mind the gap

Umbrellas galore

Spent Saturday afternoon doing some errands, dropping off an umbrella for repair, very easy to find the place and quick to deal with paperwork. After salivating at the vast range of umbrellas and sticks, we walked towards Seven Dials and I did the requisite Tabio and Filofax stops. TH's nose took her to Neal's Yard Dairy and she purchased many cheeses. I love that place, even if its soo crowded that you have to leave while others try cheeses. We managed to get a goodly supply and packaged for travel, which was nice. Picked up some apples as well. After that, we sat and had a cup of coffee at Suburb (hip and trendy new coffee place that I swear used to be stationary shop). We thumbed through this week's Time Out to find that the Lord Mayor's Show Fireworks display happening on the Thames between Southwark and Waterloo bridges. We quickly finished our errands of book shopping and Muji scrumming (what is with that place?) and went back to hotel to freshen up and get back to Waterloo in time for fireworks.




Cheese!

TH loves fireworks very much. We decided that going to St. John right after that was in order so we dressed for it, thinking it might be smart casual. Using short cuts, we made it to Bond Street and down to Waterloo in record time and ended up walking up by the Hayward to see the fireworks. They were damn good and different from the ones we see in the US or in Canada. After that, we dragged ourselves to EAT for a coffee and yoghurt (didn't eat lunch) and then browsed at the Foyles at South Bank for a while. We then walked up to Embankment to catch the Circle Line to Farringdon. I love the Circle line if I'm in no rush, which I wasn't, I was just tired.

We were early for our dinner reservation, but they seated us anyways, which was nice. The restaurant is quite spare, white walls, white paper cloths, no art on the walls and white painted floors, the tables are quite small, but they seated us at a four top. The smoking and non smoking sections are interspersed. The menu changes daily and I was amazed at their range. TH started with smoked sprats and horseradish cream and I had a nettle soup. They were both lovely. I had smoked haddock with potatoes and mustard sauce as my main and TH had tripe and chips. The food was very good, though it reminded me a bit of school dinners, but at an elevated level.

We shared a green salad that was tasty and enormous. The kitchen is small, well run and interesting as you can see everything including the notes written on the kitchen tiles with the number of portions of specials and notes for the kitchen and waitstaff. The wine list was very nice but we weren't quite sure what wine went with tripe, so I had one glass on muscadet sur lie which was good.

Their puddings rock. I had a fresh goat cheese curd infused with marc and TH had a pear trifle and we ordered a half portion of madeleines of which we had one each with coffee. The fresh goat cheese was light and the marc was nice touch that I will try myself at home.

The restaurant filled up by the time we left (ca. 1 hour 50 minutes after seating). It is our opinion that they only do one seating a night, which is great. There were lots of big parties and two suckling pigs ready for consumption that night.

The service was attentive without being pushy or intrusive, the prices are not cheap, but the cooking is excellent. One option would be to sit in the bar area (where the wine sales and bakery is located) if you can't get a reservation for dinner. They serve a limited menu in the bar, but it looked good.

The marrow bone with parsely salad looked really good and reminded me of how much I loved marrow as a child (ab-gusht), but I'm not sure I'm ready for British marrow. I noticed not one chicken on the menu - partridge yes, chicken no. :)

The dress code is quite casual, we saw some nicely dressed people along with trainers and down jackets, so it felt comfortable. It did get loud as we getting ready to leave, so I think early is okay. We have a lunch reservation here in December, so I am hoping to try some new things.

We managed to trundle back to the hotel and to the club for a tea nightcap before collapsing.

Next, Kew, shopping and what I love about the bus.

Trip report -- good, bad and ugly of logistics

The new Admiral's Club Seattle.

This is for the frequent flyers out there.... skip if you don't care about FEBO, customer service or ticket vouchers
Arrived at airport two hours ahead of time. Good thing as well. TH's ticket was not really a ticket anymore, but a transportation voucher. WTF? She had a seat, but somewhere in July, they decided to key something incorrectly when we requested an upgrade and comments in the record showed that she received a voucher for her ticket price that we never requested or we never received. There were comments that had been deleted and the record was really long. It took the nimble agent 50 minutes to get a ticket from the voucher and an act of god from the EXP desk. I felt sorry for those behind us. However, it was done and since there is no club anymore, we spent the time at the marketplace sipping bittersweet mochas from Dilletante and amazed at the breadth of fried foods available at 10:30 am.

