THE FIRST TIME 
I SAW LONDON  

By Zachary Drucker 

To celebrate my Bar Mitzvah last September, my grandparents Alice and Hal Drucker asked permission of my parents to take me to London. My parents who are lawyers put the permission in writing, since some countries require this form of written OK to avoid taking a child away against parental approval. Everyone agreed that Thanksgiving vacation was the best time, so that I would not miss a day of school. With less than five days in the city available to us, my grandfather felt that our touring and theater-going should be carefully planned well in advance and that if at all possible, long delays on queues (the British term for lines) should be avoided. He therefore met with Mr. Paul Chibeba of Visit Britain in New York  to tell him of my desire to write this article and would he please contact each of the sites we planned visiting. Everybody responded quickly to Mr. Chibeba’s email requests and in some cases mailed me helpful pamphlets, even books. I was of course able to find a lot of good material on the internet. If you are planning a trip to Great Britain, start off by logging on to visitbritain.com. To see what’s going on in London theater and to order tickets on line you should go to officiallondontheatre.co.uk. If you have grandchildren you would like to take on a trip, I would suggest you consider the great city of London. I hope this itinerary is helpful to you.

DAY I (Tues.  Nov. 25)
Before leaving my house, I checked the weather forecast for London on AOL. It looked bleak for us. Rain every day. My mother packed my bumbershoot (umbrella) and wished me a Cheerio. My grandparents and I departed JFK Airport on American Airlines at 7:10 pm. My grandfather and I played Travel Scrabble, and as usual, I beat him with a seven-letter word. (Grandpa Hal told me he created a monster.) I also brought along a Frisbee for some physical recreation in Hyde Park. Three hours into the flight, my grandmother insisted I walk around the plane with her to keep our circulation going, I slept through the rest of the flight.

DAY 2 (Wed., Nov. 26)
We landed at Heathrow Airport 7 o’clock in the morning in a driving rainstorm. (My inner clock said it was 2 a.m.). We were picked up by a car service and drove through lots of traffic until we reached the Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel at 9 a.m.

London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square
Duke Street
Tel: 020-493-1232
It is near the American Embassy which was surrounded by cement blocks. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s and General Eisenhower’s statues are in the park. It’s in the Mayfair District. Our car was unable to park at the front door. It had several oversized flower pots at the driveway entrance for security purposes. The people at the desk were nice enough to allow us to go to our room a few hours before check-in. The room itself was pleasant, with two oversized double beds. The mattress was very firm. My grandparents who have been to London many times closed the curtains and suggested we take a nap to cut down on jet lag, which we did. We awoke at 1 p.m. and couldn’t believe that the sun was out.

The Big Bus Company (bigbus.co.uk)
The Big Bus Tour is a great way for first-timers to see many famous London sites and be introduced to London life. My grandmother was smart enough to suggest that we don’t overdo our first day in London, so she booked us via the internet and saved £2 a ticket, which at that time was close to $3.50. During our stay, I did the converting of pounds to dollars in my head (not a big deal). My grandfather said he preferred making believe the pound sign was a dollar sign, so that the steep prices wouldn’t hit him until he got his VISA bill. Anyway, we walked up Oxford Street to the Marble Arch and in about five minutes we boarded a Big Bus Company bus and climbed the circular staircase to the open-air roof. The Big Bus Company gives you a bus tour and/or a boat tour around London. A comical tour guide makes your tour all the better. Make sure you sit on the top section of the double-decker bus as we did to get a really good view! Since the seats were wet from the morning rain, the tour guide gave us some plastic sheets to put over our seats. It was a wonderful introduction to the city of London. And we got it all in within an hour and a half.    

Marks & Spencer
458 Oxford St.
Mayfair
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at this world famous department store. Nanny (the name I call my grandmother) bought me a beautiful cashmere sweater (perfect for London weather), and I bought gifts for my parents and my two sisters Jessica (10) and Abigail (4).

Berkeley Square Café
7 Davies St.,
Mayfair
Tel: 020-7629-6993
Who ever said English food was inedible didn’t know what he (or she) was talking about. At Mr. Chibeba’s suggestion, we walked a few short blocks to this marvelous restaurant. From its name, the three of us thought it was a pub, but it was really a high-class restaurant. I ordered brisket of beef  - and get this - parsnip. Just superb. After two hours we returned to the hotel and I slept as soon as my head hit the pillow.

DAY 3 (Thurs., Nov. 27)
Richoux Restaurant
41a South Audley Street
Mayfair
Tel: 020-7629-5228
When you cross Grosvenor Square Park you’ll find this charming little restaurant which became our breakfast ritual for the next three mornings. Being a creature of habit, I ordered the same thing every day: fresh squeezed orange juice, two eggs over easy, a croissant and hot chocolate. This is a place in which a lot of Embassy personnel have breakfast meetings. If it weren’t for the cigarette smoking it would be paradise.

