How To See London in 48 Hours

L O N D O N, Oct. 13, 2003 -- 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. But most of my other must-sees worked out splendidly, startingwith the London Eye, an oversized ferris wheel on the banks of theThames. We entered London via Waterloo Station on the South Bankand went straightaway to inquire about evening tickets for it. At450 feet tall, it is the city's fourth-tallest structure andprovides a view that stretches for miles if you are lucky enough tobe there, as I was, without fog. The Eye and the rest of the SouthBank easily made the Top Five Things to Do list for my whirlwindtour.

A perfect half-day can be spent there, strolling the south sideof the Thames, with its museums and galleries, including theremarkable architecture of the Tate Modern — linked to St. Paul'sCathedral by the new millennium footbridge. Walk north and youmight catch skateboarders "ollying" over trash cans — flippingtheir boards into the air and landing on them — outside the RoyalNational Theatre.

Cross Westminster Bridge and take in London's famous landmarks:Parliament, the prime minister's home at 10 Downing St.,Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, then continue on to BuckinghamPalace. Even though you've likely seen all of these iconicbuildings in photographs, postcards and films, they are striking inperson. And because much of London is flat, I was able to do all ofthis touring wearing heels.

Celebrities Shop Here

Shopping was No. 2 on my list. I am not a particularlyenthusiastic shopper but I enjoy owning a few choice items, whichin London means handmade shirts and suits. My male banker friendshad strong opinions on where to buy these items, but unless youwant to spend a lot of money and time on a fitting, a friendrecommended an excellent ready-made alternative in the shirts soldat Hilditch & Key. The Brits are discreet and do not broadcast celebrityinformation as readily as in New York's Soho, where a friend ofmine recently purchased a top and was told Britney Spears had justbought the same item. But I did figure out that, while I was inHilditch & Key's two-room shop at 73 Jermyn St., so was tennisgreat Ilie Nastase. And after asking a few questions, I managed topry from the sales staff the fact that the Duke of Kent had shoppedthere two days prior and that the Duke of Wellington, RudolphGiuliani and Bill Clinton all own Hilditch & Key clothing.

Oddly, my most cherished finds were the opposite of London'sbespoke clothing: 1970s Adidas zippered warmup jackets from thecity's hip vintage stores.

"These jackets have been popular for as long as I canremember," said Tony Nesbitt of Hideout Classics, where designerPaul Smith and filmmaker Paul Yates shop. Talk show host Ruby Waxwas perched on a stoop outside the store when Martin and I entered.

"It's a classic top," Nesbitt added. "Anything Adidas has gota really good look."

I bought three.

The vintage stores are located along and near Portobello Road inNotting Hill; the neighborhood came in at No. 3 on my list.

Subdued Notting Hill

Admittedly, there exists a sappy romantic comedy of the same name,but do not be deterred. With its outdoor market, large whitetownhouses and gently curved streets, Notting Hill reminds me of asubdued cross between Barcelona and San Francisco, except for thePorsches, Ferraris and Rolls Royces that seem to line the streets.

No. 4 on my list required the least amount of effort: indulgingin alcohol during the day. I felt it was my duty to sit in a pubwith its fan humming quietly above the bar, reading the sportspages and getting a light buzz from my Fueller's London Pride Ale.In hindsight, I wish I'd had another. My final "must-do" was a tie between eating Indian curry onBrick Lane or a trip to the British Museum. The choice wasdifficult; many of my friends learned to love Indian food on BrickLane, whereas the British Museum is almost too obvious. But asMartin told me, the Brits have "nicked art from around the world.You've got to see it." So I did, and so should you. The museum is enormous, crowded and can feel overwhelming. Butso what? It's crowded for a reason. Its holdings include theRosetta Stone, with its famous hieroglyphics, part of the largestcollection of ancient Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt; and thecontroversial Parthenon Marbles, the 2,500-year-old frieze acquiredby Lord Elgin in 1811 and demanded back by modern Greece.

As for Brick Lane, Martin insists that a really good curry canonly be consumed at Indian restaurants decorated with thickwallpaper and carpeting — something about authenticity. His strangetheory proved accurate: The floral wallpaper and Kelly greencarpeting at Standard Balti House at 71 Brick Lane was the perfectsetting for our many yummy and reasonably priced dishes, includingking prawn, vegetable somosas, chicken patia, and, of course,Kingfisher beers.

When my quick excursion was over, I felt more like I had spent aweekend in Boston than in a foreign country, partly because therewas no language barrier. But the most enjoyable part of the tripwas finding out that London was actually a manageable 48-hourgetaway from New York. And I am eager to return to explore itfurther.