On the eve of my two week anniversary in London, I thought it high time to post an update on what's been happening. So ready yourself for the longest post yet. The process of settling is taking longer than I expected, but that's probably more to do with my impatience than anything else. When I think about where I was at this time last week, I'm happy with what I've done.
The first weekend in London, which was immediately following the 21 July attempted bombings, was spent relaxing at home and with Anthony and Denise. Denise arranged drinks on Friday night with a bunch of Australian friends. We went to a pub right next to Waterloo station, which Denise found from the Time Out pub guide. Time Out praised the rooftop beer garden, but neglected to inform us that it was mere centimetres from an elevtated rail track. I for one actually loved the urbanness of having a commuter train scream to a halt every few minutes (metres from where we sat), as much as each train brought conversations to an equally thundreous halt. Smoking is out of control in London. We did eventually reconvene inside, but that had more to do with the fact that the nighttime breeze was antarctically chilly. After New York's crazy heatwave, nighttime in London felt like about 5 degrees. The night was a great introduction to the pub scene which pervades so much of London life. I haven't been here long, but people congregate at pubs in the manner we might use a coffee shop back home. But the licensing is very different than Australia - you can imagine my surprise when bright lights were switched on at 11pm, and we were all given the hurry up to leave... immediately.
On Satuday 23rd I embarked on my first trip into central London. My only plan was to visit Covent Garden, and yes, there was a film-based motivation. My personal favourite of Hitchcock's 53 films is Frenzy, his little-konwn and under-appreciated 1972 serial killer flick. Coming off a decade long career slide, Hitch was intent on making a film that delivered everything audiences expected from a Hitchcock film. But the source novel Goodbye Picadilly, Farewell Leicester Square allowed him to do something very personal as well. Hitch's father was a greengrocer at the turn of the 20th century at Covent Garden markets. Little had changed at the markets in the intervening 70 odd years, but plans were afoot in the early 70s to move the markets south of the Thames. So Hitchcock wanted to record on film for all eternity the place that held significant personal memories. There is a lot be said for this decision, considering that he shunned location filming at every possible opportunity. In many ways Frenzy is one of his boldest films, playing with sound and other contemporary techniques, but also it is his most self-referential work. Why do people criticize De Palma for ripping off Hitchcock, when the old man was doing a good enough job himself? The film didn't do well, seeming old-fashioned when compared to The Godfather and other films released the same year. But I think it's fab. Apparently, Alma Hitchcock cried when she saw it, while Truffaut declared triumphantly that it was a young man's film. It always strikes me as his most personal film, as well as being a ripper of a story, so it was essential that I visited the location.
The Covent Garden market centre is now a tourist area, replete with cafes, bars, street-buskers, shops, and it's fair share of tackiness. The house where the serial killer lived stands just at did across the piazza, and adjacent to the church portico that holds significance for My Fair Lady fans (like my friend Kurt who pointed it out). I found myself drawn to an HMV store, and left with a swag of DVDs. I presently have 26 DVDs with me, all purchased on the trip, and have already sent home at least ten more to Kerby. I admit I have a problem, but I remind myself that it is my only (major) shopping indulgence... so I think it all balances out in the end.
Just backtracking for a minute, to get to Covent Garden I took the tube to Charing Cross station. That was the first stop of many on that Saturday that took in places I had previously visited, when last in London with Dad, Mum,, and Kats in 1992. Perhaps I was trying to find a connection with this huge, new city. Perhaps I was just feeling a little sentimental. Either way, it was fun to go back and see what had (but usually hadn't) changed.
From Covent Garden I headed for Piccadilly Circus, then down Piccadilly before becoming waylaid at Fortnum & Mason. Although the name was familiar, it was my first time in this historic store. The food hall is spread over the entire ground floor, and many of the goods bear the Fortnum & Mason brand name. My favourite thing was the odd-coloured sugar crystals. How cool would it be to serve coffee alongside a bowl of black sugar? Or perhaps rainbow-coloured? Or something more conservative, like aquamarine? The staff are impeccably dressed, and exceptionally polite. But still I had questions. I approached the information counter. There an elderly lady informed me F&M are not a chain, the goods are only sold at the one store, and the business has been in private hands for more than 300 years. She was very polite, but I felt positively antipodean. Kinda like the time many years ago when I asked a Tiffany & Co shop assistant whether something was silver-plated.
