Paddling my kayak alone, London Day 2

Saturday morning, I woke up feeling well rested and ready to take on another day in London. First order of business: a memory card! I decided to head to Piccadilly Circus, because I figured I would be able to find something there since the tourists are out in droves. I found an independently owned photo shop, and I chatted it up with the owner. He knew my camera and told me a lot of things about it – then he showed me what he had in the way of memory cards. 40 pounds later, I had a 2 gig memory card. OUCH. I have learned to never make that mistake again.

However, he was a kind soul, and I felt better patronizing a local business. He even took a couple of pictures of me with my camera to show some different features and lighting.

My second stop was, of course, Leicester Square, for Saturday evening theater tickets. Again, I got hosed, lol. They advertised the tickets as being discounted, but the price I paid was higher than the face value. GRRRRR. I ended up with tickets to Sister Act, which was schedule to open a week later at the Palladium theater – another massive theater by London standards. I did get a good seat though – row L, front and center.

My third stop was Waterstones books, on a mission for the lovely Julie. Her daughter, Ava, loves the Ladybug books, and apparently they are really expensive in the US. They are 2-3 pounds in the UK, so Julie sent me a laundry list of the books she wanted for Ava. Two stores later, I had collected all of them. I decided to wander down Oxford Street to get back to my hotel, and there was a festival going on for the release of Night at the Museum. It was crazy! There was a parade and vendors and TONS of people. It was fun to see how caught up it everyone got, though it made navigating the streets a little difficult.

From there, I dropped off the books at the hotel and decided to head to Kensington Palace and Gardens. I had walked through this area on my first trip to London and embracing my inner nostalgia, I decided to head back. It was a beautiful day in London, and I wanted to be outside, soaking it all up! The gardens were BEAUTIFUL, and I loved photographing the beautiful flowers. There were also a few sweet old couples muttering sweet nothings to each other, so I just sat and watched. What a beautiful moment to share. You just wonder what their stories are and how they ended up there, too. At least, I do. ;-) I did spend quite a bit of time trying to stay far, far away from the bees though. They were out in numbers! I guess they enjoy beautiful weather, too.

I headed back to the hotel to rest my feet and get ready for the show. I always have a hard time remembering that London has a 7:30 curtain time for most shows. I headed down Regent Street to find an Italian restaurant that was written up in my guidebook, but I couldn’t find the side street for the life of me. I decided to see what was around the Palladium, and guess what I found? Wait for it… Bella Italia, again. I realized that I was probably bordering on the absurd visiting the same restaurant again, but they had outdoor seating and I knew the food was good. So, away I went. I did decide to order something different this time – I ordered their pizza, and it was excellent! Light and tasty, just like Italy! After dinner, I had a bit of time to kill, so I headed to the Apple store to check my email for free and ponder the beautiful iMac.

Sister Act was absolutely nothing like the movie with none of the same music – that was disappointing. BUT, as a standalone show, it was AWESOME. The cast was PHENOMENAL. The woman who played Delores, played by Patina Miller, had a set of pipes. She was SO talented. She is going to go FAR, trust me. It was a really fun show with beautiful sets and costumes, though it was inappropriate in the way that only British musicals can be inappropriate. It worked though – the show was excellent. I don’t know if it will make it to Broadway or not, but the London theatre scene LOVED it. They were on their feet before curtain calls even started. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a show that was as well received as Sister Act. The notable exception being Guys and Dolls, but the critics HATED that. It may not have any humdingers, but it’s still an entertaining show, once.

After the musical, I boarded a bus for Westminster Abby for my evening photo rounds. Unfortunately, I seemed to get off at the wrong stop, so I had quite a trek. Luckily, I know my way around fairly well, and I managed to get over there. I spent awhile taking pictures of Big Ben, wandering on both sides of Westminster Bridge. A guy and I made eyes at each other, but I started to get uncomfortable, so I headed off. He was probably a nice enough lad, but I was just dubious. I’m so not that girl. I don’t do well with it, at all.

I hopped on a bus shortly after midnight to head back to the hotel, knowing that the fountains at Trafalgar Square usually turn off at midnight. I stopped again at the Tesco Station and bought chocolate to enjoy back in my room. When I arrived at the hotel, there was clearly a big event going on – men in tuxes and women in the most gorgeous evening gowns I’ve ever seen. I pondered going to sit in the hotel bar and people watching, but I decided I really didn’t have the appropriate attire, so I retired for the night. Another beautiful day in London… and beautiful men before bed to boot! ;-)

Friday in London -- paddling my kayak alone...

