London is one of my favorite cities. Always. I've done it with friends, on business and several times solo. Never disappoints. Never dull. London is whatever you choose to make of it. I decided to choose fantasy. Since I don't purchase many luxury goods day to day, am not a foodie and enjoy mostly simpler things, I decided to spend my coins on the adventure of London. A first class passage allows me an entire day at the beginning and end of my trip to lay about watching movies and reading while someone waits on my every need. An extravagance for many. A necessity for me. The cost of the tickets, up-grade or points is built into the cost of any travel event. If you book it far enough in advance, what you'll pay for First/Business Class is the same as you'll pay for Economy closer to the date. That's how I rationalize it in my head anyway.

The trip began with several years of dreaming, scheming and stalking on trip advisor. As a planner, I have an entire list of things I wish to experience yet can never quite achieve. Part of planning, for me anyway, is not planning the outcome. Creating moments that beget possibilities. As time to depart gets closer, I have to cull my list to a few things I definitely wish to do, a bunch of things that compete for time, and then enough room for spontaneity to occur. This was London baby.

Flight. Booked a day flight from PHL to ORD to LHR. Why? Because I'm cranky enough without the excuse of jet lag. Several days before the flight I go to bed a few hours earlier and awaken the same way. The day spent in the plane is no different than a self indulgent day on the couch. Actually, it's way better but I don't wish to brag. Flight 90 out of O'Hare was decadent. Seat Guru informed me it was a 787-800 and that pod 4A (see pic above) flew backward. Never experienced that before so why not? The take off was the only part that felt different. The plane was new, had mood lighting, the windows were polarized various colors at your discretion, the service great, the turbulence a rollercoaster and the virtual flight on the pod screen was very cool. I arrived in London before midnight totally exhausted from snacking and napping...

Direct flight home at 2:45 GMT landed me safely back in Philadelphia at 5:45 EST. Same story, different plane.

Sunday in London. I found a tour on trip advisor called Bowl of Chalk . Sent an email with my requirements. The tour guy (Jonnie) was efficient and accommodating. After I read the ridiculously glowing reviews and stalked his Instagram account, (and downloaded his Kindle Book 1666) I was ready for whatever. In one of my email replies I included my web address which in turn offered me a bonus I hadn't expected. But I'll get to that. We met in Trafalgar Square as planned. Straight away I blurted out some stupid thing about his book, his reply was self-deprecating humor. So okay. Good beginning. I'm cold but happy. The tour commences with my off color remark about the size of Nelson's column which yielded an historical rebuke from Jonnie about it being the size of the mast of Nelson's ship. Thus began one of the best rambles I've experienced through the street of this beloved city. We wandered through Westminster as my guide offered bits of history and color about my surroundings. Anyone who knows me knows my propensity to wander. This guy worked with it. When he said "here is the perfect spot where you can see No. 10 Downing Street", I kind of looked at the spot on the ground and kept moving. Now if The Prime Minister was having me in for tea... I might look over her fence. Felt pretty much the same with the Horse Guards and every other spot where people congregated taking pictures. My goal was to move thru and past. Keep moving, breathing in as much of the city as possible. Now, in hindsight, the day comes back to me in small scenes. Happy vignettes. Why the Banqueting House (where Charles I was executed) is clearly etched in my mind is a mystery, but said building was built around 1622 and is the only remaining structure of the original Palace of Whitehall. I clearly see the Cenotaph. St James' Park and it's pond. The view of Whitehall. The story of the pelicans who were first introduced as a gift by the Russians in 1664 but were found more recently eating the pigeons (no lie... youtube). Throughout the walk we traded stories about weird facts, chatted amiably about current events, stopped in a few pubs and pretty much enjoyed the day. Well I did. And I think my guide enjoyed himself too. Although I was excited to meet up with a friend in Piccadilly after, I was kind of disappointed that our tour had to end. So for me, that's really saying something. Last note...my bonus. Jonnie walked me by a few of the Royal maker's shops. Though many were closed, the fact that he went out of his way to put a few things from my wheelhouse on the tour was a kind and generous act. The smaller cool shops with a rich history like Berry Brothers, Trufitt & Hill (barbers to the Duke of Edinburgh) and Lock & Co lit me up as a merchant. Though my store will most likely not last a century, the spirit these shops imbue, and the look of their store fronts makes me dream. A stop at Fortnum and Mason to see their perfume shop was brilliant. The little room near the back has drawers with custom perfumes blended for people we know from history. To open a drawer and breathe in the scent that belonged to Oscar Wilde was, well, wild. I tried not to embarrass myself, so there was no gushing, but the sense of awe I felt in the moment can only be described here and now. So with all that said, if you hire Jonnie, or just join one of his group tours, be open to whatever. You just might walk away with an amazing day, some wonderful memories, and a knowledge of the purpose of lantern windows.

Wednesday/Thursday. The train from Edinburgh dropped me off in Kings Cross Station. A quick tube ride landed me at the London Bridge stop. Half a block up is the now iconic Shard. I've been dreaming about a night at this Shangri La Hotel since they build the place. The tallest building in Western Europe with sweeping vistas of London was everything I could have imagined. More actually. I have always had a fantasy about airships. The chance to hover over a large metropolitan city while enjoying the amenities available to travelers of that time. This was as close as I will ever get. Not many people actually want to check in and stay in their room, but what more of London could I have seen from the ground? At this point in my twenty years visiting this city, Nobu in Shoreditch is about all I've missed (no thank you). The view. The venue. Three walls of glass almost fifty stories above the Thames that begins at the west and continues all the way down river to the east... I could have spent a week in that room and never tired of the view. Waking in the clouds the next morning was crazy. Made deliriously happy by this fact, I snapped a pic at my feet while still in bed before tossing the phone and snoozing away the early morning. Indulgent. Extravagant. Worth every penny. I cannot imagine doing it twice, and if only for 24 hours of my life, the experience was worth every penny..

I don't expect I'll be returning to London anytime soon. There are many places I have yet to visit. Greece and Italy foremost in my thoughts. This trip however was one of the best ever, and it never ceases to amaze me how much I can enjoy being solo. With the right tour guide, of course.