I love Sherlock Holmes. I love the original stories, the new BBC show, the setting, the characters, everything about it. When I arrived at 221B Baker Street, I couldn’t stop grinning. Naturally, I desperately wanted to go into the museum, which charged a 15 pound entrance fee. On a cloudy day, I went back, armed with cash, and entered the museum.
The Sherlock Holmes museum is built in a three-story Victorian row house, with each floor dedicated to a different character. The first floor contains Sherlock Holmes’ bedroom, and the sitting room where Holmes and Watson would talk to their clients. Both rooms were impeccably designed, with small details from the books tucked into different nooks and crannies. The Arabian slipper in which Holmes kept his tobacco, and the box of theatrical makeup and tins of greasepaint which Holmes used to disguise himself, and sitting on the bed, the famous deerstalker and bowler hat. Outside of the window, one could look through the glass roof of the conservatory, which housed the ticket booth and gift shop. The hundreds of people traversing the old house made the floorboards extremely creaky, and the sound, although muffled by the embroidered rugs, still echoed constantly throughout the house. I easily spent the most time in the bottom floor, as there were no ropes or gates to prevent guests from hovering over the furniture and tables to take photos mere inches from the antiquities. The second floor contained glass cases filled with the clues from Holmes’ cases, including several severed body parts, a shrunken head, and five orange pips. These glass cases were also included in Mrs. Hudson’s room, which was covered with floral wallpaper, lace curtains, and a massive books filled with letters written to Sherlock Holmes. Nearly all of them were written by students from China and Japan, and mentioned that reading Sherlock Holmes stories helped them learn English. My personal favourite was a letter written by a student from Houston, who implored Sherlock to eat more than just cocaine on Christmas. There was also a letter from a Chinese corporation, who was requested Holmes to collect the belongings of a deceased employee, who had listed Sherlock Holmes as his next-of-kin. The top floor was filled with wax figures, including sculptures of Holmes, Watson, Irene Adler, and Moriarty. In the other room were some of the villains of Holmes’ most famous cases, including the Man with the Twisted Lip and the mounted head of the Hound of Baskervilles. As much as I enjoyed the museum, it didn’t feel like it was worth the 15 pound admission. Even looking around at every possible detail of the house, I got through the museum in only about an hour. In addition, everything in the gift shop, which exclusive to the museum, is very overpriced, and if you are more of a fan of one of the adaptations rather than the original books, such as Sherlock orElementary (and if you’re a fan of Elementary, I’m silently judging you) then there will be very little merchandise geared towards your fandom. However, the hour that was spent in the museum was incredibly cool! I would love to return someday, if I had someone who was willing to pay the admission fee for me.
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Gray Line Worldwide, the company I work for, is partnered in Rome with a company called Eataly, which offers walking tours of what the city is famous for: food. We were lucky enough to take the Espresso & Gelato tour. Our guide was informative and fun, and the company chose some really amazing places that we never would have stopped into otherwise. The tour met at the Elephant & Obelisk statue, and from there we walked past the Pantheon and to a really old coffee shop that still housed its HUGE roaster from way back when! It was there, in this remarkably crowded little shop, that I tried my first espresso. After one sip, I was ready to never drink espresso again. After two sips, I was ready to only drink espresso for the rest of my life! Across the street from this place was a tiny gelato shop called Punto Gelato. We were able to test four different flavors (there were so many vegan options!) and then get a cone. While we picked, our guide taught us how to decide whether gelato was legitimate or not. For your personal reference here's a quick rundown:
After the first full week of living in London, and me and a few people wanted to have a night out. So after meeting a few locals at a local pub called The College Arms, they took us to a bar called TCR Bar. This bar is a lot of fun. It first appeared to be rather quiet so we all got some drinks. If you are a person that really enjoys a gin and tonic, then this bar is for you. They have a good selection of brands of gin and their gin and tonics are made in wide variety. Each type of gin is paired with its own garnish,making each drink taste so different from each other, but tasting just as good as the others. For instance, The Hendrick's G&T (gin and tonic) is made with Hendrick's Gin, tonic water and is garnished with rose buds and cucumber to make drink with a more floral taste, whereas The King's of Soho G&T is prepared with King of Soho Gin, tonic water and has slivers of cucumber and thinly cut lemon wheels to give the drink a summery yet cool and refreshing flavor. Aside from the gin and tonic drinks, the place does have a full liquor bar and a few bottled and draught beers as well.