London on the Cheap (NYT)

He doesn't start very well for a frugal traveller - taking the Heathrow Express at £25 to Paddington to get to the V&A. Which any sensible traveller would have reached by taking the direct Piccadilly tube to South Kensington for £5.80. The tube takes 40 minutes, roughly the same as taking the HEX and then tube, but with no changes.

Then he gets the price of a bus ride wrong as well.

But he does delve into some more interesting places to visit and stay.

you're 'avin' a larf!!!! That's frugal all right!

I'm guessing that Elaine is either a "she" or a "they".

But thanks for posting, I really enjoyed the article.

I liked the article, too. It sounds like she combined mostly budget options with a few splurges, like the HEX. I think the neighborhoods she stayed in looked very interesting, too, and loved that she mentioned my favorite cafe, Cafe in the Crypt. I especially liked the section on street art and the etiquette involved in where to paint.

Thanks, Mike!

If you REALLY want to be cheap, this article does not cover it. But the writer is from New York where cost of living is rather high, so perhaps the hotel prices seem low. I love Cafe in the Crypt also where I've only had dinner, it was about 20gpb. And who takes the express train from Heathrow to Paddington anymore with the Elizabeth Line now open for years now.

The Heathrow Express is handy for some, but in principle I disagree with their pricing structure, when there's two other options priced like other journeys in the city. The new Piccadilly Line rolling stock has been seen in testing, but isn't running yet. That will be a big improvement.

I like that they featured Dalston Eastern Curve Garden. That's a lovely little oasis. It's right around the corner from Cafe OTO. I've seen several shows there. People come from all over the world to play. It's probably London's premier spot for avant-garde music. Weird modern jazz, new classical, alternative rock, electronica, etc. It's a few years since I've been, but the last show I saw was Thurston Moore, formerly of Sonic Youth. He was living in Dalston or Stoke Newington for a while I think.

Arcola Theatre is a small independent theatre right around there too.

[edit: I just looked and Thurston Moore is playing Cafe OTO tomorrow! Just when I was talking about him. Sold out unfortunately. I'm seeing quite a few things I'd go to in their upcoming program]

The cab shelter in Russell Square is fantastic and makes the lists of best bacon sandwich in London for good reason.

I liked description of staying in Dalston. I follow TOPJAW on Instagram, and so many places in Dalston get recommended, like Strelitzia for coffee or Gordo’s Pizza.

Thanks for sharing!

Dalston is a place of contrasts. You have the places journalists from The New York Times and Conde Nast go that are Instagram favourites, plus you have quite a rough side too. It's funny to me to read that the nice boutique B&B was in De Beauvoir. I associate that with the council estate that was like The Bronx a decade or so ago. There's nice streets there too I suppose.

If the journalist was being really frugal, they could have bought a kebab and a can of Coke and taken it back to their hotel room. That's prime kebab territory. Just up the road in Stoke Newington, there's literally "The Best Turkish Kebab". Funnily enough, if they're not the best kebab in London, they're up there in the top five.

"If the journalist was being really frugal, they could have bought a kebab and a can of Coke and taken it back to their hotel room."

Gerry, this made me laugh! And if she was really frugal she'd probably not have spent the money she did on the shows she went to, especially since she apparently lives in NYC.

But choices are choices...

Mike, thanks for the article! It was interesting even if that's not a good fit for me, lol.

There are people in other rooms for whom these suggestions will be a revelation.

Thanks for posting, I picked up more worthwhile recs in this article than most I read...

Thanks for posting this, Mike! Interesting article.

Jet lag can be so demanding. Within an hour of arriving in London, my case led me to a 5.50 pound (about $7) slice of lemon, raspberry and pistachio cake at the cafe in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The museum itself was free and included the unquantifiable payoff of dining in opulent 1868-vintage rooms with arches, stained glass and William Morris wallpaper.

It's almost as if the writer of this article has been reading the Rick Steves Forum. This is often mentioned here, and if she did read about it here, I'm glad she went and enjoyed it.

Hotel prices often seem high. But unlike rates in the United States, they generally include taxes and extras like breakfast

Not always true about the breakfast.

To reach the V&A from the airport, I took the Heathrow Express train to Paddington Station (£25) in 15 minutes, which saved me more than half an hour on the Tube underground train (£5.60).

The article supposedly is about saving money, not time.
OK, I know that was one of her splurges, but it would have been an easy place to save money, and splurge on something else.
The money she could have saved by taking the tube would have bought a dinner, or two lunches.

Good article; very interesting. I enjoyed reading about the art; Leake Street Arches and Dalston.

The Russell Square Cabmen’s Shelter.......love the little green cabmen shelters. It's a good place to stop for a cheap cup of coffee or tea, too. Sometimes you don't want a sandwich or bacon butty, just a hot drink.
https://heritagecalling.com/2024/04/09/a-brief-introduction-to-cabmens-shelters/

Love that she mentioned Cafe in the Crypt. Great place.

Really interesting article with interesting hotels profiled.
But for true budget options, the YHA Hostels in London (several locations) are great.

I won't link to it here, as some of the language is quite coarse, but rapper-turned-food-vlogger, Action Bronson, did some good videos exploring kebabs in this area [Dalston]. Just Google "Action Bronson London" or "kebab" if you're a kebab aficionado and don't mind some cursing.

Action Bronson is an absolute hero of mine, especially after the 4/20'ish joy that was "Action Bronson Watches Ancient Aliens".

I'll definitely have to go looking for his kebab reviews!

And y'all are most welcome for the article. :)

-- Mike Beebe

Also, if anyone is interested, two bedroom maisonette flats more or less on the estate I was thinking about, Kingsgate Estate, are at £550 000 GBP for 702 sq ft. They're 1960 / 1961 and have well cared for original frontages. Maybe more like £375 000 GBP in the high flats on De Beauvoir estate for same.

When I saw the article I remembered something I read about Dusty Knuckle Bakery recently. I'll link to it here. Seems a bit unfair. Gail's had a hard time in Walthamstow Village recently too, but this seems a bit more unfair.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2025/mar/22/we-cant-please-everyone-co-founder-of-east-london-bakery-targeted-with-graffiti-reacts

The article supposedly is about saving money, not time.
OK, I know that was one of her splurges, but it would have been an easy place to save money, and splurge on something else.
The money she could have saved by taking the tube would have bought a dinner, or two lunches

My point was that what she did didn't even save any time. Whilst the HEX gets you to Paddington in 15 minutes you would then need to change to get to South Kensington for the V&A, rather than taking the Piccadilly Line which drops you right outside.