New Comer’s Resources
Essential
Numbers:
Emergency – 999
(Police, Fire and Ambulance)
Operator Assist UK
– 100
Operator Assist
International - 155
Non Emergency: 0208
555 1200
Transportation:
Get a Tube and Bus
map from any of the Tube stations. I recommend
getting an Oyster card - saves money and is convenient. I also
recommend in registering your Oyster cards with Transport for London to
automatically “top up” so you never run out of money on the card. You can do this on their website at www.tfl.gov.uk. In addition if you ever lose or have your
card stolen, you can contact them and they will replace your card with the
remaining balance on your old card.
Buses & Trams –
children under 16 travel free.
Tube – children
under 11 travel free at off peak hours and weekends, with a paying adult.
Children 14 &
15 need a child photo card to travel at the child rate on the tube.
Transport for
London 0207 222 5600 www.tfl.gov.uk Good
trip planner.
Transport Routes 0207 222 1234 www.journeyplanner.org
National Rail
Enquires 0845 748 4950 www.nationalrail.co.uk
Note: when booking on-line they don’t necessarily
check your requests for seating. It is
best to call and talk to operator if you have seating requirements (i.e. table,
quiet car, etc). Get Family Rail Card for discounts, £25 year
Eurostar Rail
Travel 0870 518 6186 www.eurostar.com
The Man in Seat 61 www.seat61.com – tips on traveling by train in
Europe
Heathrow Express 0845 600 1515 www.heathrowexpress.co.uk
Gatwick Express 0870 530 1530 www.gatwichexpress.co.uk
Dial A Cab 0207 251 0581
Radio Taxicab 0207 272 5471
NW Cars 0208 208 2152
Airport Cars 0800 783 7280 www.airportcars.co.uk
Congestion Charging 0845 900 1234 www.cclondon.com
Need a car for an
hour or a weekend or a week? Try one of these;
it can be cheaper than rental car!
Zip Car www.zipcar.co.uk
Europcar www.europcar.co.uk rental cars w/ good deals
Avis www.avis.com - easy rentals in Europe
USAA www.usaa.com - offers discounts on rental cars
to member
Resident Cards
For people living in City of
Westminster, MyWestminster ResCard offers card holder’s significant savings and
details of free events at many great places, including:
- Museums, galleries and attractions
- Music, opera, ballet and dance venues
- Restaurants
- Sport and Leisure facilities
- Theatres, cinemas and festivals
- Special interest organizations and clubs
- Libraries
The newsletter is updated twice a
year and delivered directly to your door.
You can apply
at: http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/leisureandculture/rescard
If you are a
resident of Camden, their website is very useful. For general information about families visit:
http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/themes/family-information
Kids
Activities
Outdoor
Activities
London Zoo www.zsl.org/london-zoo
Whipsnade Wild
Animal Park www.zsl.org/whipsnade
Battersea Park Zoo 0208 871 7540
Woburn Safari Park www.woburnsafari.co.uk
Puppet Theatre Barge 0207 249 6876
Royal Botanical
Garden www.kew.org.uk
Hyde Park W2 www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde_park
Princess Diana
Playground W2/W8 Kensington Gardens
Regent’s Park
Playground NW1 www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/regents_park
Primrose Hill
Playground NW1 (near Zoo)
Camden Square NW1
Rochester Terrace
Gardens NW1 – Kentish Town Road
Hampstead Heath NW3 – off Constantine Road
Parliament Hill NW5 – off Highgate Road
Saint Johns Wood
Playground NW8 – across from St. Johns
Cricket Grounds
Violet Hill
Playground NW8 – off Abby
Gardens
Golder’s Hill Park NW 11 – off West Heath Avenue
Paddington Street
Gardens W1 – off Paddington Street
Holland Park W8/W14 – off
Abbotsbury Road
Places to Play in Water:
Swiss Cottage Leisure Center -
great fountain for kids to play in and the water is only a few cm high - so no
worries about needing to swim.
Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
- dip your toes in the cool water near the Lido and Tennis Center in Hyde Park.
Kids can run around the ring too. Also - next to the Tennis Center
there is a miniature golf course - not
nearly as fancy as those back home but entertaining for kids and only £3 per
club.
Lido in Hyde Park - has a play
area and little pool for kid (not recommended for kids over 7) - There is a
small fee to go in.
Princess Diane Memorial Playgound
- has a couple of pumps that you can fill up buckets and such, not to
mention the fabulous pirate ship in the sand - lots to do but crowded on
weekends.
