Tag: Travel

Britain, Expat, Friends, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend June 9, 2014June 8, 2014

An after the fact adventure in Little Venice

“There’s nothing––absolutely nothing––half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.”
― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind In The Willows

Katie and Adam have left the typically-less-sunny-climes of London for the infinitely sunnier climes of California as Adam finishes up the last leg of his business program. We’re missing our buddies, but lucky we got to hang out with them one last time in Little Venice for a weekend market and festival.

Little Venice is a portion of Victorian canals in Paddington, that is about as charming an area of London as you could possibly find. It’s packed full of Edwardian houses, beautiful houseboats, and lovely (if somewhat pricey) restaurants.

Some of the houseboats have been transformed into businesses, even though most are still residences, it’s kind of impressive to see what people can create in a limited space. (In other words, I have no excuses not to have our flat in order.)

This one was turned into a second-hand bookstore, but I saw artist galleries, full cafes, shops, and I’m pretty sure at least one yoga studio. Resident house/boat cats abound, there were full gardens on the roofs of boats, and many captains hats to be seen. I approve all of this.

There’s an entire culture related to houseboat dwelling in London, and I wish I knew more about it! Just wandering around Regent’s Canal, there was a common style of dress, a shared aesthetic taste (a colorful, out-of-time sense of color and composition that clearly calls back to the days when the canals were first built and used). Houseboat doors were open to reveal furniture that intentionally rustic rather than modern, crockery on display like old farm kitchens. It’s an interesting take on minimalist or small home living.

Frankly there are few better ways to spend a weekend than wandering through the city, eating from food stalls and ending up in Hyde Park for a long talk over cheese and olives.

Britain, Expat, Humor, London, Travel May 28, 2014May 28, 2014

London Snapshot

“London is a modern Babylon.”
– Benjamin Disraeli

It’s be a crazy couple of days here at SDS headquarters, but thanks to everyone who emailed or tweeted me about my last post. It was a bit scary to write, but the response really overwhelmed me, in a positive way. I’ll try to address it more articulately in a day or two, in the meantime we return you to your regularly scheduled programing. History, London, freelancing, and humor. Oh, and pics.

Where bad (or perhaps very good) skateboards go to die: a pylon in the Thames.

Britain, History, Humor, London, Travel May 24, 2014

(Awesome) Public Service Announcement

“I would not be a queen for all the world.”
– Shakespeare, Henry VIII

Just popping in quickly to share this incredible Tube advert that stopped me in my tracks. History, humor, health – do we ask for anything more, minions? No. We do not.

Humor, London, Travel May 22, 2014May 11, 2014

The Doors of Spitalfields

“I feel very adventurous. There are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them.”
― Elizabeth Taylor

I will gladly live at either of these addresses. Anyone?

Britain, Expat, Food, Friends, Humor, London, Travel May 20, 2014May 18, 2014

London Barbeque

“Whenever I travel to the South, the first thing I do is visit the best barbecue place between the airport and my hotel. An hour or two later I visit the best barbecue place between my hotel and dinner.”
― Jeffrey Steingarten, The Man Who Ate Everything

Carnaby Street is justly famous, but running parallel to it is an equally fabulous path called Newburgh Street. This gem is stuffed with excellent stores and, what else, food. Welcome, kittens, to Pitt Cue, an actual barbeque joint in the heart of Soho.

It’s paradoxical perhaps, but it’s quite a good idea in London to pick a place to eat based on how long the line is – in reverse order. If no one’s trying to eat there, there’s probably a reason. And if you have to stand in line for 30-45 minutes, it’s generally well worth the wait. Pitt Cue is no different. This small (almost unbelievably tiny) rib place accepts no reservation and operates on a first come, first serve basis.

The table markers used to confirm your spot on the waiting list are also kind of adorable.

When Jeff and I made plans to meet up with Adam for dinner (lo these many months ago, and I’ve just now got around to writing about it…), we had a decent wait before they managed to squeeze us inside. This almost was worse than waiting outside because due to lack of standing space I was crammed up at the bar entrance, almost behind the counter, and having to dodge the waiters and their trays full of truly heroic/suicidal amounts of whiskey – which Pitt Cue stocks in famous amounts and which I had no desire to see spilled all over me. It was a narrow escape. But the food immediately made up for the danger, we snacked on an order of pig’s crackling which promised good things to come, and checked out the scene.

Which, due to the aforementioned tininess wasn’t very viewer friendly…I was about seven feet away from the door.

Except for this gentleman and his heavy use of plaid, which tickled us all to no end. Where does his shirt end and his jacket begin, we wondered!

In the end we were served a delicious twist on slaw, heavy on the spice, and a plate each of brisket. Jeff and I became brisket snobs in Utah of all places, where we discovered a magnificent hole in the wall of a place that ended up supplying at least one meal a week during high summer. And my parents in Virginia certainly have access to their share of tasty meats for us to enjoy, so how would a London attempt hold up?

The fact that I got to this point before even thinking to snap a picture ought to tell you. My line theory is confirmed: this place is worth a wait!

Britain, Expat, Humor, London, Travel May 19, 2014May 19, 2014

London Snapshot

“Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner,
That I love London so
Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner
That I think of her wherever I go
I get a funny feeling inside of me
Just walking up and down
Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner
That I love London town.”
-Hubert Gregg

From my balcony. Still not sick of the view.

Britain, Expat, London, Travel May 12, 2014May 11, 2014

Night Walk On The Thames

“London, thou art the flower of cities all! Gemme of all joy, jasper of jocunditie”
-William Dunbar

I live three minutes away from the Thames via leisurely stroll (which technically forfeits my right to complain about anything ever). Not only is the pretty great in and of itself, but the Thames is a fascinatingly historic river in a fascinatingly historic city. Come wandering with me this week as I show you a bit of the fantastic history within twenty minutes of my flat.