I left F&M sugarless, and crossed the road to the Burlington Arcade. Coming off the wave of the 80s, Mum and Dad took us there in 1992. Little has changed at the Burlington Arcade. In fact, little has changed in almost 200 years at this 19th century shopping mall - one of the first of its kind. The arcade is not a public thoroughfare, and one must observe the by-laws prohibiting whistling, humming, and hurrying, or fear being tossed out by the beadles who guard each entrance. On the day I visited there wasn't a beadle in sight, but the urge to hum Rule Britannia (or anything else English, like Steps) was the last thing on my mind. The mall consists of around 40 shops (or shoppes if you prefer) all targeting a very upmarket clientele. It's the perfect place for the man or woman whose shopping list reads: bespoke leather shoes, a Russian Orthodox icon, a £648 women's cashmere sweater, an antique Rolex watch, and a Faberge egg or two. And no doubt there's the market for it in London. I actually saw a shop assistant showing off the merits of one Faberge egg to an interested couple. No doubt they had already decided it was the better of the three or four other eggs on display in the shop. I observed all this from the mall itself, of course. That particular shop, like many in the arcade, is kept locked for the precise reason of keeping at bay the perennial windowshoppers like myself. (I did feel a little better when I saw the couple leave sans egg). I'm beginning to think that quaint and unique are interchangeable adjectives for most things English. But there are some places, the Burlington Arcade being one, that are still a notch above when it comes to measuring unique quaintness.
From the Burlington Arcade I wandered over to Regent Street (where the curved road and buildings recalled fond memories), then through Carnaby Street, past Liberty and up to Oxford Street. So many people everywhere. I know it's a big city, and a Saturday in the middle of town, but still it surprised me.
I intended to go home, and actually caught the tube all the way back to Stockwell station around 6pm, before remembering that the daylight saving combined with the long twilight meant I had at least three more hours to do stuff. I took the tube and a bus to Knightsbridge where I had an early dinner at Cafe Richoux. This was a sentimental decision, as it's a place from my last visit. I had a very filling club sandwich and a coffee for £12. About two weeks later I realised that that's around AUD$28. With plenty of daylight left, I wandered across the road to Harrods. In much the same way as I unintentionally happened upon Ground Zero, I really had no intention of going to Harrods. But while I was in the area I thought it would be fun to visit the toy department. Katherine and I were enthralled with the petrol-powered ride-on toy cars that we saw in 1992. Back then the pricetags were around £10,000. Now there is a whole range of similar battery powered toys around the £350 mark. Still, I was pleased that they had two upmarket models. A Mercedes SLK for £10,000, and a Hummer (that could easily fit a teenager) for £17,500 (reduced from £22,000).
When the store closed, I walked through Knightsbridge and Belgravia passing the Sheraton hotel and a couple of other places I remember. It's such a beautiful area, but almost a little sterile. It was good to find myself back at an Underground station.
I finished the evening by watching George Romero's Day of the Dead, one of my Canadian DVD purchases. His zombie films are more than wonderful entertainment. This flick was really more concerned with how isolated people can easily become fascist, given the opportunity (and guns) to do so.
Speaking of movies, I saw two flicks in New York, that are set in New York: Fantastic Four and War of the Worlds. I had walked over the Brooklyn Bridge only a few days before seeing F4, so it was very cool to see this location, and others, on the big screen. It neatly wrapped up my memory of New York as being a living film set.
