48 healthy hours in london
DETAILS
When — January/February 2023
Where — London
Why — Visiting friends (for fun) plus hoteliers and supplier partners (for business)
It was bound to happen. After all, I had just come off of my agency’s annual convocation. In Nashville, no less. There were hundreds of us gathered and we were constantly shuffling between breakout sessions, events, meals, and cocktail parties for nearly 72 straight hours. Upon landing in London, I felt like garbage.
I wasn’t the only person in my friend circle who decided to take a break from NYC. Shortly after I left for my “Eat, Pray, Love” year, my buddy, Jessica, packed a few suitcases and put everything else into storage; only instead of moving to a different domestic city every few weeks (like me), she headed to London for a handful of months to work from her company’s UK office. With her international tenure coming to a close at the end of February, I made plans to ‘cross the pond’ immediately after our events in Nashville.
How did you get there? I flew Delta from Nashville to London via Atlanta.
How were the flights? Each flight leg was on-time, seamless, and enjoyable. The only issue I had was - apart from landing with a scratchy throat - while watching the baggage claim carousel do its 360-degree loop at nauseam, I heard my name mentioned on the overhead speaker urging me make my way to the Delta Service Desk. This can only mean one thing, I thought; I’ll bet they lost my luggage! Sure enough, one of my two bags made its way onto a different flight. And, of course, it was the suitcase that contained my nicer clothes, undergarments, and toiletries.
As annoying as that was, Delta sent me away with a bunch of travel-sized loot and assured me that my suitcase and I would be reunited within 24-hours. And we were! A nice gentleman came to my hotel and hand-delivered my luggage.
How did you get from the airport to your aparthotel? I’d heard mixed things about using rideshare apps in London, so I opted instead for a black cab! And I’m so happy that I did. Black cab drivers have to memorize over 400 routes, and can even drive in the bus lanes (take THAT, New York City)!
Where did you stay, and how was it? I wanted to stay in Jessica’s vicinity, so that I could bounce between visiting her and going to my pre-scheduled hotel site tours. I stayed a the Chelsea Cloisters, Jessica’s aparthotel, which turned out to be the best deal in town; not only was it situated in the fabulous Chelsea/Kensington neighborhood, my studio was reasonably priced, featured a fully-equipped kitchenette, was impeccably clean, comfortable, quiet, my food/parcel deliveries came right up to my door, there was a 24-hour attended front desk and concierge, it boasted two restaurants and bars, underground parking (...and I’m sure I’m missing about 25 other amenities)! And, it turned out, for someone who was stuck in her room with a cold for the better part of four days, this could not have been a more ideal situation in terms of convenience and ease of access to a potpourri of pharmacies and grab-and-go eateries.
What was the weather like? Coming from the blustery East Coast, I found London to be a welcome break from the elements. Even in late January/early February! Believe it or not, the forecast was rain/snow-free, and about 10-20 degrees warmer than what was transpiring back in NYC.
What were some of your favorite experiences, despite having only 48-hours in which to enjoy them?
Sipping hand-crafted martinis at the Connaught Bar
High tea at The Lanesborough
Checking out the original Soho House
Doing hotel (and onsite dining) tours at The Lanesborough, The NoMad, and The Carlton Tower
Getting to see my old NYC buddy, Jessica (same name, different “Jessica”), now a London resident, for a wonderful Indian lunch at Dishroom
The Virgin Atlantic Upper Class departure experience from Heathrow: there’s nothing else quite like it and no better way to end your holiday and begin the journey back home! The Lounge remains one of the best that I’ve gotten to enjoy worldwide.
Best meal? Hands down, the best meal I had in London was with my industry colleague, Samuel, at Al Mare, the fabulous Italian restaurant located at the base of The Carlton Tower Jumeirah Hotel. Not since I was in Capri have I had a better version of ‘Linguine alla Nerano,’ which is pasta with zucchini courgette, aged parmesan cheese, and basil.
If your plans bring you to London, this is a high recommend!
Al Mare’s decadent Linguine alla Nerano
What surprised you the most? Having been to London twice, it wasn’t until this visit that I fell in love with the city (despite the fact that I was hotel-bound with a nasty cold for most of the duration)!
As a NYC resident going on 17+ years, I think I appreciated everything London had that the Big Apple didn’t: cleanliness, order, a greater sense of sophistication (yes, I said it), afternoon tea-culture, slightly warmer winter weather, accents with the power to make even the dumbest of individual sound intelligent, and the world’s best Indian food outside of India.