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the days to go if you arena a mood to dance. The people I happened to be with went here on a Friday and in no time the place was packed. The bar had a DJ and people immediately started dancing. Te dancefloor wasn't the largest, but everyone fit comfortably. The DJ was very kind and allowed people to make song requests. He recognized that the group I was with was mainly Americans so he played music we would recognize. I became friends with him and as a result he gave me his demo CD. The employees in general were very kind. Along with becoming friends with the DJ, I also became friends with the bouncer of the establishment. The clientele is more geared towards the age of 18-28, so meeting people around the college is very simple. Another great thing about this bar is the fact is right around the corner of Eckerd College Study Centre (it's located on Tottenham Court Road, hence the name TCR Bar). I thoroughly enjoyed going to the TCR Bar and recommend it to anyone interested in going to a smaller place to drink and dance. The only thing I suggest, and it is easier said than done, is to make sure you go and try to explore the bar scene around the city. The convenience of the bar being so close makes it hard to see what other venues are around, and you are more susceptible to make it your regular watering hole.Who says anything is wrong with that though? The upbeat musical Wonder.land did the expected and trampled expectations. Whether this was a good thing for the production, however, is up for serious debate. The story of Wonder.land bombards its viewers with tale of Alice ‘Aly’ Hatton, a young black girl living in an an urban/middle to lower socio-economic area in present- day London. Aly suffers a great deal of social injustices (reeling from the role she played in the separation of her parents, racial prejudice, bullying, etc.) and joins an online gaming community called Wonder.land. Here she enters a colourful and psychedelic virtual reality where via her avatar she embarks on a quest to find and accept herself for who she truly is.
The theatre production of Wonder.land, loosely based on the children’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was adapted for theatre production by playwright Moira Buffini, director Rufus Norris and musician Damon Albarn, of the Blur. It was performed at the National Theatre, in the Olivier theatre (South Bank), lasting two hours and thirty minutes (including intermission). Aly’s journey begins in her room at home where she sings to the typical adolescent struggle: meddling parents (in this case, her mother asking her to go to the supermarket). From there Aly stumbles upon Wonder.land and all the adventures that followed. The set in itself was incredibly gloomy and dark - all of the buildings and structures were a dark grey or black, reminiscent of Aly’s feelings towards her reality. In contrast, Wonder.land became this world full of color, strobing lights and an iridescent purple cat (the cheshire cat) inviting Aly to explore even further. This made it very clear to the audience what reality Aly was in and when, and how Aly came to feel in each world (maintaining that she could be whomever she wanted while playing Wonder.land). Along with the success of the set design, makeup and costume design also excelled. The avatars that made the Alice in Wonderland characters come to life was incredible. From the Alice avatar to Dee and Dum, each character was recognizable and easily linked back to the original story, yet maintained a sense of individualism that helped the viewer see the “person” beyond just those characters, like Aly. Another triumph was the fluidity of which this production was choreographed. The excess music numbers needed impressive dance numbers to accompany. For example, the scene where Matt Hatton (fun play on words) takes Aly and her friend Luke to tea, and essentially recreates the tea table scene from Alice and Wonderland. The dancing was superb, the movable props intelligent, and the ease of which it all came together was flawless. Along with this, the movement of stage props and sets (the buildings) was timely and well executed. Despite all this success, Wonder.land had an undeniable universal error. One of the most important aspects of this production is personage and identity. Equally, it became the most disappointing part of the musical, and possibly what undermines the success the all of the designers achieved. Because beyond the twinkling lights of Aly’s virtual reality, Wonder.land was plagued with poorly written characters, horrible songs and a predictable plotline. The glamorisation of Aly’s plethora of social issues/anxieties and general lack of self esteem was irritating. Like any teenager, Aly is plagued with these issues, but unlike most teenagers she seems to go through all of them all at once and very quickly for the sake of dramatic effect. This made Aly’s character relatively immature and rather annoying/unlikeable. She doesn’t seem to grow as a character until the very end, where all of her problems are magically dissolved with the dissolution of her avatar. The resolve was quick and childlike (here’s the moral of the story kids). These issues made her almost unrelatable, and the echoing message of “Who are you” almost loses its meaning. One character that particularly stood out was Ms.Manxome (Anna Francolini). In the first act, it seems as if the game will change her for the better, but she ends up continuing her evil rampage, only in virtual worlds now. She is evil for the sake of being evil, regardless of her hurt past and that is a kind of complexity that virtually all of the other characters lack (e.g. Luke, whose defining trait was his homosexuality). Finally, this production essentially failed as a musical. Extremely talented performers’, like Carly Bawden (Alice avatar) and Lois Chimimba (Aly) potential was wasted on superficial songs that completely lacked any depth (like the one song completely devoted to Charlie, who is such a miniscule character). Overall, this production is not recommended. Brick Lane's Sunday market is a combination of four mini-markets all crammed along a single strip of road. The first part is a series of stalls filling the first floor of what appears to be an open office space. The front half is all food in various styles from all over the world: Mexican, Chinese, Jamaican, Korean. Behind the rows of