San Francisco to London help!!!

Good to know that Marylebone has a good Farmers Market and other shopping. I had this awful vision that Oxford street was all that was there. Clearly, I was wrong!

Sorry to give you the wrong impression about it - Oxford Street actually marks the south border of Marylebone, so it's not really part of the area itself (i.e. you can avoid it if you want to ).

I just found a website that has lots of pictures of Marylebone and Mayfair, so you can get an idea of what the areas look like (if you haven't looked at any photos already):

Marylebone - http://www.londonfractions.com/property/marylebone.php
Mayfair and St. James's - http://www.londonfractions.com/property/mayfair-st-james.php

Wine Shops!! I'm sold! Can we move tomorrow! We are huge wine drinkers and have been trying to figure out the best way to transport our wine collection to the UK.

Neither one of us really wants to stay in temp housing so we are going to try and get out as fast as we can. So, the one month is our timeframe. We just want to get settled and on with our lives. This isn't a few year move for us we will most likely be in London for 5-10 yrs, so I'm anxious to start our new life and get everything set up and going. Yes, I am a control freak! I may have put a huge dent in our wine collection before this move is over.

Where in NYC were you living before you moved? My hubby was there for 2 1/2 yrs in the late 90s for work. We honestly thought we were getting moved to NYC so London was a bit of a shock.

Thanks for the great links. I have been hunting for photos, but I'm skeptical if the photos listed on some websites are actually from the specific neighborhood or just stock photos. They do that a ton with SF when discussing neighborhoods in online guides etc.

Thanks for the info on St John Woods. Our one friend in London (he's a native) said lots of ex-pats live in South Kenisington too. Any truth to that statement?

If I were you, I'd drink the wine before I left, saving only really special bottles that are earmarked for anniversaries or that have to age in the bottle for 20 years.  And pack those in your luggage.  If you ship alcohol over, you will have to pay a HUGE duty on it. 

We found out that we can check it, as baggage, as long as the total cost does not exceed 536 GBP we would only have to pay duty, If we did it this way we would only exceed the duty free allowance, which is 4 liters and a case is 9 liters. The duty for each case is about $40, which is worth it to us. I will just have to carefully pack the cases not to exceed 536 GBP.

That was one of the hubby's first questions was what are we going to do with our wine! I think I figured that out within the first 48 hrs of knowing we were moving. We have priorities and wine is one! 

We've lived in Marylebone for about 18 months and really love it.  Everything that's already been said is very true, IMO.  We're near the Baker Street station, which also means we're really close to Regent's Park -- a big plus for me.  We found that Marylebone had a lot of quiet, residential blocks, but within very short distance of retail -- close enough to be convenient, far enough that it is not loud or high-traffic.

Price-wise, you'll have your pick of really nice places (although like in the US, you'll end up still managing to see some total crap and wonder WTF the people are thinking with their asking price.   )  

South Kensington is also really popular and nice and I have several expat friends there (I'm headed there in 10 minutes), we just ended up here for the Jubilee line. Not that S.Ken is a terrible commute, but my husband works long hours and shaving off a few minutes of transfer time was worth it for him.  The Baker Street station is a stop for 5 tube lines, so you can get pretty much anywhere in central London really quickly.

We really love it here, so much that we moved 5 whole blocks when our first short lease ended.  Feel free to message me with local questions.  I'm definitely not an expert, but we really do like the neighborhood.

PS:  As for the link with photos, the Marylebone ones are definitely legit local photos.

For Canary Wharf I personally would recommend Blackheath Village.
It is right across the river and the DLR would get you there in no time.

It's a beautiful spot with great parks, awesome little shops and pubs and fantastic rail service into the city proper should you require it.

For the amount you are talking about a week you would get far more and have a higher quality of life in Blackheath Village than you would get in London proper.

This Marylebone place keeps getting better and better! 

The hubby keeps going back and forth between staying on the Jubilee line or not. He will also be working long hours I and have a feeling the shorter commute will make everyone happier! He found out about the Whole Foods in Kensington and has decided that is his new fav neighborhood. Men!

I'm glad there seem to be a fair number of expats in Marylebone, we were told from our English friends that most expats live in South Kensington, glad to know expats are everywhere.

We do realize that we could go outside the city and get much more for our buck, but we are city people and I'm not sure how we would do with the suburbs. Regardless, thanks for the advice!

Huge wine drinkers?  We can definitely be friends!

We lived on 46th Street near the UN (I could see it from my kitchen window) and Grand Central  Station.  If you have every been around Broadway and 42nd Street where Macy's is during Christmas, you will know what Oxford Street is like.  Wall to wall people.  Except Oxford Street is like that nearly everyday of the year.  

