1. Entering the UK: You will be studying in London, not working. Each of you should keep and bring with you a letter of introduction which I will send you and which you will need to present to immigration authorities upon landing if asked. It gives assurance that you are attending a bona fide program and that your financial support while in this country is underwritten. This is usually only an issue with young folk who look as if they will be sleeping on the streets. You should all have your address in London which you will write on your immigration form: Scala House, 21 Tottenham Street, London W1T 2AW (Tel: 0207-580-6644). Under no circumstances say, hint, imply, or suggest that you will be working or earning money while in the UK. The letter will say that your expenses are paid, not that you have received a stipend. If immigration thinks you are going to be working in the UK, you will have all sorts of problems.
2. Getting into London: There are fast trains (Express) from both Gatwick (to Victoria) and Heathrow (Paddington) from which terminus you can transfer either to a Tube (the Underground) or a taxi (better idea if you have luggage). You can also take an Air Bus (to Victoria) from Heathrow or the regular Tube (about £3.60). The Gatwick Express (Gatwick to Victoria) is £11, but they are running a special deal which allows 4 adults to travel from Gatwick to Victoria for the price of 2, so you might want to arrange your transit into London with others -- I will shortly send around a list of arrival times so that you can coordinate. The Heathrow Express (Heathrow to Paddington) is £13. [By the way, a "one-way" ticket is called a "single," a "round-trip" is a "return." You can buy your tickets for the Express either right in the airport or on the trains (they run every 15 minutes from Gatwick and take 30 minutes to arrive, 35 minutes on Sundays). If you end up on the Tube from either Victoria, Paddington, or Heathrow, you want to end up at the Goodge Street Station on the Northern Line. (OK, this will date me: Does anybody remember "Sunny Goodge Street," which Judy Collins sang? It was a Donovan song from his 2nd British LP. Does anybody remember LP's?) Anyway, to get to Scala House from the Goodge St. station, turn left as you exit the station, turn left on the first block (Tottenham Street), and it is about ½ block down. In all, about a 2 minute walk.
3. Money: Nice if you've got it! In terms of exchanging money, I have found that credit and debit cards offer the best exchange rates. I usually use a debit card (drawing down my checking account). The exchange rate is good and my bank charges $1.50 per ATM transaction. You should check with your own banks about their rate. Given that you are paying per ATM transaction, you will want to draw out more money rather than less. I usually find travelers checks (or cash) to be not as advantageous in terms of the exchange that you'll get - but unless you're spending a huge amount, the total difference is not going to be all that much. Anyway, if you pay by credit card you get to remember all the great places you went to when you pay the bill a month later J. You'll want to change some money in the airport ($50-100, plenty of places to do it including ATM's) so that you'll have enough for the trip to your flat.
4. Telephones and calling. In the UK, they add a "zero" to the start of the number. If you are going to leave your number for people from the States to call you at Scala House, you would tell them to call: 011-44-207-580-6644. But, if you call your own number in London, you dial: 0207-580-6644. (Don't ask me why, it just is.) As far as calling to the States, your best bet is an international phone card. There are dozens of these cards. Just ask a newsagent (i.e. convenience store where they sell newspapers, groceries, etc.) for the best card to use to call the US. They usually charge about 3 pence per minute (5 US cents). You can get a local calling card as well for calls outside the flat (or inside, for that matter, although the rates they mentioned to me are relatively cheap).
5. Traveling in London: My preference is to get a Tube Pass (formally, "Travelcard"). This allows you unlimited travel on the Tube (Underground - the subway system) or bus lines for a specific period of time (one week, one month, etc.). [NOTE: If you see a sign for a "Subway" in London, it means the subterranean passage underneath a street that allows you to cross from one side to the other.] You buy the Travelcard based on the "zone" or "zones" you will be traveling in. If you travel outside of your zone, you need to pay a surcharge. Central London is Zone 1, and that covers a lot of where you'll be going. My flat is in Zone 2, so I always get a pass for Zones one and two. A one-week Travelcard for Zone 1 only is £17.00; for Zone 1 & 2 it is £20.20. A one-month Travelcard for Zone 1 only is £65.30; for Zone 1&2 it is £77.60. About a year ago, the London Underground introduced "Oyster Cards," which, instead of the old passes which you inserted into a slot and then retrieved to open the gate (like the DC metro system), you can just pass over a "reader" without even removing them from their holder. To get an Oyster Card, you need to fill out a small form which you can get in the Underground station. You will not need a passport size photo if you are buying a 7-day Travelcard for Zone 1 or Zones 1 & 2. Anything longer, and you will need a photo. You will also have to pay a £3 deposit, which you can redeem at the end of your stay. You can pay by credit card at the Tube station. You can get full information about London Transport at: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/common/downloads/2004-fares-revised.pdf. You don't need a Travelcard in general (the flat is in very easy walking distance to the classroom), but if you plan to be doing a certain amount of travel, it is much easier to have a Travelcard than to stand in long lines waiting to buy your ticket. Regular "single" (one-way) tickets in Zone 1 are £2.00. So, if you think you will be making more than 9 trips a week in Zone 1 (which you most likely will), you should by a Travelcard. Important reminder: if you have a regular ticket, you slip it into the slot to get the gate to open - but it won't open until you take it out of the slot (it zips it up through another slot). This is because you have to insert your ticket again to exit the Tube, and this system makes sure that you haven't left it behind in the entrance. If you have thrown away your ticket, you are going to have to pay again (and perhaps a penalty fare of £10 on top of it). Bottom line: I have always found the Tube a remarkably good system (even though it almost always has some breakdown somewhere on the various lines), which is easy to use (you'll get a map with your Tube Pass or ticket and convenient (even though it closes down after midnight). If you want to download a nice Tube system map: http://www.thetube.com/content/tubemap/.