The night before I left New York I caught up with my good friend Dan once again. He took me to Serendipity 3, which is a restaurant in the 60s on the East Side of Manhattan, famous for its ridiculous desserts. I ordered something called Death By Chocolate, and was promptly presented with a bird-fountain-sized bowl with a slab of mudcake, three huge scoops of vanilla scream, and drenched in the thickest, richest fudge sauce imaginable. The fudge actually dripped down the side of the bowl, and was nesting in a pool on the plate below. It looked totally disgusting, but I felt compelled to eat as much as possible. Of course, this was the dessert after a very filling and really satisfying American-style cheeseburger. Dan said I should eat in up in New York. He is still a little scarred from the food he endured during his recent stint in London.
And that brings me to the subject of English food. I have to say that I have been very lucky so far. I've certainly had a few cheap 'n' greasy meals, but generally speaking the food is very good. Everyone I speak to who has been here for a while, or visited regularly, says that English food has improved out of sight over the last five years. On my first Sunday night, Denise and Anthony took me to a fish'n'chips restaurant in Clapham. Far from being a greasy take-out joint, this was a very cool little restaurant. I ordered a tuna steak, that was to die for. At £9, it was a bargain, even when you convert.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week were spent trying to get myself organised to find work. I did all the annoying things like tidy up my CV, recontact potential referees, check out the job market, and approached a management company. Over here, contractors must be employed through a management company. They seem to offer a good set of services, while only skimming 6%.
Movie-wise, we watched Fatal Attraction on one of these weeknights. Another DVD purchase. I haven't seen it for almost fifteen years, and feared it would be another example of cheesy 80s melodrama. But it is a fantastic thriller. In fact, I realised that my memory of it is probably only tainted by the hundred of poor imitators that I have subsequently seen. There is a bonus feature of the original ending, which is very downbeat, but better tied to the film's themes moreso than the bathtub slasher finale that is in theatrical film. I had read about the ending, and always wanted to see it, but now understand why it was discarded. Perhaps this is one of the few times when previewing a film for audiences actually results in an improvement. And it's kinda like the director Adrian Lyne decided that if he had to do something thrilling and exciting, then he would go all out. The whole bathroom sequence is a total Psycho homage, right down to matching shots. But it's done with such gloss and subtlety, if that makes sense, that I doubt if audiences even notice it... or more importantly, whether they have time to notice it.
There were two highlights to the week. On Wednesday I had lunch with Kurt in Soho. He and Max have lived in London for more than two years now. I have seen Kurt a few times since when he's returned to Brisbane, but it was great to catch up on his new home turf. After lunch he showed me around Soho, spotting out all the good bars in what is essentially London's gay district.
Then on Thursday, Geoffrey arrived in town for just one day. I met Geoffrey in Bayswater, and we went to the London Hilton for a cocktail. The hotel has a 28th floor bar with the most spectacular views. As much as I knew Geoffrey would love the hotel and bar, which he did, I also had an ulterior motive. When Frenzy was made in the early 70s, the hotel was still pretty new, and Hitchcock features it as another real location. From the Hilton we headed to the Burlington Arcade and Fortnum & Mason (where Geoffrey purchased some sugar), and then on to Soho where we caught up with Troy, another of Geoffrey's friends from Oz. Troy and I were keen for Geoffrey to see as many of the haunts as possible. We went to the Village, the G-A-Y bar, and at Troy's suggestion, the Box, a fantastic little bar just off Seven Dials, with good decor and plenty to look at. At 11pm we got the hurry up, but Troy and I were not content to let Geoffrey go home just yet. We took him to the Astoria, an old theatre, which is now converted for nightclub use. That's where the G-A-Y club is located. The music was very late 90s, and very close to my aesthetic sensibilities. And the drinks very cheap. G-A-Y is known for getting old pop acts from a thousand years ago, like Bananarama, to do mini-shows on the Saturday club night. Troy had just seen Human League a few weeks before. I might go in a couple weeks when Girls Aloud are scheduled to appear.
