londontown
i am so happy right now. i've just spent an evening at a restaurant called bistro in covent garden where people were dancing, shouting and kissing each other randomly. where am i? i be in london luv and per ususal loving every freaking second of my visit.
but more on that later.
this is a town that i've loved since the first time i came here in the late '90s. i love the vibe, the people, the portobello market, covent garden, notting hill shops, ken high street, the west end, soho, picadilly and all the rest. unfortunately, this trip will be shorter than most, but this time i will leave london with more clarity and purpose than ever before.
london has given me myself back.
i know that sounds a little crazy and that sentence is way cryptic, but those of you who know me well know how tough the past 10 months have been on me. on top of the recession cutting into my income, one of my best friends lost her husband, one of my other best friends died suddenly, as did someone else very special to me. additionally, i lost a mentor and a slew of relatives including my beloved father, the one person who always had my back no matter what. any tinge of happiness i've experienced during this time just pales in comparison. it's been rough navigating the grief.
there's no road map for that.
but friday night, i put all my grief in my back pocket and went for it. i hung out with my bff kolton and some of his friends and by evening's end i had no worries at all. we drank mojitos on the corner of dean and greek in soho literally surrounded by tigers, bears and pussycat girls.
tonight, i went out to dinner with my friend steph, who has graciously put me up in her flat for the past couple of days. bistro--and you should all check it out-- is one of the best dinner bargains in a city where food, clothes and everything else are notoriously overpriced. you can get a starter, entree and dessert for 10 pounds, which is roughly $20.
initially, we sat there and ordered our dinner and chatted. thee food was good but we did send the house wine back--an italian red--because it was weaker than grape juice. we opted for a suitable south african pinotage instead.
and then the mayhem started.
after having carried my heavy camera around for two days and two nights, i decided to leave it at home this time so i could just blend in with the locals. but when a guy got up and started dancing to some '80s oldie with one of the eight women at his table (he was the only guy), it was on. everyone in the tiny dining room started clapping and singing along. the people sitting next to us became our new best friends and by the end of the night we were all facebook friends.
when "play that funky music white boy" came up in the rotation, the same guy got up and was dancing at the head of his table. at that point i'd had enough and just had to join him. i rolled up behind him, rubbing my pelvis into his backside and it was on. everyone cheered us on and his female companions began snapping pictures of us. me, the ugly american in the obama t-shirt and cargo pants; and he, the bawdy brit in his striped button-down and jeans.
a motley pair, indeed.
and then when they played gloria gaynor's "i will survive," everyone in the house rose to their feet singing, dancing and liberating themselves from whatever shackles had held them down all week. i don't think i've ever witnessed a more joyful scene in a public restaurant and felt compelled to shout out: "i love this town!"
much to my delight, someone shouted back: "we love that you love us!"
make no mistake. i've been prone to these types of spontaneous outbursts before, but this was a different kind of release. i actually hadn't been in a very good mood all day. my back hurt and i was still jet-lagged. but right after dancing with mr. guy all the frustration of that day and all the pain that had been heaped upon me throughout the year dissipated.
yep, it all went away. if only for a night.
but more on that later.
this is a town that i've loved since the first time i came here in the late '90s. i love the vibe, the people, the portobello market, covent garden, notting hill shops, ken high street, the west end, soho, picadilly and all the rest. unfortunately, this trip will be shorter than most, but this time i will leave london with more clarity and purpose than ever before.
london has given me myself back.
i know that sounds a little crazy and that sentence is way cryptic, but those of you who know me well know how tough the past 10 months have been on me. on top of the recession cutting into my income, one of my best friends lost her husband, one of my other best friends died suddenly, as did someone else very special to me. additionally, i lost a mentor and a slew of relatives including my beloved father, the one person who always had my back no matter what. any tinge of happiness i've experienced during this time just pales in comparison. it's been rough navigating the grief.
there's no road map for that.
but friday night, i put all my grief in my back pocket and went for it. i hung out with my bff kolton and some of his friends and by evening's end i had no worries at all. we drank mojitos on the corner of dean and greek in soho literally surrounded by tigers, bears and pussycat girls.
tonight, i went out to dinner with my friend steph, who has graciously put me up in her flat for the past couple of days. bistro--and you should all check it out-- is one of the best dinner bargains in a city where food, clothes and everything else are notoriously overpriced. you can get a starter, entree and dessert for 10 pounds, which is roughly $20.
initially, we sat there and ordered our dinner and chatted. thee food was good but we did send the house wine back--an italian red--because it was weaker than grape juice. we opted for a suitable south african pinotage instead.
and then the mayhem started.
after having carried my heavy camera around for two days and two nights, i decided to leave it at home this time so i could just blend in with the locals. but when a guy got up and started dancing to some '80s oldie with one of the eight women at his table (he was the only guy), it was on. everyone in the tiny dining room started clapping and singing along. the people sitting next to us became our new best friends and by the end of the night we were all facebook friends.
when "play that funky music white boy" came up in the rotation, the same guy got up and was dancing at the head of his table. at that point i'd had enough and just had to join him. i rolled up behind him, rubbing my pelvis into his backside and it was on. everyone cheered us on and his female companions began snapping pictures of us. me, the ugly american in the obama t-shirt and cargo pants; and he, the bawdy brit in his striped button-down and jeans.
a motley pair, indeed.
and then when they played gloria gaynor's "i will survive," everyone in the house rose to their feet singing, dancing and liberating themselves from whatever shackles had held them down all week. i don't think i've ever witnessed a more joyful scene in a public restaurant and felt compelled to shout out: "i love this town!"
much to my delight, someone shouted back: "we love that you love us!"
make no mistake. i've been prone to these types of spontaneous outbursts before, but this was a different kind of release. i actually hadn't been in a very good mood all day. my back hurt and i was still jet-lagged. but right after dancing with mr. guy all the frustration of that day and all the pain that had been heaped upon me throughout the year dissipated.
yep, it all went away. if only for a night.
