Day to Day London
23 July 2010
This section of my guide has more information that you need to know. It has mostly “house-keeping” issues than anything else and some things that we never think about when holiday planning.
Body Weight
Body weight in England is given in Stone. One stone is 14 pounds and 8 stone (stones not typically used) is a hundredweight (112 lbs). A person’s weight is expressed as 10 stone, 5 pounds, 10 ounces or, 145 pounds, 10 ounces American. Don’t make fun of me using ounces, as this is what is announced for body weight of members of the crew in the Oxford – Cambridge Boat race.
Church Service
Churches for every religion can be found in the phone book or from the hotel porter. There is nothing for me to say, really, other than that I have a story for you. St. Paul’s Cathedral has a service every November 24th for all the Americans in London. It is said that this date is when they have their largest turnout.
Days of the Month, expressing
Americans express a date as month – day – year. The English and Europeans write day – month – year. This is important to know when the month is not spelled out. Typically the Brits will write 22 March 2007, but it could also be seen as 22/3/07. This is obvious but what about 4/7/07? That is 4 July 2007 but if you miss-read it as April 7, 2007 then you will be early for the fireworks.
Incidentally, calendars in the UK are made differently that ours. We begin a week on a Sunday where they start a week on Monday. That places Saturday and Sunday next to each other on the calendar. I guess they don’t want to break up their weekends?
Electricity
See Voltage, below.
Food
Food for take a way is even more abundant than chemist shops. Take a look into the grocery store as you can find hot and cold food to eat in the hotel room, or for souvenirs. Never buy tea from a souvenir vendor as a shop has better prices. Going further out from Oxford Street will see a price drop on most goods.
Some of the larger stores are Marks & Spencer’s Food, http://www.marksandspencer.com/. Sainsbury, http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/. Whole Foods has a store on Kensington High Street. Find them, and their sister stores at http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
Internet Service
Keep an eye open for free service areas and Internet cafés. Hotels have Internet booths or kiosks, but the cost could be high.
The Apple store in London, 235 Regent Street W1B 2EL (Phone: 020 7153 9000) has free Wi-Fi service. The store is on the right side of the Regent Street, when walking from Oxford Circus towards Trafalgar Square. See: http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet/week/20071209.html
The City of London, the “Square Mile”, is wired for Wi-Fi throughout. You can also fine hotspots on the web before you go. I am not sure what is free.
Kansas, USA
Please remember that you are not in Kansas anymore, Toto and things will be different. Most eating places such as coffee shops, pubs or cafeterias style restaurants do not have private seating, in that somebody could land next to you at your table if there is an open seat. You will have you own table in places that have table service. Also, the sugar bowl is never covered, corn is a topping on pizza and coffee to go (take away) costs more. And just try to buy a cup of Joe. Most coffee is espresso and if you want standard issue American coffee you will need to order filter coffee, black or white.
On a bright note, the wait staff will not care what kind if day you’re having.
Launderette
Packing light makes carrying luggage a bit better. It is not too difficult to find a nearby launderette as most of all London is residential. Ask around.
Launderettes are self-wash coin operated but most have a person that will take in cloths and wash & press them for you. This may be better that the hotel as they will most likely send them out anyway. What better way to meet the local women during the day? They can tell you the best places to eat and shop and this will add to you holiday experience.
Man with Camera
Be wary if a man with a camera in hand comes up to and asks if you are a tourist. He wants to take your photo and send them to you for a fee. Even of he is on the up and up you will pay dearly for this photo. Who doesn’t go to London without a camera? Well, I do know a lot of people who don’t take photos. Still, stop another person on the street. They will do this for free. It happens all the time. And by the way, why doesn’t he just e-mail a digital picture to you?
Money
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is on the Pound Sterling (£) system. The Republic of Ireland uses the Euro (€). Scotland has its own currency as well and pounds and both can be used in Scotland and England. Coin is broken into 100 pence to one pound. Nobody says pence and neither should you. Just say pee. If something cost £5.50 say “five pounds fifty”. If it costs 50p say fifty-pee.
The pound consists of 100 pence to a pound. In coin you will find 1, 2, 10, 20 and 50 pence and the one and two pound coin. Halfpence coins are still being used. Notes come in 5, 10, 20 denominations. One-pound notes were discontinued some years ago and are no longer valid.
