Breaking free of my four walls...

Ok, I'll admit it...sometimes I get a bit bit bored of my own company. I've been WFH since the early days of the pandemic and as much as I love the flexibility that remote working brings, working from my kitchen has been feeling a bit dull for a while now. I spoke to my therapist about these feelings and it will come as no surprise to those of you that know me, that we recognised my need for increased social interaction beyond my laptop screen (as long as it comes with background music).

This got me thinking...I'm lucky that I can do my job using just my laptop, mobile and a pad and pen - no multi-screen set-up for me (I've always felt like I'm in control of air-traffic when I've had that set-up previously in office-based roles). My home town of Leighton Buzzard has a decent handful of remote-worker friendly cafes but I'm in the market for something a bit more exciting. Light bulb illumination moment - I love London, let's pack up the laptop and go check out what's on offer there for a weekly workcation...

My initial research threw up a couple of curveballs - 1) a lot of the 'where to work from in London' listings are really out of date, with a couple of places I looked at now having closed, 2) a few of the places listed that are still open, don't seem to know they are featured and in the case of a certain high-end members' club chain, clearly do not want a non-member cluttering up their lounge areas. I quickly realised that I needed to do some in-person research, it's a tough life.

So, when I received a lastminute invite to meet my friend Leonie and her Mum in London for dinner on 19th Feb, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to kick-off my 'working from...' vibe.

For my inaugural outing with my laptop, I decided to head for The Standard hotel in Kings Cross. Being just a hop, skip and a jump from Euston, it seemed like a perfect place to start. My friend Becca and I had discovered the view-tastic rooftop bar last summer and reviews on the web had advised me that there was a library area that welcomed remote workers.

On arrival in The Library Lounge, I was greeted warmly by a host and shown to a seating area between two bookshelves with two comfy-looking leather chairs, with a view out onto the Euston Road. The library was pretty busy with other remote workers and I straight-away vibed with the music playing. Slight hurdle jumped after realising I needed to switch seats due to a faulty plug socket, I ordered my first flat white of this new workcation era and logged on.

Now...without risking a TMI...I drink a lot of water and this has obvious side effects. Soloing as I do means that I can't easy just pop off to use the facilities, leaving all of my valuables in safe hands. The instructions I received for locating the ladies' seemed like I needed to go back as far as Euston so I did the standard look around to see if I could catch the eye of a fellow remoter. No one was biting so I locked my laptop, took my bag and paid a very fast libation (as my Mimi would have said).

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The loodown:

Bathrooms, the ladies, the loos, the facilities...whatever you call them, they are a big marker of a place for me. You are reading the words of a person who chose their university based on the standard of the hall bathrooms... The public facilities at The Standard are very much in line with the overall funky aesthetic of the hotel, lots of block colour and stylish concrete features. They were clean and fairly spacious but you do go an a little concrete adventure to get to them.

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Back from my dash and my coffee had been served. Nice crockery, good temperature but a bit on the milky side. (Side coffee drinker moan - why is it that so many baristas don't understand that flat whites are not small lattes? I liked to be knocked out flat by my white...)

Working with my laptop on my lap isn't the most ergonomic position for more than an hour or so, so I was Bridget the Fidget and the coffee table set-up meant I had to reach a little further than was comfortable to get to my refreshments.

What did I refresh myself with I hear you ask....well, in addition to the aforementioned flat white, I had a glass of Pinot Grigio (not my favourite vino by any means but the best of a very limited by-the-glass menu and I was working so ordering a bottle of my go-to NZ Sauv was not the one...), a sourdough cheese toastie with caramelised onion relish and sweet potato fries. Toastie too sweet, fries divine.

Service was good, friendly and not too pushy. I ended up with a free 2nd flat white, just as milky as the first but a nice gesture from the waiter after my initial plug trouble.

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The verdict:

A pretty relaxed and comfortable first workcation experience. The Euston Road is an ever-unfolding drama so there was plenty to look at both inside and outside the window and I loved the genre mash-up of music playing at just the right volume. I do prefer to work with my laptop on a desk or table so if I work from The Standard again, I'll look to sit somewhere that allows for this. The wine by the glass menu is limited and I've definitely had better coffee but I loved the sweet potato fries and the service was good so my £40 bill was pretty fair.

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Good to know:

• The Library Lounge has a no laptops after 6pm policy

• You are super close to Coal Drops Yard, a big Bay mooching favourite in this part of town