Pretty quiet Saturday-Monday here. Mainly stayed in the house and did some work. Math. And Scandinavia trip planning. House cleanup. However, a few exciting events:
1) Ed and I tried the lottery for Streetcar Named Desire tickets Saturday. No luck. We didn't win tickets to the show based on the random draw. So, we tried again today (no show on Sunday). But, it was press night so no lottery. But, the super nice lady at the desk told us there were still some secret tickets for sale that had just become available. SO for 25 pounds we're sitting in the 3rd row on August 11 to see the play! Yipee!
2) Running: I did my first double digit miles in London on Sunday. Ran through the three big touristy parks (St. James, Green, and Hyde). It was nice. A bit warm, but nice. And there was a big race happening in Hyde Park so it was fun to see all the runners and all the roads were closed so that was nice! I needed to do a 5 miler tomorrow, but I'm headed to Scandinavia tomorrow so I decided to do it tonight (one less set of running clothes to pack!). So, off I went on a nice cool night to run around the river. My usual Waterloo-Tower bridge loop. About a mile in I was running on the sidewalk that is not really cobblestone. More like large tiles. Apparently some of them stick out of the ground a bit. And I tripped on one tonight and down I went. It all happened in slow motion. I put out my hands to catch myself and landed on my hands and right knee. I quickly sat up and some guy (with a backpack of course) was there holding his hand out to help me up. I tried to say thank you but I'm not sure it came out. But I definitely said "shit, shit, shit." So, not sure if he heard the thank you or just the last part. But, I kept on running. Needed to get away from that embarrassment ASAP. I ran a bit and then stopped to check the damage to my knee. Just a minor scrape. A little bloody both nothing terrible. So, I continued on to finish up my 4 miles. All I could think in that moment was where was the "I get knocked down, but I get up again" Chumbawamba tune when I needed it. I'll need to add that to the iPod shuffle rotation. It was probably some kind of bad karma for running a day early and not letting my body rest.
Anyways, this whole incident reminded me of that time on my way to band practice in high school when I tripped over a backpack and landed on my saxophone (poor dented saxophone) and my knees and got back up and kept walking. With blood dripping down my knees. I went to practice and blood continued to drip. Until Ms. Porter yelled over the microphone for me to go back and clean off my knees. Classic. My high school friends love this story. Well, friends...I got to relive it today on the streets of London...minus the saxophone. And minus the class vice president speech I had to give the next day with tons of band-aids on my knees while wearing a short dress.
Good stuff. I'm off to Scandinavia tomorrow! SO, this blog will be quiet for a few days. If you want to follow along on that 12 day adventure, check out whereintheworldisali.blogspot.com.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Day 2 of London Pass!
Yesterday I completed my 2nd day of the London Pass. (I'm also adding pics to the last post so if you've already read it you might want to scroll down to see the newly added pics.)
Places visited:
AcelorMittal Orbit at Olympic Park
London Zoo
Pollock's Toy Museum
Kew Gardens
I left the house around 9 to take the tube out to Olympic Park. The Orbital statue opened at 10AM and I was there by 9:50. I took a seat on a fun bench overlooking the aquatics center until it opened. Went up the lift w/ 2 other people. That place was empty! It was so nice having it practically to myself. Great views of the city and Olympic Park. I loved this park! I want to come back and spend a day. They're doing construction on Olympic Stadium so that was kind of ugly, but the rest of the park looks lovely. I could certainly spend a whole day here. Beautiful! The sculpture itself is incredible. Inside there are 2 platforms to view the city from. Then, you can either take the lift down or go down the 400 spiral stairs inside the gray mesh metal spiral thing. I took the stairs. They were awesome. And there is a soundscape exhibit all the way down so every 10-30 stairs there were sounds pumped in from some place in London (inside Aquatics Center, at a market, at the construction site of the statue when it was being built, inside a church bell tower...). Definitely made the stairs easier to do. Loved that place.