Cabinet War Rooms
Clive Steps
King Charles Street
iwm.org.uk/cabinet/
Tel: 020-7766-0141
We got on the tube at the Bond Street Station and took it the Westminster Station. Across the way from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are The Cabinet War Rooms, which recreate the time when Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of England and the Germans were attacking the British in daily air raids. The exhibit is fascinating; you get an earpiece that provides detailed information about how Winston Churchill and his Cabinet lived and conducted their meetings below ground in secrecy during The Battle of Britain and how Mr. Churchill stayed in constant touch with President Roosevelt via a special phone.
 

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
New Globe Walk
Tel: 020-7902-1500
shakespeares-globe.org
Tube:  Waterloo Station
The Globe Theater is an enriching experience for all. The open-topped theater is a reconstruction of the original Globe, located 200 yards from its present site. It was built through the efforts of the American actor Sam Wanamaker. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the theater and the fact that all acting parts, including females, were performed by male performers. I was fascinated by the fact that the “groundlings” stood throughout a performance right before the stage and often called out to the players. It would have been fun to have seen Romeo & Juliet, which I’m studying in school, but of course with an open roof the plays are performed only from May to September. 

Globe Restaurant
Inside the Globe Theater is an excellent restaurant with a wonderful view of St. Paul’s Cathedral across the Thames River. It being Thanksgiving Day in the U. S., I was tempted to order the turkey entrée on the menu, but decided to go for the duck (the first time I ever had it) and it was delectable. Later during the trip, I had a tasting of venison and liked it very much.
 

British Airways London Eye
Jubilee Gardens South Bank
Tel: 870-5000-600
britishairways.com/londoneye
Tube: Westminster Station
The London Eye is a very popular tourist attraction, but it’s a slight disappointment. The largest Ferris wheel in the world is mainly for sightseeing. There is usually an extremely long line. You get into a capsule with about 10-15 other people to see the beautiful skyline of London in under 30 minutes.  I recommend the London Eye, yet I feel that it is overrated.

Brown’s Restaurant
82-84 St. Martin’s Lane
Tel:  020-7497- 5050
My grandparents had phoned from New York to make a reservation at a restaurant called Sheekey’s in London’s theater district. When we arrived they tried to give us a table right at the entranceway. So we got our coats and left and went next door to a well-known pub-type called Brown’s. I ordered salad, meat pie and chips and enjoyed it very much.

Anything Goes
Theatre Royal
Drury Lane Catherine St.
870-890-1109
Tube: Covent Garden Station
Anything Goes is a hilarious musical revival and it is performed wonderfully by John Barrowman who plays Billy Crocker and Sally Ann Triplett who plays Reno Sweeney. Both leads skillfully sing and dance the Cole Porter score as if they were born to the roles. This comical play has a very whimsical plot, with the entire action taking place on a cruise ship where a series of bad things are piled upon young Mr. Crocker who is a stowaway. Billy has to get out of a terrible predicament in order to get the girl of his dreams. What can he do? I suggest you and your grandkids see this brilliant show and find out.

DAY 4 (Fri., Nov. 28)

Changing of the Guards
Buckingham Palace
At Buckingham Palace at 11:30 every other day, the guards of Queen Elizabeth II stand stock still or march in unison to the beat of marching music. I recommend you arrive at least a half hour early to see the Changing of the Guards when you go to London, because although only 15 minutes long, it will supply you with a memory that will last a lifetime.

Westminster Abbey

Tel: 020-7654-4900

westminster-abbey.org
We walked from Buckingham Palace to the famous Westminster Abbey, next to the Houses of Parliament, where many English Kings are buried in the Chapel of Henry VII. The Chapel is on the south end of the Abbey and there was just enough daylight outside to illuminate the beautiful Battle of Britain stained glass window dedicated to the RAF.  In the Poets’ Corner, some of the world’s most important writers lie here, including the poets Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning and John Masefield. Many writers, including Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Richard Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy are also buried here. The grave and monument of the famous composer George Frederic Handel can also be seen here, as well as the graves of Shakespearean actors David Garrick and Laurence Olivier.
 

Kensington Palace
Kensington Gardens
Tel:  020-7488-5662
hrp.org.uk
Tube: High Street Kensington Station
Kensington Palace is the Palace where William and Mary, Queen Anne, George I and George II dwelled. It was also the birthplace and childhood home of Princess Victoria. The best-known resident in recent years was Princess Diana, who had apartments here until her death. It is remarkable to see how different the clothing was back during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  It is also very awesome to see how the Royal families lived.

