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Post by nycgirl on Feb 23, 2013 2:49:44 GMT
Looks like you had a great time. That theatre looks beautiful, glad you took some surreptitious photos. I've been to some stunning theatres and it kills me that I can't take photos. Your daughter has a really good eye, both for cityscapes and for portraits, especially those of handsome young guys. Thanks for sharing. The hecklers do pick on women speakers. That's too bad. Why do you suppose that's the case?
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Post by lola on Feb 23, 2013 5:20:51 GMT
I'm not sure, NYCgirl, unless it's just that heckler types find women speaking in public more irritating. Or that women are less likely to hop off their ladders and go pop them in the nose.
You might be thinking of lugg's theater photos? We went to a wonderfully hilarious play, 1 Man 2 Guvnors, at the Royal Haymarket, and just loved it. If I'd been seated on an aisle I'd have rolled in it. I'd read the reviews when it came to NYC, hankered to see it, was so glad to get cheap seats for our first evening in town.
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Post by nycgirl on Feb 23, 2013 6:17:14 GMT
Oh, I heard about that one. Wish I had seen it, I can't remember the last time I saw a hilarious play.
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Post by lola on Feb 26, 2013 18:06:21 GMT
I can't either, before this. 1 Man 2 Guv is based on a 1740's commedia dell'arte-based play, and is set in Brighton. The original star, James Corden, came to NYC with it, won a Tony. He plays the servant, gets into predicaments caused by his desire for a decent lunch. Physical humor, but also lots of clever lines that I'd love to hear again. Somehow we lucked into Corden our evening, though I read that his replacement had been equally fine.
I bought tickets a couple of months in advance that probably cost less for the three of us than the cheapest for one on Broadway. Granted it was up a steep flight balcony, but the fun onstage carried well.
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Post by lola on Feb 26, 2013 20:05:35 GMT
Sunday afternoon and tea. After the girls looked around Oxford Street while I relished a balcony booth at the Marble Arch Pret a Manger, we walked past Eero Saarinin's Mayfair misstep, the US Embassy: I'd be prepared to try to start to appreciate the architecture, if they hadn't perched that eagle on top. I tried to explain what important things we did there that required the fortifications, mostly failed. Well, the ambassador lives there, and he, um. What does he do exactly?
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Post by lola on Feb 27, 2013 2:31:08 GMT
Or does the ambassador just work there? I was able to pass along some motherly advice about contacting him/her if jailed or if passport is lost. We had a fancy type afternoon tea at the Mayfair Richoux, and enjoyed the experience. Cucumber sandwiches and the whole bit. Watercress. We caught a bus to Trafalgar Square and raced around the National Gallery, catching at least glimpses old favorites and unexpected treasures, until they herded everyone out. I heard a guard telling someone that the crowd -- considerable -- was about average for a Sunday, that it had quieted down a lot in the past week and that most of the holiday traffice was on the Continent (i.e. in Paris). The fountains had been colored for the holidays with blue and purple lights. I like clear water best. That night MC found a place to salsa dance that was "by dancers for dancers," at a hotel ballroom just across U of London from where we were staying. She ended up having a great time and collecting more Facebook friends (Salsa has quite the community.) H and I walked her there and then walked around Bloomsbury looking for a pub.
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Post by htmb on Feb 27, 2013 3:17:35 GMT
I love that shot of the national gallery and night sky, and the fountain in the picture reminds me of the two I've seen at the national gallery in Washington. Super pictures, as well as commentary!
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Post by patricklondon on Feb 27, 2013 6:08:17 GMT
Yes, and, AFAIK, all the visa people and anyone else in the Federal bureaucracy who has business in London (Those Who Shall Be Nameless may have their own secret premises somewhere else, for all anyone knows), which sadly makes them a target for ill-intentioned people. I once got lunch there (and a trip to Orlando) on your tax dollars because someone in the US needed someone responsible from my university to testify that a certain person hadn't actually been a student at the university I was then working at, so they got the local FBI representative to expedite a visa for me. They were all very hospitable, but the inside offices are, shall we say, functional. The ambassador has a posh residence in Regent's Park: london.usembassy.gov/rcwinfld.html The Embassy staff will eventually be moving out to a new fortress in Nine Elms: london.usembassy.gov/new_embassy.htmland that will remove any opportunities for the kind of show-stopping laugh that erupted at a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest at the height of demonstrations outside the Embassy in 1968 during the Vietnam War. There had been much alarmist nonsense in the press about demonstrators being likely to try some sort of Parisian-style revolutionary occupation of the Embassy and/or various other buildings in London, and there was (for those days) some unusually robust confrontations between the police and the demonstrators. The next night there was a special roar for Lady Bracknell's line: The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately, in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square.
