Final Word

I saw this quote by Henry James at the Museum of London and think it is the most appropriate to end my blog about my time in London:

It is not a pleasant place:
It is not agreeable
or cheerful
or easy
or exempt from reproach.
It is only MAGNIFICENT.

Victoria Embankment Gardens

Right beside the Embankment tube station, I stumbled on what I can only describe as the most enchanting garden running along the river-- Victoria Embankment Gardens.  I could have stayed there all day.

Biking It

London has this great bike rental program all over the city-- and people really take advantage of it.  You can have your "own" bike for not much money and easy "storage."

Moshi Monsters

My oldest niece is a HUGE Moshi Monsters fan, and while I was in London I saw these two Moshi Monsters promotations:

Moshi Monster egg from the Big Egg Hunt.



Some sort of promotional bus at Covent Garden. 
(They were packing up for the night so I don't know what all they had.)



The Faberge Big Egg Hunt

For the last few months London has had this big outdoor art exhibition called "The Faberge Big Egg Hunt."  http://www.thebigegghunt.co.uk/  Like the cows in Chicago or the fish in Richmond, there were huge, decorated eggs on display all over town for you to "find." 

Here are some of my favorite ones I saw:

Hiranya Garbha - The Golden Egg

Pretty Polly

Egg Race

London Eye

When my friend Chris was in town one of the things we did was the London Eye.  I'd never been on it before, but I would highly recommend it!  Here are some pictures I took:

Looking east

 Buckingham Palace

Look, kids!  Big Ben, Parliment!

My Views

By popular demand, it has been requested that I post pictures of what I see here everyday.  So, here we go:

This is the street I live on, St. Johns Wood High Street.

It's actually very charming during the day-- people walking their dogs, walking children to school, drinking coffee at an outdoor cafe, vendors setting-up their flowers, storeshops opening, etc.

Just on this street there are bakeries/coffee shops, a butcher, a drug store, a deli, charity shops (thrift stores), restaurants, a bank, high-end clothing stores, salons, a florist, a dry-cleaner, and a wine shop (that I can think of).

I have felt very safe here both days and nights.

My favorite local pub, the Duke of York.

My local grocery store.

This is my local Tube stop, only a couple of blocks from my flat.

This is my Tube stop for work.  (The station isn't so much under renovation as there's a building being built next to it.)

This is the view from our office windows.  (Occupy London)

Apparently People Have to be Reminded

I pass this poster every day in the Tube station at work.


On a related note, evidentally until very recently you could have an OPEN container of alcohol ON the train! 

The Friendliest Day of the Year

On St. Patrick's Day, my visiting friend Chris and I went to Trafalgar Square to take in the festivities. 

Tons and TONS of people; very good people watching.

As a matter of fact, there were SO many people that they actually had poor policemen stationed IN the fountain to keep (drunken) morons out.  (See them in the bright yellow vests?)

While I was looking around an Oxfam charity shop I came across this old board game: Snakes and Ladders.  The board looked exactly like a Chutes and Ladders board, except instead of chutes there were snakes. 

Was 'Chutes and Ladders' originally 'Snakes and Ladders'??  I think the change was a good move.

Camden Market

A few Saturdays ago I went to Camden Market to see what was there.  It was PACKED, and the people watching was fabulous!  (I wish I had pictures of some of the people I saw.)  There were lots of tourists, but the locals were much more interesting.  There were mohawks, and bouffants; and those really high, spikey boots that KISS wears.  And it was kind of... gritty to me.  No wonder Amy Winehouse lived around here.

I Want One!

I want a Muppet that looks like me!

(Did this promotion run in the Gap Kids in the States too, and I just wasn't aware of it?)

Our Team Mascot

The office I'm working in while in London only has about 25 people.  Everyone's desk is essentially in one big, open room with conference rooms and a kitchen to the sides.

