Doing a Bit of The 'Tourist Thing' My Own Way

It was unseasonably hot, made only worse by the crush of fellow tourists running around, arms outstretched to get the obligatory photograph of a cherry-red phone booth. I just sort of stood to the side and held everyone’s discarded backpacks while they eagerly joined the throng amassed in front of- what I’m assuming was- a spectacularly amazing phone booth.
We were looking for a more genuine adventure that encapsulates the city of London as an identity, not only a vacation.
The next day, serendipity brought us to Vinny.
There is no better fitting name for the tall, bald-headed, certified guide from Scotland, who for a small fee, would abandon his schedule with a promise to save me from being lost in a crowd and show us the city beyond the guidebook.
We met him in one of the fragrant, blooming English gardens which are, admittedly, stunning to see, where he, among dozens of others, was holding post to advertise his service for hire. The little badge around his neck placated my companions that we were safe and Vinny’s genuine enthusiasm to show us what he called “the real London” was a tantalizing offer.
Walking to small shops and out-of-the-way art galleries, our calves were aching but we would not stop for the thought that the next place he took us could be even greater. We ended up in a basement with scattered café tables and a side room full of chafing dishes and carafes of tea, my party and few others sat down to the most delicious Chana Masala and other mouth-watering dishes I know no name for.
I was introduced to a side of London I was looking for, but it’s impossible to step-off the tourist route for the entire journey. None of us were in a position to consider being able to return to London, and the feeling of need, to do everything in one trip, was overwhelming. He must have sensed this, and on the walk back to the hotel Vinny took us on one last tour: the Jack the Ripper tour of London. One of the ‘must-do’s’ for the adventurous tourist in London, usually crowded with families and cloak-wearing, lantern-toting theatrics, Vinny gave us a chance to avoid tourism and just enjoy the tour. Desolate, dark streets without another soul in sight, a learned and qualified tour guide and my closest friends, it was the tourist thing, our own way.