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Original poster

alternatives to train to london

25 replies

meridian · 30/01/2009 17:13

long story relitively long.. DS needs his US passport renewing but as he is 5 we have to all go visit the US Embassy and stand in line for days hours and have booked an appointment for monday the 9th of feb (the only date avalible) ... DH dosen't want to take the tran from Derby (Near where we live) down to London.. so what alternatives do we have.. is there somewhere we could drive to then catch the train in from there.. a possibly safe place to park for the day.. or two days aside from say the airport?

not really holding out much hope but DH dosen't want to take the train from here all the way to London as too expensive on the sunday and no direct trains either....

grateful for any help. thank you

OP posts:

scienceteacher · 30/01/2009 17:17

No idea about the train question, but just to reassure you that the passport application is not too onerous. The tight appt system means that they see you in a fairly timely manner. You only have to queue 4 times

hf128219 · 30/01/2009 17:18

Drive from Derby to Stanmore, Middlesex - will take about 2 hours. Stanmore is the last stop on the Jubilee Line North. Take the Tube to Bond Street (30 mins) and walk to the Embassy at Grosvenor Square.

Stanmore is nice and leafy and plenty of places to leave your car safely - and for free.

Molesworth · 30/01/2009 17:19

You could drive into the outskirts (somewhere just off the north circular, e.g. Bounds Green) and park in a residential street, or would you prefer to park in a secure car park?

Dropdeadfred · 30/01/2009 17:20

National Express...route 440 derby to london?

Molesworth · 30/01/2009 17:20

x posts - the Stanmore idea sounds perfect

OneLieIn · 30/01/2009 17:20

Or Luton??

Dropdeadfred · 30/01/2009 17:22

can be as cheap as £20.50 for all 3 of you

Original poster

meridian · 30/01/2009 17:25

thanks so much for your replies!

what about parking overnight if we were to go down on Sunday as appointment is roughly for 9am on Monday morning?

scienceteacher-- as long as its not as bad as when we got his first passport and sorted out his birth registry as a US citizen .. though he was a grumpy baby at the time and now at 5 he is esily distracted by the nintendo ds.

OP posts:

hf128219 · 30/01/2009 18:02

You could park outside my old house overnight!

Original poster

meridian · 30/01/2009 19:04

bump

OP posts:

Original poster

meridian · 30/01/2009 19:49

any ideas for parking overnight somewhere safe? as DH found a hotel in London but obviously dont want to drive all the way in.

OP posts:

hf128219 · 30/01/2009 19:55

I did say outside my old house! It's very quiet round there - do you drive a Ferrari??

Original poster

meridian · 30/01/2009 20:03

lol... no just a crappy ok ish.. thingy.. OMG my brain has just died...what the hell.. a Picasso... god I need sleep.. and its only 8pm.

OP posts:

hf128219 · 30/01/2009 20:58

You could park it anywhere round there - it will not get nicked/trashed etc

ilovemydogandMrObama · 30/01/2009 21:05

Um, why do you all have to go?

I got both DD's and DS's US Passports/Citizenship myself. (DP didn't come)

We took an early train, got to the Embassy for 09:30 and were done and out by 10:45....

Original poster

meridian · 30/01/2009 22:13

ILMDAMO---- DH does the driving... I can't (Meri is crap and never learned ) ... and he wants it to be a family trip.. and not just the sitting in a line waiting with paperwork thing that it is... which is wierd as I asked him for months to have a trip down to london to take DS to the museum and the eye and stuff... which is now apparently HIS idea and not mine.. oh well.. I'm tired and internet is crapping out on me and I don't know if this will even send..

OP posts:

ilovemydogandMrObama · 30/01/2009 22:24

Oh, I see. A family outing!

It really takes no time at all -- you just have to update your DS passport?

When DD and I went, I took the buggy and shouted at the armed Met Police who sort of watched me struggle up the steps. Eventually they ended up helping, but then I started shouting at them to please keep their machine gun out of my baby's face!

scienceteacher · 30/01/2009 23:09

Ilovemydog,

Both parents are expected to attend the passport interview. If only one can attend, they have to send in a notarised statement saying they can't, along with official ID. The other exception is that the other parent basically doesn't exist or har lost parental rights. It's the same in the US, iirc (I took a notarised statement from DH to get DD's first passport).

The system has changed a lot since 9/11. When we first did all this, one parent could go, without even the child. They could just show up without an appt. When we did four renewals in 2003, the whole family had to be dragged along (which reminds we, five years have passed and they need to be done again).

ilovemydogandMrObama · 30/01/2009 23:23

I got DS his passport and 'notification of an American Born Abroad' a few months ago (he's 10 months now, so when he was 8 months, I think?)

DP had to work, so printed off the form (can't remember which one) and got solicitor to witness DP signing it. Solicitor stamped it, DP signed it, paid £5.00 to solicitor and duly sent to Embassy with other masses of paperwork. Sent forms ahead of time. Brought DPs passport with me.

No hassle, other than from Consular Officer who was heavily pregnant and she showed me photos of her other kids. Of course my DS was cuter and she said her DS was cuter and joked that she wouldn't give DS his passport if I said her DS wasn't the cutest

Original poster

meridian · 01/02/2009 12:23

most likely goign to park at Stanmore.. thank you very much for all your help!

forgot what else I was going to say as need to go make some sort of lunch.

OP posts:

ilovemydogandMrObama · 01/02/2009 13:57

cinnabon!

Original poster

meridian · 01/02/2009 14:21

ilove- its on the top of the itenerary.. I'm going to get a jar of thier special cinnamon that makes thier cinnabuns so lovely and cinnamony.. ... it will definitly get me through to visiting the states in April.

OP posts:

peanutbrittle · 01/02/2009 22:13

hey Meri - it's jeangenie in disguise - I'm emailing you right now

Original poster

meridian · 02/02/2009 08:56

peanutjg-- lol.. will reply to your email now.. am slow..

OP posts:

DadInsteadofMum · 03/02/2009 13:54

Jubilee line from Stanmore can take a while, you might want to consider something like Luton Parkway (parking there) and then overland to St Pancras and tube to Green Park (short walk to embassy).

Or Stevenage (to Kings Cross) or Watford Junction (to Euston).

If you are coming down the M1 from Derby then all are accessible from the motorway.

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