wary. "Are you sure you don't want to go solo and get your bearings?" I asked.
"No, it'll be fun if you guys are there."
Famous. Last. Words.
Okay. There was a lot of fun to be had.
We'd been to London pre-Alder with DeeDee and we had a blast. Both Dre and I were working so we packed our days with work hours, cramming in an obscene amount of sight seeing every minute we had off. I made everyone listen to Rick Steves' as we walked through Hyde Park and took in the Tower of London. We didn't miss any of the highlights.
But this trip was decidedly different.
I planned everything around Alder. We saw Buckingham palace from the window our double decker bus on our way to the Natural History Museum and we got off, not when we saw a jaw-dropping old monument, but when mommy spotted a McLaren dealership. I'd never even heard of McLaren before, but when I spotted candy colored cars that look more like toys than automobiles, I knew Alder would be enchanted. He was. And then he was livid when it was time to go. 😳
The Natural History Museum was a bit of a let down on the toddler-friendliness front. We had most of our fun out in the courtyard. But it was FREE. FREE! (THE MOST AMAZING WORLD-CLASS MUSEUMS ARE FREE IN LONDON!)
So we weren't too bummed. Plus Alder seemed to be coming down with a bit of a fever so we were cool to head back to the hotel.
Our hotel was in The City of London and the area had a very NYC vibe. Hilariously the hotel owners' had decked out the lobby and subsequent floors with some very dark art. A creepy bunny with eyes that followed you, someone on their way to the guillotine...
No one would call it welcoming but it did seem British.
Speaking of seeming British, I was so curious as to what the "vibe" would be vis a vis Brexit. After embarrassing myself by how little I knew while talking to our new friends from the UK, I'd committed to brushing up on my understanding of regional differences in the UK and the current climate surrounding Brexit. So I was all read up by the time we arrived. And oh what a time it is...
So many unknowns!
Which is why I was so surprised to see evidence of a very optimistic economic outlook all over London. There were more cranes than I could count (evidence of economic confidence) and high end developments sprouting up around corner and corner.
Dre and I chuckled quite a few times over just how many bespoke mens' tailors we spotted. How can any one city sustain such numbers?!?
I dunno, but I got the impression that post-Brexit London is going to be just fine (or at least it expects itself to be).
But back to the highlights.
We went to Covent Garden (mostly because it was next to The London Transport Museum). It was charming but not a destination unto itself. The Transport Museum was expensive which meant it wasn't crowded and that was nice because it was mellow for Alder to run around.
We ate treats.
Had a lovely kosher dinner with Dre's Israeli/Canadian colleague. The real highlight there was how much the owner lovedme and Alder and cozied up at our table to show us videos of her own beloved grandchildren.
We ran around Lincoln's Inns Fields.
Ran around Coram's Fields.
Then we took in the sights of St. Thomas' Hospital.
We weren't planning on visiting the South Bank. But Alder had plans of his own.
Okay it wasn't planned. It was just a minor, every day slip. But this time he had a toothbrush in his mouth and impaled his gum and freaked out his moms and gave everyone an excuse to scurry across the Thames to Accidents and Emergencies.
It was awful. And informative.
I couldn't help but use it as an opportunity to observe medical care in another country. It looked dire when we walked into reception, much like it would at a public American hospital. Then we were pointed through some double doors and into the children's waiting room and things perked up.
I wasn't thrilled to have Alder touching toys clearly played with by sick children but he wasn't all bundled up and injured. He was wound up, awake past his bedtime, and ready to play with another kid awaiting his own mouth wound check-up.
We made the best of it. Made friends (Hi, Ingrid!) and got the all clear about an hour and a half after we arrived.
Then we went back to the hotel (a nice receptionist had agreed to power down the creepy rabbit for the duration of our stay), went upstairs, and stormed an epic meltdown.
Things were pretty much shit after that. But we headed home. And that is a good thing because that little fever was the prelude to a full-on stomach flu and that is the sort of thing you wanna be home for (even when home is a foreign country).
