A Long Layover in London and A Comfortable Flight Stateside

London-Los Angeles: Thursday, August 8, 2024 A Long Layover in London and A Comfortable Flight Stateside

When we first took stock of our itinerary, I had seriously considered the idea of leaving Heathrow airport and wandering around Hounslow High Street as we had seven full hours to kill on a layover in London before it was time to board our connecting flight to California. However, as we had arrived in London at 7.00 am and would probably find no shops open until 10.00 am, we figured we’d only have about two hours to browse or shop before it was time to return to Heathrow to board our connecting flight. Hence, we finally resolved to stay put at the airport and make the most of our time there. Fortunately, British Airways uses Terminal 5, which is like a shopping mall in and of itself, offers marvelous options for shopping, browsing, dining, charging cell phones, etc. One must always be aware, however, that the Terminal is huge and changing flights there invariably involves a monorail train ride past a few stations before one arrives at the correct gates. This is time-consuming and a real nightmare if one is running late for a flight.

We used our seven hours at Heathrow quite profitably indeed. First of all, I went in search of the cosmetics and toiletries on my list—such as Dove body wash in Nourishing Silk fragrance (available only in Europe), Badedas Three-in-One Shampoo, Conditioner and Shower Gel, Rimmel Nail Polish, Max Factor lipsticks, etc. Sadly, all I could find were lipsticks and nail polish (which I stockpiled) and in W.H. Smith, we saw tins of toffees, sweets and biscuits that commemorated recent royal milestones: The Queens’ Golden Jubilee, King Charles’ Accession to the Throne, etc. We bought some of those goodies and then went in search of some place where we could sit down at leisure and have a good meal.

We found that spot at The Crown Rivers, a Wetherspoon Pub at Terminal Five itself, that was fully set up to take drinks orders as well as cater any food needs. Llew and I chose to have a drink each (A Cabernet for him, Guinness draught stout for me) and on finding out what the contents of a Full English Breakfast would be (as we had missed it on our flight into London), we decided to share one—and what a good job we did! Even with the two of us sharing the enormous platter, it was overwhelming. We had two scrambled eggs, two rashers of bacon, two pork sausages, two hash browns, a small bowl of baked beans, a serving of grilled mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, two slices of buttered toast. No marks for guessing that everything was super filling and super delicious. With all the time in the world to enjoy our meal, we feasted like royalty. Believe me, it was the start of unmitigated overeating for the next six weeks that saw me gain a whole dress size by the time I was back on Indian soil again. Good job, Chriselle’s wedding was right at the beginning of our travel (and eating) adventure or else the wardrobe I had carried for the different events that comprised the wedding, would never have fit me.

And so, we passed seven whole hours at Heathrow. When Llew was too tired (or bored) to walk around the upscale designer showrooms, I left him seated somewhere to play his phone word games while I browsed through the duty-free offerings of my favorite designers: Burberry, Coach, Hermes, Cartier, Dior, Ted Baker as well as less expensive stores such as Accessorize and Boots. By 1.00 pm, after our onward flight was announced and its gate made known, we caught the monorail train that took us to our gate and were off on schedule at 2.00 pm (London local time). All went well with our on-going flight on the London-Los Angeles (direct) sector as I tried to watch yet another couple of movies before

I was lulled to sleep by the smooth flight that offered absolutely no turbulence. I was amazed at how quickly the hours slid by as we were wined and dined on board. Llew enjoyed the wine selections while I had Tanqueray Gin Fizz cocktails and enjoyed the Continental meals involving Roast Breast of Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, a creamy Mushroom sauce and Sauteed Beans, a small green salad and Chocolate Mousse Cake for dessert. Another meal involved Rigatoni in Tomato Cream Sauce, a bread roll with butter and a Wild Berry Crumble with Custard for dessert. Our arrival at Los Angeles airport was smooth and worry free at 5.15 pm local time. With our touch down in the city, Phase One of our travels began.

Obtaining my Global Entry Network Pass:

As soon as I arrived in California and while Llew raced off to the conveyor belt to claim our baggage, I found the counter for in-person interviews for the renewal of my Global Entry Card. (As mine had expired, I had reapplied, had been approved and was told to make myself available for an interview on re-entering the US). This, of course, occurred at LAX (Los Angeles International airport)—so, of course, I had my interview there. It took only a few minutes for my personal credentials to be back-checked and my documents scanned before I was informed that my card would come in the mail any time after three weeks had passed. I hoped sincerely that I would be able to pick it up from my Connecticut home before I left the US; but it had not arrived by the time I left, over a month later. However, as it had been approved already and was entered into the computer, I was easily able to go through Pre-TSA Approved lines from that time onwards.

A Long-Awaited, Happy Reunion:

It was not long before we picked up our baggage and made our way to the Arrivals foyer where we had a joyous reunion with our daughter, Chriselle, her soon-to-be husband, AJ and their dog, Ferris. Sadly, we found that, at fifteen years of age, he has aged visibly and is no longer the gregarious puppy we had once raised during his first year of life. Still, we had an affectionate reunion with him, a very subdued and confused pet (who hates crowds, noise, traffic—all the ingredients we encountered at the airport and outside).

By the time, I had my Global Entry interview and we picked up our baggage, it was past 6.00 pm. as we made our way into Chriselle’s car to start the one-hour drive along Los Angeles’ famous freeways. It was uncanny but although we had been away for a whole year (for me) and almost two years (for Llew), within five minutes of being on a US freeway, with well-lit skyscrapers whizzing past me, I felt as if I had never left the USA. In fact, it felt as if I had reached home again—our second home, that is. I loved that feeling of immediate comfort and familiarity as soon as we were back in La La Land.

Check-in At The Glenmark and In N Out Burgers for Dinner:

With AJ at the wheel of their Subaru Outback, we arrived at the lobby of The Glenmark Hotel in Glendale, California, about a twenty minute drive from downtown LA. As we had stayed at this same hotel about two years ago, we also felt comfortably at home upon entering the lobby. Check-in was smooth because AJ’s brother, Kevin, happens to be the General Manager. He made sure we had an especially comfy room with a good view made available to us and with the lovely care package that Chriselle and AJ had put together, we were charmed. Inside, we found a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin, many different bottles of tonic water, a bottle of Cabernet for Llew, energy cereal bars, plus all kinds of nuts and nibbles from Trader Joes together with small chocolate covered dried fruit that came in very handy for the days we were on the road, .We were very grateful at their thoughtfulness and said so before they joined us for dinner. In N Out Burger, a real LA Institution, was chosen to provide our evening meal, We each went for the ionic burgers that are slightly larger than most. Served with a magic sauce, we had our hamburgers wrapped up with the idea of eating them in our room. Back in the hotel, that was exactly what we did and when all formalities were done, we sat down to enjoy our In N Out Burger. One item on my US To-Do List down, countless to still go through,

By the time it was 9.00 pm, we were tired and sleepy and ready to call it a night. We knew we had a very busy next day and we wanted to get some beauty sleep to be fresh and relaxed for it.

Until tomorrow, cheerio..