Flight was typically WB full, ate sandwich, did a bunch of sudokus, listened to Ipod, declined terrible food (wrap thing) and landed on time. New terminal is a long walk from our arrival gate, took 20 minutes. Decent new club, weak camparis, nice bathrooms, the new terminal is connected to the new Grand Hyatt, which hopefully, I will never have to experience.

There was an immense line at the gate due to the new DHS INS checkin/check out procedure, slowing down everything, but since we had a mechanical, we didn't board for another hour. I hate that.

Plane was fine, we were in 2ab which was picked by TH. I don't like these seats for a bunch of reasons. One, the screen shines in your face all night long which is stupid since business class gets dvd players and typically no one watches the movie. What can I say about the food? I ordered risotto with prawns and scallops and got eggplant ravioli, which I didn't want since if I wanted it I would have enunciated the words eggplant and ravioli instead of prawn and risotto and there were no more risottos when I pointed out this error. I was offered lamb (not) or beef (not) and was not pleased when this occured because it is rocket science to write down the order correctly? I'm soo glad that I had a few carrot sticks and celery in the club preflight and that TH had offered me her sad looking rubber prawn from her hors d'ouvres. In any case, I survived to breakfast, so life does not revolve around your choice of entrees and that you will survive if you don't get food for six hours.

Flight was okay, landed one hour late. No line at immigration, managed to hop on gatwick express and onto 82 bus to Churchill Hyatt. Hotel checkin was irritating as first they tried to put us in a two bedded room and then he said he found a king, but it was on the smoking club floor. I held my ground (not usual for me) and managed to get a nonsmoking king on club floor. Room was fine with view of the Radisson accross the way. The hotel was chock a block full from UAE/US trade talks, but this hotel is always full, so I didn't buy his excuse for not being able to find me a room based on my preferences. I stay at this hotel four or five times a year, sometimes paid, sometimes on points.

Next post for the actual London trip info.

hell is flying over chicago and

realizing that if you booked at LHR-ORD-SEA flight, you would be home 4 hours earlier.

Sigh.

As lovely the new terminal at DFW is architecturally, the 30 minute taxi to the gate did not improve moods after 10 hours and 20 minutes of flying time in coach with two pret pots, one extra branston pickle sandwich, one bag of just potato kettle chips from the BA lounge and two lovely apples from neal's yard. However, I grooved on morcheeba, the new pornographers, sarah harmer and other lucky spins of the wheels on eckbo2 the ipod and read up on the UK gossip and gardening tidbits.

I'm too tired now to upload pictures, but the trip was great and I have yet another good idea of dinner on Thursday night next time im I'm London (one month away).

Yes, J, we do have luncheon reservations at St. Johns. It should be very interesting, but in a good way. :)

alive and kicking

At the airport in London enjoying a latte in the BA First lounge, which has marvellous views all covered up with filmy curtains. The sandwiches are out, had a few cheese ones (yum) and now going to hit the WH Smith to pick up the latest trash tabloids for the flight home. Sandwich too as we're in Coach and the food sucks no matter what class you fly in. TH made a pret stop this morning, so we have brownie yoghurt pots for pudding.

Great trip, will upload pics tomorrow.

nm

kicking and screaming

Still life with birch leaf -October 2005.

I did not want to get up this morning.

However, I decided to skip the gym, run and get some coffee, reload about a boy on the ipod and rake more leaves. Hey mayor, do you think we can get special dispensation during leaf season to put out another four yard waste containers per week during leaf shedding season?

After that, off to the airport, dilletante, bookstore, plane, lounge, plane and Portman Square.

By the way, Dinner at Campagne was not so hot. We felt rushed (drinks were not even done before first course arrived, were not offered coffee at the end, etc...), this happened last time we ate downstairs as well, so as much as I will recommend their soups and desserts, this would not be the place I would consider for an romantic evening -stick to Tulios or Nells for that. I had a salad, the garlic sausage on a bed of potatoes with apples (good) and a quince tart (yum), TH had the squash soup, riz de veax and the hazelnut creme brulee. We didn't even really get to pick a wine, as there weren't a lot of half bottles.