Parliament Hill Lido - great
playground for kids and pool - water does get about 2 feet deep.
Indoor
Sites/Activities
British Museum www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
Science Museum www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Natural History
Museum www.nhm.ac.uk
London Aquarium www.londonaquarium.co.uk
National Portrait
Gallery www.npg.org.uk
Tate Britain &
Modern www.tate.org.uk
Victoria &
Albert Museum www.vam.ac.uk
London Transport
Museum www.ltmuseum.co.uk
Somerset House www.somerset-house.org.uk
Wallace Collection www.wallacecollection.org
Wigmore Hall www.wigmore-hall.org.uk Chamber Tots
Indoor Play
Swiss Cottage
Leisure Center 0207 974 2012
Seymore Place
Leisure Center 0207 723 8019
Tumble Tots www.tumbletots.com
Monkey Music www.monkeymusic.co.uk
Gymboree Play &
Music www.gymboreeplayuk.com
Bramley’s Big
Adventure www.bramleysbig.co.uk
Topsy Turvey, Brent
Cross www.topsyturveyworld.co.uk
Queens Ice Skating
& Bowling Club www.queensicebowl.co.uk
Funland www.funland.co.uk/main.html
Christ Church
Mayfair Thursdays
10 – 11:30
JellyBeans @ St
Pauls on Robert Adams Tuesdays & Fridays 10-11:30
Libraries –
most have reading times for kids!
Marlybone 0207 641 1041
Church Street 0207 641 5479
St. Johns Wood 0207 641 5087
Swiss Cottage 0207 974 6522
Heath 0207 974 6520
West Hampstead 0207 974 6610
Mayfair 0207 641
4903
Paddington 0207 641 4472
Maida Vale 0207 641 1300
Theater/Music:
VUE Theaters offer £1.25 movies on weekends and during the week in summer! Check out: http://new.myvue.com/offers-savings/kids-am
The Lyric Theatre 0870 050 0511 www.lyric.co.uk
The Polka Theatre 0208 543 4888 www.polkatheatre.com
Puppet Theatre
Barge 0207 249
6876 www.puppetbarge.com
The Tricycle
Theatre 0207
328 1000 www.tricycle.co.uk
Open Air Theatre
Regent’s Park 0207
935 5756 www.openairtheatre.org
Books:
The London Baby
Directory (for kids 5 and under)
TimeOut London for
Children
Around London with
Kids
Helpful Web
Sites:
http://www.urbanmums.net – hosted by one of
our playgroup mom’s
http://www.dailycandy.com/london -
fun things going on around London
www.daysoutuk.com – access discount
vouchers for travel & entertainment
Kid Friendly
Restaurants:
Zizzi
Ask
Giraffe
Wahaca
Pizza Express
Carluccios
Nandos
Tootsies
Adult
Activities
Clubs:
American Women’s
Club 0207 859 8292 www.awclondon.org
Kensington Chelsea
Women’s Club 0207 863 7562 www.kcwc.org.uk
British Antique
Dealers Assoc. 0207
589 4128 www.bada.org
FOCUS 0207
973 7799 www.focus-info.org
Hampstead Women’s
Club www.hwcinlondon.co.uk
St. Johns Women’s
Club www.sjwwc.com
Junior League of
London 0207 499 8159 www.jll.org.uk
National Trust 0870 458
4000 www.nationaltrust.org.uk
National Art
Collections Fund 0207 887 8752 www.tate.org.uk
English Heritage 0870 333 1181 www.english-heritage.org.uk
Grown Up
Interests:
Annie Sloan School
of Decoration 0186 576 8666 www.anniesloan.com
Books for Cooks
Cooking Class 0207
221 1992 www.booksforcooks.com
Christies Fine Arts 0207 839 9060 www.christies.com
Divertimenti
Cooking 0870 129
5026 www.divertimenti.co.uk
English Gardening
School 0207 352 4347 www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk
Hampstead School of
Art 0207 794 1439 www.art-school-hampstead.co.uk
Jane Packer Flower
Arranging 0207 486 1300
Kew School of Garden
Design 0208 332
5545 www.kew.org
Sotherby’s
Institute of Evening Study 0207 462 3223 www.sothebyinstitute.com
Groceries: Fortunately
most grocery stores deliver!
