Three Days as a London Socialite

With the greenback at record lows against the British pound, there are few better cities than London to show off being rich, fabulous and fashionably oblivious to currency fluctuations.

You have 72 hours and you know what you want, namely hip hangouts by day and trendy fashion parties in swanky Soho townhouses by night. You want dinnertime views of Madonna followed by after-hour escapades at haute nightclubs where a Sienna Miller-type inevitably falls while dancing atop a cocktail table.

With Tatler, Grazia and Hello in hand, make your way to the airport with all the prerequisite reading of a soon-to-debut London socialite.

Day One

Hit the ground running. Londoners are all about fashion; bring a change of dapper clothes and sunglasses for your London arrival. Check into Firmdale's Soho Hotel around 1 p.m.; the laid-back staff usually does everything to accommodate an early arrival. Plus nothing says "Welcome to London" like a Miller Harris-kissed shower in Soho's speckled-gray marble bathrooms.

	London
	Photo: JetSetReport.com

Hydrate, then run faster. A 10-hour plane ride in first class means you probably consumed your weight in warm nuts and Grey Goose. Even though you'd prefer to hit up Imli for some midday deliciousness, hit the pavement for a real run along the south bank of the Thames. It's a visual microcosm of everything London is today, complete with buttoned-up city types and cutting-edge architecture.

Posh Pub Crawl. It could become a first-night tradition: trekking over to Mayfair to join up with fashion friends fresh from a long day at work. One place to try is the Mews. During warmer months it's the most happening patio in the area, wedged in a small alleyway brimming with dressed-up magazine workers and unbuttoned suits from the financial district.

Look, But Don't Touch the Food. A charming townhouse-style members club with outposts in New York and soon in LA, Soho House offers a cozy dining room of benches and raw tabletops strewn with posh Londoners and businessmen in mid-meeting. The waiter speaks with a thick Welsh accent as the meal arrives, looking terribly similar to a hamburger and double-fried French fries.

Day 2

Why Did I Eat That? Try an amateur boxing match at Gym Box. The first day's workout is always the hardest, but if you skip it you probably won't work out again while away. The gym's DJ also makes the workout speed by with cool remixes of vintage The Strokes and Dramarama.

Lunch at Cipriani. Even if it means tapping into your child's college fund, get thee to Cipriani for a 1 p.m. lunch. With a little luck, you might enjoy a cozy meal at one of the four-top tables in the front room, the only place to sit. Between catty gossip about the various Russian models seated nearby, sip Bellinis from some of the cutest champagne glasses ever made. Try not to fill-up on the crusty bread sticks, especially with the two-handed pasta dishes coming your way.

You're So Selfridge-ish! Every designer you have ever imagined assembled in one city-size department store equipped with champagne bar, gourmet food-court and posh home store. Wait, it gets better. Try to arrange your trip during sale season in London, when stores like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols go into serious discount mode with their largest liquidation sales of the year. If you miss the one in late January, there's another in late June.

It's Playtime. Following a lunchtime boozefest, it's time for a nap. Wake early enough to make a 7:30 p.m. curtain at the new production of Speed the Plow at the Old Vic Theater starring Kevin Spacey through the Spring season.

Post-Theater Eating. It almost seems a waste to arrive so late to one of London's best restaurants, Luciano. Located near the West End, the trendy main floor restaurant and upstairs lounge offers a dressed-up destination for post-theater dining, even if some may scoff at spending so much money so late at night. The restaurant is spectacular, with cutting-edge Italian cuisine and stylish decor that won't put you to sleep.

Day 3

Morning at the Market. Start off browsing the boutiques and galleries on and around Dover Street before hitting the Dover Street Market. It's like a department store on couture steroids, assembled over five floors and containing the world's hottest fashion labels assembled in small self-designed boutiques. The crowd is one of the most fashionable in London.

A Model Teatime. Even if Giselle is unavailable, make a 3 p.m. reservation at The Wolseley for what many consider London's most fashionable high tea service. A stylish parlor room is decked out in one-off Galliano ensembles as guests consume bite-size sandwiches on homemade bread and herbal teas that keep the supermodels hydrated.

A Side of Culture. Start off at the National Portrait Gallery for the latest showcase of photographs taken for Vanity Fair (Feb. 14 to May 26), including works by Edward Steichen, Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino. Then head over to the new Saatchi Gallery. Located in The Duke of York's headquarters, it's one of the leading private collections of the 21st century and features bookshop, educational center and café.

Very Fine Dining. It's the hottest eatery in town for those who don't really eat. Carlos Almada, formerly of Johnny Depp's Man Ray in NYC, sets up shop along trendy Dover Street in Mayfair with American-inspired gastro-pub Automat. The space is simplistically sexy, with wood paneling, comfy booths and private VIP rooms where rock stars romp until the wee hours of the morning.

Final Hoorah. Edgier than most London nightclubs, Cuckoo Club is a West End romp with a two-floor restaurant and dance lounge with fancied Parisian décor of tufted-leather booths and hallucinogenic-LED dance floor. It's also the perfect mix of aristocratic blue bloods and celebrities like Alice Temperley and Nick Rhodes to close your three-day getaway out with a bang.