The beginning of the week was pretty uneventful but one cool thing was that during work my boss Anthea took me to St. Paul’s Cathedral and I took a tour and walked as far up as I could. The very top part was closed until February but I did get some pretty cool views of the city. During the week I just took it easy and got ready because on Thursday the 4th of December Emma, Becky, Kallie, Jim, Meredith and I went to Amsterdam. On Thursday I worked half a day then went to MTH and got my things then headed to Stansted Airport. We all met at the airport then made our way to Amsterdam, it was only about a 40 minute flight London to Amsterdam. I wish such cool places were in such easy ready around here. So we got to the airport and we were all so excited, the airport itself was really cool so we figure the city must be amazing. We got a train from the airport to Central Station and made the short walk to our hostel, the famous Flying Pig. We walked in to check in and it was like walking into another world. The check in is right in the bar which right next to it has a smoking room. So we got our room, which was in the basement down some narrow stairs – all the stairs are narrow in Amsterdam. We had booked a 20 person room which was cool because it had 5 sets of bunk beds but the beds were queen sized so you share a bed. Luckily there were 6 of us so no random sharing or being charged for the extra spot. So we got our stuff in the room and quickly headed out since it was around 11:00pm. We went to a nearby coffee shop that was recommended and hung out there for a bit then we just went back to the hostel and hung out until about 3:00am.
The next day we went on a New Europe free walking tour of the city. Our hostel was one of the places that they picked up people so we got ready and waited for the tour to begin. Then we made our way to Dam Square after some stops at other hostels. Our tour guide was a girl from Oregon who had been living in Amsterdam for only 3 months but she was really knowledgeable and enthusiastic, I thought she was quite good. We walked all around the city and saw some cool things and learned a bit of history. We walked through the red light district, went by the Jewish quarter, saw where they used to have a lot of public executions and autopsies (now there’s a restaurant there), the men’s prison and the women’s prison (where people used to go for fun and pay to taunt the prisoners and it was free to do on holidays), the spot of the ‘Miracle of Amsterdam’, were pointed out the best fries in Amsterdam, and saw the smallest house in Amsterdam – it’s only 5”9’ wide. After the tour we went to the famous coffee shop Grey Area - Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Phish and many other famous people have come to this tiny little shop. So we hung out there for a while then just walked around not sure of where to go since we had a group of 6. Eventually after much walking we decided to go to the Marihuana and Hash Museum. There was some interesting stuff there and there was a grow room in the museum which was just kind of crazy. After that we went back to the hostel and got ready then headed out. We ended up just walking around a bit more and ended up going to a cool bar that I think was just called Rock Bar. They played decent music and had quite a few autographed guitars, including one by Willie Nelson – it was just Willie day, it made me think of my mom (I thought of her in a coffee shop and a bar – I’m sure she’s so proud).
Saturday morning we woke up and had to go to our new hostel, we could only get the Flying Pig for 2 nights so the last night we went to a place pretty far away. We go the tram there, checked in and got our stuff settled then headed out. On our way to the hostel we found the giant statue of the “I Amsterdam” letters so we took the necessary pictures then got to the hostel. We split up and Jim, Meredith and I ended up going to the Rijksmuseum. About 2/3 of the museum was closed down for remodeling/refurbishment but that was alright since we got more of a condensed best of tour. One cool thing that was there on temporary display was Damien Hirst’s work “For the Love of God”. It’s a platinum cast of an 18th century skull completely covered in diamonds with the original human teeth. It was on display in a case in a completely black room with multiple lights shining on it. It was a rather amazing thing to see. We also saw some other famous works such as Rembrandt’s “Nightwatch”. I was really glad that I went there. Then we headed to the Anne Frank House. On the way there we ran into an abortion protest in Dam Square. There were lots of protesters and signs and then of course lots of pro-choice people as well. One of my favorite signs said “get your rosaries out of my ovaries” which makes a nice point and is funny as well. Also on our walk over we saw a man dressed as Santa along with two people in blackface who were dressed as Santa’s helper Black Pete. Then we finally made it to the Anne Frank House.
While we were waiting in the queue the abortion protesters that we saw earlier were marching along so we got to see them again. We got in relatively quickly. One of the first things was a video just showing a brief history of WWII and the situation surrounding the Frank’s. Then there were various artifacts and a model of the annex as it looked with furniture in the time that the Frank’s lived there. Eventually we made our way up and went in the doorway behind the bookshelf. The bookshelf was there swung open but you weren’t supposed to take pictures inside so I didn’t. Very narrow and steep stairs led us up and we went through the various rooms. There wasn’t furniture in there because the furniture was taken out by the Nazi’s and it’s been kept in that state. It was quite a visit and hard to imagine what they went through but it brings the story more to life. It’s definitely a necessary visit when going to Amsterdam. Also in the museum downstairs was a video about human rights which I just popped in on for a minute but was very appropriate since the museum itself is a tribute to human rights. Also on display is the Oscar won by Shelly Winters for her performance in ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’.