Then, I got back on the tube and headed to the zoo. I was trying to find a grocery store so I could pick up a cheap lunch, but had no luck. SO, as soon as I arrived at the zoo (probably around 11:15 after walking there), I had lunch in their cafeteria. Fine. The zoo was nice. I don't need to go back, but I'm glad I went. Apparently this zoo likes for people to interact with their animals. They had tons of those walk into this enclosed space and hang with me type things. One with butterflies (quite nice), one with monkeys, a few with birds, one with monkeys and sloths and anteaters. The list goes on and on. I'd say it was a decent zoo. It did start raining near the end of my time there. I was over by the giraffes when it was really pouring and they were going crazy!! Running. In circles. All around. Have you ever seen a giraffe run?! Awkward creatures. Their legs are too tiny for their fat, tall bodies. Oh. I was very nervous one of them was going to fall. I hope they were running because they liked the rain and were playing. Not because they were scared. :/
After the zoo, I went to Pollock's Toy Museum. It was okay. Better than the Museum of Brands. But again just a bunch of stuff packed into glass cases in a house. But, some of this stuff was cool and they had a little 2 page tour flyer that helped tell you what was in each room. Quick trip, but probably wouldn't recommend it unless you're really into toys.
Then, it was time for the journey out to Kew Gardens. It was now about 3PM. I got to Kew about 3:45 or so. They closed at 6:30 and most of the buildings/exhibits closed between 4:30-5:30. So, I walked to the very back of the gardens to do the Barefoot Walk which was a special summer exhibit. At this point I had a huge blister on the bottom of my pinky toe and walking was becoming miserable, but I was on a mission. I got there and enjoyed taking my shoes off and feeling all the various textures (stone, pine cones, wood, charcoal, grass, etc.). After that, I went to see the Human Garden which was another special exhibit where they have these medicinal plants in the shape of a human. Each plant has some description about what it does for that part of the body. Interesting. Good for Global Health cluster discussions. I also really wanted to do this Gin and Tonics special exhibit where they were making cocktails with herbs (thought of Carina), but apparently that's only on the weekends. Ridiculous! I spent the rest of the time wondering around a couple of the enclosed gardens and the rose garden. I was exhausted. I grabbed a pastry from the cafe and just sat for a bit. I left around 6 to get dinner. I couldn't find anything near the garden, so I just took the tube back home. Stopped at a GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) and had a yummy burger and skinny fries with a free milkshake (one of the Waterloo Food Festival coupon deals). It was delicious and well deserved after all that walking these last few days!!
It's Saturday now. I tried to go stand in the line for Skylight tickets at 8AM this morning, but the line was already longer than it was when I tried during the week, so I knew not to waste 2 hours standing there. I'll try again Monday. So, instead I did a quick 2 mile run (I skipped my Friday run because my legs were so tired from Thursday). I ran to Borough Market. Amazing! I will take all my visitors here. I scored some coconut pancakes (tiny weird Thai street food, but delicious), a German pretzel, some cheap avocados, and a sangria. I could have bought so much more. But, I'm leaving on my trip early next week so I don't need things. But, when I get back...that place is close and has amazing treasures! Could be a weekly habit.
Places visited:
AcelorMittal Orbit at Olympic Park
London Zoo
Pollock's Toy Museum
Kew Gardens
I left the house around 9 to take the tube out to Olympic Park. The Orbital statue opened at 10AM and I was there by 9:50. I took a seat on a fun bench overlooking the aquatics center until it opened. Went up the lift w/ 2 other people. That place was empty! It was so nice having it practically to myself. Great views of the city and Olympic Park. I loved this park! I want to come back and spend a day. They're doing construction on Olympic Stadium so that was kind of ugly, but the rest of the park looks lovely. I could certainly spend a whole day here. Beautiful! The sculpture itself is incredible. Inside there are 2 platforms to view the city from. Then, you can either take the lift down or go down the 400 spiral stairs inside the gray mesh metal spiral thing. I took the stairs. They were awesome. And there is a soundscape exhibit all the way down so every 10-30 stairs there were sounds pumped in from some place in London (inside Aquatics Center, at a market, at the construction site of the statue when it was being built, inside a church bell tower...). Definitely made the stairs easier to do. Loved that place.
