An Evening in London

I’m trapped in London, England for the night, which isn’t bad at all. What happened is that my flight from Vancouver, BC got delayed, so I missed my connecting flight in London. Needing to spend the night here, I opted for a hotel at the London Heathrow Airport, considering that my flight is tomorrow; early afternoon. I figured I should avoid spending the night in London, and then having to make my way back to Heathrow, during the day. This way I’d sleep in, check-out, check-in, then go grab some lunch. I looked around, and since my flight departs from Terminal 4, I choose a hotel there. I ended up picking Yotel, which has capsule style rooms. And, that’s the only reason I picked this hotel. I was curious to try it out, considering that I’m only spending one night. Well, actually it’s not quite a capsule type room. It’s much bigger than just a bed. They also have slightly bigger rooms; for two. Nevertheless, it was enough for me, and for what I needed. Coming to think of it, I’m not sure what is the ongoing rate for regular-sized hotel rooms at Heathrow airport, compared to rooms/capsules at Yotel (I was charged $125 for the night), and whether it’s worth it, other than the fun factor.

Anyways, the room has a bunker style bed, with a flat LCD TV, a table, and a full washroom. And by full (though small) I mean a standing shower, sink and a toilet.

It’s funny that my delayed flight has caused me to spend the night in London, as while planning for my trip, I had considered spending the weekend in London, but then decided against it, as I have other commitments, and I didn’t want to waste time upfront. But, here am I, in London, malgré moi! So, I dropped my luggage in my Yotel room, hopped on the Tube, and headed towards London. This would be my second time in London. The first time was during the Summer of 2007, where I had spent the weekend there with a couple of friends. Anyways, I couldn’t remember were the cool stuff was, as I wasn’t planning to spend an evening in London. So, I decided to get off at what seemed to be a “city center” station and were it seemed that the station was busy: King’s Cross. I walked around, got me some dinner. I thought about getting into some comedy club; for a show, but didn’t have enough motivation to do so.

Anyways, on my way back to an underground station, I passed by Pret A Manger. This is a pre-made sandwiches & deserts “fast food” chain from the UK. I’m guessing their name is a word play from prêt-à-porter. Note that fast food doesn’t necessarily mean hamburgers & fries! Anyways, I know this chain as I often fly through London Heathrow (to connect to the rest of the world), and they happen to have a store in terminal 5. I love their lemon cheesecake desert. Every time I  fly through Heathrow, I make the effort to fill my belly with their lemon cheesecake pot! So, I walk into their store in London, I buy myself a couple sandwiches and a few of their lemon cheesecake pots, then back to the hotel I head.

Back in my room, I savor the delicious lemon cheesecake desert! It’s really too bad that Pret A Manger’s only branches in the US, are on the East Coast. If they had one in Seattle, WA, I’d be making frequent trips to their store. Or, perhaps I should find a local store that has equally good lemon cheesecakes. Maybe I just don’t eat enough lemon cheesecake, so I got easily swept away by a fast food’s good but perhaps bland to others lemon cheesecake. Note to self: Find good lemon cheesecake in Vancouver.

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