I managed to achieve very little on Friday, but did make it into town to visit the National Portrait Gallery. The current exhibition is titled The World's Most Photographed People, focussing on ten people. Queen Victoria, Hitler, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo, James Dean, Gandhi, JFK, and Muhammad Ali. I'm not sure how they worked out they are the most photographed people, but the exhibit was very interesting nonetheless. I especially loved seeing a Hitler promo photograph with the dictator looking absurd with shorts and long socks, as if he was about to launch into the Chicken song. My only criticism of this wonderful exhibit is the inept presentation. The photographs are tiny, and crammed together, meaning that it's impossible to accommodate the crowds all competing for a look.
After the NPG I caught up with David Beatty and Paul Chrismas, both school friends from Churchie. David's wife, Natalie, is expecting a child, and he is soon jetting off back to Brisbane to be there for the birth. Paul and Danielle have been here for almost a year. We went to a great little Indian restaurant, contemporary-styled, called Masala Zone. They're speciality is the platter-for-one called a thali. I shunned the normal thali, and ordered the Combination Grand Thali, which had two curries and a host of other little plates. Too much food, but I managed to get it all down. It might have been rude otherwise.
To compensate, I made sure that I went to the gym on Saturday with Denise. It was my first gym visit in more than three works, and I was feeling rather unfit. Afterwards we lunched at a little cafe called SW9. I asked the waiter for a flat white, then realised my mistake. I've come to realise on this trip that flat whites are uniquely Australian. If I want a white espresso, it's either a latte or a cappucino. Thankfully, the waiter was Australian and he kindly offered to make me a coffee just like home.
Soho Pride was held on Sunday 31 July. I met up with Troy and we wandered, and admittedly occasionally staggered, from bar to bar checking out the sights. Several streets were closed to traffic, making it a really fun day. The gay scene in London reminds me so much of Sydney, in how people dress and present themselves. I also had my first star-spotting experience, when Troy and I separately spotted ex-Secret Life of Us actor Spencer McLaren.
This week I have been much better at organising my time. I think that's what I meant at the beginning of this article when describing how surprised how feel at how quickly I'm becoming settled. I spend an hour or two in the mornings jobhunting, sending e-mails, etc then head out sightseeing in the afternoon. On Tuesday I visited the London Transport Museum at Covent Garden. It's closing next month for major renovation work, so I was glad I got to see the old buses and trolleys, some electric some horse-drawn. There is also a great amount of information detailing the history of the tube, something sorely missing from its New York counterpart. I learned that the City to Stockwell line was the first constructed deep-level tube line. That's the line I travel on every day.
On Tuesday evening I saw a re-release screening of Basil Dearden's 1961 thriller Victim, which stars Dirk Bogarde. The actor was homosexual in real life, albeit closeted, making it all the more interesting that he chose to appear in this film that really challenged audiences to reconsider the necessity of maintaining antiquated laws that outlawed homosexuality. Apart from all the obvious reasons to dispense with such laws, it made homosexuals easy pray for blackmailers, which was the basis for the film's story. The cintematography was swish, and very contemporary. I also got a kick from recognising many landmarks and place names in this London-set film, which was filmed extensively on location.
Yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) I went to the British Museum to firstly check out a 3D Mummy movie exhibit, and also for a general look-see. The Mummy movie was average, but the museum is amazing. I thought that New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Natural History Museum had lots of stuff. It's not just the quantity of material in the British Museum that is so amazing... it's also the rarity and importance of the items. I missed out on seeing the Elgin Marbles, as the museum was closing, but I did get to se the Rosetta Stone up close and personal. Oh, and the actual Mummy room is amazing. More mummies than a GLBT picnic day.
So in all I'm really enjoying London. I love just wandering around the streets, even when I have no set place to visit. With the twilight I can still see a lot as late as 8:30pm. And it's cool to be in a place that is bustling and busy. It's exciting.
Excitement aside, I miss Kerby a lot. But things are a lot easier now that I get to chat with him every morning on MSN Messenger. That helps immensely, and in some strange way it feels like we're still in the same city. Which is nice.
