How To See London in 48 Hours

L O N D O N, Oct. 13 -- Catching my first glimpse of London from the airwould have been easy, since I had a window seat for my flight fromNew York. But sleeping pills knocked me out just six hours earlierand I didn't wake until landing at Heathrow.

Sacrificing that airborne glimpse for sleep was a goodtrade-off, though. A scheduling conflict had reduced my plannedweek in the United Kingdom to just 48 hours in London, and I wantedto get my nap time before landing.

I arrived at the home of a friend, Martin Haigh, around 2 p.m.local time, changed clothes, grabbed a sweater, and we were off.

In one weekend, we explored everything from Camden Market andChinatown to the British Museum and the British Library. We alsoate an offensively large amount of Lebanese, Indian, Thai andItalian food, not to mention sushi and several cappuccinos. Icrossed the city many times over — first on the plane, then intrains, in the Tube, by cabs and on a double-decker bus — and Iwalked a lot.

"I've never been to so many things in such a short amount oftime," Martin said on my second night, in between bites of a prawnand scallop risotto. We were savoring a rare moment of downtime."It's been like a competition."

High-Energy Guides Help

To see London in two days, you must have one of two things: anenergetic guide very familiar with the city — someone like Martinwho was raised there is preferable — or a solid Plan. I definitelyhad The Londoner, but The Plan was a work in progress, mainlybecause I refused to purchase a guidebook. Instead, I polledfriends and acquaintances for recommendations on where to go. Theresult was not always perfect; I missed Westminster Abbey by onehour because I didn't realize that it's closed after 2:45 p.m.Saturday and all day Sunday. I also missed out on top night spots;trendy clubs require far-in-advance reservations for dinner or evendrinks.