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Post by lola on Feb 27, 2013 16:02:43 GMT
Thank you, Patrick. I hope we at least gave you a decent lunch. And anytime you want to visit these shores I'll gladly foot my share of the bill.
Of course the ambassador would have a posh residence elsewhere. I've wondered how one gets to live in Regent's Park, besides attending the college there. Too bad for the ambassador that he/she will have such a long Tube ride to the new Battersea location, but removing that brooding presence can only improve the neighborhood (even though our intentions are pure.)
That day I was thinking about a different quotation, something about cucumbers and ready money.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 22:20:46 GMT
I confess that I will never understand the tourist (or even the local) attraction for "high tea." First of all, I was raised on the concept of 3 meals a day, and this seems pretty close to being a complete meal. If it were presented as "something for people who will not have a chance to have dinner," I might be able to accept the concept better.
It just looks like a fantasy event for lovers of Victorian literature or Agatha Christie books (hey, I am an Agatha Christie fan, but I have never wanted to go in Miss Marple's footsteps). What authentic pleasure could any normal person have of eating a cucumber sandwich? Do you make these at home constantly now that you have tasted one?
Yes, I confess that I am just being crotchety. There is a possibility that my French (and even my American) culture has set an insurmountable prejudice in my mind about certain English activities.
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Post by lola on Feb 27, 2013 22:42:26 GMT
It wasn't high tea.
Kind of you to care about our caloric intake, though.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2013 22:53:04 GMT
Oh, I have annoyed you, I can tell.
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Post by lola on Feb 28, 2013 3:07:40 GMT
Awww, sorry Kerouac. I should know better than to get on here when I'm already upset about something unrelated, but I did.
And: You are the guy who considers fries drowned in mayonnaise a reasonable daily diet, so I can't take your "3 meals" thing all that seriously.
FWIW, I mostly agree with you. The thing is, when in London with beloved daughters who want to have afternoon tea, you go somewhere nice for afternoon tea. Most of them are crazy overpriced. (Richoux not too bad.) That is your lunch and evening meal, unless you happen to be at the Fitzroy pub just before the kitchen closes and two of you split an order of their excellent fish cakes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2013 12:41:20 GMT
I know you didn't mean the remark about the fries. I don't think that even a Belgian thinks it is a reasonable daily diet, although they do take pride in saying that it is a "dish" and not the mere "side dish" that their neighbours to the south think.
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Post by mossie on Feb 28, 2013 14:47:06 GMT
Just to be pedantic, "high tea" is a cooked meal and is more likely to be found up t'north. 3 square meals a day to us peasants meant, breakfast, dinner (taken at about 1230), and tea (taken about 5.30), which was a lowly version of the Mayfair afternoon variety. There could also be supper, bread and cheese or similar, some time before bedtime. The "afternoon tea" served in posh London hotels is fancy sandwiches and cakes, with champagne and a choice of different exotic teas, as shown by Lola. For the best one try the Lanesborough, take your plastic ;D ;D
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 1, 2013 19:58:35 GMT
I too am full of admiration for your daughters skill and sensitivity with the camera Lola...your pictures and account are really very enjoyable. I haven't visited London for a long time, but used to visit all the time when I was a young woman. You capture the vibrancy of the place...as well as the seediness of some parts.
splendid.
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Post by mich64 on Mar 2, 2013 11:45:05 GMT
well, thank you slowcoach! I have never seen it displayed like this. Now we know!
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Post by mich64 on Mar 2, 2013 11:49:27 GMT
Hey Lola, I am someone else who is interested in afternoon tea and am looking forward to hosting one of my own soon with some girlfriends. My husband is also aware it will be included in our upcoming trip to Scotland this September.
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Post by htmb on Mar 2, 2013 12:59:57 GMT
I enjoyed hearing about your tea, Lola. I had tea in a very elegant hotel yesterday and can relate to your experience. My tea was to celebrate a special occasion. The early afternoon tea and tiny little food samplings took the place of lunch for the day. It was all delicious, filling, relaxing, and a lovely way to enjoy the company of loved ones in a beautiful space.