Marks & Spencer www.marksandspencers.com
Sainsbury www.sainsburys.co.uk
Tesco www.tesco.com
Waitrose www.ocado.com
Wholefoods www.wholefoods.com
WM Morrisons www.morrisons.co.uk
Majestic Wine www.majestic.co.uk (have to buy 12 bottles at a time)
Virgin Wine www.VirginWine.com
Childcare
Services
Sitters 0800
389 0038 www.sitters.co.uk (Gigi recommends)
Safehands Network 0870 844 6688 www.safehandsnetwork.com
Universal Aunts 0207 738 8937 www.universalaunts.co.uk
Top Notch Nannies 0207 259 2626 www.topnotchnannies.com
Shopping Malls
Brent Cross 0208 202 8095
Whiteley’s 0207 229 8844
Westfield 0203 371 2300
O2 Center 0207 794 7716
Canary Wharf 0207 477 1477
COSTCO - if you have a Costco membership from the USA, it is valid in the UK Costco locations. There are a couple outside of London (plan an hour's journey or so to get there) which are wonderful!
Department
Stores
Mothercare www.mothercare.com
Selfridges www.selfridges.com
Marks & Spencer www.marksandspencer.com
John Lewis www.johnlewis.com
Harrods www.harrods.com
Harvey Nichols www.harveynichols.com
Debenhams www.debenhams.com
Bookstores
Waterstones 0207 794 1098 www.waterstones.co.uk
WH Smith www.whsmith.co.uk
Borders 0207 292
1600 www.borderstores.co.uk
Daunt Books 0207 224 2295
Foyles 0207 437 5660 www.foyles.co.uk
Grant & Cutler 0207 734 2012 www.grantandculter.com
Toy Stores
Woolworths www.woolworths.co.uk
Toys R Us 0208 209 0019 www.toysrus.co.uk
Hamleys 0207 494 2000 www.hamleys.co.uk
Disney Store 0207 491 9136 www.disney.co.uk
Cheeky Monkeys 0207 288 1948 www.cheekymonkeys.com
Early Learning
Center 0208 202 6948 www.elc.co.uk
Igloo 0207 586 6334
Oscar’s Den 0207 328 6683
Charity Shops
Norwood 0800 328 6896 – will pick
up
Geranium Charity 0208 670 0726 – will pick up
All Aboard Shops 0208 381 1717
Oxfam www.oxfam.org.uk - for various locations,
drop off
Sue Ryder 0207 262 6108 – accepts toys`
Doorstep Homeless
Families Project is in need of gently used adult and children’s clothing,
books, toys, baby equipment, household items, bedding, and working small
electrical appliances. Contact Vicky Fox, 7372 0413, or visit http://doorsteplondon.org.
The Soup Kitchen at
the American Church can use clothing of any kind, but especially winter coats,
casual men’s trousers and jackets, jeans, sweatshirts, joggers, and trainers.
Contact Page Victor, pagevictor@live.com, or visit http://www.amchurch.co.uk/soup_kitchen.htm.
To donate furniture
and larger items, contact RESTORE Community Projects, a registered charity that
recycles and reuses domestic furniture and appliances for the benefit of people
in need: http://www.restorecommunityprojects.org.
Arts n Crafts
For craft ideas I
like these two web-sites :www.toddlertoddler.com or www.artsncrafts-ideas.com
For ordering supplies I use a couple sites:
www.amazon.co.uk
www.BakerRoss.co.uk
www.play.com
For needle crafts I've used Sew and So site: www.sewandso.co.uk or www.hobbycraft.co.uk
For ordering supplies I use a couple sites:
www.amazon.co.uk
www.BakerRoss.co.uk
www.play.com
For needle crafts I've used Sew and So site: www.sewandso.co.uk or www.hobbycraft.co.uk
John Lewis also
offers some craft supplies on the 4th floor near the toy area.
Home/PC Stores
Argos 0870 600 1010 www.argos.co.uk
Robert Dyas 0845 450 3004 www.robertdyas.co.uk
IKEA 0208 208 5600 www.ikea.com
Home Base 0485 077 8888 www.homebase.co.uk
PC World 0208 450 0909 www.pcworld.co.uk
Curry’s 0870 609 7428 www.currys.co.uk
Utilities
British Gas (gas
& electricity) 0845 600
6113 www.house.co.uk
EDF Energy (gas
& electricity) 0800
096 2700 www.edfenergy.com
Thames Water 0845 920
0804 www.thameswateruk.co.uk
Sky TV 0870 240 4040 www.sky.com Also offer Internet
Telewest 0845 142 0220 www.telewest.co.uk
Homechoice 0800 072 4454 www.homechoice.co.uk
British Telecom 0800 800 150
One Tel 0845 818
8000 www.ontel.co.uk
Vonage www.vongage.co.uk
Skype www.skype.com
First Number www.firstnumber.co.uk
Planet Talk www.planet-talk.co.uk
NTL www.ntl.com
Health Care
There are two
health care systems in the UK: the
private system and the National Health Services
(NHS) system. You choose the
system you want to use. I recommend being registered in both.
