Thanks to an invigorating shower and a full night’s sleep, we woke refreshed and ready to take on the city…after some breakfast, of course. Brain food was an absolute necessity.

The hotel’s décor was stunning – modern, sleek and spacious. The breakfast room was converted from a greenhouse, so there was a view of the adjacent buildings, spiral stairwells and sunlight through the windows. It gave such a wonderful ambiance to start your morning with. After having a healthy dose of caffeine, I suggested that we ought to get a move on since Richard was going to meet us at 9AM. Although I had asked him to come straight to meet at our hotel, he was quite the gentleman by patiently waiting around for us. I guess the earlier timeframe would encroach upon our personal time, so he suggested meeting us later.

• Of course, Ching categorized me as a Type A Personality – rush, rush, rush…let’s enjoy our breakfast, Linda.
• But, but, Richard is…and it’s already 9AM…

(And if you think I’m BAD, wait till you meet my mother!)

Upon returning to our room, we missed Richard’s call by 2 minutes. His voicemail kindly informed us that he’s been in London since 8AM and have been roaming the streets since. Aiyah.

My dear and best friend does not have any concept of time. Oddly enough, I’m the one at work who’s always late, stays late, and works late. Yet, I’m awesome when it comes to forecasting and projecting timelines. I guess being a project manager has its benefits, huh? In this current life I lead, I pay no attention to time. In fact, I don’t wear a watch. I get a sense of the time during the day simply by looking at the sky, observing crowds and by listening to my internal clock.

When Richard arrived at our doorstep, I noticed that the peephole was way above my head. Apparently Jolly Green Giant designed the hotel.

First stop: Westminster Abbey

Needless to say, it was maddening to take the Tube because Richard has an annoying habit of looking forward and pointing the opposite direction. He’d go, “This way” and pointing at the Northern Line, while his entire body and face is turned towards the Southern Line (!!!). Ugh. So I would try my best to memorize certain directions and passages to avoid having to listen to him. It was extremely mind-boggling. Plus, this is how those damned human roundabouts are formed.

Since my first visit, it was nice to revisit the church again, along with some new attractions – a little museum gallery plus a quiet Victorian garden. I think they removed the description plaques because I distinctly remember reading a whole passage about Mary Queen of Scots. Alas, I have a terrible memory when it comes to history, but it’s exceptionally keen for useless information. If the descriptions did exist in the past, then it might’ve been removed to either to boost profits via audio tours or dumb asses were blocking up traffic.

Second Stop: Buckingham Palace

Confuzzled with the directions getting to the Palace, we concocted our own pedestrian roundabouts because this holiday would not be complete without getting lost or taking a longer passage. So when we came by this massive building, we ASSUMED that it was the Buckingham Palace. There was an area with red bleachers surrounding and the ground was covered in mulch. Richard was filming the area and goes, “Here’s Buckingham Palace” and continues his narrative, “Although it looks nothing like it on TV…”

After we continued walking some ways, we later realized the Palace was located on the opposite end of the park. Ahhh…more human roundabouts: we somehow trailed onto a long passage known as the Mall and took a LONG way over. Aiyah. Once we made it to the Palace, Richard popped open the video camera and proclaims, “Now HERE’S the REAL Buckingham Palace!!”

For him, it was embarrassing as a Brit to incorrectly identify his country’s landmark. For me, well, I was here a few years ago…OY!

Third Stop: Covent Gardens

After everyone got a bit picture happy, we headed over to Covent Gardens in a dire search of food and merriment. Walking along the Mall’s parallel road, we argued over the pronunciation of Leicester Square since both Ching and I said, “LIE-ses-ter” as opposed to Richard’s, “LISE-ter”. Darn Americans. Anybody wanna guess how you pronounce Worcester?

Much like the open markets in the West Village during the weekends, Coven Gardens had eclectic and quaint items for sale. Shopping was a bit drab since I was terrified of having to lug my suitcase to Heathrow on Saturday, so I kept my shopping inclinations to a minimum.

According to Frommer’s, there was a tarot/new age bookstore at Celia Court, so Ching and I was eager to see it. Like déjà vu, walking around the area gave me an odd sense of familiarity. Much of the area had changed dramatically, but one thing for certain, the same hustle bustle that exists in NYC’s Herald Square was still prevalent here.

This exclusive bookstore, Watkins, consists primarily of subject matters related to New Age and Spirituality. Its adjacent store carried meditative tools such as crystals, tarot cards, orbs and the lot. If I had all of the time in the world, I’d love to spend a whole day simply browsing through the cosmic topics and maybe even try a crystal or two.

Fifth Stop: Tower Hill

Last but not least, we hopped on the Tube heading towards Tower Hill for the Jack the Ripper Tour. In the train, Ching was uncomfortable with the crowded train and mentioned about how our ride coincided with London’s rush hour. Technically, it was already quarter to six, so by a commuter’s definition, this was way PAST its peak. Before I could point it out, an extremely HOT Englishman corrected Ching. As my eyes were widening in fascination, he kept looking at me while talking to Ching. Dammit, is this where all of the fricking attractive men are!? Concentrated in London!? This eye candy was decked out in a sleek business suit, a designer leather briefcase, a sharp tie and great hair. Since Ching stood directly in front of him, he was oozing alcohol through his pores. Basically if you stick a lighter in front of his mouth and he’d breathe fire on ya.

But dammit, something overcame me and I couldn’t help glancing at him. He reciprocated by toying with my glimpses as well. If Richard wasn’t with us, we’d probably be off with a bunch of Englishmen on this trip! It’s so ridiculous because you’d never catch me doing anything of that sort, not even when I was single. I’d have my face buried in a book, covered in a cloud of smoke, or put on my war mask on to stave off potential dogshit. Then again, girls with geeky glasses (moi) don’t get the boys anyway.

Since I lost my glasses 3 years ago, I actually get noticed more. Although I belong to a rare population of people who look good donning specs, I have this formal, so-called academically superior look that goes along with it. Hah, what a joke! When I open my mouth, the dense truck driver from Brooklyn comes out instead.

Sadly, both Ching and I were reluctant to leave such a lovely sight when we reached our stop. *Sigh*

I can’t begin to tell you how many awesome looking men were roaming the streets of London. Just for the fun of it, I was trying to film them on my camera, but I didn’t want to make Richard feel awkward behaving this way.

Like a typical goober, I had no idea that this was a 2 hour WALKING tour. After our roundabout expedition earlier, the muscles on my leg were facing cell death. Our Irish tour guide happens to be a yeoman or beefeater at the Tower of London, so he gave an excellent, as well as, animated narrative. During those 2 engaging hours, the rain would sporadically toss us a cat and a dog while we headed over to each murder site. We even passed by Little India where I was dying for a Chicken Balti as the smells of curry emanated from the restaurant kitchens. Every now and then, Ching would glimpse at Richard and reminded him that he needed a drink. He look it.

Nonetheless, the great tour ended with Ching and Richard having a blast. For once, I actually saw Richard enjoy himself as opposed to ‘babysitting’ us. Unfortunately, I had forgotten much of what I read about the Jack the Ripper murders and was glad having watched, “From Hell” a few months ago. At least I wasn’t completely lost.

Ching decided that we would take the Circle Line over to Victoria Station for drinks and to properly see Richard off. Because Aldgate was the last stop on the yellow route, our train brought us to the opposite direction heading towards Bayswater first. We hopped off at our popular stop instead and strolled towards the local pub, the Rat & Parrot.

Famished, I was hoping to grab a bite before drinks, but food was no longer served at that hour and only the alcoholic menu was available. So…the fun begins…