delicious eats are a random assortment of arts and crafts. On the other side of this building, the farthest section from the main strip, has a small collection of food trucks serving more American-esque foods: The Orange Buffalo, selling New York style hot wings, Meat Porn, offering an assortment of sandwiches, and Mother Clucker, serving southern fried chicken. Further down the Brick Lane there is another section entirely dedicated to food, but there aren't as many stalls so the options aren't as mind-blowing as they are in the first section. Along the road itself, there is another tiny food section with six or seven stalls, again of various origins. But all in all, whatever food you choose, from whatever section, will be delicious. But I do recommend eating at the market, rather than the restaurants that line the street. There is just something about market food that makes it a million times better.
All down the street are stalls and shops selling primarily vintage and consignment goods. The stores themselves are mostly vintage clothing shops, offering actual vintage items and often the stores own spin on vintage apparel. But, warning, while they have some great deals -- and often have people walking around with flyers for store discounts -- it can still be quite expensive. The consignment stalls offer a wider variety of products, from clothing to tea sets and a random assortment of all that's between. Though it is made up of "four" markets, it certainly isn't the largest market. It runs for a few blocks, but its not nearly as massive as Portobello Road. The streets though are covered with amazing street art, which is worth checking out -- almost as much as the market is. All dedicated Dickens’ fans: gather as fast as you can and go spend a minimum of two hours exploring the home that one of the world’s most beloved author resided in. Located on 48 Doughty Street, go relish in the comfort of an aged home that generously provides a direct look into the past of Charles Dickens. Clean, well-organized, filled with knowledgeable volunteers and featuring a dream of a gift shop, this museum gives viewers insight not only to our treasured author, but also presents historical accuracy of the mid-1800s.
By far, the best part of Dickens’ home is found in what it represents. Every room is on display. From the dining room to the nursery, staged set ups allow for viewers to get a humanistic look on the author. While many regard Dickens’ as being a brilliant writer, in doing such, it is often forgotten that he was also a person. Standing in front of his desk, seeing the trash can full of half-written manuscripts, tourists become keenly aware of the fact that Dickens’ was ultimately a human being. Furthermore, the displays also provide a direct segue into Dickens’ psyche. In the room where Charles sister-in-law, Mary Scott Hogarth, passed away, fans of the author come to the realization of why Dickens’ became so fixated on crafting young, noble and endearing women in his later career. In knowing that Mary passed away in the walls of this home, one could arguably claim that the museum is haunted with history. And in a sense it is. Rounding every corner a painted silhouette of Dickens’ himself. A sharp contrast in color to the soft hue of the walls, the ghostly appearance of the Dicken’s follows you around the house, giving the museum an intimate feel. However, it should be duly noted that these silhouettes act as a guide, and that my literary interpretation may have stemmed from the mere idea of being in the presence of Dickens’ home. The museum is also informative. Within the well-staged scenarios that resonate a comfortable atmosphere, there are a series of books entitled “Read Me.” These books, along with the booklets given to you at the beginning of your tour, provide background to each room of the house as well as insight to Dicken’s personal preferences in his own reading (they also make you feel like Alice, taking orders from intimate objects). The history and past come to life as you read these, drawing you in just as Dickens’ stories do. In regard to these critically acclaimed stories, Charles’ well-crafted novels are also present within many of the rooms of the museum. From being written on the bedspread and the walls of the servant’s room to having every edition of every novel available in the gift shop, Dickens’ words follow visitors, resonating with you as you travel back down the stairs and into the home next store that bears the timeline of the famous author’s life. Although this timeline isn’t solely focused on Dickens (i.e. I may have freaked out when I saw the publication date of my favorite novel, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables), this segment captures the essence of Charles life, condensing the entire museum in to a single room. It is here that viewers become aware of Charles separation to Catherine (despite the fact that the reasoning behind the divorce is clouded, mimicking Charles’ desire to keep his life private). It is a nice closing piece to the museum, and once you pass the section dedicated to representing BBC’s show on Dickens, you return to the gift shop where many Charles Dickens memorabilia can be purchased. Shelves stalked with quills, bookmarks, and bags, this museum is, in all, a literary nerd’s dream. Don’t miss the opportunity to miss it, even if you despised Oliver Twist as much as I did; the mere presentation of Dickens’ is worth the trip. If only I had a pound for every time the Co-Op saved my bottom, I would be able to stay in London and live there indefinitely. If you are going to be joining the Eckerd London program next year, a few tips would help, I wish I had a few. The Co-Op is an invaluable resource for us, it provides so much of our daily meals, and is a quick and easy place to get everything you need food wise. Aside from boots, it's probably one of the most useful places for us college students.
