Well, the end-of-year adjustments that make the travel manager look good ("look how much we got as cashback!") and the inevitable back-handers need to be paid for somehow..

All this talk about corporate travel and hotels……. So pleased that I retired

I don't mind a bit of work when someone else pays for my travel :)
Good thing about hotels is that, unlike airlines, you can still extract a good amount of value from business trips.

So here’s the thing: I’ve just been wandering around Aldgate for the last hour and a half and, unsurprisingly, it has changed enormously from the area I knew maybe 35 years ago. I’ve finally settled down to eat in this side street dumpling and noodle restaurant because it was pretty full with not many European customers, if you take my meaning. And of all things, there’s a live violinist playing!

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The food was outstanding! The dry spicy beef and noodles, and the juicy pork dumplings which were very juicy, hence the ‘hot’ sign.. you had no clue where that juice was going once you bit into these

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3731c1385.jpeg
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Is there a point to this random rambling? Of course there is, I’ll get to it in the next post :D

I just do leisure trips now but I don’t tie myself into any particular brand and I do not belong to any hotel loyalty programme.

During my checkered life I’ve lived, worked, and had dalliances in London many times and in many places, from the likes of Enfield, Wood Green, and Peckham, to Richmond, Twickenham, and Wimbledon plus a fair few others. That list spans almost forty years of my life!

I’ve just had a quick search of the trip report forum for London and there are a number of threads that are mostly either ‘start in London to x’, or ‘to London to watch x sporting event’

So finally we get to the point of this post… I know, it took long enough!

What I am considering is that for my ‘filler’ weekends when I get bored with my own company, I do a series of London weekends, each in a different part of the city.

What does everyone think? Something that would be of interest? You know me by now, it’d be a day and a half of structured tours, food, drink, architecture, street art, and/or anything else odd or interesting I find along the way :)

As to the flying bit… maybe ;) Either train or plane depending on price/redemption availability

Great idea, although you'll probably be swamped with suggestions for things to do and things to eat. I too spent many corporate years in different areas of London depending on where the business was. I also came across this rather interesting blog a few days ago which does an excellent job of highlighting eclectic aspects of the capital: https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com such as the "lost rivers of London" and "the oldest boundary stone in London"

Great idea!

At this point I'll probably read through any content you produce, as long as it's somewhat travel related. So yeah, bring on some London explorations.

I'm other news I arrived at my fairly spartan accommodations. It does have the major advantage of actually being in my intended destination! All it took was an extra detour to Budapest to get here, a mere 17 hours after I set off from home this morning.

An in relation to the previous discussions I find myself in a Wyndham - a brand I never use. But it was the only both appealing and available choice in this town, and sometimes that needs to take precedence. Also keeps the office travel manager off my back if I every now and then play by the rules and use the CTA.

Sounds like you’ve had an adventure! I assume you made VIE but missed that planned connection?

London has changed so much over the last few years it would be great to see the current offerings from your eyes. Definitely a great idea although food will be way more expensive than this last trip!

Pregaming for the PVG trip!

It's a fantastic idea of short London weekend TRs!

Outstanding trip report once again. I've been sat by the pool with a cold Chang enjoying this one.:tu::D

I like it. I spend once or twice a year several days in London. I know both Westfield Malls very well. They also have good Restaurants but can be very packed at certain times.