Then, I got back on the tube and headed to the zoo. I was trying to find a grocery store so I could pick up a cheap lunch, but had no luck. SO, as soon as I arrived at the zoo (probably around 11:15 after walking there), I had lunch in their cafeteria. Fine. The zoo was nice. I don't need to go back, but I'm glad I went. Apparently this zoo likes for people to interact with their animals. They had tons of those walk into this enclosed space and hang with me type things. One with butterflies (quite nice), one with monkeys, a few with birds, one with monkeys and sloths and anteaters. The list goes on and on. I'd say it was a decent zoo. It did start raining near the end of my time there. I was over by the giraffes when it was really pouring and they were going crazy!! Running. In circles. All around. Have you ever seen a giraffe run?! Awkward creatures. Their legs are too tiny for their fat, tall bodies. Oh. I was very nervous one of them was going to fall. I hope they were running because they liked the rain and were playing. Not because they were scared. :/
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| Apparently there was a bear at the zoo back in the day that inspired Winne the Pooh. |
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| Tiger cubs! Reese's relatives. |
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| Blurry. I know. But this thing was just roaming about. That can't be safe. |
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| Pre-G.I. Joe |
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| Old Dollhouse |
Then, it was time for the journey out to Kew Gardens. It was now about 3PM. I got to Kew about 3:45 or so. They closed at 6:30 and most of the buildings/exhibits closed between 4:30-5:30. So, I walked to the very back of the gardens to do the Barefoot Walk which was a special summer exhibit. At this point I had a huge blister on the bottom of my pinky toe and walking was becoming miserable, but I was on a mission. I got there and enjoyed taking my shoes off and feeling all the various textures (stone, pine cones, wood, charcoal, grass, etc.). After that, I went to see the Human Garden which was another special exhibit where they have these medicinal plants in the shape of a human. Each plant has some description about what it does for that part of the body. Interesting. Good for Global Health cluster discussions. I also really wanted to do this Gin and Tonics special exhibit where they were making cocktails with herbs (thought of Carina), but apparently that's only on the weekends. Ridiculous! I spent the rest of the time wondering around a couple of the enclosed gardens and the rose garden. I was exhausted. I grabbed a pastry from the cafe and just sat for a bit. I left around 6 to get dinner. I couldn't find anything near the garden, so I just took the tube back home. Stopped at a GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) and had a yummy burger and skinny fries with a free milkshake (one of the Waterloo Food Festival coupon deals). It was delicious and well deserved after all that walking these last few days!!
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| A room of succulents! My Gtown house renters would be in heaven. |
It's Saturday now. I tried to go stand in the line for Skylight tickets at 8AM this morning, but the line was already longer than it was when I tried during the week, so I knew not to waste 2 hours standing there. I'll try again Monday. So, instead I did a quick 2 mile run (I skipped my Friday run because my legs were so tired from Thursday). I ran to Borough Market. Amazing! I will take all my visitors here. I scored some coconut pancakes (tiny weird Thai street food, but delicious), a German pretzel, some cheap avocados, and a sangria. I could have bought so much more. But, I'm leaving on my trip early next week so I don't need things. But, when I get back...that place is close and has amazing treasures! Could be a weekly habit.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Wednesday and a plan!
Had a nice Wednesday. Went out to the Science Museum to see if there was anything I could use for my classes. I found it boring and not great. Bummer. Don't think I'll be sending my students there. They do have a small math exhibit and a small CS exhibit, but nothing relevant to my courses. So, I'll pass on that one. But, then the day got better. I strolled through Hyde Park on my way home. Gorgeous! So need to run here one day soon. Stopped at the little cafe at the end of The Serpentine (Lake) and had lunch overlooking the water. I also had my first ever Pimm's cup because I was HOT and wanted something iced and large. The water glasses around here are tiny and usually not cold. Waste of liquid. I don't know if it was because I was thirsty or if it's that delicious, but I loved that thing. And it lasted all through lunch plus some! Lemonade, Pimm's and fruit and mint. Refreshing for sure. I had two lunch mates. A lovely duck who stole some cheese that fell on the ground and a very sad pigeon that wouldn't leave me alone. I'm sure other customers thought I was ridiculous. They were nice companions. Great stuff. Took a nice walk back and spent the rest of the day planning out my brilliant idea I had earlier that morning.
Oh and I went to the London Social Runners Meetup group that happens to meet Wednesdays right at the entrance to the National Theater which is like a 10 minute walk from my house! They run 7K and then go have a drink after. It was lovely. People were nice. I was able to keep up and not be the slowest (although I did run my fastest 4.5 miles ever for fear of being lost). No one ran right at my pace, so I didn't chat w/ anyone along the way but I talked w/ a few folks after and they were all very friendly. Running peeps! I'll likely join them for a 3 milers Saturday morning in Hyde Park. They go to brunch afterwards. Sounds perfect.