In the private
system you pick a General Practioner (GP) and pay for your medical expenses
yourself or with your insurance. In the
NHS system you sign up with a GP from a list of NHS physicians in your area and
the government will largely pay the medical expenses.
For information on
finding a NHS doctor or dentist:
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Tourism and
Travel
Local London
Tours
Big Bus Company 0800 169 1365 www.bigbustours.com
Original London
Tour 8877 1722 www.theoriginaltour.com
London Bicycle Tour 7928 6838 www.longonbicycle.com
Original London
Walks 7624 3978 www.walks.com
City Cruises 7740 0400 www.citycruises.com
London Duck Tours 7928 3132 www.londonducktours.com
London Waterbus Co. 7482 2660 www.londonwaterbus.com
Travel -
Accommodations
Looking
for a place to stay check out the following sites for accommodations (I have
personally used all of these with great success).
http://www.helpfulholidays.com -
various accommodations in Europe
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk
- various accommodations all over world
http://www.booking.com -
hotels all over world with traveler’s reviews
http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/resorts/
- hotels & resorts in England, family friendly
www.novotel.com - family friendly hotels all
over
For
Paris for a family of 4 or more check out http://www.parisfurnishedapartments.com
For
Prague check out: www.castlesteps.com (speak English and
have furnished apartments)
Passport &
Visa Info
Rules for Using Diplomatic
Passports while Traveling
So
what should Lisa and John have known before they departed for Egypt — or for
that matter, any trip they took while posted at the Embassy as a
diplomat? According to the Department of State, you should use a
diplomatic passport only when traveling overseas in discharge of official
duties. For personal travel, US citizens must use a regular-fee tourist
passport. It is ok to have both a valid tourist passport and a valid diplomatic
passport at the same time. Additionally, dependents authorized to accompany you
on official travel must travel with their own diplomatic passport — and use
their regular tourist passport when everyone is traveling for leisure purposes.
Visas and Other Travel Documents
Travel
document rules vary by country — and can be a little tricky. Happily, most of
the European Union’s 27 member states have
visa-waiver deals with the United States that allow U.S. citizens to enter
their country for travel and business-related purposes for short visits without
a visa.
Under
the terms of a multi-national agreement called the Schengen Agreement, which
eliminates all internal border controls between the member countries, you may
enter any other Schengen country without a visa and travel continuously
for up to 90 days. Schengen visa members include:
● Austria
● Belgium
● Czech Republic
● Denmark
● Estonia
● Finland
● France
● Germany
● Greece
● Hungary
● Iceland
● Italy
However,
there are several hot travel locations just a short plane ride away from London
that do require prior planning to ensure you have a smooth journey. The State
Department has a very helpful site that provides country-specific information
for travel destination information.
Go to:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html.
Select the country you wish to visit, and the site will provide you with a map,
country information, entry/exit requirements, safety and security, crime,
medical facilities and insurance, children’s issues, and much more. Like the travel.state.gov
site, ultimately, all reliable travel sites will direct you to the country’s
Embassy Website for the most current visa and passport information, as these
rules can change quickly. So be sure to do a quick check of the country’s
Embassy site to make sure you have the most current entry and exit rules.
Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
Another
helpful initiative hosted by the State Department is the Safe Traveler
Enrollment Program. “STEP” is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to
U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country. STEP
allows you to enter information about your upcoming
trip abroad so that the
Department of State can better assist you in an emergency: travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.
Finally,
be sure your passports are up to date when you travel. If you do need a visa,
many countries will not place a visa in a passport that will expire in less
than 6 months.
Translations – although our languages are
similar, a lot of words are not!
