London: Searching for Ted Lasso

After arriving at Victoria Station in London the trip started to fall off the rails. We had the option of a 30 minute mass transit experience to the VRBO, or a 45 minute walk. The mass transit ride would have us arriving just before the room was ready, and the other just after. I was in the mood to walk, so we did.

Afterwards Don said that was the longest walk ever. Maneuvering wheeled luggage through crowds over cobblestoned sidewalks was just not fun. On top of that, our room was not ready by 3 pm (though we could leave our bags in our room), and we were overdressed because the weather warmed up.

I found a quiet, though overpriced, place for linner (?) or whatever a meal at 3:30 in an empty restaurant is called. By the time we were done the room was fully ready. 

The trip was righted.

That night we were supposed to see a show, but it was cancelled due to technical issues. We rescheduled our tickets for Monday night, giving us a free evening in London. I suggested a train ride to Richmond at the terminus of the North London Line. It was exactly what we needed.

Don and I recently watched all three seasons of Ted Lasso before going to London. On one hand a three-season series about football (soccer), but this pandemic hit was more about heart. It portrays the city of Richmond as a charming small town. We were disappointed to learn there is no football team in Richmond, but heartened to see it is as charming as portrayed. 

Much of our trip was planned moment by moment. In the case of Richmond we did a google search of Ted Lasso and Richmond as we rode the tube. We came up with two spots: a gift shop that was open until 8 pm and the pub where he and his friends frequent.

Our first stop was actually the Lindt Store. Though we have a location close to home in Princeton, we've been told the stores in Europe and Canada sometimes have different flavors. The woman working there was chatty (see, everyone wants to talk to me in England). She said Jason Sudeikis and the cast were filming season four in Richmond two days ago. The excitement about the new season is building!

The gift shop was exactly as we imagined a Ted Lasso gift shop would be. There were replica team jerseys, stickers with inspirational sayings, some biscuits like the ones Ted makes, and other assorted souvenirs. 

The upstairs is designed like a locker room with names of the players and different jerseys hanging in each one. I was surprised they did not have names on the backs of the jerseys. I saw a mom trying to take a selfie in front of the Jamie Tartt space, so I offered to take it for her. I asked if Jamie was her favorite player. She said, no, he is her son's favorite she was taking it for him. She then said in a breathy, slightly flushed tone that her favorite is Roy Kent. Even Don noticed the change in her voice. I blushed and took the picture for her.

Inside the shop was a book about Richmond with post its identifying places in Ted Lasso. We saw the conversation bench, and Ted's front door.

As Don was still full from linner, we walked far off the tourist path, ending up at The Princes' Head pub featured in the show. It was worth the wait. Other than having billiards on the giant TV instead of soccer, the place was as we imagined it, yet more so. The front room with its dark wood paneling and iconic bar is shown in many episodes. What we didn't realize was the there are restaurant rooms behind the bar, and an official Ted Lasso table. The table had a group lingering at it, the only people in that room. Don and I kept taking turns going to the loo so we could jump on the table when it became available. The barkeep offered to keep an eye on the table for us. After they left, he loaned me a Richmond scarf and took about a dozen pictures of us. I think he has done this before.

By the time I finished my fish and chips, and had dessert Don and I left smiling. It was an even better experience than we would have guessed. We are excited about season four, which is scheduled to air in April.