Day 19
Our wind-down day at the trip’s end. Had an omelet breakfast and hit the road.
Last night was a culinary disaster – we went out in search of food, but couldn’t find any. The only restaurant in the area was Chinese, and we said What The Heck. My Hot and Spicy Pork was neither and mostly gristle. They asked if I wanted chips with it! Only in England. I should have been tipped off by the fact that several Brits in the place were having steaks.
Today we basically just cruised straight to Ruth’s, arriving at noon. We showered, repacked, etc. and headed for London around 2.
We were searching for a parking spot near the Tube when – guess what – we witnessed a robbery! Something we’ve never seen in 30 years in New York.
Jill saw a guy in a ski mask run from a pharmacy with a bag, and jump in a getaway car, with a few Indians in pursuit. By stopping to watch, I stopped traffic behind me, and the getaway car. He rammed a few cars in his zest to escape.
My first concern was that the rental car not be damaged, so I pulled over, ripping off the side view mirror on a parked car. Fortunately, it is on a hinge for just such an eventuality. The guy behind me hit me but did no damage. I got the license plate number as the getaway car escaped. (Ed. Note: I dropped off the plate number in the pharmacy and bolted before I could be detained as a witness.)
After that adventure, the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace seemed rather tame. Saw all of the Queen’s horses and coaches.
By this time it started raining, so we went to a pub to plan strategy. As it was around 4 and tourist stuff was closing, Jill tried to call Ed Collins from Hanson NY several times to take him up on his offer for dinner in London. No luck.
So we had a few pints, then headed to the Leicester Square area where we had dinner in a Garfunkel’s and hit a few more pubs. Met an American couple who were just starting their 3 week trip, whom we gave pointers to.
Got home around 10:30 and slept on the floor, as Ruth has no couch or spare bed. It was just as comfortable as I remember it from college days!
Day 20 >>>
Last night was a culinary disaster – we went out in search of food, but couldn’t find any. The only restaurant in the area was Chinese, and we said What The Heck. My Hot and Spicy Pork was neither and mostly gristle. They asked if I wanted chips with it! Only in England. I should have been tipped off by the fact that several Brits in the place were having steaks.
Today we basically just cruised straight to Ruth’s, arriving at noon. We showered, repacked, etc. and headed for London around 2.
We were searching for a parking spot near the Tube when – guess what – we witnessed a robbery! Something we’ve never seen in 30 years in New York.
Jill saw a guy in a ski mask run from a pharmacy with a bag, and jump in a getaway car, with a few Indians in pursuit. By stopping to watch, I stopped traffic behind me, and the getaway car. He rammed a few cars in his zest to escape.
My first concern was that the rental car not be damaged, so I pulled over, ripping off the side view mirror on a parked car. Fortunately, it is on a hinge for just such an eventuality. The guy behind me hit me but did no damage. I got the license plate number as the getaway car escaped. (Ed. Note: I dropped off the plate number in the pharmacy and bolted before I could be detained as a witness.)
After that adventure, the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace seemed rather tame. Saw all of the Queen’s horses and coaches.
By this time it started raining, so we went to a pub to plan strategy. As it was around 4 and tourist stuff was closing, Jill tried to call Ed Collins from Hanson NY several times to take him up on his offer for dinner in London. No luck.
So we had a few pints, then headed to the Leicester Square area where we had dinner in a Garfunkel’s and hit a few more pubs. Met an American couple who were just starting their 3 week trip, whom we gave pointers to.
Got home around 10:30 and slept on the floor, as Ruth has no couch or spare bed. It was just as comfortable as I remember it from college days!
Day 20 >>>