After work watering holes for Number One Dave Petersen

In an attempt to continue to explore new parts of the city, Erin and I have recently taken advantage of the greatly improved weather around the city to have a couple after work pints. One of the joys about England (and Ireland for that matter) that separate it from the US is the pub culture, where many people go from work for a pint or two, even on a Wednesday or Thursday night. Logistically, its much easier than in Minneapolis because people aren't driving, so I partially understand its hard to replicate in the US. One that the US doesn't allow though is on a nice day, allowing the patrons to spill onto the sidewalk to enjoy their beer while catching some rays, giving the vibe at the pubs great character!

I am also compiling this list for some good options for visitors coming to London to have some good local pubs up their sleeves, so hopefully this is helpful, Number One.

There are countless areas and pubs to do this in London. Erin and I recently have ventured out to the following areas for a couple drinks:

Farringdon
There are a couple unbelievable post work spots here, one worth mentioning for the crowd and one for the beer. First is the Crown Tavern, which is on a square that has a massive area for spillage. Tons of people, but the wait in line for a good range of Czech beers is rewarded by a great vibe.

Also in this area is the Jerusalem tavern (closed on weekends). While its situation doesn't benefit from the sunlight, the beer (and food I hear) are great. The Jerusalem tavern is in a really old building in one of the oldest parts of London and is the only pub in London serving the quality St. Peter's beer on tap. If you are a fan of good beers, you should check this place out.

Pimlico
Another beer lovers mecca, the Cask Pub and Kitchen, has perhaps the most appealing range of beers in the country. The beer bible they have for drinkers to browse has a great description of all the breweries and beers it has on offer, well over 200, with another 20 or so on tap. It is right on a corner and allows for great streetside drinking after a long days work. Most of the rare beers are Belgian or US beers, so there is no shortage of highly hoppy options.

Notting Hill
Perhaps our favorite pub in England, the Windsor Castle is also a great outdoor drinking locale (although its hard to want to sit outside when the character inside is so great). They have a massive beer garden but on nice days that packs up quickly, forcing revellers to the streets in front of the pub, making it a great lively atmosphere. Also close to the Windsor Castle is the Hillgate Pub, which is a local favorite as well.

South Kensington / Gloucester Road
Perhaps the best Mews Pub in London (with stiff competition from the Grenider in Belgravia) is the Queens Arms (30 Queensgate Mews, SW7 5QL). Situated in a quiet Mews, it allows for a large, boisterous post work crowd. This place is pretty hard to find so you don't see too many tourists with a Nikon in one hand and a pint of good ale in the other. The selection on tap here is very good with lots of independent breweries on offer. Its pretty close to the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park.

London Bridge
Other areas to outdoor pub include London bridge, where the many of the city's oldest and best pubs can be found. The Rake has the best selection south of the river (they also own Utobeer in the Borough market, which is one of the best off-sale beer grocers in the city) and always has rare, powerful tap options, including BrewDog and Stone. There is also the George Inn, which was formerly a coaching inn and has been a pub for several hundred years. The rake is connected to the Borough market so it makes a great post work Thursday or Friday spot. The George Inn has a massive patio so you can always get some fresh air at the George.

Mayfair
Great spots here include the Punch Bowl, the Coach and Horses, the Guinea and several pubs in and around the Shepherds Market area close to the Green Park tube. All of these places are very central and great for a post work (or post touring) beer.

But my award for the best post work pub goes to none other than my favorite pub in Dublin, Kehoe's. Nothing beats the outdoor scene on a Thursday at 6pm on a sunny evening....

Edinburgh and St. Andrews - Nov 2010

A civilised pint it was, with all the Jane Austin classics perched behind our pint-sized table, leaning on the 2007 good pub guide. Of course we opted for the latter, identifying the pubs Joel and I couldn't quite make it to during our June 2009 visit. This was Kay's bar, a classic pub in the "new town" in Edinburgh....I advise you check it out.

I was in Edinburgh for a project for work for 10 days with a couple colleagues. Of all British cities, this is one of the best places to be. The project entailed long hours that were rewarded by occasional warm glasses of scotch following the 10pm departure at work.

The good thing was that on the weekend I was in town, my sweetie came to visit and we actually got some sun one of the days.  