Restroom/Bathroom
= Toilet/Loo Flashlight = Torch
Cellular Phone = Mobile Phone Elevator = Lift
Trash/Garbage = Rubbish Garbage can = Bin
Band-Aid = Plaster Pharmacy
= Chemist
Dr. Office = Surgery Operating
Room = Theatre
Shot/injection =
Jab Emergency
Room = Accidents & Emergencies
Sneakers/Tennis Shoes = Trainers Sweater = Jumper
Pants = Trousers Underwear
= pants/knickers
Panty Hose = Tights Glasses
= Spectacles
Detour = Diversion Sidewalk
= Pavement
Pavement = Tarmac Truck
= Lorry
Hood (car) = Bonnet Windshield
= Windscreen
Gas = Petrol Trunk
(car) = Boot
Parking lot = Car Park Calendar = Diary
Cash register = Till Purse
= Bag
Wallet = purse Pacifier = Dummy
Diapers = Nappies Stroller
= Push Chair/Pram
Daycare/Nursery = Creche Public School = State School
Mail box = Post box Package = Parcel
Umbrella = Brollie Vacation
= Holiday
Eggplant =
Aubergine Zucchini
= Courgette
Arugula = Rocket Cilantro
= Coriander
Scallions = Spring
Onions Vanilla
bean = Vanilla Pod
Vanilla Extract =
Vanilla Essence Sweet
or Bell Pepper = Capsicums
Ham = Gammon Bacon
= Rashers
Sausages = Bangers Bouillon
cube = Stock Cube
Raisins = Sultans Cookie
= Biscuit
Graham Cracker =
Digestive Biscuits Potato
Chip = Crisp
French Fries =
Chips Baked
Potato = Jacket Potato
Jelly = Jam Heavy
Cream = Double Cream
Shortening =
butter/lard All
Purpose Flour = Plain Flour Pan
Light Molasses =
Golden Syrup Dark
Molasses = Treacle
Bread Flour =
Strong Flour Wax
Paper = Greaseproof/Parchment
Baking Soda =
Bicarbonate Soda Cornstarch
= Cornflour
Spatula = Fish
Slice Strain/Strainer
= Sieve
Strain = Sift
Skillet = Frying
Oven = Cooker Grocery
Cart = Trolly
Take Out = Take
Away
Measurements
Fahrenheit = 9/5
Centigrade + 32 degrees Centigrade = (Fahrenheit -32) (5/9)
Hint: for
quick calculation to convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit: Temperature *2
+32.
Oven Temperatures
F° C°
225 110
275 140
325 170
350 180
400 200
425 220
475 240
Dry Measures American English
1 cup (8 oz) 1 cup (10 oz)
1 pint (16
oz) 1 pint (20
oz)
2 cups
butter 1 pound
butter
4 cups flour 1 pound flour
2 cups
granulated sugar 1
pound sugar
3 cups
confectioners sugar 1 pound icing
sugar
2.5 cups
brown sugar 1 pound brown
sugar
2 cups rice 1 pound rice
1 heaping
TBSP four 1 ounce flour
1 level TBSP
butter ½ ounce butter
Liquid Measures American English
¼ cup 2 oz 1/10
pint 60 ml
½ cup 4 oz 1/5
pint 120 ml
¾ cup 6 oz 3/10
pint 180 ml
1 cup 8 oz 2/5
pint 240 ml
2 cup 16 oz 1
pt 4/5 pint 480 ml
4 cup 32 oz 1
qt 1 3/5 pint 950 ml
Teaspoons Tablespoons Cups Fluid
Ounces Milliliters
3 1 1/16 .5 15
ml
6 2 1/8 1
30 ml
12 4 ¼ 2
60 ml
16 5 1/3 3 80 ml
24 8 ½ 4 120 ml
32 11 2/3 5 160 ml
36 12 ¾ 6 180 ml
48 16 1 8 240
Weight 1 stone = 14 pounds
1 oz = just
under 30 grams
4 oz =
approx. 115 grams
8 oz =
approx 230 grams
1 lb = 454
grams
Women’s
Dress, Suites, Coats & Blouses
American 8 10 12 14 16 18
British 12 14 16 18 20 22
Continental 40 42 44 46 48 50
Europe (cm) 80 86 91 97 102 107
To fit bust (in) 32 34 36 38 40 42
Women’s
Shoes
American 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5
British 4 5 6 7 8 9
European 37 38 39 40 41 42
Men’s
Suits and Overcoats
American/British 32 34 36 38 40 42
Continental 42 44 46 48 50 52
Men’s
Shirts/Collar Sizes
American/British
(in) 14 14.5 15 15.5 16 16.5 17 17.5
Continental (cm) 36 37 38 39/40 41 42 43 44
Children’s
Clothes
American 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 12
British (age) 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 11-12
British (in) 40 43 45 48 50 53 55 58
European (age) 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
European (cm) 120 125 130 135 140 145 150 155
What a great resource list! :D
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