UCSD
History & Culture
in
LONDON
3 August—
th
6 September
2014
rd
THE LONDON OFFICE STAFF
Meet the staff of the London office of IFSA-Butler. We are here to provide
information on your transition abroad, to dispel any anxieties you may have about
moving to the UK, and to make your time enjoyable. Please don’t hesitate to ask us
questions!
Andrew Williams
Director, Academic Affairs
Charlotte Robinson
Academic Officer
Joshua Carney
Student Services Events Assistant
Terry McCarty
Graduate Resident
Lynne Alvarez
Director, Student Services
Belinda Beggs
Office Manager
Richard Hull
Student Events Administrative Assistant
Kristina Kelvy
Graduate Resident
ACCOMMODATION LOCATION
Conway Hall is centrally located and within a
2 minute walk to Waterloo station.
Underground Tube Map
IFSA Office
Birkbeck Campus
Conway Hall
CONWAY HALL
ADDRESS: 51-55 Waterloo Road, SE1 8TX
NEAREST UNDERGROUND ‘TUBE’ STATION:
Waterloo tube station
For information on London travel, visit
www.tfl.gov.uk
NEAREST MAINLINE TRAIN STATION:
Waterloo train station
Connects to major stops in south west England
NEAREST HOSPITAL:
St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road SE1 7EH
GROCERY STORES:
Sainsbury’s, Tesco
LOCAL AREA:
Placed a minute’s walk from concert halls, museums, restaurants and the
London eye, Conway Hall is in an ideal riverside location next to Southbank,
one of the major cultural centres of London.
MUSIC
You can walk five minutes to the Royal Festival Hall to
see featured concerts (eg-tickets for students can be as
affordable as £8 to see the London Philharmonic from
www.southbankcentre.co.uk).
ART
Hayward Gallery is just around the corner, offering
stunning art installations and exhibitions.
CINEMA
The British Film Institute (BFI) offers a chic
haven for cinema lovers. With a free
historical media archives, discounted
student cinema prices (as low as £5), the
BFI is a fantastic place to watch films or just
hunker down for a tea and do some work on
your laptop (their cafés have free wifi).
CONWAY HALL MAP
Southbank Centre
Conway Hall
Waterloo Underground & Train Station
51-55 Waterloo Road, SE1 8TX
The London Eye
St Thomas’ Hospital
Sainsbury’s Grocery Store
CONWAY HALL:
This original Royal Waterloo House was erected in 1823 as the Royal Universal Infirmary
for Children. Rebuilt in 1903-1905, the current Lombardic Renaissance-style red brick
structure features a graceful three-tiered loggia displaying the lettering of the hospital. It
is a grade II building, meaning it is has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of
Special Architectural or Historic interest, warranting every effort to preserve it.
PREDEPARTURE INFORMATION
Cell Phones
If you have an unlocked phone, we recommend bringing it with you to the UK
and buying a pay as you go SIM card once you arrive. Otherwise, we do
recommend buying a pay as you go phone with a pay as you go SIM card.
Once you arrive, we will show you to our preferred company to buy a phone:
Carphone Warehouse. With very reasonable prices, a pay as you go phone can
be as cheap at £4.95 and pay as you go plans can be as low as £10 per
month including calls and texts. Here is the site in case you would like to do a
bit of research before arriving:
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/pay-as-you-go
Money
We recommend taking out cash from an ATM once you arrive in London. This
will provide you with the best possible rate. Bank of America has a
partnership with the British bank Barclay’s; if you are a Bank of America
customer, you will not pay ATM withdrawal fees once in the UK. Other banks
will charge a few dollars per each withdrawal.
Most US credit cards will charge a few dollars for every international
transaction. Some credit card companies, such as Capital One, do not charge
fees for international transactions.
Voltage
We recommend you leave your small appliances at home. A US hairdryer or
straightener will not be compatible, even with a converter. It is worth
purchasing one when you arrive in London.
Your laptop and phone chargers will be compatible to the voltage in the UK,
however you will need an adapter to change the shape of your plug to fit into
British electrical outlets.
Health and Medical
Medical Insurance
Coverage is arranged by IFSA’s trusted health insurance provider, CISI. Basic
medical coverage is covered at $500,000 with a $0 deductible, plus other
benefits. For non-emergency doctor’s visits in the UK, you will need to pay out
of pocket and then submit a claim through CISI to be fully reimbursed.
For more information:
www.culturalinsurance.com/ifsa/
Toll-free in the UK: (800) 472-0906
Outside the US (call collect): 001 (817) 826 7143
Email: teamassist@culturalinsurance.com
Bringing Medication into the UK
If plan on bringing a US prescription into the UK, we recommend that you
bring with you a letter from your doctor explaining what it is.
Private Care
If you need to see a general practitioner while abroad, we recommend that
you see:
Dr. Nazeer
020 7629 4582
3-5 Weighhouse Street, London, W1K 5LS
Emergency Care
Emergency medical treatment is free of charge at primary care facility offices,
a general practitioner’s office, hospital emergency rooms or walk-in centres
providing emergency healthcare services.
