Watford W.O.M.P. April 14, 2007

One of my British coworkers, who I have southernized by changing his name to Bobby John, has a side project called WOMP, Word of Mouth Promotions. He and some friends put on different shows in their town of Watford. These shows showcase different types of art (music, poetry, art, etc) all done by local people. This weekend, there was an event where local bands were playing so I told myself I had to go and see what the locals of Watford had to offer.

As Watford is a good 30 miles outside of the city, I had to tube it to the Euston station and then get on a land train to Watford. Bobby John had warned me that there were two types of trains, the express that stopped at 5 stops in 30 minutes time and the regular which stopped at every stop and took 50 minutes. As I am new to the train system, I couldn’t really tell the difference and figured I would just get on the first one I could find. Wouldn’t you know it, I got on the regular train. 20 or so stops and 50 minutes later, I finally ended up in Watford. I am sure that if it were daylight, it would have been a beautiful ride. I did get to meet a few of the locals so it was worth the extra time.

Once I got to Watford, I grabbed a cab to get me to the event even though it was in a fairly close walking distance. I enjoy talking to cab drivers and getting the lay of the land. This particular cabby was great and gave some recommendations on where I should spend some time outside of the music event if I were to hang out in Watford proper.

Bobby John was manning the door at the event so he was the first person I ran into. He was actually the only person I ran into the entire night that I knew to be truthful. I grabbed a drink and made my way to the front of the auditorium where one of the artists was already playing. I am not sure if you would call him a one or two man show as there was a singer with a man behind him on a Mac computer who was mixing the tunes. He had a Matisyahu (the singing/rapping Rabi) about him. The next band to come on was awesome, although at this moment I cant seem to remember their name. In my mind, I felt I was watching one of the early Rolling Stone performances when they were in high school.

The crowd was very much a mix of people. On the side lines were the biggest supports of the groups, their parents. Throughout the night, they had to be my favorite group of people as they knew every line to every song and sang their hearts out. Then there were a couple of younger groups who filled in the middle of the auditorium.

As the band finished up their last set, I decided it was getting late and if I were to see all that Watford had to offer, I had better head out. I said my farewell to Bobby John and told him I was off to see the town. He recommended I not visit a club called Destiny, which of course put that at the top of my list of places to go. The auditorium opened directly on to the Watford promenade so it wasn’t that hard to find my way around. I walked down the row of club after club after club with a few fast food eateries here and there. One club had a line of 30 people waiting outside and wouldn’t you know it, it was Destiny. I guess that is THE hot spot in Watford. Who knew that Watford was such a clubbing town? As I wasn’t in the mood to dance, I figured I had seen and conquered Watford and knew it was time to call it a night and head back to the city.

April 10, 2007

Oh, how time flies when you are having fun. It seems like just yesterday that mom and dad arrived. I took them up to Sloane Square this morning to grab a cab and head over to Victoria to grab the express back to Gatwick. It was a fun week and we made a ton of memories.

Getting in the Cab 1
Getting In the Cab 2

A Night At The Ritz April 9, 2007

This was mom and dads last full day in London and we had a lot to do so we hit the road early. The one problem with this plan was that we didn’t realize that the majority of stores and sites were closed today in observance of Easter Sunday. Those that would be open wouldn’t open until noon so we had a little time on our hands. We decided to walk around some of the side streets in my neighborhood and find some of the nooks and crannies we had yet to discovery. Dad found some toys for Syd and Brody (see pic below).

After wandering around, we got a little hungry and found a crepe place in South Kensington. We then walked on to Harrods only to find that it too was closed for the holiday. This led us to thinking of places that we could visit that weren’t required to be open, Buckingham Palace. The holiday and beautiful weather brought the rest of the tourists out as well so the palace and surrounding parks were packed. From the palace, we made our way around the city visiting all the tourist shops along the way. Dad had been on the hunt for a walking stick, similar to what man of the men here carry. I knew of a shop but once we got there, we found it to be closed. To our amazement, one of the guys who works in the shop was working some over time hours on the weekend and let us in to browse the store since mom and dad were leaving the next day. Dad ended up buying a really nice Chestnut stick. There is supposedly some history between the Chestnut tree and London which I still need to do a little research on to get the full story.