Passport Information
If you have lost your passport you need to contact your embassy at once and make sure you file a police report. Get a copy of the police report, as you may need it in getting thru immigration. Before you travel you should make several copies of the photo page of your passport. Place a copy in each of you bags along with name and phone numbers of hotels and other contacts. If your luggage is lost it will help the authorities get them back to you. You will also have the photo page of your passport in the event it is lost or stolen. You should also give it and contact information to somebody staying home so they can help if needed. Make sure your contact person has phone and fax numbers of the hotel as well as a copy of this page. This will show them how to call the UK and it has information for the US Embassy.
Petrol Prices
Petrol (Gasoline) is sold in the UK in £ (pounds, not Euros) per Litre. Actually it is sold in pennies per litre. The price is in pence and it has usually been under a pound. As oil prices have gone up the price may 107.9p when it used to be 99.9p. To find what it would cost in US dollars for a gallon we need to do a math problem. Take the UK price 1.079p (move the decimal over two places to make pence into pounds) and multiply it by the exchange rate; let’s say $1.75/£1.00. Then divide that by 0.26, which is how many liters are in a gallon. Thus, one liter of petrol costing 107.9p is the equivalent of $7.26/gallon. The British government has a 25% tax on petrol.
Phone Service
The area codes for Central and Greater London are 0207 & 0208 respectively. The 0 in the UK area code is the prefix just like 1 in the US. As we write 1-412, the Brits write 0207, not 0-207. Using the zero is mandatory in the UK but not used when dialing from the states. The London city code is 020 and the 7 and 8 is part of the local number, but 0207 or 0208 is commonly written.
If you are calling to the states you need to dial the International Access Code for the States (010) + country code (1) + area code (???) followed by the number (???-????).
Example: 010 1 412 123-4567
If you are call from the states you need to dial the International Access Code (011) + the country code (44) + city code (20) + local number. You do not dial the 0 in 020 when calling from the states.
Example: 011 44 20 7123 4567 (The Brits don’t seem to like hyphens)
You can buy a phone card from a vendor or the post office. They usually come in £10 or £20 denominations and last for about 6 months. What we Americans call toll-free is called Freephone
Some hotels have direct dial phones while others require you to dial 9 for outside access. The phone in your room will cost more than using a pre-pay phone card. You can use cards in most phone booths and the hotel lobby. Typically, they come in £10 and £20 cards.
Calling cards are a good to use if you need to make a lot of calls home or around the country. They have their own instructions for use and can be used almost on any phone.
I do not have information concerning cell (mobile) phones. They can be rented but you may be required to sign for a month minimum. Mobile users pay for incoming as well as outgoing calls and rates are not very cheap. Do your research on this before you go in you will be in need of a mobile.
Calling 0800 within London is free but calling 1-800 calls to the states are charged at the international rate. Phone cards are sold in values of 2, 5, 10 & 20. You do not need to dial the 020 when dialing a 0800 number.
Photography & Video
Photography with or without a flash is very restricted in most buildings. Be aware of where you are and ask permission first if you are in a public building, such as a pub and especially if using a flash or light. Actually pubs are not public buildings, but I think you get the message.
Post Office
When you present your mail at a teller window you will asked to place one letter at a time on a scale. You will be given stamps for each letter based on their weight. Post cards have a fixed price unless they are huge or unusual. Post card stamps come in packs of four. The teller generally does not take your mail. Some post office locations have a mail drop inside the building and some have the mail slots outside on the building wall.
Postal Code
Similar to the Zip code in the states, the postcode can help you get around and find the right spot. There is no central code but the codes read in a relative compass direction of north, south, east and west, with respect to one another. The code is always written with the street name: Bedford Square WC1.
Postage Rates
Compared to the states, the cost of postage is much higher in the UK. Be aware of the cost of the cards, postage and the exchange rate. The term the Brits use when sending pre-paid (free to you) mail is Freepost. Be aware that the cost of the card and stamps can well exceed $1.00 when sending out postcards. Airmail postage for cards is very high. If you think 30, 40 or 50 cents his bad here try $2.00 to $3.00 in the UK.
Temperature
Most of the world is on the metric system and temperature is given in Celsius (0°). The US states temperature in Fahrenheit (32°). Converting is a bit tricky but here is a brief comparison.
