London Also in the Shit: Come, Bring Dollars
For travelers with measly US dollars to spend, visiting Europe is currently a tricky proposition. And for a long time, London has been the priciest of all -- the strong British pound, the way every product or service you might need is so gasp-inducingly overpriced. But here's the thing: The pound has been steadily falling against the euro, and there's as much panic about the credit crunch in England as in the US. The cost of living has spiraled out of control, and the cost of gas and electricity in London has more than doubled in the past few years. Ordinary or even well-off Londoners have seen a nose dive in their standard of living, and a gaping hole has appeared in their bank account. The boom times that allowed people to just pay that unfair £120 parking fine because they couldn't be bothered to contest it, or unthinkingly handing over £4 for a bad cup of coffee, or not checking statements for hidden charges and fees are over.
A few months ago I told you how to stay chic on the cheap in London -- it was all glamour on a shoestring and how I'd managed to survive here in London over the past few years (without resorting to wearing a potato sack and cutting my own hair with rusty garden shears). Reading through it, all of that advice still holds true -- but desperate times call for desperate measures. Here are some thoroughly practical ways to survive the capital --- and also check out this week's earlier guide to London on the Cheap.
Museums: The permanent collections at many of the major museums and galleries are free, including at the V&A, the Natural History Museum, Tate Britain/Tate Modern and The British Museum. There's a comprehensive list here.
Free Wi-Fi: Chains like Benugo, Leon and Le Pain Quotidien have this benchmark of civilization in all their branches. Londonist has attempted to rectify the lack of a comprehensive "free Wi-Fi" website by mapping such spots here. It's not perfect, but it's a start.
Avoiding Fees Service charges, transaction fees, booking fees and "admin" fees are all fairly recent additions to the stealth-charge culture. A service charge of 12.5% will often be automatically added to your restaurant bill, even if you've just ordered a drink at the bar (The custom in the UK is that you only tip for table service). The 12.5% is optional -- if you've had bad service (likely), ask for it to be taken off and tip the amount you feel is right. Restaurant workers like tips, but they're paid a fair wage here regardless, which is probably why you got such crap service in the first place.