After the Anne Frank House we went to De Damkring, a famous coffee shop where a scene from Oceans 12 was filmed. It was a pretty cool place but quite busy. Then I stopped and got some of the best fries in Amsterdam, and they were actually were really good, glad I made the stop. After that we had some time so we went to the Sex Museum. It was only a few Euros and pretty ridiculous. There was lots of funny stuff there including an animatronic flasher. Then after that Meredith and I met up with Emma and we went on a Red Light District walking tour. We learned a few new things about the district but a decent amount was repeated from the earlier walking tour but it was still fun. One thing I learned was that the way to tell which of the girls are transgendered (mtf) is that they have blue lights in the windows, good to know. Afterwards we went and hung out at cool little coffee shop then we met up with everyone else and went to a few bars then called it a night.
We got up early and checked out of the hostel then walked into the central part of the city since we had to catch a train from Central Station to the airport. We walked around and looked for food for a while but after a while people decided to go to McDonalds and so Meredith and I split off and we went to a nearby coffee shop then went to a bakery which wasn’t very good. Then we met up at McDonalds then just wandered around. We found some neat little musician statues on our walk. We also saw some people moving a washing machine from the second floor of a building. To get it out they had to use a pulley system and move it out through the window. Also we saw some street art by C215 who does really cool stencil work. Then we hopped the train and headed to the airport and made our way home. I was exhausted after a long and little sleep weekend so I called it a night early on.
Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Love_of_God
Story of the politically incorrect Christmas tradition a.k.a. Black Pete
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,594674,00.html
C215
http://www.flickr.com/photos/c215/2703892651/in/set-72157606383580160/
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Rest of the Trip - Part III
I woke up on the 28th of November and then Meredith, Denise, Tony and I headed towards the British Museum. We stopped on the way there at a place called Munchkins to eat. It was alright, pretty cheap but really I just like the name. Then we made it to the British Museum and did a best of kind of tour. We saw the Parthenon bits, Assyrian things, and then saw the 5 sculptures of statuephilia. Then we went to the Korean area since Denise is part Korean we had to make the visit. Then we saw some mummies which was pretty cool. After that we decided that we had enough museuming so we walked back to MTH. Then that night Meredith and I tried to go to the MGMT concert at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, it was quite an effort. She sent Denise and Tony on a ‘date night’, which was really just a nice way of ditching them since we’d been planning on the concert for a while and were both real excited. We waited for the tube for a while and when our train did come it was absolutely packed. We made space for ourselves and I had to hold Meredith in so that her jacket or anything wouldn’t get caught between the doors. The guy I was next to was amazed that we made room, I just said that we’re magic, that’s how we made space. So we took the tube to Shepherd’s Bush and went the wrong way out of the tube stop and that area is a little dodgy so that was fun. Eventually we found where we wanted to go.
We talked to a tout and he didn’t have tickets but told us to wait at a pub nearby and he’d let us know. Typically Meredith is good at talking down touts but for some reason it wasn’t her day, he asked what we were looking at paying and right away she said our top price. After she said that we looked at each other like ‘wtf?...oops’. So we headed into the pub and got a drink and waited. Then we went nearer the venue and didn’t see the original tout so we tried others. They had tickets but were asking 70quid and wouldn’t budge on the price. I wonder who would really pay that much to go to a concert, and MGMT no less. So we tried for a bit but eventually we just decided that it just wasn’t meant to be so we made a life plan to see them sometime when tickets are less than 70 quid. The thing that got me was that during the summer I saw that MGMT were playing and so I tried to get tickets, I actually had some ready to buy but I needed a UK mailing address to send them to so I got an address I could send them to but by then they were sold out. Sad day.
So we decided to head back to our area of town and decided just to get some dinner and hang out. We decided on Wagamama’s but it turns out there wasn’t one where we thought it’d be so we walked around and couldn’t make a decision so we ended up going to Garfunkel’s which is just a generic chain restaurant but it was good. Then we just walked back to MTH. We walked back on Marylebone High Street which had recently put its Christmas lights up. As we were walking there were these fire trucks going by but they stopped right where we were so we stopped and watched and gawked for a while and saw more trucks come and a guy on a crane going to windows and others hooking up hoses. I was expecting some big ‘Backdraft’ style fire and explosions but we stayed for a while and didn’t even see smoke so we gave up on it and went back. We just hung out and watched ‘Burn After Reading’, well we watched part of it, I fell asleep pretty quickly but what I saw I wasn’t a huge fan of. So it wasn’t a very eventful night but it was still good.
The next day I woke up and Meredith, Denise, Tony and I (I know, what a surprise that I’m hanging out with them…that never happens) tried to find a market but we took a wrong turn so we gave up and just got some food at a little café, then we walked to Camden. We just walked through the markets and looked at random stuff. One funny thing was that Meredith and I were in a vintage shop and I was looking through the t-shirts. I found a Harley shirt that said “Tomahawk Fall Ride 2002” so I asked Meredith, who’s from Tomahawk if there’s an annual fall ride there and it turns out there is. How random to find a t-shirt from the tiny town of Tomahawk in a London vintage store while with someone from Tomahawk. Woah. So we continued to walk around, I only bought a few things but Denise and Tony got a ton of stuff but mostly gifts. So we walked back to MTH and dropped off our things then we headed to dinner. We went to Wagamama’s which was delicious. I had plum wine for the first time and I loved it, but I had it with sparkling water not straight up which is guess it’s kind of gross straight up but it’s so good with a little fizz.
