Racoon Invasion!

[Racoon]

I heard from my boss today that I may be making a business trip to the UK in late June/early July. I'll know within a few days if it's going to happen, so I'm looking for advice.

Destination: Greenwich, London

Airport: Gatwick or Heathrow or ??? Why?

All other suggestions/recommendations for a silly yank that wants to survive a trip to the UK will be very welcome.


I'm going to see how much extra time I can work in. I've never been to that side of the pond, and obviously need to do at least a little of the tourist thing.

:D

(of course my significant other asked why I couldn't wrangle a trip to Australia instead, but that's a different story...)

[skyout]

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways fly out of Gatwick when coming to Orlando Int'l Airport. It's about an 8 1/2 hr. flight. Shorter going back to the UK due to wind direction if I remember right.

[Racoon]

My boss just confirmed the trip, so I'll be in the UK the week of June 26. At this point I don't know when I'm arriving or how long I'll be there. Details to follow.

:)

[chiph]

If you're flying into Gatwick, with a destination of central London, the Gatwick Express train is pretty convenient. Just hop on the train with your luggage, have your credit card ready when the conductor comes around. No messing about with taxis, and potentially getting caught in traffic congestion with the meter ticking..

Chip H.

[popwud]

Gatwick is probably best....Greenwich has loads of history and museums naval and other....you have the west end not too far away....Bow Bells and all that....theres the Duxford air museum with an American built show case including a B52 WW11 bomber just up the M11....just be yourself you will like it over here.....I do. :wink:

[The Swedish guy]

Stay home!! you can´t pass the puddle in true style anymore since the Concorde was grounded :lol:

Only true stylish way is by cruise liner...( if there are any left)

Id say drive the other way around and stay in mainland Europe, nothing to see on that lonely island ( hard to get to also) just a bad examples of what will happen when cousins marry: drive on wrong side of the road, vinegaer on the fries, awful beer etc etc the list is long... :lol:

[skyout]

:lol: :lol:

[Racoon]

drive on wrong side of the road, vinegaer on the fries, awful beer etc etc the list is long... :lol:
1. I'm not expecting to be driving - cabs, trains, and maybe, if I'm feeling adventuresome, the tube!
2. I'm actually looking forward to trying real "fish and chips", since the American version probably isn't as good
3. I'm also looking forward to a few pints!!

Variety is the spice of life!

:D

[popwud]

You cant have fish & chips without vinegar,its compulsory....thats real English chips not fries swedish :roll: ....and we do drive on the left which is right....you lot only drive on the right to be awkward....and I hope youre not putting that awful lager in the same class as our centuries old british cool beer :shock: .... come on over rac and get some cottage pie down your throat.

[Racoon]

..get some cottage pie down your throat.
Okay, I had no idea what "cottage pie" was...so I used Google.

From the description, it's very similar to something my mom made when I was kid, which she called "Shepards Pie", however she made it with ground beef (not lamb or minced beef). So, guess I'll be trying that, too.



And finally some travel details: I'm arriving the morning of Saturday, June 24th and departing on Tuesday, July 3rd. I'll be staying in Greenwich near the Millenium Dome. I hope to get in some sightseeing on the weekends, but have to be at the client during the week.

:D

[etc]

racoon invasion? i believe the right word is infestation :lol: :P
now seriously - be careful while crossing the streets!
not because youre racoon but because the cars are coming from the other side! this is serious man...
this is by far the most difficult thing for a foreigner to get used to while its literally a matter of life and death

[liquidfuel88]

ah, so that is the time for you to meet up with some UK members! :D

[Racoon]

racoon invasion? i believe the right word is infestation :lol: :P
Well, I thought "conquest" was a bit presumptuous!

:D
now seriously - be careful while crossing the streets!
not because youre racoon but because the cars are coming from the other side! this is serious man...
this is by far the most difficult thing for a foreigner to get used to while its literally a matter of life and death
That actually did cross my mind. When I learned I would be visiting the UK one of the first things that came to mind was the opening pages of the Tom Clancy novel Patriot Games, where the main character (an American named Jack Ryan) almost gets run over by a double decker bus in London because he looked left-right-left instead of right-left-right when checking traffic before crossing the street.

I truly appreciate the warning, as I'll be doing a lot of walking. Nearly every resource I've consulted strongly recommends the use of public transportation instead of renting a car when visiting the UK. That and my company won't cover the cost of a rental car.

