LONDON TRIP
MARCH 17-21, 2000

Well, here I am, truly a dork, sitting among other dorks in a Cyber Cafe on a Sunday. But I have a job to do and it is called Brunch. But since I am in London I will call it.....

TEA AND CRUMPETTES

Friday was a lame day since it didn't really exist in UK terms. However, my father and I grabbed a bite to eat in New York before heading to the airport. We ate at a place called Brasserie on Lexington and 52nd street. I have not eaten in a cooler restaurant before in my life. The place looks like something straight out of a Stanley Kubrick film. Totally clean lines and colors with thick cedar (?) wood walls that curve upwards and over the tables below. The table are frosted glass - sort of greenish, like really old sea glass. The bar is amazing. There are television screens above them that, in slow and blurred motion, show the people walking into the place through the revolving door and up to the hostess. There are about 10 monitors that depict fractions of seconds of the walk-in. Pretty cool. The bar itself has hundreds of bottles behind a frosted and back lit wall that provides a spooky look. The place is a must for a fancy and expensive date. Moving on...

We arrived at Heathrow around 8:40 am GMT. Arrived at the hotel around 9:30. Customs and baggage claim was a joke. The easiest I have ever had it. And it was kind of fun to say that business as well as pleasure was my reason for visiting.

We are staying at the Mayfair Inter-Continental hotel. A very nice place in the heart of the city, but far enough from the club and bar scene of Picadilly Circus - which is where I am at at the moment. Picadilly is great and a short walk from the hotel. I have spent all my time walking around here. Yesterday a farted around checking out shops and the side streets and found a pub to watch...no, not the NCAA unfortunately, but a rugby match. Fun but not the same. The beer is exceptionally strong and the mixed drinks suck. They have no Captain Morgans here!!! You understand the living hell that I am going through. They do have, however the Special Label Capt. Morgans that tastes like Jack Daniels. Yuck. Plus they actually measure out the amount of booze you get. And it is about 5/8 of a shot you get at home. Result -> you do not get drunk on mixed drinks here.

So, last night, Dad and I ate at a place called @venue. Nice place and oddly enough was very similar to Brasserie in New York. Same feel to the place - Tall ceilings, clean lines, same color with the exception of the tables - very Danish Modern. The bar was similar as well, kind of a spooky, Kubrick feel to it. So, I dropped dad off at the hotel and cruised around town.

Using my ears to guide me at first for music, I hopped around from one bar to the next and then found myself at the O Bar. A cool little 3 story bar/club equipped with a girl from Spain selling shots out of a contraption similar to that of John Popper's harmonica (shotglass)holder. We got talking and I gave her an American Spirit. Always prepared I suppose, although my supply is running low. She was amused at the natural aspect of them. Blah blah...

So as I am sitting in the basement club, pretty empty at this point, a tall good looking girl orders a drink next to me. As I see the bartender pouring a familiar concoction of mixed alcohols, I realize it is a Long Island Ice Tea. I say to the girl - good for you blah blah blah. She replies back - "it was a long night last night". She was American! Yee haw! And, from Long Island. Gotta love that. So I start talking and go back to her area with 2 other American friends. They all go to school there. One was from Chappaqua (The Clinton's new NY state residence and the other from Hawaii). Very cool people and had a great night dancing and hanging out with them. The music is basic techno out here, no break beats or much jungle from what I gathered although they did mix up a song by Dr. Stress (how 1998, no?) from Phoenix, Arizona. I knew that from the scene out west. Anyway, I danced out there for about 4 and half hours and decided that was enough. Walked home and had the worst slice of pizza ever and ran into a group of 5 kids from Marist College on Spring Break. Another cool group - we talked Phish, British food and how the Brits, although friendly, will NOT strike up a conversation with you. Very cliquey, very LA/Boston. All in all its been a blast. Saw the changing of the Guards today as well as Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, and walked through a few parks. It is now about high Tea time so I must go. More later.
Cheers!  mahle