Then after we went to Ben’s Cookies and introduced Denise and Tony to the best cookies in the world. After cookies we went to see La Clique. It’s described as “a mélange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety. Time Out hailed the show as ‘spellbinding, sexy and stunning’”. To put it simply it was great. It was at the Hippodrome which was a pretty small venue and we had standing tickets so we were behind everyone but were still very close. It was an extremely entertaining show with acrobats, a bendy man, a hula hoop extraordinaire, random variety like magic and object swallowing, and songs. It was a great show and very entertaining, we all really enjoyed ourselves. After the show we headed back to the ISHbar and hung out for a bit, the whole time we intended to go somewhere else but we got sucked in and hung out there for quite a while. Then a group of us decided to go to O Bar. We’d been there before, it’s ok but there are definitely better places to go. We got there and they were charging 5 quid at the door, which isn’t bad but a few of us just didn’t feel like paying to get into a place we didn’t like that much. So after the walk there we decided to walk back to MTH and call it a night since it was already pretty late.
Sunday I woke up and was hung around then I headed to the Natural History Museum. I went to the Wildlife Photography exhibit and I got in for free (because of me working at the Courtauld), so that was nice. The exhibit was great and had some absolutely beautiful photos of all sorts. There were different topics but all of the photos captured a certain beauty about the subject. After I saw all of the photos I walked around the museum a little then I went outside and got some chips and watched people ice skate and fall on the rink that was set up outside the museum. After that I headed to the Tower of London to meet some people. We had tentatively planned to go ice skating there but we ended up not but while I waited I watched more ice skating and people watched. Then we headed to the Sports Café and watched the Packers vs. Panthers game and hung out and ate. It was alright, pretty mellow, and the Packers totally blew the game but a cool thing was that I think I saw Ross on TV. It was right after a Packer touchdown and they showed the crowd and I’m pretty sure I saw the back of Ross when he was high-fiving people. After the game ended we headed back to MTH and I just got ready for the week and headed to bed.
La Clique Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N93EZ--A--M
MGMT myspace
http://www.myspace.com/mgmt
We talked to a tout and he didn’t have tickets but told us to wait at a pub nearby and he’d let us know. Typically Meredith is good at talking down touts but for some reason it wasn’t her day, he asked what we were looking at paying and right away she said our top price. After she said that we looked at each other like ‘wtf?...oops’. So we headed into the pub and got a drink and waited. Then we went nearer the venue and didn’t see the original tout so we tried others. They had tickets but were asking 70quid and wouldn’t budge on the price. I wonder who would really pay that much to go to a concert, and MGMT no less. So we tried for a bit but eventually we just decided that it just wasn’t meant to be so we made a life plan to see them sometime when tickets are less than 70 quid. The thing that got me was that during the summer I saw that MGMT were playing and so I tried to get tickets, I actually had some ready to buy but I needed a UK mailing address to send them to so I got an address I could send them to but by then they were sold out. Sad day.
So we decided to head back to our area of town and decided just to get some dinner and hang out. We decided on Wagamama’s but it turns out there wasn’t one where we thought it’d be so we walked around and couldn’t make a decision so we ended up going to Garfunkel’s which is just a generic chain restaurant but it was good. Then we just walked back to MTH. We walked back on Marylebone High Street which had recently put its Christmas lights up. As we were walking there were these fire trucks going by but they stopped right where we were so we stopped and watched and gawked for a while and saw more trucks come and a guy on a crane going to windows and others hooking up hoses. I was expecting some big ‘Backdraft’ style fire and explosions but we stayed for a while and didn’t even see smoke so we gave up on it and went back. We just hung out and watched ‘Burn After Reading’, well we watched part of it, I fell asleep pretty quickly but what I saw I wasn’t a huge fan of. So it wasn’t a very eventful night but it was still good.
The next day I woke up and Meredith, Denise, Tony and I (I know, what a surprise that I’m hanging out with them…that never happens) tried to find a market but we took a wrong turn so we gave up and just got some food at a little café, then we walked to Camden. We just walked through the markets and looked at random stuff. One funny thing was that Meredith and I were in a vintage shop and I was looking through the t-shirts. I found a Harley shirt that said “Tomahawk Fall Ride 2002” so I asked Meredith, who’s from Tomahawk if there’s an annual fall ride there and it turns out there is. How random to find a t-shirt from the tiny town of Tomahawk in a London vintage store while with someone from Tomahawk. Woah. So we continued to walk around, I only bought a few things but Denise and Tony got a ton of stuff but mostly gifts. So we walked back to MTH and dropped off our things then we headed to dinner. We went to Wagamama’s which was delicious. I had plum wine for the first time and I loved it, but I had it with sparkling water not straight up which is guess it’s kind of gross straight up but it’s so good with a little fizz.
Then after we went to Ben’s Cookies and introduced Denise and Tony to the best cookies in the world. After cookies we went to see La Clique. It’s described as “a mélange of cabaret, new burlesque, circus sideshow and contemporary variety. Time Out hailed the show as ‘spellbinding, sexy and stunning’”. To put it simply it was great. It was at the Hippodrome which was a pretty small venue and we had standing tickets so we were behind everyone but were still very close. It was an extremely entertaining show with acrobats, a bendy man, a hula hoop extraordinaire, random variety like magic and object swallowing, and songs. It was a great show and very entertaining, we all really enjoyed ourselves. After the show we headed back to the ISHbar and hung out for a bit, the whole time we intended to go somewhere else but we got sucked in and hung out there for quite a while. Then a group of us decided to go to O Bar. We’d been there before, it’s ok but there are definitely better places to go. We got there and they were charging 5 quid at the door, which isn’t bad but a few of us just didn’t feel like paying to get into a place we didn’t like that much. So after the walk there we decided to walk back to MTH and call it a night since it was already pretty late.