I did. For a while. Because we have a toddler. And toddlers aren't the most portable people. Sure I can literally pick Alder up and tote him anywhere, but that isn't the same as portable...
So when Dre asked if Alder and I wanted to come along on her first work trip to London, I was wary. "Are you sure you don't want to go solo and get your bearings?" I asked.
"No, it'll be fun if you guys are there."
Famous. Last. Words.
Okay. There was a lot of fun to be had.
We'd been to London pre-Alder with DeeDee and we had a blast. Both Dre and I were working so we packed our days with work hours, cramming in an obscene amount of sight seeing every minute we had off. I made everyone listen to Rick Steves' as we walked through Hyde Park and took in the Tower of London. We didn't miss any of the highlights.
But this trip was decidedly different.
I planned everything around Alder. We saw Buckingham palace from the window our double decker bus on our way to the Natural History Museum and we got off, not when we saw a jaw-dropping old monument, but when mommy spotted a McLaren dealership. I'd never even heard of McLaren before, but when I spotted candy colored cars that look more like toys than automobiles, I knew Alder would be enchanted. He was. And then he was livid when it was time to go. 😳
 |
| Blurry? Yes. But that smile shines right on through. |
So we weren't too bummed. Plus Alder seemed to be coming down with a bit of a fever so we were cool to head back to the hotel.
Our hotel was in The City of London and the area had a very NYC vibe. Hilariously the hotel owners' had decked out the lobby and subsequent floors with some very dark art. A creepy bunny with eyes that followed you, someone on their way to the guillotine...
No one would call it welcoming but it did seem British.
Speaking of seeming British, I was so curious as to what the "vibe" would be vis a vis Brexit. After embarrassing myself by how little I knew while talking to our new friends from the UK, I'd committed to brushing up on my understanding of regional differences in the UK and the current climate surrounding Brexit. So I was all read up by the time we arrived. And oh what a time it is...
So many unknowns!
Which is why I was so surprised to see evidence of a very optimistic economic outlook all over London. There were more cranes than I could count (evidence of economic confidence) and high end developments sprouting up around corner and corner.
Dre and I chuckled quite a few times over just how many bespoke mens' tailors we spotted. How can any one city sustain such numbers?!?
I dunno, but I got the impression that post-Brexit London is going to be just fine (or at least it expects itself to be).
But back to the highlights.
We went to Covent Garden (mostly because it was next to The London Transport Museum). It was charming but not a destination unto itself. The Transport Museum was expensive which meant it wasn't crowded and that was nice because it was mellow for Alder to run around.
We ate treats.
Had a lovely kosher dinner with Dre's Israeli/Canadian colleague. The real highlight there was how much the owner loved
We ran around Lincoln's Inns Fields.
 |
| Under a tree planted the year of the queen's coronation. |
Ran around Coram's Fields.
Then we took in the sights of St. Thomas' Hospital.
We weren't planning on visiting the South Bank. But Alder had plans of his own.
Okay it wasn't planned. It was just a minor, every day slip. But this time he had a toothbrush in his mouth and impaled his gum and freaked out his moms and gave everyone an excuse to scurry across the Thames to Accidents and Emergencies.
It was awful. And informative.
I couldn't help but use it as an opportunity to observe medical care in another country. It looked dire when we walked into reception, much like it would at a public American hospital. Then we were pointed through some double doors and into the children's waiting room and things perked up.
I wasn't thrilled to have Alder touching toys clearly played with by sick children but he wasn't all bundled up and injured. He was wound up, awake past his bedtime, and ready to play with another kid awaiting his own mouth wound check-up.
We made the best of it. Made friends (Hi, Ingrid!) and got the all clear about an hour and a half after we arrived.
Then we went back to the hotel (a nice receptionist had agreed to power down the creepy rabbit for the duration of our stay), went upstairs, and stormed an epic meltdown.
Things were pretty much shit after that. But we headed home. And that is a good thing because that little fever was the prelude to a full-on stomach flu and that is the sort of thing you wanna be home for (even when home is a foreign country).
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