°F | -5° | 0° | 5° | 10° | 20° | 30° | 40° | 50° | 60° | 70° | 80° | 90° |
| °C | -21° | -18° | -15° | -12° | -7° | -1° | 4° | 10° | 16° | 21° | 27° | 32° |
Remembering high school math: F = (9/5C)+32 or C = 5/9(F-32)
And to note, 0° C = 32° F, which is the freezing temperature of water.
Time and Time Zone Reference
Time is given in two ways in the UK. One method uses the 12 hour clock as is typical in the US. Time is designated morning or evening with the suffix am or pm. It is typical in Britain to use the 24 hour clock in which the hour between midnight and 1 am is 1 hour and noon is 12 hour. One o-clock in the after noon is 13.00 GMT and six pm is 18.00 GMT. Add the number of hours after noon to 12 to get the correct Greenwich Mean Time. Yes, math problems on vacation.
This is a good time (yes, you should have seen it coming) for a joke from Bette Midler: When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London.
Standard Time (British Summer Time)
British Summer Time begins on the last Sunday in March and lasts to the last Sunday in October. Clocks, in the UK and the European Union “spring” ahead one hour at 1 in the morning.
Consequently on the last Sunday of October the clocks “fall” back one hour at 0100 to Standard Time.
There are five time zones between the East Coast of the United States and England. Remember this five hour difference when calling home.
TIPS
Tipping is pretty much the same as in the states but the percentage is a little bit less in the UK. Anyone who does a service for you such as porters, maids, cabbies, etc should be tipped. Bartenders are not supposed to be tipped with cash but they seldom say no. If you have a favorite bartender or want to show one your appreciation and he doesn’t take your cash you can buy him a drink. The traditional way of tipping a bartender is to offer him/her a drink when you order yours. When you ask for a drink say; “and one for yourself” If they accept they can dink it then or save the money for latter.
When you buy a meal in a restaurant or pub and see this term, service included, on the bill it means that a gratuity (the tip) has been added. In a pub you do not tip the person serving you a meal since they serve it at a counter. You will see the staff clean up after the patrons, which is customary in pubs. It is permitted to tip the bartender but is not expected in England. CHECK YOUR BILL Do this each time to see if service has been added. Check to see that the only items are the ones that you ordered. If there is a priced next to something on the menu you will be charged if it brought to your table. This really is not of much concern but it has happened to me in the past.
The Ugly American
Think of going overseas as going to somebody’s home. This should be a time that we are on our best behavior. Try not to be too demanding or pushy. Please and thank you is always good. Now, the people that live there may engage in bad manners but it is different when “outsiders” do it. It’s human nature. I have witnessed bad behavior on the part of American’s as well as people from other countries. Nobody enjoys their antics. I have also reaped the benefits of being nice to others. I have had pleasant encounters and more than several free pints at pubs for playing nice. If you have contact with somebody often during your stay you can build a nice friendship.
As an American in London I have found that the Brits are curious about us, and our way of life. Everyone from the bartender to the maid has a desire to talk to you. Some of my most enjoyable memories come from my engagement with others.
VAT TAX
See Money and Banking
Voltage
Unlike America’s 120 volt AC (60 Hz) current, The UK uses 240 AC (50 Hz) current. That means that your laptop will become a toaster oven once you plug it in, unless you have a converter. Well, you can’t plug the bugger in as the socket is way different than ours. I take my PDA and foldable-wireless keyboard in lieu of a laptop and I have a UK adaptor for it. This and other electronic items can be bought in one of the many electronic stores on both sides of Tottenham Court Road.
Hotels have outlets for US electric razors and hair dryers, but caution should be used. Electrical outlets may not be protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). The plugs have a reset button in the middle and if you are not sure do not stand in water.
Electrical outlets in some if not all hotels have a switch built into them so if it does not seem to be working set it so that the red mark is visible. Also, it my hotel the telly can be turned off by a wall switch at the bed. Check these things before you call the porter.
Note: I have never used a converter with an adaptor for an electronic device. Talk to an electronic technician about this. What makes laptops different between the US and UK is the AC adapter. You may want to buy one for the UK system before you go to play it safe.
Walking
Although we have a common language everything seems to be different. Walking on the left just like driving on the left is the “English” way. Remember this when using an escalator. Stand to the right so that others can walk on the left.
As you walk about London you will no doubt find a need to ask for directions. You will not be given directions in feet or city “blocks” but in how long it should take you to get there.