It has the three great things needed to be a place where we can go. It’s cheap, the food there is cheap enough to fill even the largest stomachs for less than ten pounds if you know how to spend it, and the selection is excellent for that pricing. There’s bread and pastries, meals that are good for the microwave. Candy and crisps both take a shelf for themselves. My own favorite were the Mature Cheddar and Chive crisps. A must see. It’s also open late, being open to eleven usually. Now that might not seem very late to us, who are used to everything being open past midnight, but the city of London doesn’t run on the same clock that we do. Eleven is in fact a perfectly reasonable time for closing. At ten, I could run down and grab some food, maybe a drink or two and still have enough time to goof around or work. Finally, there is almost always some kind of sale going on, which is fantastic. Food going for only a pound or two, sometimes less, and sales often come in later at night, so that those owls can get some grub when everyone else has closed shop. I especially liked the sales for the fresh bread and other pastries, which happened almost every night. Going for mere pennies, I could get three croissants for less than a pound. What’s more, the Co-Op is very close, as I said before, less than three minutes walk away if you push it. The only other place that comes close is the larger Salisbury market, a traditional supermarket, but it is more than ten minutes and crosses quite a few roads. The selection is admittedly expanded, but I don’t exactly find that a good thing. You can get everything you need from the Co-Op without hassle or trouble. Overall, I would give the Co-Op a 10/10, as it is the only real conceivable option for shopping that I see, with a great selection and choice, and a wide variety. I myself get a sandwich and diet coke when I go, maybe even a microwavable packet of Bangers and Mash. I also love getting the crisps, maybe even a chocolate bar if I’m feeling really hungry. There is some part of me that misses the old classics, like Goldfish or Cheezits, but overall, if I had to pick any place to shop, it would be the Co-Op. MidSummer is a play by William Shakespeare that follows three stories through a night in the woods. The fairy world that takes place in the woods shows us the story of the fairy queen and king in an argument over a changling child.the king uses magic to try and trick the queen into giving him the boy. In the process the king and his henchman Puck mess with the two other story lines presented in the play. The story of the lovers follows an odd love triangle that gets mixed up by the fairy Puck, using the same Magic the King used to mess with the Fairy Queens head. The rude mechanical story follows working class people from the town where the lovers are from as they rehearse a play for the wedding of Theseus and Hypolyta. Puck again messes with the group by turning a player into a donkey. In the end, all the magic is undone and everyone lives happily ever after.
