So this week was my much anticipated 24 hour trip to London. If you have forgotten, here are my previous two posts on this subject, My Rocky Relationship with London and Time To Kiss and Make Up, London. To culminate this trinity of posts, I can say that yes, I did learn to love London. However I won’t go as far as to say that my first impressions were wrong. We’ve all had those friends who have habits or personality flaws that we can’t stand but have other aspects of their personality that we are drawn to that help us to overlook and accept those faults. I suppose that is how I can characterize “my rocky relationship with London”, it is like that neurotic friend that can get under my skin but because of deeper connections I can manage to see it for what it is. I think my closer ties to England are what really made this trip different for me, the history means more to me because on some level it is my history too and it will be the history of my children someday when we start a family.

Nelson's Tomb, a must see for a Royal Navy wife

Here are the highlights:

London on the Cheap

My trip to London was a steal. I did the whole trip for under £200, including train and hotel. Here is a breakdown of my expenses, in case you don’t believe me:

I think probably the biggest money saver for me was food, I ate at McDonald’s the first night. I never have fast food and figured as long as I was in a place that has basically the same food as where I live but more expensive that I would stick with what I know is cheap and treat myself to a little bit of junk food. London isn’t exactly known for cheap good eats, so I stuck with really cheap food and saved my cash for indulgences like chocolates from the Harrods chocoalte counter. If you have the money to spend on fine dining there is definitely amazing food to be had in London, but if like me you are on a budget its best to ignore the food factor and not feel like you must have fish and chips or pasties while you are in London. Go to Subway or McDonald’s or some other cheap chain for a reliable refuel and save your pennies for the good things London has to offer.

The other big money saver was my hotel room, now I have to say this place isn’t for everyone. The room itself is the size of a double bed, and the bed is the size of the room and then there was a small modular bathroom attached with a toilet and shower, although your feet are in the shower when you are on the toilet. For me, staying one night with no luggage it was perfect. It was safe, clean and secure and the Kensington location was amazing, just down the street from the Crowne Plaza and several other luxury hotels. The only thing that was awkward was that there are no windows, so waking up in a pitch black room was a bit of a shock, but for the price I have no complaints.

My tiny but comfortable and safe London hotel room

Am I in London or Paris?

One thing I noticed was different from my last trips to London was that it felt very Parisian. I thought maybe I just hadn’t noticed before, but even Jonathan agreed with me that there were more coffee shops than pubs than the last time he was there. I even walked by one cafe on the way to Covent Garden and noticed that the chairs outside were all facing the street like a Parisian cafe. There were also bakeries and patisseries with fresh pastries and baked goods (and I don’t mean pasties and sausage rolls) and elaborate french-style tarts. I loved Paris, so this new cafe culture in London was really refreshing for me. I am really picky about coffee and I didn’t have even one bad cup of coffee while I was there.

Looking Beyond the Clutter

I found being familiar with the typical British high street stores and other “chain” type shops was really an eye opener for me. For example, when walking down Oxford Street I was able to walk past the Next and the New Look because I now know there is one of those on every high street in Britain. There was a lot less “noise” on the streets since I could easily spot what was special and ignore what was generic. I enjoyed shopping in London so much more this time around and was able to discover new stores that aren’t here in Hartlepool or nearby shopping centers.

Oxford Street

Avoiding the Tube

Okay, so riding the tube is part of the London experience, but at times I felt I walked more getting from one line to the next in a station than I would have if I had just stayed above ground and walked, and probably wouldn’t have had to climb so many stairs. The next day with Jonathan and Jackie we walked or took cabs everywhere, and it was so much more pleasant. Certainly the tube is cheaper than cabs, although not by much, but with three people sharing a cab it probably came out to roughly the same price but without all the walking and stair climbing. I think the next time I visit London I will try to study the bus routes first and maybe skip the tube altogether and try out the bus system, at least that way I can see more on my journey.

London Fashion

This is probably the most ridiculous reason to enjoy a city, but I could sit all day and watch London businessmen walking around because their clothing is so exquisite. I don’t know what it is, but British men just seem to have a better handle on fashion than American men and its especially evident in London. Their suits are perfectly cut and come in a wide spectrum of patterns and textures. They take a lot more risks with their fashion and it pays off, because they all look fabulous.

I left London on Thursday afternoon with terribly aching feet, but feeling both invigorated and content. I also left with a laundry list of things that I want to do the next time I go, things I would like to show my husband, things I would like to show my parents, things I would be perfectly content to enjoy alone. There are so many museums and other cultural things I really want to go back and explore now that I have had a little taste of what London has to offer in the way of cultural experiences. I really can’t wait until I have an excuse to go back.

Author Info -  Lisa Coulson is an American Expat living in the North of England in Hartlepool. She writes a weekly column on Wednesdays about life in the UK. Lisa also has her own blog - Anglophile's Digest Read more from this author

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