:D

[AoS]

racoon invasion? i believe the right word is infestation :lol: :P
now seriously - be careful while crossing the streets!
not because youre racoon but because the cars are coming from the other side! this is serious man...
this is by far the most difficult thing for a foreigner to get used to while its literally a matter of life and death
Just look down in front of your feet ... they will tell you if you have to look right or left :lol:

[norsepanda]

Rac,

as a yank who's been to London a time or two (not to visit the Queen), i can say the comments about public transport being the way to get around are very true. cabs, buses and the tube all work fine. each tube car has a color coded map which allows you to anticipate stops. w/ buses and cabs you have to either know where you're going or have great faith in the driver. i've used the paperback book "London A to Z" for navigation purposes, but you can certainly do w/o it. incidentally, Z is pronounced "zed". one of the advantges of using the book is that it helps to identify you as a tourist and people become more helpful. <grin>
and, i'll repeat the warning, look right when crossing streets. (unless it's a one-way, the other way.)

[Racoon]

Okay, I'm a day late. There were thunderstorms in Philadelphia Friday afternoon/evening, so my flight from Indy to Philly was delayed and I would have missed my connection to the London flight. So they rebooked me to leave Saturday.

So it's Saturday afternoon, I'm supposed to be in London, but instead I'm sitting in the US Airways Envoy Class Lounge in Philadelphia waiting for my flight to London. I just wished I was flying Envoy Class (aka Business Class) instead of back in the cheap seats. Well, I guess we can't have everything, can we.

:D

[mrtn]

free wifi! free drinks! air conditioning! silence!

[etc]

wait - in US they dont have air-conditioning in second class? :shock:
so what do you do when its hot? roll the window? :lol:

[Racoon]

free wifi! free drinks! air conditioning! silence!
WiFi isn't free - $9.99/24 hours, but since I did some work while I was waiting I can probably expense it.

Free drinks - Yes! Some very nice red wine, and the "bar" is a mix it yourself if you're into stronger things...

The silence/quiet is the best thing about using the US Airways or United Red Carpet clubs when I travel.


And I just learned that the departure to London is delayed at least 35 minutes at this point...

Oh well...back to the bar!!

:mrgreen:

[mrtn]

wait - in US they dont have air-conditioning in second class? :shock:
so what do you do when its hot? roll the window? :lol:

don't know about the US but the A/C in public areas is doing so-so over here, the business class lounge is always at the temperature where you feel comfortable in a suit :P

[Racoon]

Okay then. I'm here, and I'm checked into my hotel.

The UK is different from America. I mean, you know it is, but then you go there and it's so obvious. :lol:

So on the taxi ride from Gatwick to Greenwich I saw two (2) 1st Gen CR-Vs within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, and probably another 5-6 CR-Vs (mostly 1st Gens) during the rest of the trip.

There are a lot of really odd looking cars over here (Citroens and Pugeots were brands I recognise, others I had no clue), and they're all so small! I understand now why the CR-V is a upscale luxury SUV. They're some of the biggest SUVs on the road, coming in third behind the Lnad Rovers and full sized Mitsibushi's from what I saw.

And the people have all been wonderfully friendly and helpful.

Unfortunately they charge for internet by the minute from the hotel, so you'll probably not see a lot of me until after July 5th, err 5 July.

:D

['Curly Q Links']

Oh well...back to the bar!!

:wink: Carefull, you'll start typing like your keyboard is upside down. :wink:


:roll:

[liquidfuel88]

Oh well...back to the bar!!

:wink: Carefull, you'll start typing like your keyboard is upside down. :wink:


:roll:

going to be like roadster? :lol: :P

[chiph]

Have fun in the UK, Racoon! Don't forget to look right when crossing the street. Don't want you ending up as roadkill. :-(

Chip H.

[Racoon]

Have fun in the UK, Racoon! Don't forget to look right when crossing the street. Don't want you ending up as roadkill.
Thanks, I appreciate the reminder. I caught myself looking the wrong way a couple of times while on the cab ride to the hotel.

:)

[mrtn]

oh, the cabbie let you drive? :P

[etc]

well if the cabbie let him sit on the front racoon naturally thought he was driving :wink:

UK is different from America
you dont say :lol:

There are a lot of really odd looking cars over here (Citroens and Pugeots were brands I recognise, others I had no clue), and they're all so small! I understand now why the CR-V is a upscale luxury SUV.
wait untill you see the "smart" car with your own eyes :wink:
but really by that time youd have probably seen all kinds of
brittish prehistoric small cars that are actually smaller than the smart car :lol:

[WestTexan]

Racoon,
Have fun. My wife and I loved London. Lot's to see, try to go the the Tower of London, the most secure real estate on planet earth.

