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French Laundry to pop-up in London

It's never easy to get a reservation at the French Laundry, Napa Valley's premier restaurant. And those lucky souls who do get in pay dearly for the honor (fixed price menu=$270). London will get a chance to try their luck when a temporary version of the French Laundry pops-up inside Harrod's Georgian Restaurant October 1-10. Details on the undoubtedly quixotic book process for the London edition will be posted on Harrod's events website.

Outrageous ticket costs at London churches?

How much would you expect to pay to tour a cathedral? For many visitors, the answer is "It's a church, shouldn't it be free?" But that's certainly not the case in London. Entry to Westminster Abbey? £16 ($26). St. Paul's Cathedral costs £12.50 ($20). Smaller churches aren't quite as pricey. St. Martin-in-the-Fields lets visitors tour for free; St. Clement Danes church is also gratis.

To be fair, the big London religious sites do admit worshipers free for services. And the wear and tear of all the other visitors does impose operating costs on the historic buildings, which is part of the reason for the ticket costs.

Strikes? Get ready

Three potential strikes that could have a direct impact on London tourism:

• British Airways cabin crew appears ready to authorize yet another strike against the airline. Timing? No earlier than February.

• Fuel tanker drivers in Britain also contemplating strike action. Not coincidentally, the drivers are a member of the same union as the BA cabin crew.

• London Underground workers—also notoriously strike-prone—are considering a strike to coincide with Prince William's wedding in April. While William is not a frequent rider, thousands of others who want to see the wedding events could be affected.

Inflation?

And now a word from the wallet:

• Prices on the London public transport network (bus, underground, etc) are going up by an average of almost 7 percent on January 2.

• On January 4, the Value Added Tax in the UK will increase from the current 17.5 percent to a whopping 20 percent.

• The UK inflation rate (consumer prices) went up 3.3 percent in November 2010.

Another Tube strike (sigh!)

Yet another strike by London Underground unionized workers is underway. Services are expected to be problematical through Wednesday (Nov. 3).

More info on Transport for London's website.