Friday in London always starts the same for me. Heathrow Express to Paddington, black cab to Grosvenor House, and off to the West End for theater tickets and to email my mom from the visitor's center. I had planned to see what was available at the TKTS booth and play it by ear. When I arrived, there wasn’t much of a line, but there wasn’t much of a selection either. I headed across the street to another ticket outlet and picked up tickets for Wicked. I had hoped to see Dirty Dancing or Jersey Boys, but the seats weren’t too great, so I chose Wicked. Haven’t seen it in London, so it seemed like a good choice.

From Leicester Square, I decided to take a walk down memory lane and head to Kensington. On my first overnight trip to London, I stayed in a little hotel off Kensington High Street, and I wanted to go back and make sure everything is the same. There’s also some fun shopping off the High Street, including Laura Ashley. Everything is still the same – and The Muffin Man is still there! I was thrilled! The Boots (think CVS or Walgreens) over there is really nice, too. They even carry YSL cosmetics. Unfortunately, they didn’t have their prices listed, so I couldn’t compare costs. I wandered along Kensington High Street, pondered purchases at Laura Ashley (if I had only remembered that there’s a VAT refund!!), found a TJ Maxx (in London? Really?!), and eventually hopped on a bus headed towards Harrod’s for lunch. Believe it or not, Harrod’s has food stalls that are reasonably priced and tasty! I also wandered through the beautiful children’s department and lamented the fact that Kimberly is having a boy. They had the sweetest little girl clothes! It’s so fun to just wander around in there – I’ve been multiple times, and I always get lost, and I’m confident I haven’t seen a FRACTION of the whole place.

I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show, with the idea that I might just grab a pre-theater snack, and do a meal after the show. However, my stomach was disagreeing with that idea from the get go. The Apollo Theater isn’t as close to the West End as the other theaters, so I didn’t know of anything near the theater. As I started to wander, a branch of my little Italian restaurant found on my last trip caught my eye. Bella Italia it would be.

I decided to start with an appetizer of the Garlic Grossini, which was basically breadsticks served in olive oil and sprinkled with garlic. They were fairly tasty, but I know they have to be terrible for me. It did help to curb my appetite a little though. I ordered my standard – the linguine rustica. It was very fresh, warm, and the flavours were WONDERFUL. This is the best pasta dish – rich with flavor. One thing I love about the Bella Italia restaurants is how cosy they are. You just get a warm feeling from the moment you walk in the door. I spent the meal reading a newspaper and enjoying the company of myself. The waitress was incredibly kind.

Wicked. Oh Wicked, what can I say? I love you so much, but you just don’t seem to work with British accents. The staging was beautiful, the music is incredible, but the cast with British accents just doesn’t work. That being said, my discounted ticket was center stage, row T, and I had an excellent view of everything. The Apollo Theater is HUGE by London standards, so you’ll want the best seats you can afford. They had a water globe for sale that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and I seriously considered buying it to commemorate my trip. I decided it might be a hassle with TSA though.

After the show, I figured I’d walk from Victoria to Trafalgar Square to Westminster on a photo walk. Switched on the camera to photograph the Billy Elliott Theater and it started flashing at me: “NO CF card”. I FORGOT MY MEMORY CARD.

I wanted to cry. And kick myself. And I knew exactly where it was. Back home in my card reader.

First item on Saturday’s agenda: buy memory card.

I headed back to Grosvenor House by bus, stopping at the gas station for a PowerAde and a chocolate bar. Oh how I love European chocolate.

Luckily, my comfortable bed and beautifully appointed room soothed my feelings about forgetting the memory card. Grosvenor House is seriously the happiest place on Earth, though I am disappointed they got rid of the free computer in the lobby. You can now use the business center upstairs -- at a price.

"No minute gone ever comes back again. Take heed and see ye nothing do in vain." -- clever saying on a clock tower off Marlborough Street (shown above).

Persistence and the great ticket search!

My persistence has finally paid off! I found Mom, Ashley, and I tickets to see South Pacific at Lincoln Center without having to use a broker or ticket service! For weeks, Telecharge (the official box office) has listed this show as sold out. Today, while making the rounds to check tickets for Jersey Boys, Wicked, and South Pacific, I found tickets 5 rows from stage almost center orchestra!!!! I can’t wait! We’ll be seeing the Sunday matinee. How FUN is that?!?

Moral of the story?

Don’t ever give up. :-D

(This happened to me while looking for Wicked NY tickets in 2007... Sold out, sold out, sold out, until 2 premium seats opened up.)