(no subject)
My time in London was a bit improvised.
As of three days before I thought I'd have something like forty-eight hours there, most of those working, and so I really made no plans. But as it happened, I was able to squeeze in a couple of extra days and get a little touristy taste of the place.
The head cold I'd been battling all week kept me from getting much sleep on the overnight flight, so I was a bit dazed when I arrived at my hotel at 10 AM, four hours early for check-in. I headed out to wander the streets, so similar to and yet slightly different from New York. By about noon, with cranky feet, swimmy head, and two hours to go until I could retreat to a hotel room, I actually got on one of those double-decker sightseeing buses. I always roll my eyes at them in New York, but it did turn out to be the perfect thing. I bundled up, blew my nose, snapped pictures, and listened to the thankfully dry and non-jovial guide as the bus went from sight to sight: "on your left, the Tower of London, where several queens lost their heads."
Early dinner and bed that night, up the next day to try the Underground. I was expecting some confusion, but the London system seems a thousand times simpler and more straightforward than New York's. (In fact, much of the city seems geared to smoothing things along for the idiot American, down to the "LOOK LEFT" and "LOOK RIGHT" signs painted on the curb.) I made it easily to Bankside, walked across the Millennium Bridge, and spent most of the day at the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern. The Tate building was impressive (a cavernous converted power station), but most of the collection was being re-hung. I wondered about beauty and modern art as I walked through the Nude and History exhibitions.
Back across and under the river for a quick up-close eyeball of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey as the sun went down. And then, shopping, since my hotel was smack in the middle of Oxford Street retail mania. Finished the evening with, yes, fish and chips. (Other typically British things consumed on this trip: bangers & mash, Yorkshire pudding, steak & kidney pie.)
The next day was all meetings followed by fantastic Italian dinner, then another morning of meetings and back on a plane. Not enough time, but since work footed most of the bill I can't really complain.
Other miscellany:
... while I hate hate hate seeing shows at Joe's Pub, Neko Case was phenomental enough to make up for it.
... Chip Kidd's new book looks interesting.
... visiting G's friend in Red Bank, I developed a nagging jealousy of his study: a room devoted to perfectly curated bookshelves, a wide comfortable chair, and an angled reading lamp. Impossible in Manhattan... sigh.
... tonight, U2!!! Tomorrow, Jersey.
Happy Thanksgiving, Americans...
As of three days before I thought I'd have something like forty-eight hours there, most of those working, and so I really made no plans. But as it happened, I was able to squeeze in a couple of extra days and get a little touristy taste of the place.
The head cold I'd been battling all week kept me from getting much sleep on the overnight flight, so I was a bit dazed when I arrived at my hotel at 10 AM, four hours early for check-in. I headed out to wander the streets, so similar to and yet slightly different from New York. By about noon, with cranky feet, swimmy head, and two hours to go until I could retreat to a hotel room, I actually got on one of those double-decker sightseeing buses. I always roll my eyes at them in New York, but it did turn out to be the perfect thing. I bundled up, blew my nose, snapped pictures, and listened to the thankfully dry and non-jovial guide as the bus went from sight to sight: "on your left, the Tower of London, where several queens lost their heads."
Early dinner and bed that night, up the next day to try the Underground. I was expecting some confusion, but the London system seems a thousand times simpler and more straightforward than New York's. (In fact, much of the city seems geared to smoothing things along for the idiot American, down to the "LOOK LEFT" and "LOOK RIGHT" signs painted on the curb.) I made it easily to Bankside, walked across the Millennium Bridge, and spent most of the day at the Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern. The Tate building was impressive (a cavernous converted power station), but most of the collection was being re-hung. I wondered about beauty and modern art as I walked through the Nude and History exhibitions.
Back across and under the river for a quick up-close eyeball of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey as the sun went down. And then, shopping, since my hotel was smack in the middle of Oxford Street retail mania. Finished the evening with, yes, fish and chips. (Other typically British things consumed on this trip: bangers & mash, Yorkshire pudding, steak & kidney pie.)
The next day was all meetings followed by fantastic Italian dinner, then another morning of meetings and back on a plane. Not enough time, but since work footed most of the bill I can't really complain.
Other miscellany:
... while I hate hate hate seeing shows at Joe's Pub, Neko Case was phenomental enough to make up for it.
... Chip Kidd's new book looks interesting.
... visiting G's friend in Red Bank, I developed a nagging jealousy of his study: a room devoted to perfectly curated bookshelves, a wide comfortable chair, and an angled reading lamp. Impossible in Manhattan... sigh.
... tonight, U2!!! Tomorrow, Jersey.
Happy Thanksgiving, Americans...