On the Saturday in Edinburgh, we took the free city tour, which is really nice for the first 90 minutes, but gets extremely long. We opted out of the second half and made it to the Bow Bar for a drink. Also highly recommended.

One thing that can't be replaced, a visit from your wife when you are out of town (coming up on three weeks in Houston; which seems like an eternity when you are away from home).

That night we had a nice dinner and the next morning instead of doing the castle tour, which we have both done in the past, we took the train to St. Andrews. The train is really handy, just over an hour and £16 round-trip. It was Sunday, which worked out well since we didn't have our clubs. On Sunday's, the Old Course is closed for play and open for walking.

It was amazing to feel the history when walking across the stone arch bridge on the 18th as so many golfing legends have done in the pass. When I crossed it, I said a little prayer that you'll be competing here for the Claret Jug someday, Scottie.

Following the course, we wandered around the town, concluding this is a good half day trip as there isn't a whole lot besides golf, though I am sure friends who have studied here (Megan) would argue otherwise.

All in all, Edinburgh is an amazing city with tons of history and great pubs. St. Andrews is definitely worth the detour, but more so if there is an Open on or a tee-time booked. 

Pub Crawl: East London Thames Path

In an effort to get out and (a) see unexplored parts of London and (b) check out some "new" pubs, we organised a Wapping-area pub crawl a couple weeks ago. Armed with the good pub guide, we set a course from the Limehouse DLR stop and headed westward along the Thames. This area has lots and lots of history, and when there's history in England, there are surely old pubs!

Our first pub, Grapes dates back to 1720, but was a pub even before it opened as Grapes. It is a really long and narrow pub and at the rear has a deck hanging over the river. This pub was also well known by Charles Dickens, who used to stand on tables and sing to customers. No joke.

The pub crawl started out with Strauss, in town from Dublin, Pramit, Sam, Jessica, Erin and myself. We were a little slow getting moving that morning, but it ultimately didn't slow down the number of pubs we would see on the crawl.  Grapes is a great pub and hits the spot!

We then picked up Emily and made it to the Narrow for another pint and some lunch. The Gordon Ramsey pub has some great taps that include St. Edmunds and a couple Adnams choices. While the pub itself isn't too old and has been refurbished to Gordon Ramsey quality. It is however, a great spot to have very high quality pub food and is a good pub in a crawl down here to line the stomach with some good food between beers!

The next pub was the main event that the crawl focused around, the Prospect of Whitby. The bar, one of the most historic in England and perhaps the world, dates to 1520 and was originally the meeting place for some of the lowest of old London society. There is a great deck on the second floor, found by going through a room that used to house boxing matches and cock fights (little Jerry Seinfeld's descendants maybe). The pub had Doom Bar, Fuller's and Samuel Smith's on tap, among others. We enjoyed beers on the patio with great views of the river.

The following bar we went to was called the Captain Kidd, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch. This bar, which has been a public house for over 100 years, is located close to the execution docks where the famous Captain Kidd was hung. Erin x2 joined us at this pub and our numbers perfectly fit into the nook of a room dominated by a big old wood farmhouse table. This pub kept us warm while there was a brief downpour outside. The pub was packed and there was lots of revelry at the Samuel Smith pub. Their stout is excellent by the way!

As 7pm was fast approaching, we made it to the last pub of the evening, the Town of Ramsgate. This pub, also very historic, was said to be where the infamous Judge Jeffries was identified while having a pint before fleeing the country. Along with the others, it was a great pub to end the crawl at, with a refreshing pint of Leffe to counter all the pints of English ale consumed throughout the day.

The pub crawl, while longer than expected, was a great way to spend Saturday. We made it to 5 pubs in all, having a pint in each. Spread that over several hours and it was a relatively subdued crawl, which was perfect for us. At the end of it, we all made it to Brick Lane for some good Indian before calling it a night (at 11:30pm)!!

Hampstead

Erin and I recently took advantage of a nice and sunny London Saturday and grabbed the Northern Line up to Hampstead to check out what is described as a village within the city. We arrived, walked around the city and poked into random markets, gourmet food shops, pubs and art dealers. The town center does indeed have a village feel to it and its worth exploring for a day if in London for an extended visit. Nearby Hampstead Heath park is also a relaxing escape that all visitors should take a walk through. There is a building on the massive park that was supposed to have a highly touted restaurant/cafe. However, it was closed for repair and replaced by a less exciting sandwich kiosk. Hopefully it'll open back up this summer. 

