I put together this photo gallery of the family highlights from our trip. I was thinking of doing a special post to mark the end of 2012, but figured this montage that I spent the last hour creating works quite well! Hope your 2012 was wonderful. See you soon in the New Year!
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| Make your own thank you |
You know that segment in trashy celebrity magazines called Who Wore It Better? There are side-by-side pictures of two different celebrities wearing the same outfit with a percentage of votes preferring one over another.
There should be something similar called Who Cooked It Better, although there wouldn’t be anything interesting to report since America would win 100% of the time.
Here’s one reason I couldn’t move to London: I wasn’t impressed by any of the meals I ate. I wish I could say differently, but truthfully, the food wasn’t phenomenal and for the price, it lacked value. Alas, I am a very very spoiled California gal.
Check out some of the London lowlights with my alternative for a better meal in San Francisco.
Tea at Bea’s of Bloomsbury at St. Paul’s. Better bet: Dartealing in SF with cucumber sandwiches that are light, yet scrumptious. Very disappointed with the rock-hard sandwiches seen below at Bea’s.
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Polpo in Soho. While this was one of the better meals we ate, I still prefer A16 in SF which is similar, but way better.
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Racine in Knightsbridge. They get one star for having foie gras on the menu. But look at this horrible presentation! They also scowled when Dean asked for crostinis. Hmmm, I don’t know any restaurant that serves foie gras completely on its own. So many French places to choose from in SF, but I’ll go with Fringale in SOMA.
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We ate at the much-heralded Pizza East in Shoreditch on our last night. I’d lost my appetite with my sickness so didn’t have any pizza, but the meatballs were divine. Nevertheless, Zero Zero in SF is still the best.
I’ll get back on schedule with all my posts when I return to the States, but for now, here’s a pic of the three stooges all dolled up and dapper for NYE in London. I’m wearing the one thing I bought during our trip (a dress, of course), but you cannot see it since I’m covered up in a big black sweater. We are having drinks at Rules which is the oldest restaurant in London.
While I’m no art history major, I have never formally studied art, nor can I draw a respectable circle or square, I still nevertheless know art. I love art. I have a passion for art. I make note of gallery openings and new exhibits in my calendar, then I find the time to visit. I’m always inspired by what I see.
More than any other tourist attraction, I was most looking forward to the Tate Modern. What a huge disappointment! The curator should be shot. It’s like the curator vomited art into the building, leaving the visitors nauseous from the experience and wanting to leave as quickly as possible. I hated it. There was no rhyme or reason to what was inside. No themes, no curation. Completely random works of art thrown together. It was so bad that often times I could not tell which description went with which work of art. That’s how confusing it was.
A colleague who lives in London gave me a list of all her favorite sites. She specifically mentioned that a lot of people go to the Tate, but she personally wasn’t a fan of modern art. I’m pretty sure that it’s not modern art that she dislikes. The Tate Modern is such a poorly-organized, horribly-curated museum that people who visit think they don’t like modern art! So sad. Whoever is in charge of the Tate needs to do some reconnaissance at the MOMA in NYC or SF. Until then, strike the Tate off your list of sites to see in London. You’ll thank me for saving you from wasting an hour of your life.
That wasted hour could have been better spent at the Victoria & Albert Museum which was AMAZING!
Whelp, here I am in London sick as a dog. Completely congested, lost my voice. I’ve loaded up on Sudafed and persevered as much as possible to still be able to see the sights. I could definitely see myself living here; London is a big beautiful city with a ton of stuff to do. Doesn’t hurt that everyone speaks English either!
Our first night here, we watched Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap which is the longest running play in the world. I fell asleep through most of it.
Then a full day on Friday running around town with Dean’s cousin and wife. St. Paul’s Cathedral was the highlight for me, can’t beat that view after climbing a gazillion steps. This is where Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married and where the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee took place.
Not a single person I asked knew the significance of Boxing Day, only that it’s a British Holiday the day after Christmas. Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that it’s called Boxing Day because historically employers gave their servants presents (Christmas Boxes) during this holiday.
Speaking of Wikipedia, here is an extract of a nice email I received from Wikipedia after donating. Very good business practice especially for a non-profit!