When I first started I noticed this cat figure set outside the kitchen door.  I thought, "Huh, kind of odd decor but okay."  Didn't think much about it again.  After a week or so I noticed the cat had "moved" to a very different location in the office; then I noticed the cat was moving about every week-- on the counter in the kitchen, by the bookcase, on the managing director's conference table, etc.  Apparently, he's kind of the group's "mascot," and nobody really knows (or at least says) who moves or decides where the cat goes next.

(I miss my cat.)

Chinese New Year

Not very long after the end of Chinese New Year, my friend Devvya and her husband took me to Chinatown to have... Chinese food.  It was so cool how everything was decorated!

Beautiful Sight

A few weeks back it snowed just enough to cover everything in a light blanket of white.  I thought it was particularly beautiful in the little park down the street from my flat. 

For an adult who has to make it to work, it was the best kind of snow because it barely stuck to the roads, and it was gone by the afternoon.

Everybody has to have a gimmick

Even this local private hospital advertises they offer ILLY brand coffee inside.  (In case you needed a better reason to visit the hospital.)

Look at this awesome grocery bag I got at M&S!

It's a quote from Oscar Wilde.  And it's not even a WINE bag (like you might think it should be).

Sugar Loaf Mountain

My VERY short business trip to Dublin took us to our meeting hotel of Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt outside of town.

The only non-boring/non-work-related pictures I got to take were of the nearby Sugar Loaf Mountain early in the morning from my hotel room.

(I get to go back at the beginning of March, and hope to stay a few extra days to take in the sites.  I should have more pics then.)

Whitecross Street Market

One weekday my co-workers took me to the Whitecross Street Market, not very far from our work.  I was envisioning a street market with a couple of vendors, no big deal.... WOW!  There were A TON of food vendors with EVERY type of yummy goodness you could imagine!  It was so difficult to decide, but I finally went with a chicken and tofu curry and rice (served in an aluminum bread pan; which ended up covering lunch, dinner, and lunch the next day).

(Do you have any idea how hard it was NOT to get a cookie, too??)

Baker Street Station

On my Tube commute I have to change trains at one station, Baker Street.  221b Baker Street is arguably the most famous address-- belonging to a person who never existed.  Despite the fact he is a fictional character, Sherlock Holmes has quite a bit of notoriety in London-- especially on the real Baker Street.

I've been a fan since I was 17, and I'm glad to see Sherlock Holmes's popularity has not waivered in the last 125 years.  As a matter of fact, these tiles are all over the Underground Station at Baker Street reminding you as you pass where you are.

BIG Ben

It's so big, it almost looks fake up-close.  (Does that make any sense?)

Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan is the name of a deli/diner/restaurant on St Johns Wood High Street that's been serving kosher meats and other foods since 1948.  (No relation to the recently departed M*A*S*H* actor.)  They serve things like tongue sandwiches, jellied calf's foot, and liver and onions.  Luckily for me they also serve breakfast all day-- including "American" pancakes with blueberries.  As I sat enjoying my pancakes and coffee I read some news articles on the wall about the history of the place. 

Apparently Harry Morgan was started by a butcher; and the restaurant stayed in the family until about 2000.  In 2001 the place went under renovation but kept the menu and friendly service.  It's a pretty unassuming place, which is apparently why it is frequented by George Michael (who reportedly loves their salt beef sandwiches), Kate Moss, Minnie Driver, and Sir Paul McCartney who lives just a few streets over.

Look what's outside my Tube stop...

Welcome!

My London co-workers are so nice!  They gave me these beautiful flowers after I had to make a presentation to them about what I would be doing there for the next three months.  (Pretty nice reward for having to talk in front of people!)

(The flowers are on my desk; and in the background you can see what kind of open-layout the office is like.)

Mind the Gap

Monday was my first day commuting to my "new" job.  My co-worker, Suzan, was nice enough to meet me at my Tube station and ride with me in so I wouldn't get lost.  (There is one train change on my route.)  My commute takes about 20 minutes which, while not bad, is a lot longer than my usual 8 minute commute in Cville.