Since I moved to the UK nearly three years ago (!), I’ve passed through so many phases of obsession with British food. First it was curry and mango chutney and then it was scones and afternoon tea. (The romance with that one died quite quickly — the scene’s much less romantic when it’s just you at home wiping spilled clotted cream off your PJ bottoms.) And for quite a while …
I don’t get modern art. It’s not that I despise it or think that I could create something better, and I most definitely wouldn’t let my children crawl over it. But if the point of multi-million pound installations is to make you pause for a second and say, “Hmm…”, then I suppose modern art has accomplished its job for me. Maybe that’s all the getting there is to be got. …
I’ve lived in Wimbledon for nearly two years now, but I still haven’t made it to the real, actual Wimbledon. (You know, having to apply for tickets six months in advance and have money and all that.) Little did I know that my corner of the London universe is something of a sporting mecca. Not only is it famous for, well, Wimbledon, but it also has London’s last remaining dog track. The greyhounds …
When I was younger, I used to have this deep-seated fear that I was being followed. I could always feel someone lurking, someone watching me through the shadows, someone slipping cartoon-like around the corner just as I was turning around. I didn’t think I was being followed by monsters or clowns or Furbies or whatever scares kids these days. It was infinitely more terrifying. I was sure I was being …
Back in my day when I was in journalism school, when we walked uphill both ways (seriously, they should have handed out topographical maps of my campus), we always demanded that a clear distinction be drawn between the “news” side and the “advertising” side. After all, we newsies were the serious, honest ones. We weren’t trying to sell anything. Of course, in the real world, the lines are a little blurrier. Journalism …
Can’t decide which of London’s Indian restaurants is the best? Try it all at Masala Zone in Covent Garden with the glorious thali, a platter of curry surprises and, of course, a poppadom. On Saturday, I took (and passed!) my Life in the UK test. All non-EU foreigners who want to make the UK their home must answer questions about which countries actually make up the UK to prove they love it …
“Seen one, you’ve seen ’em all.” Ask any American who has spent an “extended” period of time in Europe, and I’m sure they will be freshly cathedral-ed out. Something about these structures draws us in, but over time we get spit back out just as quickly. Cathedrals are always picked as city highlights in any guidebook, a tourist mecca for the religious and non-religious alike. But for Westminster Cathedral, where I …
Grab a satisfying scoop at Gelateria Danieli when the London summer is in full swing (that means rain or shine). This is authentic Italian gelato, but quirky quintessential British flavours will make you praise everything European. Every American remembers her first. Mine was in Freiburg, Germany. I always went for the English-speaking types — I wouldn’t dare to make a fool of myself so early on. It was already going to be …
There’s something magic about King’s Cross. Maybe it goes all the way back to the first century AD when legendary leader Boudica led the native Britons in a revolt against the invading Romans. It’s said that her body is buried between Platforms 8 and 10 under what’s now King’s Cross station. Maybe it goes all the way back to 1997 when Harry Potter caught a train from Platform 9 3/4 on …
So many of these 1,000 London Things involve slowing down to look at the view. Sometimes there’s nothing you need more in a pulsing city like this than to stop in the middle of everything (no matter how much it annoys everyone who has to walk around you) and remember that you are part of this system. You are this place, and this place is you. #403: Dangle on the …