6.10.2012

Drinks and Dinner in London: The Gilbert Scott & The Draper Arms

I promised myself that unlike my Paris and Australia trips, I would actually blog the experience of going to London, Prague and Amsterdam for the first time. But, real time was too much for my jet lag combined with working full days combined with crap for wifi, so here goes (a week later...):

I landed at Heathrow about six in the morning, checked into my hotel and went straight to work. I had great meetings with our UK colleagues and learned a lot about how they are learning and leveraging social media. But after a full day of being "on" straight from the plane, I was ready for a drink, a bite and a bit of London. Through the mutual friends, I had met Marshall (a Richmond, VA transplant) who graciously agreed to show me a few of his favorite spots. First up, The Gilbert Scott which was perfect because I could walk there, it's housed in the GORGEOUS St. Pancras International Station, and they immediately served me up a gin and tonic with my own personal mini-tonic! (I guess this is a British thing. Whatever it is, it was the beginning of me falling in love with London.)
Gin n Tonics at The Gilbert Scott
Then, to make things better, my friend Farrah happened to be in town - and nearby! So she came over and met Marshall and I for drinks. At this point, I've been up and talking for so many hours, I have no idea what is reality and London is starting to feel like home.

Drinks at The Gilbert Scott
Marshall gave me a tour of St. Pancras Station which has breathtaking architecture inside and out. If you are visiting London, wandering around the train station is worth your time - in addition to being a beautiful building and the launch point for trains to Paris, there are also great restaurants and shopping.
St. Pancras International Station, London
But, my tour guide was determine that I got a bit of a neighborhood feel as well, so we hopped over to Islington for dinner at The Draper Arms.

The vibe at The Draper Arms
I ordered something super-British and not super-me: a sort of open face sandwich with a swipe of horseradish cream, some sort of rib and greens.
Dinner at The Draper Arms
After that hearty meal, being awake for far too many hours, and facing a 7 a.m. flight to Prague in the morning, I hopped a cab to Paddington Station and trained back to the hotel.
Flowers on the hearth of The Draper Arms
Stay tuned for 48 hours in Prague... coming up... maybe after the French Open and brunch...

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