:)

TGIT

Project management class passed, now must debrief group and deal with life as it piled up while I was learning about what a backward pass was/is. However, it can all wait until Tuesday. TH is packing and I'm going to do the same. We're going to Campagne for dinner on for 25 at $25, though my guess is that it will be more like $50 each. Leaves are raked, recycling is ready to go and I believe its hat and gloves weather in London.

Later.

Tantalizing tidbits

I'm on autopilot right now. I am tired of trying to understand cost estimating and forward passes in project management. I have meetings and class all day tomorrow and then I need to do the things one does before leaving town. Its really no big deal, grab some money, a credit card, passport, charge up that cell phone, ipod, get a sudoku, reading for next week's planning seminar and go, go, go. No real packing issues, stuff is ready for my aunt and I will have plenty of room for something if I find it, whatever it is.

I guess this is something to look forward to -- lunch somewhere near borough market, dinner at St. John, dragging TH to Kew if the weather is decent to see the chihulys and test out the n50 and Neal's Yard for cheese fix. I have no big plans but to maybe hit Columbia Road on Sunday morning if the weather will cooperate. North Finchley is in the plans for Sunday evening, but might as well get use out of the travelcard while we can. :)

ABD -- Bravo

Camparis on rue st. Benoit, Paris 75006

Ph D. qualifiying exams are done and passed. Way to go, TH!

nm

is it Friday yet?

Okay, it is not Seattle, or the fall, but it is pretty impressive. Mont St. Michel September 2004

My morning started out with losing my mobile, which is fine except for today as I need to make some calls.It was on silent, so even if I called myself looking for it, I wouldn't have found it. I found it quickly, but not before I became flustered. Ditto for my car key, I left it by the coffee stand at Met Market. Time lost 3 minutes, three I didn't have this morning.

I'm in project management training for the next three days. Very interesting and very timely. I just wish I had managed my morning better and more effectively.

I tried something new for lunch, I am still eating at my desk, but today I have a Macrina ficelle, some homemade tomato chutney from Jan Berry's book ,Beecher's flagship cheddar (overrated) and a Booth Canyon apple. It sure beats something out of the freezer. My week is crazy, I didn't buy anything to make dinner or lunch for the next week, so its catch as catch can. If I had been planning well, I would have just grabbed the last hunk of sharp organic cheddar that TH picked up at Marks and Spencer in Manchester. It was good with my nachos. :)

Well, off to finish off my email replies and get back to cost estimating.

nm

the path of least resistance

We finally decided to cry uncle and are using our standby place in Rome for the few days we're there. It is expensive, but TH and I running out of time and energy to scrutinize maps and pictures of apartments on websites to find one that will work for our needs and short time frame. We're probably overpaying by 60 bucks a night, but we figure at least $20 of that is energy we won't be spending surfing the web looking for an apartment, another $20 for internet access if needed and the other $20 for knowing that we can do laundry in a pinch.

Given the state of France these days, we may skip Paris all together and go right to Rome and spend six days there instead. I hate that idea, but we now have options. Funny thing, I called today to see if there was any availability at the Park Hyatt Vendome that weekend that we fly in and low and behold there was availability. Imagine that! I don't like that hotel too well, but a room is a room and 35 euros for breakfast is just too much, but free, so we'll take it!

Sure makes up for drunken singing outside my door in Arlington this past week.

Well, time to give that laundry a look, get something for dinner -- any thoughts? I'm thinking nachos (really) and another sixty pages of Geraldine Brooks' tripe and then I'm done. The best thing about being an adult is just saying, no to reading you don't have to do. :)

Lunch today was great. I like Piatti and they are now branding themselves as Piatti Locali (whatever). Good grilled halibut nicoise and off we went in search of a sandwich at a la Francaise for TH's Cascades commute!

Crack o'dawn

Rosa Glauca - October 2005

I'm up an hour early today because in all that has happened in the last week or so, I totally spaced and did not change my bedside clock. Instead of running to the gym an hour earlier or going back to bed, I voted, uploaded some new stuff to my ipod and paid a few bills. I probably should have gone back to bed, but oh well.