Today, a late night amble with few words to get in the way.

St Paul’s after dark.

Blackfriars Bridge puts on a light show.

The view out of the front door of Jeff’s office. We hate him, yes?

Tower Bridge lit up for your pleasure.

Britain, Expat, History, Humor, London, Travel May 6, 2014April 21, 2014

London Snapshot

“I like the spirit of this great London which I feel around me.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Villette

Expat, Food, Humor, London, Travel May 5, 2014April 21, 2014

Burgers and the Reluctant Island Girl

“Sitting on the porch alone, listening to them fixing supper, he felt again the indignation he had felt before, the sense of loss and the aloneness, the utter defenselessness that was each man’s lot, sealed up in his bee cell from all the others in the world. But the smelling of boiling vegetables and pork reached him from the inside, the aloneness left him for a while. The warm moist smell promised other people lived and were preparing supper.”
– James Jones, From Here to Eternity

I’ve written before about my teenage years living on a Pacific island – admittedly mostly focusing on the typhoons and earthquakes. It seems like sacrilege, or at least the height of ingratitude to admit this, but I didn’t really enjoy my time there. Most of my friends loved it (I mean, obviously, C. it was a tropical island, what was your problem?), but it was simply a hard place to live at the time for me. I left a good school, an amazing magnet program for my writing, Latin as a course option, and a lot of other thriving programs that I missed as a teenager, and even somewhat resented giving up.

Of course in retrospect lots of my island life was good. I’m still in touch with only two teachers from my youth, one of them is from that new high school. I was able to travel throughout Asia and Australia. My worldview, already decently large thanks to my dad’s international career, was blown open even wider. A lot of good came out of living there, but it remains one of my least favorite dwelling places.

But one thing that I will unabashedly gush over about island living (apart from the amazing cultural diversity and outrageously gorgeous and wonderful people) is the food. Until you’ve slaughtered, cleaned, and buried a whole pig in a pit to roast out in the jungle while bundling up tapioca pudding bundles or freshly caught fish in palm leaves to cook in the coals, while your neighbors from at least a dozen different cultures whip up their own delicacies and dishes around you, – you have not lived.

As a result, I’m always brought to a stop when anything remotely Polynesian catches my eye while on the prowl for good eats. I’m used to seeing such joints in California and the west, but you can imagine how surprised I was to stumbled upon a Hawaiian restaurant…in the middle of Soho!

Minions, meet Kua ‘Aina. Kua ‘Aina, minions. Charmed!

Kua ‘Aina operates locations in Hawaii, Japan, and…weirdly London – all modeled on their original North Shore location which opened in the 1970s. President Obama is said to be a fan, he famously orders the half pound avocado burger and has been known to treat his traveling staff to To Go orders, and I can see why. From kitschy decor to a fun atmosphere, it’s simply a fun place to be.

No matter the London weather, the boss and all the servers are decked in (what else?) Hawaiian shirts and greet visitors with a big, “Aloha!” On Guam they say, “Hafa Adai” but the sentiment is the same, and I was surprisingly chipper to hear an island greeting after so long!

Burgers and breakfast are their specialties, both mixed with the delicious cultural cross section of taste that is island cuisine. Teriyaki, pineapple, and seafood all put in appearances. But the real reason I had to share this joint on the blog is for the single, solitary reason that they make the best sweet potato fries I have found to date in this city! As something of a self-proclaimed obsessive about such food stuffs, this is a big deal, kittens.

Kua ‘Aina is located just behind the famous Liberty of London, just off the equally famous Carnaby Street, at:
26 Foubert’s Place
London
W1F 7PP

‘Fess up, have you ever lived in a place you didn’t love? And did anything (like food) mitigate the circumstances for you?

Britain, Expat, History, Humor, London, Travel May 1, 2014May 1, 2014

Return to 4 Princelet Street!

“You are now In London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow
At once is deaf and loud, and on the shore
Vomits its wrecks, and still howls on for more
Yet in its depth what treasures!”
– P.B. Shelley

My ducklings, my precious, precious kittens! Something kind of incredible happened!

As part of the long, lovely weekend when Caitlin came into town from Paris, we ran away to Spitalfields on a Saturday to wander and eat food – two of my favorite things. I wanted to show her my favorite dilapidated old house and press my face against its dirty windows again, but when I rounded the corner to Princelet Street, I stopped short.

The door was wide open.
“Is something going on?” Caitlin asked.
“No idea, let’s find out,” I exclaimed and practically dragged her in the front door.

We were met by a couple of members of a film crew who seemed perplexed to have two insistent Yankee girls descend on them but I quickly exclaimed my love for the house and asked if we could just look around it for a few minutes. Which is how Caitlin and I were taken around the house by a VP and Series Producer of 3DD Productions and given a sneak peak into their work on upcoming series, Raiders of the Lost Art, which explores how many of the world’s great art treasures have simply vanished.

I worried perhaps that the inside would disappoint compared to the gorgeous decay of the outside…it didn’t! The basement was too dark for my phone (when will I learn to sling my camera on my shoulder before leaving the house?!) and of course I’m not going give you any sneak peeks of the Raiders set. You’ll have to wait to see them on TV.

Light switches from the early days of electricity, old toilets with chain pull flushes, creaky floors and stairs, textiles that have shredded or sagged with age, and dust covering everything with a light veil of mystery. It’s a perfect set for film (I’ve actually identified a few scenes from recent TV programs as having been shot there, including A Very British Murder with my professional girl crush, Dr. Lucy Worsley). We could have been in Miss Havisham’s cozier, less bridal casual rooms.