The version of the play that we saw at the Globe was a bit of a modern twist on the classic story. Instead of the lovers being two girls and two boys, the director introduced the idea of gay relationship between Helanus (Helena) and Demetrius. The rude mechanicals were portrayed as globe workers rather than the classic joiner or weaver. When the lovers are running away they run to London and not the woods, and their clothing is described as “hipster” by the faries. This modern twist was played off very well because it didn't take from the play but it made it more relatable to the current audience. The costumes for the magical world were stunning. The dresses designed for Titania and the fairies were ballerina-esque but with the long trains that gave a magical flying feel to the fairies. Puck had a lime green shimmering bodysuit on with a huge collar and light up sneakers, giving her a childish feel which really went well with the character and her childish antics. The costumes for everyone else were very casual modern clothes that looked nice but weren't very eye catching. The costumes that really stood out for the humans were the wedding attire. It wasn't traditional wedding attire other than everything was white. Hermia was in shorts and a flowing top, Lysander was in white slacks and a white button up, and Demetrius was in white shorts and button up with a dark blazer. What was really great about it was Helenus’ attire was traditional Indian garments and it was gorgeously fitted. The tube is easily the greatest aspect about London. You can zoom your way to any destination around the city within minutes. Not only is it fast, but extremely easy to navigate. Most of the time you can take one line to your destination, but occasionally you have to switch lines, which isn’t horrible. Sometimes during the line switches you see some of the greatest underground street talent that London has to offer. For those who find it difficult to use the tube so download “Tube Map”. It is a user-friendly app that tells you what lines to take, how to get to them and it provides the tube schedule for all of the lines.
The tubes are usually at “good service”, which means that all the lines are running on time. While on a platform, you can estimate around two to three minutes between each train, which goes a lot quicker than you think. People watching while one the platform is always a great way to waste time while you wait. Though there are a few downfalls when it comes to using the tube. If you do not have an oyster card or a contactless card, riding the tube can take a toll on your wallet. A single ticket can start at five pounds and go up from there. So make sure that you prepare ahead of time to save some money. Also, while using the tube is easy and efficient, you do miss all of the amazing architecture and scenery that London has to offer. It is easy to miss some of London’s greatest treasures by using the tube. Lastly, you have to plan when to use the tube to avoid rush hour. During high traffic times, the tube can be so full that you have to wait for multiple trains to pass in order to get on one where you might have some room to stand. None the less, I believe that the tube is the fastest and easiest way to travel around the city and don’t forget to Mind the Gap. Rating: 5/5 The Roxy is a small bar and nightclub located off Tottenham Court Road . The experience begins with a fairly short queue wait and then strict id check by a guard who then passes it off to another. You are then asked to stand in front of a wall as your face appears on the screen and the security put your id under the machine blowing your id photo up to be right next to your face (goodluck getting in with your cousin's id under 18 year olds.
Once in you get to venture downstairs to the crowded club. The bar takes up most of the main space and to the back right is a small dance floor and to the back left an area of tables. The dance floor is a square area with a lcd screen wall on one side and a Dj to the side of the dance floor. Pretty similar to the South Beach Sessions back Eckerd. The Dj played an odd variety of tunes some prime examples being: -Mr.Brightside by The Killers - Wannabe by The Spice Girls -Lose Yourself by Eminem -Billie Jean by Micheal Jackson -That's What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction The whole Roxy gang anddddd a melody of Grease songs which apparently the brits loved as they all went crazy. Also that was probably the order those songs played as well. So an odd selection to groove to but we enjoyed ourselves and had fun. (upon further searching it appears Saturday nights are themed "Don't You Want Me Baby? 4 decades of Electric hits / pop/ indie/ cheese disco/ retro/ rock") Overall The Roxy was a night of memorable fun and in nice location for a short walk home after we were tired of clubbing. Fast food is everywhere, and the American market for it has given it a very distinct image: greasy, full of preservatives, and by all accounts, disgusting and horrible.
I'm very happy to come to London and find that the fast food scene (if that's the proper way to describe it) is not only decent, but actually quite good. My favorite example of these terrific fast food places is Wasabi. This is a chain of restaurants that prepare and sell high quality Japanese food at an astounding price: you can get a special Chirashi bowl (assorted sashimi over sushi rice) for about seven pounds- back in the states, most places charge almost thirty dollars for a half-decent Chirashi bowl. I have tremendous respect for any place that makes really good food accessible, and that's precisely what Wasabi does. Their sushi, bento boxes, and special hot dishes are all fresh and delicious, and you can leave the store with a veritable feast in your bag for a price that won't destroy your budget. Whether it's for dinner, a snack, or just because you want to devour the raw flesh of various sea creatures, I can't recommend Wasabi enough. |
The Idiots AbroadEveryone is a critic, including the Idiots Abroad. Each week, perhaps everyday, we will be bringing you our thoughts on the sights, sounds, and tastes around London. Should you eat the fish and chips at pub A? Or, should you cross town to see a show at Theater B? Check in with us for answers to those questions, along with short vignettes about our travels too and from these locations and about the strange and wonderful people we meet along the way. ArchivesCategories |
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