The photos from links ksand24 provided I think give a pretty fair indication of both Marylebone and Mayfair, although some are outdated.  For example, the 1st one.  The Marylebone Tup was refurbished at least a year ago and is now called The Marylebone.  The photos showing the sidewalk cafes and pubs are in St. Christopher's Place and James Street and are much more touristy and crowded because they border the dreaded Oxford Street.  I like to think of that area as a buffer to Oxford Street and easily avoidable.

South Kensington also seems to attract a lot of Americans and also French.  It is lovely and does have a villagy feel comparable to Marylebone although the architecture is different.  However, getting to Canary Wharf from there would require a tube change and if you really want to make your husband's life easier you should try to avoid it because aside from all the rush hour jostling, tube changes are not just a matter of crossing over to another platform.  They can involve long walks and escalator rides.  

There is a tube stop a block away from Whole Foods.  You can easily take the Circle Line from Baker Street to High Street Kensington.  And, even better, they deliver to the Marylebone post code.  There you go, Kensington problem solved.

Good for you that you found a solution to transporting your wine stash.  I can tell you that I've checked cases of wine from California to New York without incident.  If I remember, the packaging was Styrofoam and shaped like the bottles.

Wherever you decide to look for a flat be aware that estate agents are very local.  If you're looking in Marylebone use an estate agent located in Marylebone.  If you are looking St. John's Wood, use an agent located there.  There is not a lot of cross listing.  

Like Ophinky, we love Marylebone so forgive my cheerleading.  

If I can help you with anything else Marylebone related please feel free to PM me or email me.  I can also clue you in to 2 more wine shops and a wine bar.

The hubby keeps going back and forth between staying on the Jubilee line or not. He will also be working long hours I and have a feeling the shorter commute will make everyone happier! He found out about the Whole Foods in Kensington and has decided that is his new fav neighborhood. Men!

As for the glory that is Whole Foods, if he's working long hours (as does mine), he's going to be getting home after Whole Foods closes and you'll be the one going during the week or he'll only go on weekends.    Can't tell we had some of these same discissions at our house, can you?

There is a tube stop a block away from Whole Foods.  You can easily take the Circle Line from Baker Street to High Street Kensington.  And, even better, they deliver to the Marylebone post code.  There you go, Kensington problem solved.

And if you end up totally weighed down and can't wait for delivery, it's a (surprisingly) pretty cheap cab ride.  I discovered this by accident one morning when I was late to meet friends and the Circle Line was super slow.

Cheap cab ride from Whole Foods to Marylebone?  Good to know! 

Hi there. With that insanely megahigh budget you might as well just stick to Mayfair or Marylebone ( I sure wouldn't mind, as Mayfair is probably the most European part of London and really pretty off the shopping streets) but if you want to cut down on your husband's commute why not try Greenwich? It's on the Thames, which might be nice as you're used to the Marina, and not far from Canary Wharf. There are some very pretty old mansions and houses there. Or if you go for Marylebone look for something near Marylebone Lane, lots of nice cafes and a Waitrose and a bit away from Oxford Circus. I think you'd need to walk about five to ten minutes from the tube, like Bond Street, to find something quiet. Which isn't bad (us poors are often a mile from the tube, c'est la vie!)

Cheap cab ride from Whole Foods to Marylebone?  Good to know! 

I guess because they tend to cut through Hyde Park, with less traffic.  But it was maybe £7.  I was stunned.  Of course, it all depends on the starting point -- I'm pretty close to Baker Street.  I've covered a whole lot less distance for a whole lot more money. 

7 GBP, really?  Wow, thanks for letting me know.  I'm not too far from Baker Street so it couldn't be much different. 

I will be friends with anyone who is willing to deal with us! We will provide the wine

Glad to know that Whole Foods is not a far cab ride and they deliver! Whoever invented delivery grocery is my hero.

My dear hubby has not stepped foot into a market in probably the last year. So, I'm not sure why he is hung up on the Whole Foods. Our Whole Foods does not have the lavish food bars that most do, so unless we are going for groceries there is no point and I prefer Trader Joes. I guess he has this grand plan of eating dinner at Whole Foods every night, which I laugh at because he usually doesn't walk in the door until 10! Men are silly. I am very intrigued about local Farmers Markets and such. I thought someone mentioned one in Marylebone?

I am happy to hear another couple describe themselves as huge wine drinkers! 

The Marylebone Farmer's Market is held Sundays between 10am and 2pm in the car park behind the Waitrose which is on the High Street.  I would say there are 25 to 30 vendors each week.  Some are there every week and some come just a couple of times a month.  There are a couple of fishmongers, a  chicken and eggs booth, a couple of booths with lamb, several different vegetable/fruit sellers, a couple of bread and baked goods booths, a couple of cheese and butter sellers, a couple of ready made meal sellers, a honey booth, a hot sauce booth and others.  All the vendors must sell products that are grown or made in Britain. 

Borough Market near London Bridge has a much bigger market which is held Thursday through Saturday.  Saturday understandably is the biggest day for the market and there are less vendors on Thursday and Friday but there is still a good selection.