The Orangery Tea Room
adjacent to Kensington Palace
This picturesque place was originally built for Queen Anne in 1704. It was known as the “Greenhouse” because it housed plants in the winter months. Later it got its present name because orange trees were cultivated there. For lunch, we had snacks (which were okay), but the sunny atmosphere made it an enjoyable break in the day.

Shogun Japanese Restaurant
Adams Row
Mayfair
Tel: 020-7493-1255
I must admit – I’m a big sushi fan, and I was not in the least bit disappointed in this below-the-sidewalk restaurant, a short walk from the hotel, where we went for our pre-theater dinner.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
London Palladium
Argyll Street
Tel. 020-7494- 5570
Tube: Oxford Circus
Unlike Anything Goes, this musical version of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a disgrace to theater. Gary Wilmot does a fine job as Caractacus Potts, but he is brought down by his supporting cast. Despite the “flying car,” which we had a good view of from our mezzanine seats, there are many loud noises that may frighten kids in the audience. The one good song (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) is drowned out by the English crowd that claps off-beat.

DAY 5 (Sat., Nov. 29)

Tower of London
Tower Hill
Tel: 870-756-6060
hrp.org.uk
Tube: Tower Hill Station
We arrived at 10 a. m. by underground and spent three incredible hours here. There are many things to do at the Tower of London and we were fortunate to have a Yeoman (actually a Yeowoman) as our guide. You can see the ravens, fearsome predator birds that live inside the Tower grounds. Legend has it that these magnificent birds must stay inside the Tower grounds or else England will suffer treacherous consequences.  So the people of London, always supporting fair play, clipped the ravens’ wings. Other exhibits not to be forgotten are the Bloody Tower, an exhibit showing how people were tortured ages ago, and the White Tower which has an exhibit on armor that is quite interesting. A must-see exhibit is the Crown Jewels, showing all the beautiful crowns and other sparkling jewels and items. My personal favorite was a gilded silver fountain used for liquid refreshment that weighs 2.5 tons.

The Courtald Institute of Art Gallery
Somerset House
Strand
Tel: 020-7848-2777
courtald.ac.uk
Tube: Charing Cross Station
We took a taxi from the Tower to this very pleasant stop. London cabs are boxy and roomy and with polite drivers, who I am told, take rigorous training courses. Only two floors make up the Courtald Art Gallery and the paintings and sculptures are beautifully displayed in an intimate setting. We spent most of our time looking at some of the most amazing works of Cézanne, Van Gogh and other Impressionists.
 

Fortnum and Mason
181 Piccadilly
Tel: 020-7734-8040
fortnumandmason.com
Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station
It was High Tea time and we arrived at the fabulous Fortnum and Mason Department Store which specializes in delicious gourmet treats. With its Christmas decorations, it looked like a beautiful greeting card. We headed up the elevator to the St. James Restaurant, only to find a big queue, but we decided to wait the 45 minutes until we got a table. I loved the scones, the strawberry jam, the finger sandwiches (including those with cucumbers) and of course Fortnum and Mason’s specially brewed tea. On the main floor, I discovered that they had special jams for diabetic persons, and bought a couple of jars for my great-grandmother Lillian.

The Ceremony of the Keys
Tower of London
Only a limited amount of people are allowed to gaze at the Ceremony of the Keys, and that is why we returned that evening to the Tower of London and were allowed through the gates at 9:30 p.m. This Ceremony takes place each night precisely at seven minutes to 10 o’clock. Although only about 15 minutes long, the Ceremony of the Keys is complex and fascinating. Yeoman Warders accompany you into the Tower ground and instruct you on what you will soon witness. Then you see a group of people: several soldiers and the Chief Yeoman Warder, perform the 700 year old tradition. There is only one problem. You must order your tickets many months in advance for an incredibly short period of time.

The British Museum
Great Russell St.
Tel: 020-7323- 8299    
thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Tottenham Court Road Station
Since our plane was scheduled to take off at 6:30 p.m. we got an early start with an outstanding breakfast at the Marriott’s restaurant (with my usual morning fare) and then headed to the British Museum. From preserved corpses to the Rosetta Stone, the British Museum has got it all. You can see parts of the Greeks’ Parthenon or Egyptian artifacts and relics from the Romans when they occupied Britain. There are tours and jaw-dropping exhibits. The British Museum is a great site to visit, but make sure you have plenty of time on your hands.

About the Frisbee I brought along. We didn’t have the time to toss it in Hyde Park, but my grandfather and I had a serious catch in Grosvenor Square Park, as we awaited a taxi to take us to Heathrow Airport. It was a trip worth writing home about, and that’s what I’m doing. Thank you for your time… Zach.