“You should know: your donation isn’t just covering your own costs. The average donor is paying for his or her own use of Wikipedia, plus the costs of hundreds of other people. Your donation keeps Wikipedia available for an ambitious kid in Bangalore who’s teaching herself computer programming. A middle-aged homemaker in Vienna who’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A novelist researching 1850s Britain. A 10-year-old in San Salvador who’s just discovered Carl Sagan.
“On behalf of those people, and the half-billion other readers of Wikipedia and its sister sites and projects, I thank you for joining us in our effort to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone. Your donation makes the world a better place. Thank you.”
Back to my first Boxing Day experience. Dean’s family gifted us tickets to the Everton vs Wigan game. By default and family association, I am an Everton fan and I believe I brought the team good luck as we won 2-1. It was an authentic experience because it was pouring rain while walking to the stadium, but that did nothing to dampen my spirits; I absolutely love real football! I could watch this stuff all day long and will need to figure out how to watch from the U.S. Way better than American football. See if you can spot the full moon in this set of pictures.
“Catherine, we hope you’ve had a good time. Hope you’ve had a good Christmas.”
“I have, absolutely. Just amazing. But oh God, I need sleep!”
I am pretty sure I married into the wildest party animals. These Brits can drink and dance and they don’t need sleep. There isn’t a night we’ve gone to bed before 3am for 5 straight nights.
The joke is that when we get to London, maybe we’ll finally get some rest!
Here are pics from Christmas.
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Festive table setting with shrimp cocktail—my favorite!
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Christmas kisses!
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Dean getting down!
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Dance party
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Click here for a video clip of the in-house rave: MVI_2676
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The man of the house Uncle Norman
With the myriad of benefits and charities that have popped up because of the Sandy Hook massacre, I have been trying to determine how I can help. I’ve been very suspicious of emails and online solicitations asking for donations to personal Paypal accounts. Where is the oversight?
I did some research and this memorial fund truly resonated with me as it directly supports the survivors and the family of victims through higher education.
The Sandy Hook School Memorial Scholarship Fund at UConn was established with an $80,000 gift from the UConn Women’s Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma. The fund will offset college costs for current Sandy Hook students, siblings of victims, and dependents of victims who are accepted to the University of Connecticut which is one of the top public universities in the country.
I know a lot of people who read my blog are friends and peers, and I’m certain all of you would agree with me that education is the best gift anyone can receive. I hope you’ll consider donating to this worthy cause.
Dean’s cousin and wife took us all around Liverpool yesterday: the gorgeous Liverpool Cathedral and Albert Dock. According to Wikipedia, Albert Dock is the most visited multi-use attraction in the UK outside of London. It’s like Jack London Square or Pier 39, but way better. Modernized, but still retains its historical features.
We ate at a french restaurant called Bistro Jacques that offered a bottle of wine with each meal (i.e., 4 bottles of wine for the table) and listened to a live band at the Cavern which is where the Beatles played. Any band that can play Rage Against the Machine, Michael Jackson, and Wham is tops in my book.
I can’t believe I’m blogging from England! Dean’s family is truly amazing. Simply the best in-laws you can ever hope for. His aunt and uncle were the first faces to greet us as we exited baggage claim in Manchester. They dropped us off at the hotel, we went to bed around 9am, then thanks to Dean’s mom, she woke us up with a phone call at 4:30pm.
We had dinner and spent all night at his aunt and uncle’s home. I had concerns that I wouldn’t understand what anyone was saying; I have trouble with accents. It wasn’t too bad, but here’s an example of my confusion.
Someone asked Dean’s little niece what she wanted for Christmas.
I heard her say, “I want a bake for Christmas.”
I deduced she wanted an easy-bake toy oven.
Then someone asked what color ‘bake’ she wanted.
With this new information, I figured, aheee, she wants a bag!
She then added, “I don’t care what color it is, as long as it’s a fast bake!”
The girl wanted a bike! Not a bake. Not a bag. But a bike!
I am trying really hard to understand!!!
My nickname is Vixen. I’m a barely-published, newly-married, 30-something writer. An almost mommy, I am forever changed by the loss of my baby. I post daily about living in San Francisco, traveling around the world, and trying to keep up with over 1000 Facebook friends. With a passion for books, reading, and writing, I take pride in sharing my musings with you.
