Wednesday, November 21, 2001

13:00:

Lounging in London

I made it into Heathrow this morning, 6 hours after my first flight across the Atlantic began. After some initial disorientation, I eventually managed to make my way to the express rail (once again highlighting the great aspects of well-built public transportation infrastructure) and onto the Underground--a successful example of urban marketing if I've ever seen one.

My first-night hotel is located in Kensington, on the western side of Core London (seems like the maps don't care to show anything outside it). The place is smack-dab in the middle of what we could call Middle Of The Road Lodging--tiny rooms that are reasonably cozy, if intense in their stench of old cigarette smoke, an internet terminal in the room, and a lumpy mattress. But I didn't come to London to spend too much time in here anyway (even if most my afternoon was spent taking a nap trying to get myself on sleep track. I'm looking forward to Albert's arrival--I think we'll have a great time making our way around the city, and I look forward to being with someone who's been here before, as it makes decisionmaking easier. Did explore within a 20-block radius of here, even setting foot in the tribute to compartmental shopping, Harrod's. Classy joint.

Had a polyglot moment this morning at a little cafe in Kensington. The waiter there spoke in argentine spanish to his coworkers, addressed me in english, and did his thing while the owner and the bartender bantered in french.

Now, I must make my way out of the hotel and somewhere where something interesting may be going on.