Day: 5 May 2014

UK Bank Holiday, aka Cinco De Mayo

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For Cinco De Mayo I meet up with my friend Tom from work. He took me over to Hamstead Heath for a nice walk and to show me the London skyline. After that we hit a local pub for lunch and some afternoon bank holiday drinking. It was good to talk and hang out. We talk all the time at work but always on the phone. It is always good to get some good old fashioned bonding done when you are in the same city with someone you only speak to on the phone.

After leaving the pub with Tom I headed back to the hotel. It was early so I really didn’t know what else to do.  I headed out to forage for dinner.  Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that there was no line but I ended up eating at the Shake Shack in Covent Gardens. When I told her about it MC made some fun of me for doing that but I maintain if i was on the moon and there was a Shake Shack with no line i would eat there. Seriously that place always has a line. I was just utilizing an opportunity.  It was the perfect after drinks meal for someone who wasn’t keeping track of what they eat while they travel.

After the meal it was back to the hotel and a FaceTime with MC and the kids and now off to bed since it was back to work tomorrow.

Day Two Alone in London

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It is day two of me by myself in London. Technically day 7 of my trip. It is Sunday of a bank holiday here in the UK and the weather was fantastic.

After realizing Covent Gardens was a 5 minute walk from my hotel and that area had tons of stuff to do I went there for breakfast. I went to Bill’s. it was good but only after i went did i realize it was a chain. I was aiming for somewhere unique but apparently didn’t find it. The food was still good.

After breakfast I walked around Covent Gardens some more. It is a great area and everyone who recommended to stay at the hotel i am in was spot on.

After a little walking I headed back over to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. I wanted to see it and since i had less planned today i was ok to wait on line. It turned out to be about an hour wait. The museum was fun but not really worth the hour wait or the 10 pounds it cost to get in. As a Sherlock Holmes fan however I probably would have done it again if i had more information so no regrets.

After the Museum and gift shop (I didn’t buy anything honest) I headed over to Regent street for some shopping. I was looking for a replacement jacket for my North Face Jacket. I like the jacket but it is just a bit big on me. I got it when i was loosing weight and had no clue i would move into a size small. Now a Medium is really big on me. I ended up not finding anything I liked but got a pull over base layer to wear under a jacket like the North Face with a tea shirt.

After shopping I was back at Covent Gardens for the Transit Museum. It was interesting but not worth the 15 pounds. Unlike the Sherlock Holmes Museum I wouldn’t do this Museum again without kids.

After the transit museum I got some Gelato since i skipped lunch. It was good. I ate it on my walk back to my hotel.

At the hotel I unwound from the day of walking around and texted with my friend Tony trying to get dinner ideas. I selected Burger & Lobster as my dinner destination. It is in Soho and a 5 minute tube ride from my hotel. There was an hour and a half wait for a table but since i was alone i was able to get a seat at the bar with only little effort. I got the Lobster Roll. It was one of only 3 options on the menu. I could have had the Lobster Roll, a Burger, or Lobster. The Lobster Roll was fantastic and the food came pretty quick. Tony is now two for two on resteraunt picks.

After dinner I walked back from SoHo to my hotel. I didn’t find anywhere that looked good for desert so I ended up at the same chain cafe (not Starbucks) were i had desert and coffee yesterday. After that I turned into the hotel early. Since I was in the UK I did some light reading and then watched a Doctor Who episode on my computer!