One purchase I would highly recommend is "London from A to Z" (Z is "zed" in the UK). It is available in a huge number of sizes - but make sure that you can actually read it, something not always possible in the smaller sizes. It is not a great tourist faux pas to pull out your "A-to-Z" on a London street to try to find where you're going. There is no regularity to the streets, many of which date back more than 500 years, and long-time residents rely on their A-to-Z to get around.
6. Clothing: London is not as formal a city as it was some years ago, but it is still a bit more formal than, say, New York. While more Londoners would wear shorts on a very hot summer day, it is not as common as in the US (nor are hot days as common!). Still, fewer and fewer men will wear a suit and tie to the theatre. So plan for casual attire in general - perhaps one/two good outfits for restaurants, etc. Hard to say what the weather will be, but it is generally cooler in London in the summer than in, say, New York. Always bring an umbrella. Good walking shoes a must. Clothing (as everything) is expensive in London, but very nice. One plan is not to bring clothes, but to buy everything there! Actually, there are a number of huge outdoor markets (Portobello Road - the North end, Petticoat Lane, Spitalfields, Camden Lock Market, Covent Garden) and you can get some great bargains.
7. Electrical appliances: The UK is strange in many ways. Not only do they drive on the "wrong" side of the street, but all their outlets are 240 volt. Don't bring any electrical equipment unless it is made for 240 volts and 50 cps or can be battery operated. Transformers are expensive and sometimes cause damage to equipment, but if you do plan to bring equipment which needs one, then purchase the transformer in the U.K., not in the U.S. The reason for this is that you may blow up your equipment, though the American salesperson will assure you otherwise. Almost all laptops have internal transformers, so all you will need is a plug adapter (which you can buy inexpensively in London) - but check before coming just to make sure.
8. Health care: The British National Health Service does not cover medical costs for temporary residents. You will be treated as a private patient. You should check with your own insurance plans to see what they will cover in the UK.
9. Entertainment in London: Say no more! My favorite guide is Time Out, a weekly magazine that covers all types of entertainment. If you want to book tickets ahead of time (not a bad idea since many shows sell out), the best web site I have found is the London Theatre Guide - On Line: http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/ (Once you have gone to the site, click on "What's On" on the left hand side - from there you can look at all the dramas, comedies, etc, as well as a number of theatre companies, e.g. the Royal Shakespeare Company, or the Globe, or Open Air Regents Park, etc.) "West End" is the equivalent of "Broadway." "Fringe" is the equivalent of "Off-Broadway."
10. What will be in your flat: Pretty much everything, including washing machine and dryer. For full information, go the the Scala House web site: http://www.scala-house.co.uk/brochure.html
11. Safety in London: London, obviously, is a big city and you need to take the normal precautions against pickpockets, etc. Don't leave your wallets in places where they can easily be lifted; make sure you are conscious of your purses. Always take the simple steps to insure that, if you are robbed, you can easily report the theft to your credit card companies, etc. The most serious threat to your safety in London is from cars and from your looking the wrong way when you step off a curb. Almost every curb has a very handy notice on the ground telling you to "look right" or "look left." Whatever you do, don't make a mad dash across the street when you've seen a break in the traffic - you will undoubtedly have looked the wrong way and could end up in serious trouble. Cross with the light or at "zebra" crossings (aka crosswalks - think Abbey Road) marked by yellow globes. Quite remarkably, you can just head off across the street at a zebra crossing and the traffic will come to a screeching halt.
12. Traveling outside of London: The
UK has had a disastrous set of accidents on their train lines, but traveling
by train outside of London is the easiest
means of transportation since the country is well served by trains. There
are many main rail stations for long-distance travel connected to Tube stations
(Waterloo for travel to the Continent; Paddington, Kings Cross, Charing Cross,
etc.) If you plan to rent a car (not always the wisest move - but I must admit
I've done it often), make sure you have an International Driver's License
(get them at AAA), and for goodness sake, stay on the proper side of the street.
In general, we will not be having any formal activities on weekends, and most
likely none on Fridays, so you are free to plan long-weekends away.