Sunday I woke up and was hung around then I headed to the Natural History Museum. I went to the Wildlife Photography exhibit and I got in for free (because of me working at the Courtauld), so that was nice. The exhibit was great and had some absolutely beautiful photos of all sorts. There were different topics but all of the photos captured a certain beauty about the subject. After I saw all of the photos I walked around the museum a little then I went outside and got some chips and watched people ice skate and fall on the rink that was set up outside the museum. After that I headed to the Tower of London to meet some people. We had tentatively planned to go ice skating there but we ended up not but while I waited I watched more ice skating and people watched. Then we headed to the Sports Café and watched the Packers vs. Panthers game and hung out and ate. It was alright, pretty mellow, and the Packers totally blew the game but a cool thing was that I think I saw Ross on TV. It was right after a Packer touchdown and they showed the crowd and I’m pretty sure I saw the back of Ross when he was high-fiving people. After the game ended we headed back to MTH and I just got ready for the week and headed to bed.
La Clique Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N93EZ--A--M
MGMT myspace
http://www.myspace.com/mgmt
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Rest of the Trip - part II
So we woke up on the 23rd and the plan was for Kim, Denise and Tony to go see the Changing of the Guard. It was a rainy day but they headed out anyways since they didn’t want to waste the day. So they headed out and Meredith and I had a nice lazy morning and just drank tea and hung out for a while. Then I decided to get ready for the day then Kim, Denise and Tony came back and they were soaked. Turns out they didn’t even see the changing of the guard because it was rained out but they went on a walking tour and saw some other neat stuff instead. Then they got ready and we all went to Church. I think Meredith and I had more fun than they did but Church is definitely an experience. After Church we were going to go to Camden market but it was rainy so we took the tube down to Leicester Square then found a Chinese buffet and ate some delicious cheap food. Then we tried to go to Ronnie Scott’s but there was a relatively long queue so we decided to go back up to Camden and went to a few pubs. We went to Dublin Castle (where many bands got their start – especially Madness). We hung out there for a bit then we went to the Hawley Arms. The Hawley Arms just might be my favorite pub in London. It has a cool terrace, 2 floors and Dyson hand dryers. We hung out there for a while and just had a good time. Then after that we took the bus home and just took it easy for the rest of the night.
Monday morning I woke up and got ready for work and Kim and my mom met up at my work and they had a fun touristy day together. I worked then I met up with my mom and Kim at MTH after work then we headed to Royal Albert Hall. We met up with Meredith and the four of us went to see The Swell Season (which is the guy and girl from the film Once with a backing band). We got there and everyone was excited because it’s Royal Albert Hall and all of the history and the people that have played there (such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin just to name a few). We picked up the tickets then went in. Meredith and I got a drink but my mom and Kim didn’t so they went to their seats while we finished our drinks. Then we went up and an usher had to unlock the door to let us into our seats (they were box seats – I felt pretty posh). We got in and hung up our jackets and sat down. There was a cellist opening up, he was good but not something I would like to sit and listen to. Then soon after Glen Hansard came out and did a solo acoustic song that was great. Then the rest of the band came on and they preformed. I only knew a few songs but it was really a really great show. After we took the tube home and just took it easy for the rest of the night.
On Tuesday the 24th I worked a half day then met up with my mom and Kim. We headed to Selfridges and went to Yo! Sushi. Kim and my mom both enjoyed it since they both love sushi and I think everyone loves food on a conveyor belt. After sushi we got gelato then walked around Selfridges a bit then walked down Oxford Street and down Regent Street. We popped into Hamley’s and went on every floor and played with some toys and had fun. Then we walked down to Leicester Square and went to O’Neils again and got a drink to get off of our feet and warm up. Then after that Kim and I split with my mom and we went to get Meredith to go ice skating at the Somerset House (it’s the rink that’s shown at the beginning of Love Actually). We showed up at the Somerset House and there was a guy there selling some extra tickets he had so we each saved a few quid. We got a drink then checked our bags and got our skates and hit the ice. It was tricky getting on the ice since I hadn’t skated in many years but luckily none of us fell. We had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. Also we had a fun little dance party in the middle of the rink. After the hour of skating the three of us went to La Tasca for dinner. We did it up and had lots of food and wine and dessert. It was absolutely delicious and lots of fun. After we just went back to MTH and called it a day.
On Wednesday the 26th I had the day off and was Kim’s last day in London so we went all over. We started out and went to the Science Museum and played with the interactive stuff. Then we went next door to the Natural History Museum and saw the dinosaurs. After that we got a Christmas sandwich at Prêt (Kim loved it) then we went to the Saatchi Gallery. It was still the contemporary Chinese art exhibit and Kim thought it was really cool, as did I of course. Then after the Saatchi we tubed it up to Camden and hung out and shopped. I ended up getting a really cool pair of Van’s that I fell in love with. After that we dropped our stuff off at MTH then we went to O’Neill’s once again and got dinner there. Then we hung out a bit there then went to MTH and called it a night because Kim had an early flight the next morning.
