This was my third time in London and if you're a shopaholic, July is the best time to swoop down. Harrod's holds its twice-yearly sales in January and July, and it seems like every other store follows suit. There are sales wherever you turn!

I bought cute cloth drawstring bags at Harrod's for œ1 each (US$1.60), plus books and baby socks -- also one-pound. At Selfridges I got two sets of Italian stationery with deckle-edge and lined envelopes for œ3 each (reduced from œ34). At Bridgewater, makers of my favorite hand-decorated dishes, cups, teapots and bowls, there was a half-off seconds sale, so I treated myself to great teacups, plates and baby mugs. They have a store at 739 Fulham Road and space at Harvey Nichols near Harrod's.

I flew from San Francisco to London on a courier flight, which offered flights on United Airlines for $270 roundtrip during July. United won't grant frequent-flier mileage, but you're allowed checked baggage.

Clean, Cheap & Comfortable Rooms
I stayed at the Morehouse (Direct-dial from the U.S.: 011-44-171-584-2040) across from the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Gloucester Road tube is the closest station, with three lines stopping there. This is a university chaplaincy run by nuns; they let out rooms in the summer. My room was clean, high-ceilinged, peach-colored and comfortable. There was a clean shower and toilet down the hall. The area is safe and close to restaurants, grocery stores and change places. Rates were œ22 a night for a single, but I booked in at a weekly rate, which shaves off 10%, so my rate was œ19.80 (US$32). There's a washing machine and dryer downstairs, a chapel and a TV-room. My room included a full English breakfast of cereal, juice, egg, bacon, good sausage, beans, tomatoes, croissant, toast and coffee or tea served cafeteria-style, and you can always go back for more!

Fine Dining on $8 or Less
I tried to stick to a budget of œ5 (US$8)or less for most of my meals. The book Cheap Eats in London by Sandra Gustafson (Chronicle Books) was very helpful. My favorite restaurant was Wagamama on Streatham Street at Bloomsbury, near the British Museum. I ate there four times and can still taste the chili beef ramen (œ5.80/US$9.25) -- a big bowl of tangled ramen in a clear fish broth with seven or eight thick slices of grilled, marinated beef, bean sprouts, red chili pepper, cilantro and a wedge of lime. Heavenly! Another noodle soup I enjoyed was the wagamama ramen (œ4.80/US$7.75), ramen with grilled chicken, prawns and assorted vegetables.
As for stir-fried noodles, I like thick, toothsome noodles, and yaki-udon fit the bill -- the chewy ropes contrasting with the bits of chicken and vegetables. There are about 25 different noodle dishes, a few rice dishes and some appetizers. The most popular dish is potstickers and fried shrimp. Everyone drinks beer, Japanese cola or one of their fresh fruit or vegetable juices. Green tea and water are free, which is what I drank. My only complaint about this restaurant is that the wait can be from 30 minutes to an hour during peak times, 6:30 to 9:30 in the evening. I suggest going there at noon, which is when they open. The restaurant closes at 11 p.m.

More Restaurants
Another place I liked was Dom‚, a French caf‚ and restaurant on Long Acre Street, right off the Covent Garden tube. I walked by one day and, on first impression, thought it was one of those yuppie bars. Deciding to inspect the menu, since there's a Dom‚ in Paris, and I love Paris, I was astounded by the prix-fixe deal -- a three-course meal available at all hours for just œ4.95 (US$7.90)! I made a mental note to return for lunch and promptly downed an hors d'oeuvres plate of some leafy greens, tomato, cucumber, olives, a bit of avocado and some couscous. The main dish was a filet of grey mullet on a mop of spinach with a good cream sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked, and the sauce reminded me of Paris.

In high spirits, I sailed on to the dessert of cream-puffs in a white chocolate sauce. There are two choices in each category; the selections change daily. Great atmosphere -- you can just relax with drinks or have a meal, and it's an escape from the massive crowds at Covent Garden.

Le Shop, a French creperie on King's Road in Chelsea, -- there's another Dom‚ across the street -- also offers a œ5 meal with your choice of crepe, a small green salad and a drink. I chose a bottle of cider and ordered the chicken and ratatouille crepe, which filled the dinner plate and was satisfying.

An Indian restaurant I always go to before or after admiring the roomful of impressionist paintings at the Cortauld Institute, is India Club at 143 The Strand, (Aldwych tube.) The lamb curry is great, served on mounds of basmati rice for œ5.50 (US$8.75). For another 50 pence you can get a poppadum (lentil wafer), to go with it.

I had a craving for laksa -- a Malaysian noodle soup with complex spices and herbs -- that I loved in Singapore. Melati, on Great Windmill Street near the Piccadilly Circus tube stop, offers the dish along with a stew of other Indonesian and Malaysian specialities. While their laksa (œ5.15/$US8.25) won't make me forget about the Singapore version, it did quell my great urge for it. I must return soon for their mee rebus -- a thick noodle soup that was being slurped at a neighboring table.

Changing Money
The best place I found to change money was Point Cash Limited on 72 Old Brompton Road in South Kensington. They're open every day from 8:30 a.m to 9:30 p.m., and there's no commission charge.

I used London's excellent public transportation system to get around. I got the seven-day travelcard for zones one and two for œ13.80. The second week I got the same thing for just zone one for œ11 (most tourist attractions are in zone one). Sometimes I took the bus because it was more convenient. The #11, (catch it on King's Road), goes by Sloane Square, Victoria Station, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, Charing Cross Station and The Strand. Take it to go to the Cortauld Institute.

I only saw one play, My Night With Reg, since I had just been in New York and saw six shows while I was there. I used the half-off ticket booth at Leicester Square and came away with a œ10 ticket in the third row. Great show, too!

Other forms of entertainment for me are going to museums, when they're free. The Imperial War Museum on Lambeth Road is free everyday from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. I am obssessed with the artist John Singer Sargent; they have a room devoted to him. One wall is dominated by his painting, Gassed and the other walls graced with about 10 of his watercolors -- all on subjects related to WWI. The colors are wonderful.

Private Showing
Art lovers may find the Prints and Drawings Room interesting at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Anyone can go in and look at catalogs to see if their favorite artist has prints or other materials there. You may request as many as you like at the library, and they bring them to your table. It was in this way that I was able to closely inspect three John Singer Sargent watercolors on more cheerful themes -- Venice, a fountain and a Turkish woman beside a stream. One was framed, two were just in mats. It was like being treated to my own personal art viewing; I was thrilled!

I've tried a lot of cream teas in London, and I refuse to go to the hotels that charge from œ12-20 for a few sandwiches and scones. The best scones I've ever had the good fortune to devour are at The Muffin Man -- 12 Wright's Lane near the High Street Kensington tube. Their scones are examples of perfection in baking: short, crumbly, split, toasted and buttered (75 pence each). Slather on some rich, sweet clotted cream (75 pence), order a pot of Darjeeling tea (real leaves) and revel in the fact that you are enjoying the best trip you've ever had to London!

IAATC Member, San Francisco
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