U.S. Embassy to Move!

Hello everyone! It has been a very long time since I last posted on the Pen-London. School has taken over all aspects of my life. However, the blog is still going to be alive (especially once I graduate out of school in May), and I several items I would like to post about when the time comes.

In the meantime, however, I thought I would post this for those who are currently in London or planning a trip to London in the future.

The U.S. Embassy is planning on moving its location. It is currently situated in Mayfair near Hyde Park and Oxford Street; however, it going to move to the south London’s Nine Elms area in Wandsworth. Nine Elms is located south of the Thames and west of the Vauxhall Bridge Rd and the Vauxhall tube station.

Here is the October press release from the embassy:

PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION
Press Release
02 October 2008
U.S. Takes First Steps Toward Embassy Relocation

Meeting the challenge of providing a modern, open and secure American diplomatic facility in London, the U.S. State Department today signed a conditional agreement with the real estate developer Ballymore to acquire a site in the Nine Elms Opportunity Area in Wandsworth for the construction of a new Embassy.

“This has been a long and careful process,” said Ambassador Robert Tuttle, who has led the search for a new site. “We looked at all our options, including renovation of our current building on Grosvenor Square. In the end, we realized that the goal of a modern, secure and environmentally sustainable Embassy could best be met by constructing a new facility. I'm excited about America playing a role in the regeneration of the South Bank of London.”

A design competition will ensure the new facility reflects the best of modern design, incorporates the latest in energy-efficient building techniques, and celebrates the values of freedom and democracy.

This is an initial agreement conditioned on the approval of the United States Congress and local planning authorities. The existing Embassy building will be offered for sale almost immediately. However, it is still possible that the Embassy will remain at the current location if for whatever reason the site acquisition and acceptable planning consent do not materialize. The global real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield is advising the Overseas Buildings Operations Bureau (OBO), which directs the State Department's worldwide facilities program, on this project.

Sean Mulryan, Chairman of the Ballymore Group, said of the decision, “We are delighted the United States Embassy has chosen to invest in our Nine Elms project. The new Embassy will serve as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area.”

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Members of the media may direct enquiries to presslon@state.gov

This is also available via the web at the following URL: http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukpapress84.html

There is also a BBC News article about the planned move and provides a nice insight of why they are moving: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7649184.stm

As this is in the beginning stages, the embassy is still located at Grosvenor Square at the following address:

24 Grosvenor Square
London, W1A 2LQ
United Kingdom

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact or visit the embassy. Here is a schematic map of its location. You can also GPS or Google the location by using the address. Please make sure that the postcode W1A 2LQ or else you will be taken to a post office station!

For life or death emergency involving a United States citizen call [44] (20) 7499-9000. A Consular Duty Officer is available 24 hours a day.

Hope this bit of information is helpful in anyway. If anyone has concerns about traveling abroad, please read my post about Being Safe Abroad. Happy travels!

Being Safe Abroad

Because of the recent attacks in the UK and Ireland I thought I would discuss the matter of safety for people who are traveling in London.

The first thing you should know before you leave or just arrive in London, or any other country for that matter, is where your country’s embassy can be found. The American Embassy in London in located in Grosvenor Square, which is just south of Oxford Street. The address is 55/56 Upper Brook Street, London W1A 2LQ. There are four Tube stations in this area; the closest being Marble Arch, but there is also Oxford Street, Hyde Park Corner, and Piccadilly Circus. For American Citizen Services you will have to join the line that forms on the Upper Grosvenor Street. Here is a map that will better illustrate the location.

Note: When you are searching for the location of an embassy, I suggest you use an updated map of the city or the actual embassy website. Just to feed my curiosity, I used Google Map to find a satellite photo of the location, and I was given a different location. The #1 way to find the embassy is to find the address and map on its official website!

Let me now concentrate on traveler safety by looking at the AIFS students. If you have any concerns about your safety, whether it is along the lines of what is currently happening in the UK and/or if it a personal security, you can talk to any of the Student Life staff. That is what they are there for. Also, if you are living in the Atlantic House, there is the 24-hour security watch, and if you are living in the Ambassador House, you will have to enter in a door code (which is suppose to change every so often) to enter the house. If there is a national emergency, the school officials should and will instruct you and fellow students you to take whatever necessary precautions.

I highly recommend that you keep at least one form of ID on your person. I personally wouldn’t carry around my passport cause of the off chance of it being lost or stolen (the AIFS rooms have personal safes that you can keep your important documents in), unless you’re going to the embassy or if you’re going to leave the country. If you are an AIFS student you will receive an ID card with your photo on it and necessary school phone numbers on the back. Keep this with you at all times. Another ID card that may prove to be handy, especially if you plan to travel around is the International Student Identity Card (ISIC). I personally did not get one, but that was because I did not plan on traveling outside of London on my own. I befriended several girls while in London that traveled about, and I believe only one of them had an ISIC card. However, whether you are planning to travel on your own or not, this card has some benefits. It is an ID for you and it does have benefits, such as discounts. Who doesn’t love discounts?

OK. My next suggestion for safety is to have a good map. In a previous post Mapping Your Way Around I talked about the different types of maps that I’ve used. I suggest that you have an up-to-date map of any sort that at least shows Tube stops and the Underground map. However, if you do have a map/guidebook that it older, that is alright. Just make sure that the important information, such as emergency phone numbers, is the same.

Here, are two more notes on safety, which AIFS students will no doubt hear when they first arrive. If you need help, you can always ask a policeman or policewoman for assistance. In the Kensington area, which is where the study-abroad school is located, the bobbies have patrols around the streets. Also, I try to be inconspicuous. Now, I know from personal experience that from the moment you open your mouth to talk you are labeled as a tourist and an American. Anyhow, I did not wear anything overly bright (no hot fuchsia or any neon color) and I didn’t wear any shirts that were blazoned with my hometown or university’s name (I did have some shirts that did mention these names; however they were small or faded enough for my to wear them.) If you wore clothing that screamed, “I’m an American,” pickpockets will spot you faster. However, I’m not saying that you should betray your personal style. I’m just suggesting of possibly toning it down in some areas.

My final advice is to simply be aware of your surroundings as you travel.

Well, hopefully this information is helpful to anyone that was concerned about safety while being in London. I know when I first started thinking about studying abroad I was really worried about that, especially cause it was only a few months earlier that the London bombings happened. With the AIFS and the school’s staff help and your common sense, traveling and studying abroad should be safe and fun.