On Thursday the 27th Kim and I were out the door by 5:45am. We took the bus to Paddington then I got Kim on the Heathrow express and I went back home and went to bed for a while. Then I got up and went to work. After work I went to her friend Jeri’s in Notting Hill for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was really nice, it was Jeri’s family, some family friends and my mom and I. There was lots of food, lots of wine and it was a lot of fun. Then after a lovely dinner I headed to MTH and dropped off my things and then went to the ISHbar to meet up with everyone. It was a fun night and a good way to end off the day.
The Swell Season MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/theswellseason
Monday morning I woke up and got ready for work and Kim and my mom met up at my work and they had a fun touristy day together. I worked then I met up with my mom and Kim at MTH after work then we headed to Royal Albert Hall. We met up with Meredith and the four of us went to see The Swell Season (which is the guy and girl from the film Once with a backing band). We got there and everyone was excited because it’s Royal Albert Hall and all of the history and the people that have played there (such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin just to name a few). We picked up the tickets then went in. Meredith and I got a drink but my mom and Kim didn’t so they went to their seats while we finished our drinks. Then we went up and an usher had to unlock the door to let us into our seats (they were box seats – I felt pretty posh). We got in and hung up our jackets and sat down. There was a cellist opening up, he was good but not something I would like to sit and listen to. Then soon after Glen Hansard came out and did a solo acoustic song that was great. Then the rest of the band came on and they preformed. I only knew a few songs but it was really a really great show. After we took the tube home and just took it easy for the rest of the night.
On Tuesday the 24th I worked a half day then met up with my mom and Kim. We headed to Selfridges and went to Yo! Sushi. Kim and my mom both enjoyed it since they both love sushi and I think everyone loves food on a conveyor belt. After sushi we got gelato then walked around Selfridges a bit then walked down Oxford Street and down Regent Street. We popped into Hamley’s and went on every floor and played with some toys and had fun. Then we walked down to Leicester Square and went to O’Neils again and got a drink to get off of our feet and warm up. Then after that Kim and I split with my mom and we went to get Meredith to go ice skating at the Somerset House (it’s the rink that’s shown at the beginning of Love Actually). We showed up at the Somerset House and there was a guy there selling some extra tickets he had so we each saved a few quid. We got a drink then checked our bags and got our skates and hit the ice. It was tricky getting on the ice since I hadn’t skated in many years but luckily none of us fell. We had a lot of fun and took a lot of pictures. Also we had a fun little dance party in the middle of the rink. After the hour of skating the three of us went to La Tasca for dinner. We did it up and had lots of food and wine and dessert. It was absolutely delicious and lots of fun. After we just went back to MTH and called it a day.
On Wednesday the 26th I had the day off and was Kim’s last day in London so we went all over. We started out and went to the Science Museum and played with the interactive stuff. Then we went next door to the Natural History Museum and saw the dinosaurs. After that we got a Christmas sandwich at Prêt (Kim loved it) then we went to the Saatchi Gallery. It was still the contemporary Chinese art exhibit and Kim thought it was really cool, as did I of course. Then after the Saatchi we tubed it up to Camden and hung out and shopped. I ended up getting a really cool pair of Van’s that I fell in love with. After that we dropped our stuff off at MTH then we went to O’Neill’s once again and got dinner there. Then we hung out a bit there then went to MTH and called it a night because Kim had an early flight the next morning.
On Thursday the 27th Kim and I were out the door by 5:45am. We took the bus to Paddington then I got Kim on the Heathrow express and I went back home and went to bed for a while. Then I got up and went to work. After work I went to her friend Jeri’s in Notting Hill for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was really nice, it was Jeri’s family, some family friends and my mom and I. There was lots of food, lots of wine and it was a lot of fun. Then after a lovely dinner I headed to MTH and dropped off my things and then went to the ISHbar to meet up with everyone. It was a fun night and a good way to end off the day.
The Swell Season MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/theswellseason
The Rest of the Trip - part I
A lot has gone on since the last post which was a while ago. I’ve been busy. Let’s start from the very beginning. Thursday the 20th was a pretty great day. I went to work and an intern that works half days was leaving so we had a little goodbye get together and so I got to eat and drink wine at work. Then shortly after that my mom came and so I left work early and she and I just walked around a bit and grabbed some food. Then we walked back through Soho to ISH since I had to take care of some things and get ready to go to see The Kills. I got ready then Meredith and I headed to the Astoria to get into line early so we could get a good spot – she’s loved them since she was in high school so she wanted to make sure to get a great spot so we went super early. We were in line for about an hour and a half but we entertained ourselves by people watching and other random stuff. We were handed a flyer for some club that said on the bottom “art music for sex people!” I’m still trying to figure out what that means. Then the doors opened and we got in and we booked it to the floor.
We got right on the rail in the very front and right in front of where Jamie/Hotel (the main guitarist) stood. There were 2 openers, the first one was the Naïve New Beaters. They were French and funny. I really don’t know how to describe them but they had ridiculously gaudy shirts on and the lead singer had a bad wig and he threw confetti. They were fun. The next act was the XX Teens. They were alright but kind of pretentious. Eeh. Then finally The Kills came on. The Kills are only 2 people – Jaime/Hotel and Alison/VV – but they’re so good. They were really good – being right up front made it better I’m sure but I had so much fun. I really don’t know how to describe it but it was great. Then after the show we (well Meredith, I just came along), decided to be creepy and ‘stalk’ them at the back door. We waited around at the back door for a while and while we were standing around these two French girls who were heading to Ghetto (a club right next to the Astoria) stopped and talked to us. They were super funny and they taught us a phrase (the spelling might be off) “j’suis su pe bon” which translates to “I’m f***ing good”. Then after waiting for a while we decided to give up and head home so we stopped and got a falafel and then just went home, Meredith’s friends had flown in that day and Kim was coming early in the morning so we just went home.
