Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Day 7 -- June 6 Bopping around London -during a Tube strike







And I rested ... sort of .. on Monday, June 6.  Slept in as I planned for a day to bop around London.  Not as easy as you would think.  The London subway went on strike for 24 hours so it meant being creative in getting around London.  Plenty of (crowded) options including the Overground and buses.  I walked to St. James' Street in Walthamstow, stopped at Costa Coffee for a latte and a jubilee muffin, and headed across the street to the Overground to Liverpool Street.  The new Elizabeth Line was running so I took that to Tottenham Court Road (only one exit was open as the tube station was closed).    I needed to catch a bus toward Oxford Circus to get to Piccadilly.

Of course, I needed to find a loo.  Mcdonald's was across the street.  As I entered McDonald's, I noticed the placard for a McFlurry.  I have never had a McFlurry.   This McFlurry has Malteasers mixed into the creamy concoction.    Here is my money, gimme the McFlurry!

I LOVE MALTEASERS!!!!!!!!

The first stop was Fleming's Hotel on Half Moon Street, where a friend left a package for me, a book she had bought in Luxembourg.   Back on the bus toward Leicester Square as I wanted to get a ticket for My Fair Lady.    I did (and also got a ticket for Six for Thursday night.)

Leicester Square is undergoing renovation.  There are also new statues in the park, including one of Paddington Bear.

Lunch was spent at the Slug and Lettuce where I had a nice chicken and avocado salad and an ale.   

This was a day to enjoy London,  sit down in a park and read a book, and window shop.    As I had a big lunch,  dinner was (no judging)  fries and a Coke at Shake Shack.  I try not to eat American when I am outside the US, but ... I needed to grab a quick meal before heading to the theatre ... and I wanted to see if their chips are as good as the ones in the US.   YUP!!!

My Fair Lady is the same production that I saw in New York City in 2018.  This is a diversified cast with Henry Haddon-Paton reprising his role of Henry Higgins, the only member of the original Broadway cast.  Newcomer Amara Okereke was an outstanding Eliza Doolittle.   Dame Vanessa Redgrave plays Mrs. Higgins although she was out the night I saw the production.   Dame Diana Rigg played Mrs. Higgins in the Broadway production and received a Tony nomination as Best Supporting actress.

The production runs through August 27th and then will go on tour in the UK and Ireland.  It was "loverly."





















Mary Poppins

Gene Kelly - Singing in the Rain


Harry Potter 



Chinatown which leads into Leicester Square





There are shops like this all over London


Chinatown

the foyer of Coliseum Theatre 








The next trip post will be about my visit to Harewood House, Goldsborough Hall, and Harrogate.


1 comment:

beulah said...

Excellent photos!! Glad to see you giving Paddington a good cuddle. At first glance I thought I read Johann Strauss father of Walt Disney... coffee being an essential anywhere, anytime, obviously it read father of the waltz dynasty. Thank you for taking us along on your Jubilee trip to England!