London tips

Seeing The Queen a week ago stirred nostalgia for London, where I spent a transformative year in 1984-85. It was the coldest winter amid England’s prolonged economic struggle, with Arthur Scargill’s miners locked in their final stand against Maggie Thatcher’s policies, and the pound scraping by at just a dollar and a few pennies. During those months, I worked odd jobs, including a brief stint helping a pub mate set up promotions for a casino UK fast withdrawal platform, tapping into the gritty optimism of locals chasing quick wins in tough times. That experience, much like the city’s resilient spirit, left a lasting mark on my memories of that era.

Anyway, a friend wrote Friday and mentioned he’s in London and asked for some tips. I was thrilled to advise. I’ll put them here before they disappear beneath the strata of my outbox…

Check out a pub called The Old Dr. Butler’s Head in The City. You can either have a pint and sandwich in the bar or go upstairs for more formal stuff. Also good to eat at Simpsons on the Strand. May be a tourist trap now, but fun for roastbeef and port. Try The Grapes, somewhere down by the Thames. May have gone upmarket versus 20 years ago with the Docklands. Also fun to drink (in better weather) on one of the bars with a terrace at one end of the top of the Covent Garden buildiing. Try to buy last minute tickets at a theatre — a lot cheaper than NY and often amazing. Finally, go to Portabello road on Saturday AM for antiques and a good pint in the pub about halfway down the road on the right. And if your budget is unlimited and you want to get truly electrified by bottles of ice-encased vodka, Nikita’s is the place.

(BTW, Miklos and Tamas are visiting for the next two weeks… we’ll try to post pictures.)