I'm very behind in the book club selection of the month - we're reading Nine Parts of Desire and frankly, I'm not too taken by it. Why we picked it, don't ask me. I guess its our attempt to be "multicultural". I'm not even sure where the discussion is going to go with this book, should be fun.

I'm also behind in my reading for class. I guess I should focus on this first. I'll read for this week and then hopefully catch up this weekend with the last week. We're off to London on Friday, so I have hours of time to catch up, right?

Other than that, had a delightful dinner at Nell's last night, great company and conversation, wine and food. I love this place except for the decor, but the food keeps me coming back. TH and I had the 25 for $25 tasting menu (celeriac and apple salad for me, beef tongue for TH), chanterelle risotto and halibut for mains and I had a lovely poached pear with goat cheese ice cream and a chocolate pot de creme for her.We let her order special as it was her special day. :) Our friends ordered off the regular menu and their food looked great (duck breast and calves liver). Looking forward to a few more great meals this month, though TH says that eating at home would be her druther this month - next month, I promise!

Well, I should start the coffee, find a luncheon item (unless the parentals wish to dine out) and go hit the treadmill (work and the gym!).

nm

wrapping paper

TH's family is a wrapping paper saving family. It used to drive me batty, now I love it. I went to the wrapping paper dresser and picked out a nice london underground map paper to wrap a bd present in. I ended up using something else, but it hit me that some of this paper is 14 years old and it still works. Mind you, there is no ironing, but most paper has a story behind it and that is why we keep it. I also am a paper freak, I love paper and all the ribbon and each year I spend a fortune on ribbon for panfortes and presents, but for the two of us, reusing paper is comforting.

Oh, if you are in the Seattle area, Packaging Specialities opened a holiday store in U. Village. They are hoping to open a year round store with classes and more stuff if they have a successful season. I love that place and do enjoy not schelpping to Georgetown unless necessary.

Another blast from the past, the Tabletop shop is back! In the Tramezzo building next to Black Cat and back in the hood. I'm very excited, even if they have a christmas tree up in the window. I'm feeling like the ne55th st corridor and the Blakeley area is coming back strong with some decent non-chain retail!

Ms. N a vision of foofiness

How does a girl like me ever learn to put on makeup? I never wear it and when I do I forget and rub my eyes or touch my face. I guess I need to go to some salon and have a makeunder. I never wear makeup and when I try to put it on I look like something off the cover of a Pat Benatar album.

That or I need to stop drinking and powder my nose more. The sheen from the flash bulbs combined with too many martinis gives me quite a lovely shiny nose.

Wish me luck tonight, I'll need it.

Darn, they are closing the shades at the DCA AC. I love this club, the women who work here are amazing and friendly, just like Seattle (RIP) and the views are lovely.

To date, I have flown over 103,000 miles. To many, this sounds astounding, to my friends at Flyertalk, this is wimpy.

I'll take wimpy and bulb planting opportunities over machismo any day. :)

Off fly back to Seattle. I wonder if they have changed the digiplayers this month.

nm

football saturday

Maples, OSU campus (go beavs!) October 2005

I love Saturdays, especially at home. During football season, I'm trapped unless I plan my day carefully. Today I fly home and hit traffic going to the stadium with full force, meaning that I"ll have trouble getting home and if I don't plan my moves correctly, I could be rerouted and delayed on my way home during the big exodus from the stadium. As it is we're just on the outer edges of where the die hard fans park, seeing already tight on street parking vanish and groups of yellow and purple clad fans make their way down to the stadium a mile away.

This year I have done a pretty decent job of missing most games, this week is unusual, but I need to get home so I'll figure something out.

This is the last week Choice Bulb Farms will be at the U District Farmer's Market. I'm soo tempted to pick up a few bags of bulbs as they tend to grow the unuusal, but honestly I need to get the other 550 plus that we bought in October in the ground sooner than later.

However, there is always Sunday at the West Seattle Market. ;)

nm

Other than that, dinner party for a newly minded 40 year old. Should be interesting ...

