Mar 18 2009
London’s on fire!
Day 2 in London started later than expected due to some very potent potables from the night before. Regardless I made a great day of it and have a tale or two to share.
Morning brought adventures closer to home. I explored Woking, one of the commuter towns in the London suburbs; coincidentally it’s also where I’m staying at night in a friend’s flat.
One of the town’s largest claim to fame is that it was the first town to be destroyed in H.G Wells classic “War of the Worlds”. An alien invader statue lies in the town centre as a constant reminder of a future yet to come.
The train ride into London was only 20 minutes, and it was nice to get off my feet for a little bit longer before today’s adventures.
On my way into London, I stopped off at Picadilly Circus, the “times square” of London as I have dubbed it. I spent a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Soho on Carnaby Street with friends visiting eclectic clothing shops and Peter Gabriel’s lawyer’s office.
We settled in for a quick bite to eat on a sunny street-side table, at Veg a thai/asian buffet. I probably would not return to this particular establishment, the food was rather cold and just not that enjoyable. Company was exceptional and we met two other gents who were about to start new gigs as owners of a new MTV Club in Copenhagen and another establishment. All the best to them in their new ventures!
Soho used to be a pretty scummy part of London but has been cleaned up as of late. Although, there are still plenty of shady back alleys to spend some time in should you be so inclined. On my way out of the district I stumbled upon Walkabout, an Australian bar. Tick another one off the scavenger hunt Nadine! I wonder if I can find some in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam?
In the evening I power walked it down to the London Eye to catch the sunset. On this day I noticed that London appeared to be on fire! Large thick plumes of black smoke were coming from the roof of a building near the Thames.
It turns out that a fire broke out in a building used for immigration advisory tribunals and no one was hurt. The news has some closer pictures than I do, and a full report, read Sky’s coverage of the London Fire.
To close the day out we ventured out to Brick Lane for a taste of London’s best curry. I must admit that it was out of this world. The sampler platter, the papadoms, and the curry were all well executed. Competition is fierce in the curry business and you can expect that most businesses will have people at the front luring you in with offers of 30% off the menu and 2 rounds of drinks free, at least ours did anyway. Enjoy Masala if you’re ever in the region.
See you tomorrow.
2 responses so far
Hey, is that your new friend in the Carnaby Street photo? Sounds like you had a crazy day! Love the last photo - where is that from?
The view from the London Eye is something to behold, wouldn’t you say? You also always seem to meet the most random and interesting people, no matter where you travel. How do you do it?