Friday morning I woke up really early and took the tube out to Heathrow to pick up Kim. Her flight got in at 7:30am but I didn’t know what terminal to go too and it turns out I went to the wrong one first then I took a transfer train to the right one so it was about 8:00am by the time I got there. So I was looking to see if her flight had gotten in and everything when I feel someone kicking my butt. It was Kim. Luckily we didn’t have any trouble finding each other. We got a coffee then hopped on the tube into the city. We got her checked into ISH, got ready real quick then met my mom by Big Ben. We got a coffee then walked along the South Bank. It was neat since Kim had never been to London it was all exciting to her. So we walked along (it was a really windy day…brr) and there were some performers and the Christmas markets were set up. We decided to get some food and we were right by Wagamama so we went there. It was all of our first times going there and oh my it was so tasty. Then after we walked more along the South Bank then went into the Tate Modern and saw the instillation in the Turbine Hall. Then we walked along the Millennium Bridge then saw St. Paul’s then we went to Covent Garden. We got Ben’s Cookies there and went to Paperchase (a really cute stationary and random stuff store) and my mom bought me cool bookmarks and Kim some chopsticks. Then we just walked around more (it was the theme of the day) and went to Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square then we went to O’Neil’s and got a drink and warmed up. Then we went back to Trafalgar Square to see this art instillation but it wasn’t going on.
Then we split ways with my mom and Kim and I and Meredith and her friends Denise and Tony went to the Ice Bar. We happened to book a reservation for a ‘premium’ time which meant that it was more expensive but it was unlimited drinks for the 40 minutes we were in the bar. So we threw on our poncho/cape/parka things and headed into the bar. The bar was cool, something you can’t do many other places but a total tourist thing but still fun. We took pictures and threw back the drinks while we could. Then out time was up and we decided to head to ISH. It was nice because on the way to ISH Meredith and I were both saying how great it was that both her friends and Kim got along so well, the 5 of us all got on well instantly so that was really nice. Then we made it to ISH after pictures of Christmas lights along Regent’s Street and hung out there for a while. Some other people from the group came out and we had a real nice time. Then after a while we had an eventful walk home (piggyback rides amongst other things) then we finally went to bed (Kim had been up for over 30 hours).
On Saturday the 22nd Kim and I got up and then headed to Notting Hill and met my mom then went to Portobello Market. It was alright, it’s not my favorite market but it’s one of the things you need to do. We walked around, got cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery and went to the Travel Book Store from the film Notting Hill, and then we took the bus to Camden. The bus was nice because we could see everything we passed by and we didn’t have to transfer at all. We eventually got to Camden and Kim loved it there. We shopped and just walked around and hung out. Then we met up with Meredith and friends then we all went to the Diner in Camden and got some delicious food. After that we went to the hookah bar and got some chai and hookah and hung out but left kind of soon because it was so cold. After that we just went back to MTH and hung out. We were trying to decide what to do that night but we were just so tired (except for Kim – I could tell she wanted to go out but I just couldn’t do it). We hung out in Meredith’s room and played with a toy dog Denise and Tony bought. Then we all got hungry so we went to Pizza Express. It wasn’t what we were expecting and wasn’t that tasty but at least we got out of MTH for a little bit. Then we went back to MTH and had a sleepover in Meredith’s room since her roommates were gone.
The Kills MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/thekills
We got right on the rail in the very front and right in front of where Jamie/Hotel (the main guitarist) stood. There were 2 openers, the first one was the Naïve New Beaters. They were French and funny. I really don’t know how to describe them but they had ridiculously gaudy shirts on and the lead singer had a bad wig and he threw confetti. They were fun. The next act was the XX Teens. They were alright but kind of pretentious. Eeh. Then finally The Kills came on. The Kills are only 2 people – Jaime/Hotel and Alison/VV – but they’re so good. They were really good – being right up front made it better I’m sure but I had so much fun. I really don’t know how to describe it but it was great. Then after the show we (well Meredith, I just came along), decided to be creepy and ‘stalk’ them at the back door. We waited around at the back door for a while and while we were standing around these two French girls who were heading to Ghetto (a club right next to the Astoria) stopped and talked to us. They were super funny and they taught us a phrase (the spelling might be off) “j’suis su pe bon” which translates to “I’m f***ing good”. Then after waiting for a while we decided to give up and head home so we stopped and got a falafel and then just went home, Meredith’s friends had flown in that day and Kim was coming early in the morning so we just went home.
