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Some London Fun for Everyone
“So, what are your plans while you’re in London?” the Heathrow immigration agent genially asked my sister, my niece and me,
while leafing through my passport.
“We’re going on a tour of the East End, where our Grandma lived as a child,” I replied, excitedly, gesturing at my sister. “And then,
we’re going to see Jennifer Saunders speak. You know, from Absolutely Fabulous.”
The agent was not amused.
“And you, young lady,” she continued, zeroing in on my niece with a look that conveyed both kindness and pity. “What are you
going to do in London that’s fun for you?”
Her pointed question had a point.
We reviewed our plans as we rode the Piccadilly line into London from Heathrow, enjoying a punchy giggle each time the
destination of “Cockfosters” was announced. We decided to stop in London for a few days on the way to my younger sister’s
wedding in Paris (read more about our Paris trip) in order to acclimate to the time change without immediately assaulting my
niece with another language. The one thing my sister and I wanted to do was explore the neighborhood in which my grandmother
spent the first 12 years of her life. And the one thing I wanted to do was see my comedy hero. Indeed, our brief, busy stay did not
include much kid-friendly fun.
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Luckily, the family history portion turned out to be interesting for everyone. We went into the last of the East End chicken shops. In
Grandma’s time, people brought their home-cooped chickens into these places for slaughter for special meals. And what was once
the best-attended synagogue in London is now an office building. The women working here knew about the history of the place
and could not have been lovelier to us.
The good people of London—and one bloke, in particular—conspired to show us all a great time. Getting to Kingston-on-Thames
to see Ms. Saunders required a 30-minute ride on the London Overground, the Tube’s less famous sibling, which afforded us a
comfy place to take in the scenery after a morning of walking through family history. Once at the Rose Theatre, I prepped for the
talk appropriately with tea, vodka and Bonkers.
As if meeting Ms. Saunders and dining at adorable Jamie Oliver’s adorable Kingston restaurant (which Ariel somewhat magically
located on her phone!) weren’t enough, we also got a kid-friendly itinerary for the next day—one that would surely meet the
border agent’s standards—compliments of Kevin, a ’70s-punk-cum-middle-aged-filmmaker we met after we got on the wrong train
for our return to central London.
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The Good Stuff
Unboring Historical Tours – I would have been satisfied simply walking
the streets my grandmother knew as a child. But then my sister Googled
“Jewish East End” and found Phil. Not only did we get to know more
about Grandma’s past, but we got to know Phil, a warmhearted Tory with
a real feeling for the neighborhood and a passion for history. He
connected dots we didn’t even know to ask about, explained how so
The Not So Good
London Is Expensive! – Despite the longstanding jokes, food in London
is pretty delicious, but many Americans will have sticker shock, especially
if they’re used to feeding the family cheaply on fast food or farmers’
market fare. Transportation is unbelievably quick and convenient, but the
pounds can add up there, too. For instance, the return train trip to
Kingston-on-Thames from Waterloo Station was more than the cost of
“There is no wrong train” became our mantra for the rest of the trip. Even now, I find it comes in handy on a nearly daily basis.
The Roam Report – London
Travelers: The Sulkis Family – Karen, sister Paula and Paula’s 12-year-old daughter, Ariel
Date: April 2014
Itinerary: London (3 nights)
Budget: Under $1,000 for 3 nights accommodation in a lovely Hampstead apartment, meals, multiple rides on the London
Underground, 3 return tickets on the London Overground, 3 tickets to see Jennifer Saunders and a private walking tour of the East
End.
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many Russian Jews wound up in London in the first place (many were
tricked into thinking they were on boats to the United States; some were
just happy to get out of Russia) and was cool with us taking as many
breaks as my niece needed. Here we all are on Grandma’s old street.
Old Spitalfields Market – After our walking tour, I told Ariel to pick
out whatever she wanted in this old-timey but upscale East End flea
market. She went for a tank top with a red London phone box on the
front, an iconic and ironic choice for someone who’s never used a
landline, let alone a pay phone. She also chose a dress from another
stall on the condition that I get one, too. I did. It’s been sitting in my
closet since we got home, waiting for the right weather and/or my
legs to shrink.
Hamleys – Kevin, our random train stranger, said we had to go to
Hamleys toyshop, and he was right. This 250-year-old multistory
shrine to fun will remind Americans of a certain age of FAO Schwarz
in its heyday, only with personable magicians and spokespeople
conducting a constant barrage of demos instead of robotic singing
stuffed animals. Ariel loved it but was ready to leave when we were—
about two hours later.
Carnaby Street – The street that practically invented street style in
London’s Swinging ’60s is still fun and funky. We enjoyed window-
shopping, especially at the shoe stores. Groovy, baby!
Buckingham Palace – We weren’t really hunting royals but wound
up here anyway after an invigorating walk through assorted parks
and lanes. I suspected Ariel would find the whole “stuffy guards”
thing boring, but she didn’t. Instead, she made a game of trying to
the event we went to Kingston to see. For the best values, steer clear of
obvious tourist traps and areas. And shop in the supermarkets, when you
can. The prices are cheaper, and the sheer variety and oddity of foods on
offer will provide plenty of unexpected entertainment. Don’t believe me?
Just take a look at the lard shelf at the Waitrose downstairs from where
we slept. Even “pure goose fat” looks like fun in London!
Good to Know
Allow Plenty of Time for Travel to the Continent – We purchased
our London-Paris Eurostar tickets before we left the States and
calculated the travel time from our nearest Tube stop to St. Pancras
station. However, we did not count on having to go through passport
control to get onto the train. After a bit of hysteria owing to the fact
that my sister had wandered off to cash in the remainder of our
Oyster cards, leaving my niece and me to deal with crossing an
international border on our own, we got through the line, onto the
train and into our seats with minutes to spare.
The Tube Works – At 10 p.m., we waited less than 3 minutes for a
train to whisk us from Waterloo station back to our Hampstead home
base. We never waited more than 4 minutes for transit in London.
(Take that, BART!)
Restaurants Book Up – Unless you’re popping into a pub (which you
probably don’t want to do with children) or opting for junk food
(which you also probably don’t want to do with children), it’s a good
idea to book even casual restaurants in advance. This holds true for
areas off the tourist path, too. We got lucky at Jamie Oliver’s place in
Kingston. When the hostess asked if we had a booking and we said no,
she cheerfully gave us one of the last open tables in the place. That
was early on a Monday evening. The organic kids menu at Jamie’s is a
true bargain. Alas, Ariel did not order off it—but she had a marvelous,
memory-making meal.
Good for Next Time
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