I’ve been to London two times already (2011 and 2013) and had no plans to visit again. But I decided that I wanted to take a cruise, and the available option was the port out of Southampton, England. To make this happen I would need to wait out some time in London. And I’m glad I did.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza on the outskirts of the city in Ealing. The hotel was just standard; I would not recommend. The one plus was that it was steps to the tube station (city train). London’s tube station reminds you of the New York subway. I’ve checked and the NYC subway is larger by number of stations and network length. However, London’s system can be deeper underground, as most NYC subways are closer to the surface. 

I rode the tube everyday but got off at different stations to explore more of the city. Because of this, I saw a different view of London than my other visits. Yes, I saw all the regular sites that are unique to London (e.g., Buckingham Palace, Big Ben Clock Tower). But I also spent time in the Westfield shopping mall and the shopping district on the Oxford Circus stop.

London is a beautiful city and  would be on my list of possible places to live. However, the #1 box cannot be checked off.  It gets cold there and I try my best to avoid being cold.