Friday morning I woke up really early and took the tube out to Heathrow to pick up Kim. Her flight got in at 7:30am but I didn’t know what terminal to go too and it turns out I went to the wrong one first then I took a transfer train to the right one so it was about 8:00am by the time I got there. So I was looking to see if her flight had gotten in and everything when I feel someone kicking my butt. It was Kim. Luckily we didn’t have any trouble finding each other. We got a coffee then hopped on the tube into the city. We got her checked into ISH, got ready real quick then met my mom by Big Ben. We got a coffee then walked along the South Bank. It was neat since Kim had never been to London it was all exciting to her. So we walked along (it was a really windy day…brr) and there were some performers and the Christmas markets were set up. We decided to get some food and we were right by Wagamama so we went there. It was all of our first times going there and oh my it was so tasty. Then after we walked more along the South Bank then went into the Tate Modern and saw the instillation in the Turbine Hall. Then we walked along the Millennium Bridge then saw St. Paul’s then we went to Covent Garden. We got Ben’s Cookies there and went to Paperchase (a really cute stationary and random stuff store) and my mom bought me cool bookmarks and Kim some chopsticks. Then we just walked around more (it was the theme of the day) and went to Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Leicester Square then we went to O’Neil’s and got a drink and warmed up. Then we went back to Trafalgar Square to see this art instillation but it wasn’t going on.
Then we split ways with my mom and Kim and I and Meredith and her friends Denise and Tony went to the Ice Bar. We happened to book a reservation for a ‘premium’ time which meant that it was more expensive but it was unlimited drinks for the 40 minutes we were in the bar. So we threw on our poncho/cape/parka things and headed into the bar. The bar was cool, something you can’t do many other places but a total tourist thing but still fun. We took pictures and threw back the drinks while we could. Then out time was up and we decided to head to ISH. It was nice because on the way to ISH Meredith and I were both saying how great it was that both her friends and Kim got along so well, the 5 of us all got on well instantly so that was really nice. Then we made it to ISH after pictures of Christmas lights along Regent’s Street and hung out there for a while. Some other people from the group came out and we had a real nice time. Then after a while we had an eventful walk home (piggyback rides amongst other things) then we finally went to bed (Kim had been up for over 30 hours).
On Saturday the 22nd Kim and I got up and then headed to Notting Hill and met my mom then went to Portobello Market. It was alright, it’s not my favorite market but it’s one of the things you need to do. We walked around, got cupcakes at the Hummingbird Bakery and went to the Travel Book Store from the film Notting Hill, and then we took the bus to Camden. The bus was nice because we could see everything we passed by and we didn’t have to transfer at all. We eventually got to Camden and Kim loved it there. We shopped and just walked around and hung out. Then we met up with Meredith and friends then we all went to the Diner in Camden and got some delicious food. After that we went to the hookah bar and got some chai and hookah and hung out but left kind of soon because it was so cold. After that we just went back to MTH and hung out. We were trying to decide what to do that night but we were just so tired (except for Kim – I could tell she wanted to go out but I just couldn’t do it). We hung out in Meredith’s room and played with a toy dog Denise and Tony bought. Then we all got hungry so we went to Pizza Express. It wasn’t what we were expecting and wasn’t that tasty but at least we got out of MTH for a little bit. Then we went back to MTH and had a sleepover in Meredith’s room since her roommates were gone.
The Kills MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/thekills
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
So I've been a little busy...
Yeah, I've been quite busy the past month so I haven't updated at all. I'm finally coming into some free time so I want to update this asap, I'll find my notes on what I've done and then share with all you fine people. Since I don't have time to type out a giant report on my life right now I will share the pictures that I posted the other day. That's all for now and happy holidays.
Amsterdam
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103308&l=fb475&id=219703240
London Fun pt. I
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103309&l=6f9a2&id=219703240
London Fun pt. II
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103310&l=19c25&id=219703240
London Fun pt. III
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103313&l=a2849&id=219703240
Amsterdam
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103308&l=fb475&id=219703240
London Fun pt. I
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103309&l=6f9a2&id=219703240
London Fun pt. II
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103310&l=19c25&id=219703240
London Fun pt. III
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2103313&l=a2849&id=219703240
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
pictures
here are some pictures from when kim and mom came to visit as well as some other randoms.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101373&l=701a9&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101638&l=5daec&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101757&l=ed207&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101769&l=cf409&id=219703240
i'll try to update my blog as soon as i can, so either tonight or next week since i'm going to amsterdam tomorrow.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101373&l=701a9&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101638&l=5daec&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101757&l=ed207&id=219703240
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101769&l=cf409&id=219703240
i'll try to update my blog as soon as i can, so either tonight or next week since i'm going to amsterdam tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Uh Huh Fun!
Let’s see, what have I been up to lately? On Sunday I woke up and Kimberly, Chad and I headed to Speaker’s Corner. We saw the same old-crazy-racist-god-fearing lady that’s always there. It was kind of funny since quite a few people were talking back to her. It was a kind of rainy day so instead of going to Notting Hill we went to the Science Museum. I had never been so I was excited. There was quite a bit of hands on things so it was fun. A few of my favorite parts were the electricity area where there was a giant pole that you could touch and get shocked. Another was an area of all hands on things. One exhibit you put a straw on a metal rod (for hygiene) and bit down and plugged your ears. Like magic (or science I guess) you could hear a song that was vibrating through the rod. It was pretty cool. After that we just went to ISH to eat then headed home and I took it easy the rest of the night and tried to make a little itinerary for when Kim and my mom come.