This brings us to our big event, Tea at the Ritz. We headed over to the Ritz a little early as coat and tie were required and these are two items dad did not bring. Luckily the Ritz has a few on reserve for just such occasions and they were nice enough to lend a matching coat and tie to dad for the evening. They start the meal off with a glass of champagne and follow that with as much tea and/or coffee as you like. This was my downfall for the evening as I drank an entire pot by myself and got no sleep. For food the main course was a variety of sandwiches which kept coming all evening. For dessert, we had scones with clotted crème and jam as well as a variety of small pastries. I had also called ahead to let them know we were celebrating mom and dads 36th anniversary so we also received a special chocolate mousse cake. Another great ending to a great day.

Presents for Sid and Bro
Mom and Dad at Harrods
Mom and Dad in the Park
Dad at the Stick Store
Mom and Dad at the Flat
Chilling at the Ritz
The Anniversary Cake
More Jewelrey Shopping

A Full English Day April 8, 2007

Since I arrived in London, I have been told that I must try a full English breakfast. Well, since I am so close to the end my stay, I moved that up to the top of my to do list while mom and dad were here. We found a little restaurant down the street from my place which offered a traditional English breakfast for only £3. That is cheap! For those who don’t know, a traditional English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausage, hash browns and toast and all must be fried in a skillet. Yes, it is a heart attack waiting to happen but it was delicious.

From there, we got on the tube and headed eastward to check out Borough Market. This is one of my favorite places in town and a definite tour stop for all those who have never been. I think I have already covered this in a previous blog entry so I will skip over the details. From the market, we headed over to one of my favorite local pubs so dad could try the Turkey and Stuffing flavored crisps. We were still full from dinner so we put them away and I believe he ate them on the flight back to Houston.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon retracing some of our steps from the previous Saturday walking the Strand, Charing Cross, Trafalgar, a beer stop at Texas Embassy and ending up at Piccadilly Circus where we visited Fortnum and Mason. Dad and I stood in line a while to get some chocolate but the service was a little backed up so we gave up.

We were feeling the effects of walking all day so we decided to head home. Along the way, we found the street which lead to the US Embassy so we opted for a detour. After checking out the embassy, we headed on down the road to a great Mayfair pub called the Audrey. This is another nice place to add to your list if you are ever in town. We had a pint here and headed home with one last pit stop at the local Lebanese place for dinner. We stayed in the rest of the night and watched movies. Such family bonding.

Dad at the Beer Counter 1
Dad at the Beer Counter 2
Mom and Dad at Texas Cantina
Dad at Rolex
Mom and Dad Shopping for Me
Dads New Car
The US Embassy
Dads New Toilet
Me and Dad Enjoying a Pint
Anniversary at the Dorchester
Strawberrys and Champagne

Good Friday April 7, 2007

We kicked off the holiday weekend with a trip to one of Londons most famous landmarks, the Tower of London. Before we got there, we did a little detour to the oldest wall in London. It was the marking for the original city limit built by the Romans in 200AD. Very cool landmark.

Heading over to the tower, we had two goals in mind. We wanted to see the crown jewels and the torture chamber. Ha! Talk about a well rounded experience. We walked through some of the old living quarters and then made our way over to the crown jewels. They are really amazing but I would say that today’s rap stars have much better jewels. From there we headed over to the Bloody Tower which is now somewhat of a memorial to the two prices who were supposedly killed there as children. We didn’t find any notes about Anne Boleyn although she is one of the most famous people to be killed at the Tower.

From there, we headed out towards the most famous bridge in London, Tower Bridge. This is the bridge most people mistake for the London Bridge. While it is not as old as the Tower or London, it is just as beautiful. I love that they took the time and effort to build a bridge to mirror the surrounding environment rather than just throw up a cheap bridge (like the London Bridge).

Since we were close to an area we had discovered on our pub tour from earlier in the week, we headed over to the Black Friars for a drink and some chips. This was a nice little pit stop to get us energized and we hit the road again for an afternoon of shopping. All that shopping brought us back into my neck of the woods and we made the decision to have Italian food for dinner. We weren’t so lucky on this mission and after an hour or so of hunting for a restaurant; we ended up at the closest thing to Italian, Pizza Express. Another great ending to a great day.

