It was quite a rush getting out this morning, considering I was up late last night, and, knowing I was heading to the other side of town for 12.30, had set the alarm for 10, just to give myself enough time. Imagine, therefore, my surprise when I awoke to discover that it was 11.10, and I had slept right through the alarm, which would have kept going for an hour! I guess I needed the sleep.. So that wasn't exactly a relaxed start to the day. To my credit, I left the house at 11.32! Clothes, yes. Breakfast, no. Never mind.
To compound my difficulties, I was headed to Earl's Court to catch a direct Tube, which meant I had to cross the road, and it turned out that the traffic lights were out of order because of roadworks. Which made the crossing more exciting than usual. Anyway, I made it to the station eventually, arrived on the platform to find a train there waiting for me, and arrived at St. Pancras station at 12.10. Good for me!
Now, I was headed to St. Pancras Hotel for a walking tour, and it abuts the station - you can see it. What's not so easy to see is where the hotel entrance is! So here's my advice - if inside the station, head up to the Grand Terrace. If outside, head up to the upper level. When you're up there (if coming from inside the station, go outside), walk along the outside, with the hotel to your right, and the entrance is towards the end of that level, on your right. It's the one with the name over it. Seriously, it's tricky not to just end up back in the station again!
Inside, the reception area has a large seating area in the middle, where it seems you can have afternoon tea and the like. The concierge desk, which you're advised to head for, when you buy a ticket to a walking tour, is at the end of the reception area, on the right. Past the reception desks. However, there's really no need - if you already have a ticket, just grab a seat or hang around the (v comfy) sofa opposite the desks. If not, you can save some time by buying a ticket directly from reception. (You get a free ticket, apparently, if staying in the hotel.) The guide arrived at about 12.15 or 12.20, mustered us all together and checked us off her list. No checking of ID, I noticed. Chatting, it transpired that these tours have only been running for about eight months, which probably explains why the hotel website says nothing about them. We had about 20 people on our run, which is about the max, and I guess typical of a weekend - the tours only run during the day, so most people would have trouble making them during the week. So I'd say, if you want to come at the weekend,, either come on the morning tour, or book in advance.. Time Out is the only place I know so far that does tickets, apart from the hotel itself.
And we were off! For a 75 - 90 minute tour of the hotel, seeing the bits the public doesn't normally get to see. Although you're welcome to eat and drink in the bar, restaurant and café. The guides are blue-badge guides, so you're guaranteed a knowledgeable companion, and ours was most entertaining, with tons of titbits you wouldn't have thought to ask about. We got to climb the grand staircase - which tested my fitness: thankfully, it's not necessary to climb to the very top level, you can see plenty from the level below. We also got to see the Royal Suite, and the modern art "Sphere of Air", for which the hotel owner apparently paid £10,000. Eh, right.
Photos here (you can take photos throughout): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203341421040558.1073741840.1361836980&type=1&l=942cd76951
Afterwards, I was starving, but didn't quite fancy the menu at Carluccio's, which was right nearby. So I carried on, reasoning that there must be plenty of eateries around, and ended up having brunch at Des Vins, downstairs. Where I had the chicken - which was a bit dry, I wouldn't rush to have it again - garlic bread, which was served cold (a bit icky), and a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, which was a bit insipid. But I did have a second glass. And since they were out of the chocolate tart, they gave me the chocolate courant (with a runny centre) for the same price instead, where it should have cost more. Which was nice.
I dropped into Tesco on the way home for some things, and made it home just before the most awful thunderstorm, with howling wind and lashing rain. Tomorrow, there's another musical revue, I see, called The World Goes 'Round, at the Union Theatre. It's based on the music of Kander & Ebb, the composers of Cabaret & Chicago, and of the song New York, New York. Might head to that. Then I'm off to Rapture, Blister, Burn in Hampstead on Monday.
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