Now on to my brilliant idea. I wanted to go to the London Zoo. It costs almost 30 pounds! That's about $45. Ridiculous! So, I decided to get a 2 day London pass for 62 pounds to see as many of the paid attractions in 2 days that I could. Today was day one. I left the house around 8:30 with my lunch packed in my bag. I returned around 6:30ish. I managed the following list (note: I only missed one thing I had planned and I hope to do that first thing tomorrow AM):
Tower of London
Climbed the 311 stairs to the top of The Monument (to the Great Fire of London)
Toured the HMS Belfast (Navy war ship)
Tower Bridge Experience
Design Musuem
Cruise of the Thames (or part of it)
Westminster Abbey
Kensington Palace
Musuem of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising
BOOM! And I stopped at a tea shop to buy tea on my way home and had Yo! Sushi for dinner. I'm exhausted. But, did it! I don't recommend this to folks, but I thought it'd be good to see all these things to know what my parents and few other visitors should/shouldn't do while they're here. And, if anything was cool enough I might be willing to pay to go back. Here are my reviews (skip if you like). Pics to come tomorrow. It's late and I've got another busy day tomorrow.
Tower of London: Better than I expected. I spent almost an hour here. You could easily spend 2 hours here. I'm not a real history buff and don't enjoy museums where I have to read a lot so a lot of these exhibits were too much for me. But, generally I was surprised by how much I liked it. The Crown Jewels were awesome. And the creepy towers. And the ravens. The armory was so-so. I'd go back. Maybe once.
The Monument: Exhausting, but quick and easy. Decent views of the city. I got a fancy certificate for climbing all those stairs!
HMS Belfast: Again, pleasantly surprised. It was cool. But I haven't toured a lot of warships, so maybe that's why it was cool. My students might visit this bad boy. They have a Codes/Code Breaking thing this September.
Tower Bridge: This was fun. But, not sure it's necessary. It's really just a chance to see the city from a high vantage point and there are tons of places to do that. The Engine rooms were kinda cool though, so if you're an engineer or something it might be worth your money.
Design Museum: I enjoyed what I saw, but I'd really depend on the exhibits they had if I'd pay to go back. They show 3 exhibits at a time. Today, was Louis Kahn (architect), Daniel Weil (all kinds of cool stuff), and the 2014 Designs of the Year (super cool stuff that exists and is useful!!).
City Cruises: Cheesy. Touristy. But, an easy way to get from Tower Bridge to Westminster. Not on foot! And it was fun sitting on top of the boat.
Westminster Abbey: Beautiful. Amazing. Must see.
Kensington Palace: So, apparently William/Kate/George live here. Who knew?! I'll tell you who...the British people. They had decorated the gates for George's 1st birthday. Obviously I didn't hang with the Prince, but I did tour some part of the palace. Just okay. If I knew more about the British monarchs I might find it more interesting. The gardens are gorgeous and The Orangery (restaurant) looks awesome.
Museum of Brands...: This was weird. And tucked away in Notting Hill. It was fun to stroll that neighborhood, but this tiny museum is strange. Just tons of stuff from the 1900s-2000s jammed into glass cabinets. Chocolate wrappers, dish detergent bottles, cigarette containers, toys, magazines. I feel like it would have been fun to go with my grandma or something so she could see all this stuff she once used and comment on it. I was bored until the 1980s. Plus this stuff was British which was both cool and annoying. I don't know anything about British brands! I guess I do now. I was thirsty and tired so in the cafe I ordered a coke. Because it was cold. And had sugar in it. First Coke I've likely had in years. But it was yummy. Must of been all those Coke bottles/cans in the museum!
That's it. Besides my awesome tea store (Whittards this time...don't worry I have a list of these!). I got some gifts. And something my mom will love. :)
Yo! Sushi was a fast food sushi train place. Good stuff. And they had individual filtered water taps at the table. And the water was cold. It cost 1.10pounds for unlimited water and I drank and drank that stuff. Worth it. SO tasty!
Tomorrow's goals:
ArcelorMittal Orbit
London Zoo
Kew Gardens
Pollock Toy Museum
The Courtauld Gallery
Brass rubbing at St. Martin
I'll need more snacks for tomorrow. Hungry Alison is no good and gets bored with stuff easily. And I need to sit more often. At one point I realized I hadn't sat down at all for like 3 hours. Not a good move.