We of course made our way to two different pubs during the day to break up all the walking around the village and park. The first pub we went to was the Spainard's Inn and had a pint of Hooegarden and cloudy cider. The bar has been around since 1585 and is on the street that bisects the park on the way to the main building in the park. It is definitely on the tourist map (rightfully so). There is a huge beer garden in the back for warm summer days.

This is the park very close to the village center with great views of London in the distance. It's a great place to escape the city and enjoy the fresh air. 

The second pub we made it to was the Holly Bush, a brilliant pub up the hill from the tube stop with a great selection of beer on tap (Fuller's selection I believe, but they have some good alternatives to London Pride). The pub was one of the best we've sipped at since coming to London and I highly recommend it.

Oxford, UK

Sorry about the delay, but I finally have a little (very little) downtime to do a post or two. This is from our Oxford trip in December.  The weekend after Strasbourg and before returning home to the Minny, Joelskie and I took the opportunity to experience the Christmas cheer in Oxford. It wasn't too Christmassie there, but it didn't matter, as the night was reserved for a historic pub-crawl and the following day for meandering around the old city.

We took the Oxford Tube to Oxford, which picks up right in front of our place among other spots along the North side of Hyde Park heading into the city. The tube is really cheap and easy, making Oxford a great day trip from London. We arrived at about 8pm and went over to what we think was the first Oxford christmas market. It sure makes you appreciate the ones that have had 400 years of practice at the art. There were about 30 stalls that had nice goods, but it lacked the Christmas spirit that the other Christmas markets in Europe we've seen. It is in a good setting (at the enterance to Oxford Castle) so I think once it develops a bit, it'll be a great place to enjoy.

After getting an x-mas sausage into us, it was onto a pub crawl, which many would say can be wrapped into a history lesson as these pubs, through their ageless walls and warping ceilings have seen many generations of students, teachers, tourists and locals come and go. The link above highlights lots of Oxford bars.

The first place we went was the Bear Inn, dating back to 1242, making it one of the oldest in Oxford (the world too?). It is just two little rooms, one with a fireplace, and the age on the building shows by the slanted ceiling and floors, which have settled into their foundations nicely! The beer on tap is Fuller's and the fire is really cozy! I wouldn't be hesitant to say this is one of the top 10 best pubs I have been to. Mind your head!! I nicked this off google images, so thanks to he who provided!

After this pub, we went to the White Horse, one of the older pubs in town with slightly-less-shiftier foundations than found at The Bear. We started talking to a group of students at the bar who were in the midst of the 12 Pubs of Oxford crawl, led by none other than an Irish girl from County Cork.  We decided it was in our best interest to try and meet them at some of the other spots (without being intrusive), so it was onto the Turf Tavern.

This is another great pub of Oxford, dating back to the 13th century, who also contests to be the oldest pub in Oxford. Erin and I had gone here in 2005 when visiting, but it definitely deserves a repeat performance (once a week:). As you can see, the ceilings weren't made for modern humans! The pub is also set right outside the old city walls, whose ruins remain there today (albeit integrated into the nearby buildings). One of the students mentioned that it used to be popular for bare-knuckles boxing and cock fights, since they weren't allowed in the city. The beer on tap is much better than the other spots we went and had the greatest variety in the city.

Those were the two best pubs in my opinion, we went to four others that night, including the Turl, the King's Arms, the Wheatsheaf, and Grapes. They were all really nice pubs and unique in their own way. The Turl was the most old feeling, the King's Arms more of an Inn type pub, and the Wheatsheaf a long and narrow pub down a longer and narrower close that had good beer on tap.

After ending the night with a kabob, we walked around the next day, touring Oxford Castle and Christ Church College. Both tours, while expensive, are worth it. King's College is especially cool, the great hall used in the filming of Harry Potter and the King's College Chapel full of history, including a beautiful stain glass depiction of the assassination of Thomas Becket, who was famously murdered by King Henry's followers in 1170 at Canterbury Cathedral.

It is always fun just to wander down the narrow streets and taking in the history of Oxford. As you can hopefully tell, it was a quick, easy and successful night away in Oxford!