I'm done, toast and peanut butter

I am reconsidering these little runs for the black luggage tags, the twee black card and 2 million miler status (so close). I'm thinking that one long enjoyable and okay, more expensive trip to say Kyoto would have been easier on my psyche, soul and body, not to mention those in my family and circle of friends who watch flight tracker and will call me as soon as I land and tell me what gate my next flight is at.

Today was no exception. DCA to ORD was great, mellow and on time. ORD to FLL was 1 hour late so I really considered bagging it and going right back to DC for dinner. However, I made it and we turned super fast. The flight in was interesting, having never experienced Florida (on purpose), but it was an interesting landscape to view from the air.

My Chicago to DC trip was short and sweet with no seat opponent and really getting in the Sarah Harmer that I have on eckbo2 (ipod of mine). I did a bunch of sudokos (more on that later) and now I'm wondering what happened to TH, as my luggage is in Dupont Circle and I"m in the strangest hotel room I've been in for a while with a view of something in Crystal City. Now this is a place to avoid unless desperate to be close to the airport. Like Arlington, souless, but the restaurants are not worth mentioning.

Oh, did I mention Rolling Thunder, the geriatric edition is staying here tonight. That should be fun!

sigh.

not to start friday off with a sour note

Hotel Pet Peeve number 2:

Is it necessary to sing and scream at the top of your lungs outside my room so that in my hermetically sealed hotel room 15 stories above where you croon, I can hear your lack of melody?

Hotel Pet Peeve number 3:

Hermetically sealed stuffy hotel rooms with hidden toilet paper holders.

gotta go and board that flight!
nm

dinner and more dinner

Lovely day here in DC. Had a long day of meetings and presentations followed by a round of camparis at the Tabard. We were going to 21P for dinner and after reading some reviews, decided to go to a tried and true favorite - The Iron Gate instead. If you have never been there, please visit and enjoy both the indoor intimate dining room and the beautiful courtyard with fairy lights, a grape arbor and be transported to Italy. Very romantic and one of my favorite courtyards in the world.

The food was good not too prententious or daring, which can be okay. I had a salad with a crottin of chevre and a yellowfin tuna dish. TH had three starters that looked pretty darn tasty. Our friends had the the pork tenderloin. It looked good as well. Desserts are sort of weak,so maybe we should have gone back to the Tabard for the milk chocolate pot de creme with a peanut butter shortbread cookie. That sounded interesting.

Tonight, we're dining at Andale with J, R, N and N and TH may finally meet!

Tomorrow, DCA-ORD-FLL vv. or bust.

nm

I just love that naked lady in the bathtub and other charming things

The Tabard Inn is a great hotel, if its not completely overbooked and you are given the room you requested months ago. If not, you are not treated to the outstanding customer service that folks at the big chains are forced to learn in order to keep their jobs.

I love this hotel, I love the fact every room is different, the breakfasts are great as is the bar, its just that if you are stuck in a room that is loud, near the restaurant or just in the cone of traffic, you're hosed if like to get a solid night's sleep.

We were so prissed when we checked in that I spent 45 minutes tracking down another room in DC. None exist. Something big is going on. I managed to find on at the Helix for twice what we are paying tonight for tomorrow, but they called us to say that they would move us tomorrow into a quieter room. I hope.

Good thing too.

What can I say, stay at the Madera, eat at the Tabard and make reservations six months before you anticipate your meeting dates to be.

On a lighter note, we had a decent dinner at Teasim. Their salty oat cookies rock (Don't knock them until you try them!)

I can't wait until the Park Hyatt Washington reopens. I love this hotel and sort of wish they didn't remodel it, I liked it the way it was. The restaurant was great and the rooms were huge and comfortable. The bar at the Fairmont across the street was a good diversion as well.

its tuesday, it must be brussels

Autumn crocus on a bed of campanula

Not really, but close. I'm getting an amazing aversion to packing. I can't believe it. It used to be so easy and this trip it just seemed so daunting. I guess its my lack of clothing that I like and fits and partially its the finicky weather. Its going to be 70 in DC, so I should be okay. I don't have any hose with me that work, but I'll manage if I must.

An update: Its not as warm here as I thought. Oh well. At least I'm here and honestly just really tired, tired tired. Tonight I'm thinking dinner at the Tabard and work on my talk and try and to get some sleep.