The Good Family Abroad: London, Part II
London hits all the right notes for a family vacation if you love big city culture. Getting around is easy, especially on the fun double decker buses. In between two weekends watching live footy in Manchester, we spent five days traipsing about London, a city that Mr. Good lived in for a few years in his early twenties. As soon as we got off the train and unloaded our suitcases at our hotel in South Kensington, he immediately wanted to show us his old 'hood, Chiswick. We got set up with our Oyster cards to ride the tube (they work on the double decker buses too) and ventured into Chiswick's quaint village of shops and restaurants. The February wind soon picked up and we took respite at 17th century pub Packhorse & Talbot for pints of cask ale. This quickly became our M.O. for the trip - walk around, explore, and upon exhaustion, find the nearest watering hole while it was still daylight and children are not frowned upon in such establishments.
South Kensington proved to be the perfect spot for our hotel - coincidentally, we seem to have a thing for Kensingtons, seeings as that's our 'hood in Brooklyn. The Brits call it "South Ken," and it's known as London's museum quarter. The museums in London are all free, so we took advantage, hitting up the Natural History Museum three different times during the week. Besides the obvious dinosaur fossils, the boy especially loved the geology exhibits, which included a simulated earthquake room and an escalator ride through the Earth's crust. We also stumbled into a revealing exhibit on human reproduction and birth that certainly piqued the boy's interest. "Why was I in mommy's tummy?" "How do the cells make a baby?" There is tons to see here, and the Romanesque building itself is stunning. We also visited the Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Tate Modern - which was totally my cup of tea (I work in contemporary art).
Whenever we travel, one of our first priorities is to find good coffee that will meet Mr. Good's standards (those Aussies and their flat whites). We were quickly impressed with Fernandez and Wells on Exhibition Road. We loved the farm fresh fried eggs, coffee, and decadent pastries so much that we started our day here almost every morning of the trip, except for a jaunt to Hawksmoor for a posher, more traditional breakfast. Despite what you may have heard, London has a seemingly endless array of good restaurants. Highlights for us included Mr. Good's birthday lunch at the revered River Cafe and dinner at Ellory, a modern spot in South Hackney with smart, seasonal food and natural wines.
We lucked out with one balmy, sunny day that was perfect for sightseeing. From brekkie at Hawksmoor we walked to St. Paul's Cathedral, over the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern, and then along the Thames to the London Eye and Big Ben. I was worried that the boy would be scared on the Eye, but I was completely wrong - he had his nose pressed against the glass almost the entire time. Our last day in London was much colder, but we managed to squeeze in some more touristy fun, kicking a soccer ball around Hyde Park, peeking at Buckingham Palace and the guards in their bearskin hats, and shopping at Harrods and on Oxford Street.
I think it's important to remember when you travel with kids that not everyone is going to get to do everything they want, little feet get tired, and patience can wear thin. I would have loved to have visited more galleries, but it's much more important that we had quality time together and got to hang out in one of the world's coolest cities. You'll also be surprised by what your kids find most impressive from the trip. The boy still jokes about a "Chewbacca"-looking gold statue we saw at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
What to Pack for London