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| The only thing I took a pic of in the museum. It was made of all kinds of materials (sandpaper, carpet, fabrics...). |
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| Ran into Buckingham Palace on my walk home! |
Now on to my brilliant idea. I wanted to go to the London Zoo. It costs almost 30 pounds! That's about $45. Ridiculous! So, I decided to get a 2 day London pass for 62 pounds to see as many of the paid attractions in 2 days that I could. Today was day one. I left the house around 8:30 with my lunch packed in my bag. I returned around 6:30ish. I managed the following list (note: I only missed one thing I had planned and I hope to do that first thing tomorrow AM):
Tower of London
Climbed the 311 stairs to the top of The Monument (to the Great Fire of London)
Toured the HMS Belfast (Navy war ship)
Tower Bridge Experience
Design Musuem
Cruise of the Thames (or part of it)
Westminster Abbey
Kensington Palace
Musuem of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising
BOOM! And I stopped at a tea shop to buy tea on my way home and had Yo! Sushi for dinner. I'm exhausted. But, did it! I don't recommend this to folks, but I thought it'd be good to see all these things to know what my parents and few other visitors should/shouldn't do while they're here. And, if anything was cool enough I might be willing to pay to go back. Here are my reviews (skip if you like). Pics to come tomorrow. It's late and I've got another busy day tomorrow.
Tower of London: Better than I expected. I spent almost an hour here. You could easily spend 2 hours here. I'm not a real history buff and don't enjoy museums where I have to read a lot so a lot of these exhibits were too much for me. But, generally I was surprised by how much I liked it. The Crown Jewels were awesome. And the creepy towers. And the ravens. The armory was so-so. I'd go back. Maybe once.
The Monument: Exhausting, but quick and easy. Decent views of the city. I got a fancy certificate for climbing all those stairs!
 |
| The gold topped building is The Monument. |
HMS Belfast: Again, pleasantly surprised. It was cool. But I haven't toured a lot of warships, so maybe that's why it was cool. My students might visit this bad boy. They have a Codes/Code Breaking thing this September.
 |
| Asbestos. Caution! |
Tower Bridge: This was fun. But, not sure it's necessary. It's really just a chance to see the city from a high vantage point and there are tons of places to do that. The Engine rooms were kinda cool though, so if you're an engineer or something it might be worth your money.
Design Museum: I enjoyed what I saw, but I'd really depend on the exhibits they had if I'd pay to go back. They show 3 exhibits at a time. Today, was Louis Kahn (architect), Daniel Weil (all kinds of cool stuff), and the 2014 Designs of the Year (super cool stuff that exists and is useful!!).
City Cruises: Cheesy. Touristy. But, an easy way to get from Tower Bridge to Westminster. Not on foot! And it was fun sitting on top of the boat.
Westminster Abbey: Beautiful. Amazing. Must see.
Kensington Palace: So, apparently William/Kate/George live here. Who knew?! I'll tell you who...the British people. They had decorated the gates for George's 1st birthday. Obviously I didn't hang with the Prince, but I did tour some part of the palace. Just okay. If I knew more about the British monarchs I might find it more interesting. The gardens are gorgeous and The Orangery (restaurant) looks awesome.
Museum of Brands...: This was weird. And tucked away in Notting Hill. It was fun to stroll that neighborhood, but this tiny museum is strange. Just tons of stuff from the 1900s-2000s jammed into glass cabinets. Chocolate wrappers, dish detergent bottles, cigarette containers, toys, magazines. I feel like it would have been fun to go with my grandma or something so she could see all this stuff she once used and comment on it. I was bored until the 1980s. Plus this stuff was British which was both cool and annoying. I don't know anything about British brands! I guess I do now. I was thirsty and tired so in the cafe I ordered a coke. Because it was cold. And had sugar in it. First Coke I've likely had in years. But it was yummy. Must of been all those Coke bottles/cans in the museum!
That's it. Besides my awesome tea store (Whittards this time...don't worry I have a list of these!). I got some gifts. And something my mom will love. :)
Yo! Sushi was a fast food sushi train place. Good stuff. And they had individual filtered water taps at the table. And the water was cold. It cost 1.10pounds for unlimited water and I drank and drank that stuff. Worth it. SO tasty!
Tomorrow's goals:
ArcelorMittal Orbit
London Zoo
Kew Gardens
Pollock Toy Museum
The Courtauld Gallery
Brass rubbing at St. Martin
I'll need more snacks for tomorrow. Hungry Alison is no good and gets bored with stuff easily. And I need to sit more often. At one point I realized I hadn't sat down at all for like 3 hours. Not a good move.
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