The Oldest Wall
Mom and Dad at the Tower
Mom and Dad at the Bridge
Princess with his beers
Ladies on a Bus

Smelly Day Out April 6, 2007

Today was one of our most relaxed days. I say relaxed from my point of view as all I did was go to work. I think mom and dad did some walking, tubing, and busing around the city. For lunch, they met me at the office and I took them to a little hole in the wall fish and chips join near Covent Garden called the Rock and Sole Plaice. It was the best F&C we have had and we carried the smell with us for the remainder of the day. I walked back into the office and everyone commented on the odor.

After work, mom and dad met me back at the office and went to a great little Indian place off of the Seven Dials. Of all the places I have tried around town, I keep coming back to this little place as it continues to be the best. This meal caused our bodies to smell thanks to the high amounts of curry but we didn’t mind as that was our final destination for the day.

Thursday was a similar low key day without the smelly food. For lunch we hit a local burger joint called Ultimate Burger. This is the place to go for a good burger. Do not go to Gourmet Burger as they aren’t known for their cleanliness. Mom enjoyed Wagamama from Tuesday night so we revisited that for dinner and then walked Sloane Street and did a little window shopping at Tiffany’s and Cartier. What a night.

A Wicked Anniversary April 4, 2007

Happy 36th Anniversary Mom and Dad
I planned on waking mom and dad up for breakfast in bed but dad beat me to it, the waking up part, not the breakfast in bed. They met me for lunch and we headed to a little pub next to the office and had a nice warm lunch as it was a rainy day.

We met up after work for a quick bite to eat at Wagamama before heading over to the Victoria Apollo Theater to watch Wicked. I must say, both mom and dad were rather adventurous at dinner. Dad tried a few of the Asian beers while mom went all out and tried a spicy noodle dish filled with chicken and veggies. Even more to my surprise was how much she enjoyed it. For those who don’t know my mom, she is not known to each much outside of chicken and chicken.

After our adventurous meal, we headed over to the theater for our big night out. The performance was even better than I remembered it being the first time around. I think the British accents. The one draw back was that we didn’t get any ice-cream during the intermission since we had eaten so much good food for dinner. We read in one of our tour guides that this was a must when going to one of the big performances. Ha! So much for the days of champagne and fur coats.

Pub Crawling April 3, 2007

I worked all day while mom and dad did their first day alone on the town. We met up for lunch around my office and grabbed a bite at Pizza Express. I knew dad would enjoy their salad which comes with their special house dressing. From there, they were off again for more adventure. I believe they spent most of the afternoon at Harrods and the V&A.

After work, I met up with them at Blackfriars (a tube stop) to join one of the walking tours. This one was a pub walk along the Thames. As with all the tours, we had a blast while getting educated on the history around the area. (see description below). Dad and I ventured out and tried all the local brews at each venue. Mom was our designated walker but I recall that she did get a cider at one shop.

From the tour, we headed back to my neighborhood and did a late night dinner at my local Arabic restaurant. As always, it was a great meal and we smelled of garlic for the remainder of the night.

Along the Thames Pub Walk:
If you only have time for one walking tour, this is the one to go on – it’s the classic London pub walk. It takes in London’s last remaining galleried coaching inn, its best riverside walkway, its oldest market, the finest art nouveau pub in England, the most sensational art gallery in the world (on Fridays we pop inside for a quick look!), the church where Harvard University’s founder was baptized, and an 18th-century pub that brews its own beer – plus lashings of Shakespeare, a jot of Dickens, lots of pub lore, and London’s best skyline panorama. It gets better. Because there’s also the recently discovered remains of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (and its sister playhouse The Rose)…and the thrilling, thatch-roofed reproduction that’s risen, Phoenix-like, only a stone’s throw away. Let alone the astonishing replica of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hinde, the ship that the great Elizabethan mariner sailed around the world over 400 years ago. Anchored there in the murky Thames, its timbers creaking eerily in the misty London night and The Globe just yards away…it’s a ghost ship lost in time. Go on this walk.

Blackfriars

Apples and Pears April 2, 2007

This was the second big day for the Stevens family. After getting up and getting dressed, we all headed down Kings Rd. to a local pastry shop called the West Cornwall Bakery. Mom opted for her usual croissant while dad and I got a little more adventurous and split the steak, cheese & veggie croissant. It was definitely worth trying but not sure I would order it again…

From there, we headed off for a day of adventure in East London. Our first top was Spitafields Market. It is only open on Sundays so we figured it was a must see. We wandered through the stalls and made our way out on the other side of the market to one of the oldest pubs in London which was also the site of one of Jack the Rippers murders. Of course we had to go in! We had a pint, used their loo and then hit the road as we were due to meet up with a walking tour.