You must let IFSA staff know before arriving if you have any pre-existing
medical conditions
Contacting IFSA in the Event of an Emergency
IFSA offers a 24-hour emergency pager service. If you need immediate
emergency service, please call 999 (the UK equivalent to 911). In the event
that you require emergency assistance from IFSA, please contact us
immediately:
07659 120 619 (24 hour emergency pager)
Dentistry
Only palliative dental insurance is covered in the CISI plan. We do recommend
seeing this dentist privately if any issues arise while you are in London:
Dr. Richard Brown
020 7387 3626
14 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6AH
Safety Tips
-While London is relatively safe, never travel alone at night
-Make sure to check the underground closing times before you go out
(between 11:30-1am, depending on the station and the day of the week)
-If you miss the tube, London has 24-hour night buses
-Only use London black cabs or pre-booked, licensed minicabs, such as:
Addison Lee— 0844 800 6677
-Never leave your things unattended anywhere in London
-Do not accept drinks from strangers
-In the UK, cars drive on the left. Only use designated crossings when in
London to ensure crossing the road safely
-Beware of pickpockets: keep your valuables out of site, avoid carrying all
valuables in one place, and keep a record of all important numbers in
case the worst happens and your phone is stolen.
Travel in the UK
If you plan to take more than three train journeys within the UK, we
recommend buying a Young Person’s Railcard. You must bring your ID, a
passport photo and £27 to any major rail station. Or, you can purchase the
pass online.
You can buy train tickets online. A reliable, reasonably priced website is the
Trainline:
www.thetrainline.com/
For affordable bus and train travel within the UK, Europe and Ireland,
Megabus is a good option:
uk.megabus.com/
Travel in Europe
Eurostar
Offering easy, direct travel from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels or Bruges.
Prices can be as low as $100 return if you book ahead of time:
http://www.eurostar.com/
Budget Airlines
Our favourite budget airline, Easy Jet is reliable and connects between London
and most major European cities.
www.easyjet.com/
If you are prepared for the hidden fees, RyanAir can offer the lowest fees for
European flights
www.ryanair.com/
Hostels
Hostel World is an excellent site to research hostels and B&Bs in the UK and
Europe
www.hostelworld.com/
EVENTS IN LONDON (August - September)
Buckingham Palace Summer Opening
26th July-31st August
Visitors are permitted access to the
nineteen States Rooms which are still used
by the Royal Family to receive and
entertain guests. The rooms feature
paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and
Canaletto, Faberge eggs, and some of the
world’s most beautiful English and French
furniture.
Matisse Cutouts
at the Tate Modern
until 7th September
In his late sixties, when ill health first
prevented Matisse from painting, he began
to cut into painted paper with scissors to
make drafts for a number of commissions.
In time, Matisse chose cut-outs over
painting; he had invented a new medium.
London is the first to host this exhibition
before it travels to New York. After this, the
works will return to galleries and private
owners around the world.
The Great British Beer Festival
12th-16thAugust
Over 66,000 people flock to this massive
celebration of England’s national drink. The
festival features over 700 real ales, ciders,
perries and beers from around the world.
Experts will lead tutored tastings, pub games,
live music and traditional pub snacks.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
15th May-13th September
Located in one of the city’s most stunning
parks, there’s no better way to enjoy a
summery night of theatre in London. We
highly recommend picnicking alfresco and
enjoying one of the company’s featured
productions, such as Twelfth Night, Porgy and
Bess or To Kill a Mockingbird
BBC Proms
From 18 July through until 13th
September
th
Now in its 119th year, the BBC Proms is
an eight-week summer season of daily
orchestral classical music concerts and
events. The musical performances range
from Paloma Faith and Rufus
Wainwright to Beethoven’s symphony no
9 and Mozart’s Rondo in A. The concerts
are held primarily in the Royal Albert
Hall and, especially with a starting price
of £5, are not to be missed!
Film4 Summer Screen
7-20th August
Possibly the most well-known of all
open air London film events,
‘Summer Screen’ is held in the
square at iconic Somerset House.
The festival features an impressive
line-up, including UK premiers and
classics. It’s worth packing a
summertime picnic and getting a
group together to enjoy British
classic cinema in the open air.
Notting Hill Carnival
Sunday 24th & Monday 25thAugust
Held since 1966, the Carnival was
originally a local affair for west
London’s homesick Caribbean
community, and has evolved into
Europe’s biggest street party.
Notting Hill is taken over by
calypso musicians, steel bands,
sequined costumes, and over a
million revellers come to celebrate
and dance to reggae, hip hop and
blues.
LONDON MARKETS
Buckingham Palace Summer
Please ensure to write to us
as soon as possible
with your roommate requests:
Richard-rhull@ifsa-butler.org
Lynne-lalvarez@ifsa-butler.org
There is so much to see and do in
London and we’re looking forward to
sharing it with you once you arrive!
All the Best,
-the IFSA-Butler London Staff
IFSA CONTACT INFORMATION
IFSA
21 Pembridge Gardens
London W2 4EB
(Closest Tube: Notting Hill Gate)
Office hours: 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday
Telephone: 020 7792 8751
Fax: 020 7792 8251
Freephone (free from landline only): 0500 827 885
E-mail:
URL:
London@ifsa-butler.org
www.England.ifsa-butler.org
The answering machine is on from 5pm to 9am and
weekends. The message explains how to contact a member
of staff in the event of an emergency occurring outside
office hours at the following number:
IFSA Emergency Pager: 07659 120 619
Emergency services in the UK: dial 999 or 112
Non-emergency services (such as stolen bag): dial 101
There is also an emergency response email address for
correspondence during national and terrorist crises. This
email is used to take a head count in such emergencies
and must not be used otherwise. Please email to check in
during these times:
emergencyresponse@ifsabutler.co.uk