A Hidden World in London ....

Hidden away from the main throughfares like Piccadilly, Park Lane,and Oxford Street, are small pockets of neighborhoods where you can still feel connected in a vast, booming city like London. It doesn't take long to remember familiar faces in the post office, the sandwich shops, or be greeted by the doorman at the Ritz. The Over Seas League in St. James, where I stay while in London, is on Park Place, a deadend street that backs up to Green Park. On St. James Place, the next street over, one finds the plaque to Frederic Chopin, who stayed here on his visit to London in 1849, the year of his death. He played his last recital in the Guildhall, in The City, where there is a handsome bust of him on display.

London must be the take-out food capitol of the world. The high class stuff comes from Fortnams, where the assortment of cheeses is endless, and the sandwiches have fresh baked bread for starts. The best sandwiches are made in the small shops that abound off the main streets, where you can make up choices as you order. Marks and Spencer has gone into take out food in a big way, opening small branches in tube stations. One never use to see people eating in the streets...now they eat everywhere, except the tube and busses, where it is just too crowded.

The restaurants at the Over Seas League are just so fine that it is hard to go anywhere else. The Buttery is open all day into the evening, and has classic dishes like lamb curry and kedgeree, plus great grilled fish and interesting salads. The main restaurant is one of the better ones in London, and still has its 30's decor, and an incredible, well priced wine list. Then one can eat in the garden, sandwiches in the Spring, and hot food in the Summer.

London Transport has solved the ticket problem for tubes and buses by use of the Oyster Card, a small yellow card that you press against a meter that registers each use. You can put any amount of money into the card electronically, and many tube exit meters tell you how much money is left in the card. This means that traffic really flows through the various stations with no long ticket lines as of old. Getting transport information is so easy via the internet, and you can make your plans for excursions down to the minute.

Finding a place to practice usually means a ride on the C2 bus from Berkeley Square ( " a nightingale sang..in Berkeley Square" ) up to Albany Street in Regents Park. This is not "The Piano Shop Around the Corner" but a well run affair that does have a big shop for piano restoration and a few practice rooms. Its a casual affair, and cheap. I had lunch across the way in The Victory, a pub with a faded atmosphere, reminding me of pubs from fifty years ago. I ordered a ham and cheddar cheese, expectations running low. What arrived was served on a handsome white sqaure plate, and consisted of a huge sandwich of real cheddar on a wonderful Cornish loaf, rather like french bread but not as light. Also included was a serving of fresh coleslaw and another salad of greens, peppers, and tomatoes. All this, plus a pot ot tea, came to five pounds....aabout $8.50 at the current exchange. A steal...plus the fact the pub instantly rose in my appreciation to the status of a FIND. Dress down if you go.