Today’s tour was called The Unknown East End. It was really an entertaining walk as you can see the history of the area layered through culture. For centuries, it has been the landing point of many of the immigrants. We also learned a little bit of cockney rhyme but it still makes no sense to me so it is nothing I can explain. The title of this email means “Stairs” in cockney. How they get that, I just don’t know. For those who are visiting London and have time, I recommend this walk.

The tour ended just off one the largest Indian neighborhoods in London, Brick Lane. We figured we would stop in one of the nice little restaurants and find some of London’s national dish, chicken tikka missala. We did, and it was good. We had a bit of odd people watching, if you would call it that, out the window of the restaurant. Some kids in a building across the street where throwing eggs on people as they walked by. They only hit two girls and it was so sad. Everyone around them acted like they didn’t see anything happen.

By this point we were getting a little tired from the long day out so we headed back to my neighborhood and ventured on to the local grocery store. We ended our evening watching Monsoon Wedding. If you haven’t seen this movie, rent it. The story line is interesting but it is known for all the beautiful colors.

The Unknown East End:
Showtime! The East End is street markets, boxing and old style gangsters. It’s Darkest Victorian London, Jack the Ripper, gin palaces and the Elephant Man freak shows. It’s18th-century coaching inns, Dick Turpin and bare knuckle fighters. It’s both Fort Vallance – home of the infamous Kray twins – and the beginnings of the Salvation Army. It’s Russian revolutionaries and the unemployed tailors” presser who shot three London policemen to become a national hero. It’s L for leather, trouble and strife and have a butcher’s at that whistle…yup, you’re going to hear – and learn – some Cockney rhyming slang. If you want the colorful and the bizarre, the strange and the unusual, this is one fine ball of chalk.

Queen Alexandria Memorial
Religon Side by Side
Mom and Dad in the flowers
The Monument

The Longest Day April 1, 2007

Mom and dad arrived right on time yesterday. It sounds like about five other flights arrived at the same time which got them caught in immigration for a good hour. Then they headed my way. I messed up and didn’t give them the local version of my number (requires an additional digit) so they sat at the local train station for a little while waiting on me. Luckily I am #1 and easily forgiven. We made our way back to my place and mom decided she needed a short nap before we headed out for a day of adventures. Dad and I ran over to one of the local markets to pick up a bite to eat. Then we returned home where he passed out as well.

I let them sleep for an hour or so then woke them up and told them they could sleep when they are old. The bus us my favorite mode of transportation at the moment, so we hopped on a double decker and headed off. We got off just before Piccadilly Circus and found an incredible little shop called La Maison du Chocolat. You know dad and I couldn’t resist that place. We tested a few items while standing around and then made a wonderful dark chocolate ganache purchase. From there, we walked on to Piccadilly Circus.

After taking in all the advertising at PC, we decided to head over to Trafalgar. On the way, we ran into a great little bar called the Texas Embassy Cantina. I think I am the only person to enjoy such a place but oh well. We enjoyed some Mexican beer and chips and salsa. What a great way for mom and dad to begin their European vacation. At Trafalgar, we found the spot where dad took a picture with Chris and me about 25 years ago. We tried to reenact the moment but I believe I was sitting on dad’s shoulders in the original picture. We did have Chris either so we just took a cute one of him and me.

From there, the afternoon went by pretty quickly. We walked down to see Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, hit a local pub, walked the Thames, hit another local pub and then headed up to Covent Garden.

By this time, I could tell mom and dad were beginning to fade but needed some good food. We decided to hit a traditional fish and chips joint but when we got to the place, it didn’t open for another 15 minutes. We headed across the street to grab a pint and enjoy the lovely weather. After finishing our drinks, the restaurant was open so we headed over for a great dinner at the North Sea Fish Restaurant. This is a good recommendation for any of you looking for a nice place to have dinner.

With full bellies and a minor case of jetlag, we headed back home and I put the kids to bed. They had a very successful first day out and have a full week of adventures awaiting them.

Texas Cantina
Phone Booth Peep Show
The Ladies
Lovers at Trafalgar