[liquidfuel88]

i have actually seen 2 SMART cars near where i live.

[mrtn]

i have actually seen 2 SMART cars near where i live.

they sell SMART in the US?? :shock:

[UK-Kev]

Hi Racoon,

Welcome to the UK :D – yes things are different over here. E.g. we drive on the wrong side, (or is that the correct side :? )So be careful when you cross the road. Don’t jump into the taxis on the driver’s side, the driver will not be amused. :shock: But at the end of the day, enjoy your say here and spend lot’s of you’re company’s money, it’s good for our economy. :D

Regards,

UK-Kev

[liquidfuel88]

i have actually seen 2 SMART cars near where i live.

they sell SMART in the US?? :shock:

that's what i said. i thought they weren't for sale here :?

maybe they imported them?

[chiph]

There are a few gray-market Smarts in the country. The Feds will let you keep one for up to 364 days before they insist on you shipping it back out.

I once saw a RHD Jaguar with UK tags here in Raleigh. Which is fine, as long as he's careful when passing on a two-lane road.

Chip H.

[liquidfuel88]

looks like they might start selling SMART cars in the US soon?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/06/26/smart/index.html

[chiph]

Just saw that earlier today.

I like the idea of the SMART car, but it's top speed isn't enough to keep up on my daily commute (traffic was really *moving* today at 85mph). Plus, there's the sketchy reliability of Mercedes to consider.

Chip H.

[Racoon]

I saw two Smarts on the street tonight walking back to my hotel from where I had dinner. I think I could fit one of those in the back of my 1st Gen CR-V...if the Smart was a convertible model with the top folded down.

:D

[etc]

ah so you havent seen the smart convertable yet... :wink:

[popwud]

Hope our little old country meets with your approval racoon.....try and meet the real English, they are very welcoming...got any gum chum. :wink: :lol:

[Racoon]

Hope our little old country meets with your approval racoon.....try and meet the real English, they are very welcoming...got any gum chum. :wink: :lol:
Yes, yes I do have gum. ;)

Everyone I've met has been very friendly. The people I've been working with have tolerated my questions when they said things I didn't understand ("gone pear shaped" was the one that caused the most laughs) and treated me to several "delicacies" of British cuisine. Pie and mash was interesting, but I skipped the eels. And I'm almost sorry I didn't try the mooshie peas. I had fish and chips with them, but they said they were only okay, not "real" fish and chips.

And my foray into the underground was quite successful. I got to where I wanted to be, didn't get lost, and didn't have to ask for directions. The trains are cleaner than the ones I've ridden in New York City in the US, except perhaps the PATH trains that run over to New Jersey.

I caught the DLR at the Cutty Sark Greenwich Maritime station, switched to the Central line at the Bank station, and then exited at Oxford Circus Station into a madhouse! I wish someone had warned me the EuroPride parade was going on today (and no comments from me about the attire or behaviour of the folks on the parade floats :shock:). I was looking for a shop about 5 blocks south of the Oxford Circus Station and it took me almost 90 minutes to walk that distance because it was wall to wall people. I did my shopping, then worked my way back to the station only to learn they had closed the entrance I had used because of the crowds. Fortunately I realized one across the street was still in use, and had an uneventful return to Greenwich.

I'm going to do a little sightseeing tomorrow, then head south to a hotel next to the Gatwick airport, then catch my return flight on Monday.

:)

[etc]

i see you had fun :)
but only one day of sightseeing in london? youre missing a lot :|

[popwud]

Come back anytime racoon.....but not tried the mushy peas and not real fish and chips! oh dear! perhaps next time.....no good sending them to you by post they'd be too cold :lol: .....I've drove through and delivered frieght in London for many years but never been on the underground.....lots of things go pear shaped here. :lol: .....

Once asked for directions in London and it was an American lady who directed me using the `so many blocks` direction and I found the place. :D

[Racoon]

You are right, of course. A week would hardly be enough to see everything I'd like to see in London, let alone the rest of England...and I could probably spend months in Scotland (my very distant ancestors are from Aberdeenshire).

My company is expanding fairly quickly in the UK and in Europe, so I suspect I'll be back again. Part of the goal this week was to have one of our new UK based consultants (we have an office in Manchester) follow me around and learn everything I could teach him.

It was a very nice visit, and I'm looking forward to returning.

Cheers!