London has always been my favourite (notice the spelling?) city in the entire world. From my first visit back in 2000 until now, I have continued to fall deeper in love with this cosmopolitian metropolis.
I believe in Love at First Sight (re: G MacElwee) and I subscribe to the fact that you you really don't get a second chance to make a first impression. The point I am trying to make is that London is my kind of place and don't be surprised if I somehow manage to live here sometime in the near future.
So back to our trip to London.
It all started out with a fabulous flight from Washington DC to London Heathrow on United Airlines. We were lucky enough to get upgraded to business class, and honey, let me tell you that there are not better ways to jump the pond than sitting in the front of a Boeing 777. From the get-go, we were poppin the bubbly and wondering how our lives could get any better (my head is getting very big now!).
In my opinion, London is one of the few truly cosmopolitan cities (New York being another, but after 6 weeks of the Big Apple, I realized that I couldn't live there). London has a way of making me feel urban without all the hustle and bustle of a big US city. I'm not sure if it's the near-constant cloud cover or the open acceptance of social drinking, but London has cast her spell on me and I am her's for the taking!
Check out my picture album from our trip to London and hopefully you will understand why I love this city so.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
3 England Blogs Combined into One!
Manchester. United.
After 10 amazing days in the city of London, Gavin and I said good-bye and made the journey north to England’s second city, Manchester. We watched London get smaller as we got further away from the city and got to experience the beautiful English countryside. Once in Manchester, we were met by my friend Steve who I have known since 2000. We met when both of us had made plans to visit Sydney and had stayed in touch since. I was quite excited to finally get the chance to visit him in his hometown and to see another part of England, since this was the fourth time that I have been to London but never have I been outside of the city.
England’s second city, Manchester is a vastly different from London. I compare to London to New York for its vast size and multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan feel, where Manchester is a lot like Chicago. It’s large in size, it played a large role in industrial development of the country and now has changed direction and focus in keeping up with the times.
With a great public transport and a ton of new buildings (the IRA blew out a huge chunk of the city center in 1996), Manchester has a very different feel from other English cities. It’s city center was easily walkable and as long as you have your umbrella handy (it rains a LOT here), you’re ready to see the sights. The city’s gay district, The Village, and specifically Canal Street (as seen in the UK version of Queer as Folk) welcome you with open arms and a large selection of restaurants, bars and clubs to choose from.
Overall, I found the city of Manchester and it’s people to be very laid back and welcoming. The boys were a bit reserved compared to those in London, but also eager to meet visitors to their beautiful city.
I’m so Lucky, but I don’t even truly realize it.
For my 20th birthday, my father flew up to Seattle, where I was living at the time, and took me to Memphis, Tennessee to pay homage to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Any true fan of the King would give their left arm for this opportunity, but I have to say that it was almost entirely lost on me. Yes, I was blown away by the lavish lifestyle in which he lived and by the over-the-top style in which Graceland was decorated, but other than that … nil.
Yesterday, Gavin and I took the train from Manchester to the beautiful English port town of Liverpool as part of the rock and roll pilgrimage that I have been so lucky to be part of, yet not truly appreciate. Sure, I know who the Beatles were and how could I not know a handful of their songs, but you have to admit that any true Beatle fan would be beside him or herself for the opportunity to have a beer at the Cavern (where the Beatles played 287 gigs before making it big) or for the chance to walk down the same streets that they Fab 4 sang about.
If someone out there is reading this and beating their head against their monitor out of frustration, please do send me an email and let me know how big of a fan you really are.
The Merry Men
On Tuesday afternoon, Gavin and I said good-bye to Manchester and boarded our two car train and headed east towards Nottingham. Made famous from the tales of Robin Hood, Nottingham is a quaint English city that has managed to keep up quite nicely with the changing times. A light-rail tram easily navigates through the city’s narrow streets and the architecture is a lovely blend of old and new (Nottingham got bombed a total of 11 times in five years during WWII, which is a lot less than other cities in England.) Unlike London and Manchester, Nottingham has a few hills which makes for an entirely different feel. Modern pubs and coffee shops dot the easily navigated city centre and we were blessed with two days of sunshine and summer-like temperatures.
Obviously a tourist destination, Nottingham has many attractions which try to get would-be tourists to spend their cash to learn more about Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. As loyal readers of my blog would know, Gavin and I continue to Create ValueÔ and find alternative ways to not pay the admission fee and still have a proper Nottingham experience. This means, we stood outside of Nottingham Castle and peered through the fence or giving what we thought was fare for us to see the churches instead of giving the “suggested donation”. Call us cheap, but we are on a mission to see as much of this world as possible and the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the GB Pound is at an all time high.
