First impressions

There's nothing like stepping into a foreign airport to remind one of what it feels like to be on the road again. There's always that moment of panic when I realize that I'm 6,000 miles from home without the safety of my cellphone, car, computer; tethered to no one and nothing but what I've strapped to my back. Yet, it's funny how quickly the instincts kick in again, as I quickly get my subway map, cash, guide, and set off about a new city. Perhaps it awakens our ancient hunter-gatherer instincts from its slumber in civilization; I can't describe what it feels like except it makes me feel so alive again. God it's good to be on the road again.

I love how a metropolis like London provides so much stimuli - visually, auditory, asthetically, intellectually, everything. Just walking into a subway station, I am bombarded by all that's going on: walls lined with posters of the latest musicals and plays; the chatter of various languages - Spanish, French, German - and others indistinguishable to my ears; the colorful and quirky fashion of the Londonites (not that I qualify as a fashionista, but I guess I do pay more attention to these things now thanks to Gman). It makes the city bustle with electricity similar to NYC, but with a stiffer upper lip. In comparison, Seattle just feels like a wasteland, with none of the same throbbing vibrancy. London certainly feels more modern than a Paris or Rome, but it's also got its share of hauteur and tradition, as I was reminded yesterday while dining at The Connaught, when the restroom staff "assisted" me in washing my hands. Now I've never had someone wait on me, turn on the faucet, squeeze me the soap, and hand me the towel while I wash my hands, even at say Le Bernardin. At that moment I was reminded, oh yeah, it is a bit different here huh?

It was also interesting to note while London is an incredibly diverse city, "diverse" here means "anyone but East Asians". I've seen tons of non-Brit Europeans, Africans, Middle Easterners, Indians, and just about everyone else, but very few East Asians, wonder why? I've always thought that there would be a lot of Asians, maybe not as many as SF or NY, but given the '97 handover and the number of Asian university students, that there would be a lot more. That is quite a shame. Still, I love the diversity here. It just makes life so much more interesting

Trafalgar Square on a sunny afternoon

Wondering what those black bottle tops are?















Apparently they like to lock their alchohol up!

Musicals, musicals, musicals - I love it!

A nice casual afternoon stroll in the park...

******

Just watched an off-West end musical here called Tick tick boom. Apparently Jonathan Larson actually wrote this before he wrote Rent, but put it aside to finish Rent. All I've gotta say is - If you love Rent, you'll love this. In fact, I'd say I like this even more than Rent, and I watched Rent in theaters 3 times. Even though the music isn't quite as good as Rent (it's still damn good, btw), I think this musical speaks to me so much more. It's heftier, talking about life, death, passion, disillusionment, and growing up. Too bad it's not on off-Broadway anymore, so I guess the only place to see it live is in London. I'm definitely getting the soundtrack though.