Fat Rascals at Bettys
Heathrow International Airport
Sheraton Skyline Hotel
London May 19, 1995
Heathrow Skyline Hotel
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Hello from just north of the main Heathrow EW runway. You probably would not believe the quiet view from our third floor room of the Sheraton Skyline. It is made possible by the combination of the vacant lot adjacent to our side of the hotel that allows for a clear view of Heathrow, and an industrial grade double window pane that insulates us from what we know to be a very noisy operation. London Heathrow is our first stop in England prior to continuing on to Harrogate. Past trips taught us that laying over the first day after a night long crossing from the West Coast is wise. Let you get your feet solidly on the ground and reduces jet lag for starters.
For those of you who know your way around Heathrow, we are down by the Alamo and Avis car garages. The area surrounding the Sheraton is about 3 to 5 years away from urban renewal, or whatever they call it over here. We got into this piece of paradise by using our United Air Lines frequent flyer coupons for a fifty percent discount, and even at £ 85 per night, it ain't a bad deal if you value a good sleep after getting off the 10-hour plus flight. And, by British standards, the room is excellent value. The price includes sheets, pillow slips, one towel per person and a full flush loo with a guarantee of a maximum waiting periods between flushes of 15 minutes. All rooms ensuite, as they have taken to saying over here. Their need to be specific suggest the modest to luxury range of accommodations that still exits in this country. So if you are past that stage in your travel life when you locate accommodations by inquiring at the first big INFORMATION sign you encounter, then you are careful to look for the ensuite indicator. The UK is still a country of instant lodgings, where anyone with a spare ten spare square feet and a cot from Goodwill is tempted to, and often does, open a B & B. But that is another story.
It was not long before we discovered a McDonald's about 2 blocks west on Bath road (the A4, if you want to follow along on your AA Atlas) which turns out to be the local watering hole and car shining site for Heathrow chauffeurs. Most interesting McDonald’s we have visited. Nearly all the patrons are dressed in black suits and the manicured landscaped parking lot is full of Mercedes and other limos, while the drivers wait inside eating burgers (or very nice fresh salads) and reading the latest John Grisham novel or working The Times Crossword.
The trip over the pole is the easiest we have experienced; no hassle, car deal worked out by a friend in the business worked perfectly, a good night's sleep, so what else can one ask? Well god's help on the M25, for one thing. We begin that excursion as soon as Theresa finishes her toilette and milks the most out of room amenities. (I'm right in there with the next guy when it comes to using up the goodies, but trying out all the hangers in the closet may be going just a bit far.) There is a shop in the lobby that does an international business in mail ordering models of jet and other aircraft. Now that is something I cannot leave without exploring more, so it will be at least 9:30 a.m. before we join the happy motorway travelers.
As you can readily ascertain, the primary purpose of this verbal rambling is to determine if I am awake and able to operate this tiny keyboard on our laptop Compudyne. There was, by the by, a commercial on the UAL 747 screen that features an IBM laptop (they have more sophisticated names now, but you get the drift) that has an expanding keyboard. Open the case, and the board expands an inch on each side. The only other piece of comforting bit of technology to report at this point, is to note that the Brit Telly still has only 4 regular channels, plus some part timers, which we will examine and explain as time passes. Makes life so much more reliable, not to speak of manageable.
So the main thing now is to be nice to each other for the next 24 hours while the double vision clears up. Stay tuned to this space for more adventures of Vic and Sade in Motherland.
McLimos
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Ripley here, right out of the shower and ready to go. Our England transition is coming along. Now I realize it might not sound like it with staying at the Sheraton and eating at McDonald's, but the McDonald's experience was worth it. As we entered McDonald's the first time, Jack said, "I think the Mafia are meeting here." I mean, really, all those black suits and limos. As we eyed the place further we noted many of the limo drivers were polishing their cars with Turtle Wax or just generally hanging out, ignoring the food function entirely. This is probably the only McDonald's in the world that has a TV set tuned to the incoming flight screen at Heathrow. The limo drivers waiting inside, all with their cellular phones on their tables, had an eye on the TV set and an ear out for their phone. A sign clearly says, "for customers only." Now if you were the Assistant Manager of this McDonald's what would you do? Well, it probably depends upon whatever your other commercial interests might be, is the only answer we could think of.
One other note before we try sending this. I want to thank one Tuesday Letter reader for coming along on our flight. United Airlines had 10-hour nonstop TV. This included two feature movies, one sit-com, numerous sports and news feature, and then one glorious half hour of Richard Hart from The Next Step. Among Richard's many accolades is being a member of our group email alias. It is the only half hour I watched on the flight! Have a good Friday or whatever it is where you are.
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