The one attraction that we did spring for and pay the full price was the City of Caves which is located under the local Westfield Shopping Mall (damn Aussies!). For £4.50 we got a tour and history lesson for a few of the caves that lie beneath Nottingham. We found out that over the past millennium these caves were used for tanning leather to cesspools for human waste to bomb shelters during WWII. Gavin and I give this tour Four Thumbs Up and recommend it to anyone who visits Nottingham.
View The Pics!
After 10 amazing days in the city of London, Gavin and I said good-bye and made the journey north to England’s second city, Manchester. We watched London get smaller as we got further away from the city and got to experience the beautiful English countryside. Once in Manchester, we were met by my friend Steve who I have known since 2000. We met when both of us had made plans to visit Sydney and had stayed in touch since. I was quite excited to finally get the chance to visit him in his hometown and to see another part of England, since this was the fourth time that I have been to London but never have I been outside of the city.
England’s second city, Manchester is a vastly different from London. I compare to London to New York for its vast size and multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan feel, where Manchester is a lot like Chicago. It’s large in size, it played a large role in industrial development of the country and now has changed direction and focus in keeping up with the times.
With a great public transport and a ton of new buildings (the IRA blew out a huge chunk of the city center in 1996), Manchester has a very different feel from other English cities. It’s city center was easily walkable and as long as you have your umbrella handy (it rains a LOT here), you’re ready to see the sights. The city’s gay district, The Village, and specifically Canal Street (as seen in the UK version of Queer as Folk) welcome you with open arms and a large selection of restaurants, bars and clubs to choose from.
Overall, I found the city of Manchester and it’s people to be very laid back and welcoming. The boys were a bit reserved compared to those in London, but also eager to meet visitors to their beautiful city.
I’m so Lucky, but I don’t even truly realize it.
For my 20th birthday, my father flew up to Seattle, where I was living at the time, and took me to Memphis, Tennessee to pay homage to the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Any true fan of the King would give their left arm for this opportunity, but I have to say that it was almost entirely lost on me. Yes, I was blown away by the lavish lifestyle in which he lived and by the over-the-top style in which Graceland was decorated, but other than that … nil.
Yesterday, Gavin and I took the train from Manchester to the beautiful English port town of Liverpool as part of the rock and roll pilgrimage that I have been so lucky to be part of, yet not truly appreciate. Sure, I know who the Beatles were and how could I not know a handful of their songs, but you have to admit that any true Beatle fan would be beside him or herself for the opportunity to have a beer at the Cavern (where the Beatles played 287 gigs before making it big) or for the chance to walk down the same streets that they Fab 4 sang about.
If someone out there is reading this and beating their head against their monitor out of frustration, please do send me an email and let me know how big of a fan you really are.
The Merry Men
On Tuesday afternoon, Gavin and I said good-bye to Manchester and boarded our two car train and headed east towards Nottingham. Made famous from the tales of Robin Hood, Nottingham is a quaint English city that has managed to keep up quite nicely with the changing times. A light-rail tram easily navigates through the city’s narrow streets and the architecture is a lovely blend of old and new (Nottingham got bombed a total of 11 times in five years during WWII, which is a lot less than other cities in England.) Unlike London and Manchester, Nottingham has a few hills which makes for an entirely different feel. Modern pubs and coffee shops dot the easily navigated city centre and we were blessed with two days of sunshine and summer-like temperatures.
Obviously a tourist destination, Nottingham has many attractions which try to get would-be tourists to spend their cash to learn more about Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. As loyal readers of my blog would know, Gavin and I continue to Create ValueÔ and find alternative ways to not pay the admission fee and still have a proper Nottingham experience. This means, we stood outside of Nottingham Castle and peered through the fence or giving what we thought was fare for us to see the churches instead of giving the “suggested donation”. Call us cheap, but we are on a mission to see as much of this world as possible and the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the GB Pound is at an all time high.
The one attraction that we did spring for and pay the full price was the City of Caves which is located under the local Westfield Shopping Mall (damn Aussies!). For £4.50 we got a tour and history lesson for a few of the caves that lie beneath Nottingham. We found out that over the past millennium these caves were used for tanning leather to cesspools for human waste to bomb shelters during WWII. Gavin and I give this tour Four Thumbs Up and recommend it to anyone who visits Nottingham.
View The Pics!
Trying Something New
If you have the bandwidth and the curiosity to see a few pics ...
check this shit out!
check this shit out!
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