Blog Archives
4 tips to get your child’s passport renewed in 1 week
My son’s first U.S. passport was issued when he was about 2 months old. He couldn’t sit up yet. In his passport photo, he looked like a little potato (don’t get me wrong, he was a cute potato), head akimbo, slouched over a bit.
Five years later and his passport expired. Opportunity for an updated passport photo that resembles the boy that he is now – hurray!
What I hadn’t expected was how involved the process is to renew your U.S. passport for minors under the age of 16. Yes, I went through it the first time in applying but clearly it’s something that can be forgotten by the time the passport expires.
To England we go!
Exciting news! We’ve booked our flight to visit friends and family in England next year. It’s been nearly two years since we’ve been back and we’re looking forward to the holiday!
How the Virgin Atlantic credit card let me down
So let me begin by saying I LOVE Virgin Atlantic. It’s a fantastic airline that has never let me down (well, until now. Read on …). For years we have been faithful followers of the brand.
When choosing a credit card, it made sense for us to go with a Virgin Atlantic American Express card. We could earn Flying Club points (we’ve become Silver members) and have continued to rack up enough miles to take the family to the London. Or so we thought.
Take me to London!
This is probably better suited for a Monday, but I’m posting it anyway! Thanks to Ally for sharing this!
Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are!
“My London, and welcome to it”
The Waterloo Bridge, with St. Paul’s in the background. Photo credit: Andrew Testa for The New York Times
I enjoyed this travel article by A.A. Gill in the New York Times published last month. If you missed it, give it a read. It’s a real insider’s profile of London as it currently stands – where to go, what to do and see, what to expect – for the next time you’re visiting the Big Smoke.
(I’m also curious to read A.A. Gill’s book on America, which is coming out next year.)
Home sweet Haringey
It’s been over a decade since we were living in North London, off the Green Lanes, in the Turkish neighborhood of Haringey.
It used to feel like a place you’d need a passport to get to – the antithesis of what outsiders think of traditional British – but it was an interesting place to hang a hat for a few years. Back then, it was “up-and-coming.” A little rough, yes. Colorful, certainly. But a great spot to get a kebab and homemade baklava at any time of the day or night.
I recently was Google searching to see what the neighborhood was like now. House prices have risen significantly since we were there – now a three-bedroom terraced house will sell for £380,000 (That’s $612,000!).
But I also found a little write-up on Time Out’s website, which completely captures the essence of that place when we were there.
Maybe the more things change, the more they stay the same. It was actually comforting to know it still really is “a place where you can buy offal, electrical equipment, exotic fruits and elaborate wedding cakes, often in the one shop.”
Best budget stays in Britain
Charlie Brown's in Colchester is included in Rough Guides' "Best Budget Places to Stay in Britain."
Let’s face it. We all don’t have the coinage to spend a mini-break at Babington House or Stoke Park. But £50 a room at Charlie Brown’s in Colchester? Well, sure! I think this is something we could do.
Rough Guides has just released its “Best Budget Places to Stay in Britain,” which details plenty of lovely staycation locales for Brits on a budget.
Happy New Year!
If travel is in the cards in 2012, check out Taschen’s 4 Cities, a box set of 12 volumes covering hotels, restaurants and shops in London, Paris, New York and Berlin.
In the meantime, have a wonderful New Year’s and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday!
The London 10
Don't miss the London Eye. Photo credit: De:Benutzer:Swgreed
Every time a friend travels to England, I’m inevitably asked for recommendations on the best spots in London. With that in mind, here is my London 10.
1. London Eye. This walk-on ferris wheel provides the best views in the city! Buy your tickets online and avoid the long lines. Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London. SE1 7PB. (0)871 781 3000.
2. Notting Hill. Great boutiques and pubs on Portobello Road and don’t miss Portobello Market.
3. Covent Garden. Plenty of restaurants, boutiques and shops to visit including the world famous cheesemonger Neal’s Yard (17 Shorts Garden, London. WC2H 9AT. 020 7240 5700).
4. Oxford Street. H&M (261-271 Regent Street, London. W1B 2ES.020 7493 4004), Top Shop (216 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1LA. 0844 8487 487) and plenty of retail therapy.
5. Theater District. Culture vultures, here’s your spot!
6. Hampstead Heath and Hampstead. You’ll feel like you’re in the country even though you’re only 20 minutes or so from Central London.
7. Green Park, Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Kensington Park. They all connect. Take a picnic and people watch.
8. British Museum. You can absolutely spend days here and the admission is free. Great Russell Street, London. WC1B 3DG. 020 7323 8299.
9. Tate Modern, (Bankside, London. SE1 9TG. 020 7887 8888) if you like modern art. Also, don’t miss a stroll along the Thames. There are lots of little restaurants and shops there, as well as Shakespeare’s Globe Theater (21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. (0)20 7902 1400) and the Millennium Bridge.
10. Selfridges Food Hall. Totally amazing. Actually Selfridges department store is amazing. It puts every department store in the US to shame. Fortnum & Mason and Harrods also have amazing food halls but my favorite is still Selfridges. 400 Oxford Street, London. W1A 1AB. 0800 123 400.
Do you have a favorite spot in London? What’s your London 10?
BRITRISH.COM 