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Post by lola on Mar 4, 2013 20:39:56 GMT
Thank you, cheery. It wouldn't be so vibrant without some of that seediness, would it?
mich and htmb, yes! What they said, kerouac.
We used to host a Christmas tea every year, a good way to entertain lots of friends for not that much money since I did the baking, made the sandwiches, brewed the tea. Sometimes I hired a teenager to help serve. You stand around on a Sunday afternoon, circulate, talk for a few hours, and then everyone goes home.
In the US Midwest an afternoon tea throws off the day's meals, since we eat supper early.
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Post by lugg on Mar 8, 2013 19:49:32 GMT
It is a real treat to see not only more of your daughter's photos, but also to read your descriptions of your visit .
Thank you for the info about the play "1 man ...." it is now something that I will make a real effort to see as I am an admirer of James Corden's writing and acting. I am not sure how widespread this TV series was broadcast, but it might be interesting to you to have a look at the very different but also very funny "Gavin and Stacey" .
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 9, 2013 4:56:15 GMT
I thought I'd commented on the more recent entries, but apparently not. Oh well, I'll just congratulate myself on having a reason to enjoy this wonderful thread all over again.
The Hampstead shot with the tall red buildings is just glorious. Besides being a super photo, it somehow manages to convey y'all's pleasure in being there. And your text is always a delight.
It makes sense that there would be "regulars" at Hyde Park, but I was surprised at how long you say some of them have been there. I wonder where they go & what they do the rest of the time. It does seem cruel to heckle any of the ones you show. The man speaking on Islam is rather beatific. It's hardly surprising that the women speakers get picked on more, as it looks as though the heckling is a group activity -- a sure sign of cowardly bullying.
Yikes on the US embassy. I can't imagine anyone would look at it without thinking "Triumph of the Will". Isn't the ambassadorship to London the big plum for diplomats? They give cocktail parties & stuff like that, right?
*Envy* on the tea. I absolutely can't imagine having a chance to go to England & forgoing the yes, iconic pleasure of afternoon tea, the fancier, the better. Years ago an English friend of mine was down in the dumps so I fixed her cucumber sandwiches -- the first I'd ever made. She was thrilled enough to cheer up & I still make those sandwiches for myself sometimes.
Love that branchy shot of the National Gallery. Well, love all the pictures -- love this thread!
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Post by lola on Mar 9, 2013 5:11:02 GMT
Thank you, lugg. I hope you get to see 1Man2Guv. I would gladly have gone back the next night to catch lines that buzzed by too fast. The whole cast was great.
Will look for Gavin & Stacey.
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Post by lola on Mar 9, 2013 5:42:33 GMT
I just missed you, bixa, being so thoughtful and kind.
Beatific! Yes, that's what he was. His voice was that way, too. The girls accused me of converting, just because for the first time all trip I wrapped a scarf around my ears on a windy January day. I found a lot of truth in what he said the five minutes I listened, but if I did convert, it didn't stick. Slid back to my infidel ways.
Yes, too, on Triumph of the Will. To me that eagle says "Submit, or a giant metal raptor will swoop down and show you who's boss." You're right surely about that ambassadorship being the dream: snazzy residence in Regent's Park, all the cocktails you can drink, and no need to brush up on foreign language.
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Post by patricklondon on Mar 9, 2013 8:05:20 GMT
I thought the US Anbassador to London tended to be a political appointment, rather than a career diplomat, with mixed results. Poor Walter Annenberg was ribbed quite a lot for his rather ponderous turn of phrase (as noticed in a TV documentary about the Queen), but the Annenbergs have been very generous donors to cultural institutions in London. I seem to remember Anne Armstrong was well thought-of, others less so. I've had to look up the current one, so great is his impact on the public consciousness................
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 9, 2013 14:57:03 GMT
Yeah, I should have been more clear, as it's obvious the job is often not given to real diplomats. Joseph Kennedy, Sr. had it for a while, I think rather disastrously. For that matter, Shirley Temple was ambassador to Ghana & later to Czechoslovakia, hardly pulled from the pool of career diplomats.
Of course, giving the job to nice rich people who support the arts of their host country could be considered diplomatic, hee hee.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2013 21:31:49 GMT
Some rich people have a lot of culture and are fully qualified. And others do not/are not. I think that is part of the reason the term nouveau riche was invented.
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2013 17:32:55 GMT
Wow! Nicely done, lola. I really like the way you capture the images, quite something I recognize some of the areas!
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