Monday was a pretty mellow day. I just went to work, went to the “mandatory” weekly meeting (my third time I’ve been since I’ve been here), then I just headed home and hung out. Yesterday was pretty sweet. I went to work then I headed home, changed, ate, then Meredith and I went to see Uh Huh Her at KoKo. I had bought a ticket in advance but Meredith hadn’t so we had to get one from a tout (scalper). He said “60 quid” so we couldn’t help but laugh because it was ridiculous and he asked her how much she wanted to pay so she said “5 pounds” and he laughed at her. Then she got him to come down to 30 quid. She thought about it then he came over by us and hit her in the butt with is crutch and they settled on 25 quid. Then we went in, got a drink and sadly we were not right up front. The first band was kind of crazy, a lot of repetitive synthesizers and strobe lights. I felt like I was going to have a seizure. Then during the in between time we snuck our way up closer. The band is Leisha Hailey and Cam Grey. Leisha Hailey is better known as an actress and she’s kind of famous for being on The L Word. It was a pretty good show, lots of fun. Then after the show we had to wait ages for the bus so we decided to hop on the tube. We ended up sitting next to these two girls who were quite funny. One was from Ireland and the other from London. The Irish girl had to pee super bad so she was being ridiculous and we had a good time. I wish we had to stay on the tube longer but we only had a few stops. Then we walked a little bit home and just hung out for a bit and played Sudoku and I read a Spin article about MGMT (who I’m hopefully seeing on the 28th) then I headed to bed.
Today I went to work and then my boss Anthea and I headed to Sotheby’s. We stopped first at the National Gallery to see Titian’s “Diana and Actaeon”. It’s on display now because they are trying to raise money so it doesn’t get sold off by the private owner. There were lots of TV cameras there and I guess that I was on TV today. Weird. Then we went to Sotheby’s to see a collection that was being sold that Photographic Survey of the Courtauld (where I work) had previously photographed. We couldn’t see it but we just looked around at other stuff. Then we went to Christie’s and did the same thing there. Then while walking around we went to Fortnum & Mason’s which is a really posh store. There were a lot of Christmas decorations around which I loved. Then we went to the Institute of Contemporary Art and saw/heard a sound instillation. It was kind of intense. There was also a collection of odd and obsurd comics which I really liked. They included stories of an amputee with, lesbian unicorns, and homophobic truckers. It was pretty interesting. Then we stopped by the Royal Society of Arts. Then I went back to work then headed to lunch shortly after. I had a nice little lunch with Meredith then I went to see Tom Jones. He was busking (singing on the street) for a charity event. I watched him for a little bit then went back to work and cut and pasted things. Then I went home and just hung out and updated this and watched my room mate dance to Soulja Boy. It was funny.
I’m pretty pumped because tomorrow my mom comes, then I’m going to ditch her to see The Kills and then Kim is visiting on Friday. FUN!
Monday was a pretty mellow day. I just went to work, went to the “mandatory” weekly meeting (my third time I’ve been since I’ve been here), then I just headed home and hung out. Yesterday was pretty sweet. I went to work then I headed home, changed, ate, then Meredith and I went to see Uh Huh Her at KoKo. I had bought a ticket in advance but Meredith hadn’t so we had to get one from a tout (scalper). He said “60 quid” so we couldn’t help but laugh because it was ridiculous and he asked her how much she wanted to pay so she said “5 pounds” and he laughed at her. Then she got him to come down to 30 quid. She thought about it then he came over by us and hit her in the butt with is crutch and they settled on 25 quid. Then we went in, got a drink and sadly we were not right up front. The first band was kind of crazy, a lot of repetitive synthesizers and strobe lights. I felt like I was going to have a seizure. Then during the in between time we snuck our way up closer. The band is Leisha Hailey and Cam Grey. Leisha Hailey is better known as an actress and she’s kind of famous for being on The L Word. It was a pretty good show, lots of fun. Then after the show we had to wait ages for the bus so we decided to hop on the tube. We ended up sitting next to these two girls who were quite funny. One was from Ireland and the other from London. The Irish girl had to pee super bad so she was being ridiculous and we had a good time. I wish we had to stay on the tube longer but we only had a few stops. Then we walked a little bit home and just hung out for a bit and played Sudoku and I read a Spin article about MGMT (who I’m hopefully seeing on the 28th) then I headed to bed.
Today I went to work and then my boss Anthea and I headed to Sotheby’s. We stopped first at the National Gallery to see Titian’s “Diana and Actaeon”. It’s on display now because they are trying to raise money so it doesn’t get sold off by the private owner. There were lots of TV cameras there and I guess that I was on TV today. Weird. Then we went to Sotheby’s to see a collection that was being sold that Photographic Survey of the Courtauld (where I work) had previously photographed. We couldn’t see it but we just looked around at other stuff. Then we went to Christie’s and did the same thing there. Then while walking around we went to Fortnum & Mason’s which is a really posh store. There were a lot of Christmas decorations around which I loved. Then we went to the Institute of Contemporary Art and saw/heard a sound instillation. It was kind of intense. There was also a collection of odd and obsurd comics which I really liked. They included stories of an amputee with, lesbian unicorns, and homophobic truckers. It was pretty interesting. Then we stopped by the Royal Society of Arts. Then I went back to work then headed to lunch shortly after. I had a nice little lunch with Meredith then I went to see Tom Jones. He was busking (singing on the street) for a charity event. I watched him for a little bit then went back to work and cut and pasted things. Then I went home and just hung out and updated this and watched my room mate dance to Soulja Boy. It was funny.
I’m pretty pumped because tomorrow my mom comes, then I’m going to ditch her to see The Kills and then Kim is visiting on Friday. FUN!
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