London Futures at the Museum of London

After recently visiting London, I thought these photos would be interesting to post. They propose some possibilities of the city's future based on various climate changes.

The photos are part of an exhibition called London Futures at the Museum of London on display from October 1, 2010 to March 6, 2011. For more info visit london-futures.com or museumoflondon.org.uk. Here are samples from the exhibition:

Flooding of the Thames River.

Shanty town stretches across London and around Buckingham Palace.

Climate refugees settle in Trafalgar Square.

London adapts to rising waters with rice paddies at the Houses of Parliament.

Gulf Stream slows and Thames River freezes around Tower Bridge.

The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace becomes a wind farm.

National Theatre Live Around the World

If you cannot visit London, then London shall come to you. For the second year, live broadcasts of some of the best plays in London will be presented in a movie theater near you. Best part there's no airfare or hotel costs involved. The first four broadcasts this season are:

The season continues with Frankenstein (March 2011) and The Cherry Orchard (June 2011). Click here to find a cinema near you participating in the broadcasts. Broadcasts in each city may vary from the dates listed above. More info at nationaltheatre.org.uk.  Special pricing applies. However with pricing at these production at £20-£30 (US$30-$45) live and in person, the US$20 admission to the broadcast is fairly reasonable. Below is the trailer announcing the season of live broadcasts.

Visit These Cities Before They Sink

U.S. News & World Report reveals "7 Cities About to Sink". Rising sea levels and unstable foundations threaten some of the world's most popular visitor destinations. The lost city of Atlantis will have some company. Here are the rankings:

1) Mexico City, Mexico
This city is sinking into the soft clay on which it sits at about eight inches per year.

2) Venice, Italy
Over the past 100 years, flooding has increased from roughly 10 to 60 days per year.

3) New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Already most of it below sea level, this city is steadily sinking.

4) Shanghai, China
Over the past century this city has sunk over eight feet due to mass groundwater extraction and flimsy foundation.

5) Houston, Texas, USA
Extensive oil drilling and groundwater extraction has disturbed the city's foundation to push it towards the Gulf of Mexico.

6) New York City, New York, USA
This city will soon experience hurricanes and high tides along with the rising Atlantic.

7)  Bangkok, Thailand
Due to rising sea levels experts say this city could be uninhabitable in as little as seven years.

Visit usnews.com for the latest breaking news.

Camera Charging On the Go and Abroad

Most digital cameras available today are powered via a rechargeable battery. This portable Kodak charger is convenient when planning to rough it without electricity or feeling afraid to charge an expensive camera in a foreign outlet even with a power adapter.

The charger is good for two full charges of a USB compatible camera but the unit itself must be charged before traveling. Click here to pick it up at Kodak or here from Amazon. 

My experience while traveling abroad for ten days is the charger did its job of two full charges. But after almost six days, the charger could no longer juice my camera. Luckily I had a spare fully-charged camera battery and my camera could be charged using my iPad charger. But if you use video or constantly turn on and off your camera and take a vast amount of photos, you are likely to run the battery much quicker than you'd like therefore requiring a charge soon afterwards. The only other drawback is the charging of the unit itself took overnight.

One added benefit is the base unit is able to charge other USB devices such as iPods and phones in addition to cameras (see photos below).

My camera is from Kodak's EasyShare 'M' series (model #M109315). Kodak constantly updates their product line and this camera is no longer available even though I purchased it about a year ago. Updated versions are available at kodak.com.

Programs Cost, Playbills Free

Collection of London programs.

During the intermission of a London performance of 'Love Never Dies' I observed a group of visitors from America claiming to an usher at the Adelphi Theatre that they did not receive their playbills when they were seated. In New York and in all theaters across the United States, the ubiquitous playbill at a stage play is normally included in the price of a ticket and most theatergoers treat this tradition as a god given right. However in London programs must be paid for and the usher indicated it so to a bewildered group.

Souvenir Brochure (or Souvenir Program) next to Programme (or Playbill)

This is normally a shock for visiting Americans. On Broadway I always found it wasteful that at the end of a play the floor is littered with discarded playbills. With producers claiming of high production costs its a wonder Broadway has not followed suit. In London there are no programs laying waste after the performance.

The programs in London are much more durable being constructed of a thicker paper stock and a couple of centimeters larger than a Broadway playbill. Most programs cost about £3 (US$5) or even up to £7 (US$11) for magazine size versions.

Pages in Programme.

The program is not be be confused with the souvenir brochure. Much larger in size than a program, the souvenir version contains pages of color photographs from the production. The one caveat is the souvenir brochure is produced at only certain times during the production's run. Because of this the photographs in the souvenir brochure will often contain photos of cast members no longer with the production while the program will always list the current cast members. To remedy this, an insert of the current cast is placed in the souvenir program. Most souvenir brochures cost about £10-£12 (US$15-$18).

If a program and souvenir brochure are available I will always purchase both as they are the only documentation of the theater experience. Souvenir brochures (or in the USA, souvenir programs) are primarily produced for musicals. Plays will normally offer only a program or playbill.

Pages in Souvenir Brochure.

The London Theatre from Stalls to Balcony

Her Majesty's Theatre stage view of 'Phantom' set from balcony. Photo by flickr/dbray46 (2008)

London stage theaters name the levels of seats differently from Broadway houses. When purchasing tickets for London it's important to know this distinction especially if you are very particular about seat selection.

In most Broadway theaters, there are only two levels but at least a couple have three. They are classified from the lowest to upper levels:
- Orchestra
- Mezzanine
- Balcony
So if you purchase a balcony seat, you will find yourself on the third level. However many local theaters outside of New York classify their second level as the balcony. Because of this some ticket holders to a Broadway show, such as 'Mary Poppins' at the New Amsterdam Thetre, are disappointed to find they are seated much higher than expected.

In most London theaters, the lower to upper levels are classified as follows:
- Stalls
- Dress Circle or Royal Circle
- Upper Circle or Grand Circle
- Balcony
So if you purchase a balcony seat, you will likely find yourself in the most upper reaches of the auditorium.

Keep in the mind the higher the level, the more severe the rake of the balcony. Handrails are usually present to help patrons guide themselves along the steep aisle steps.

Palace theatre stage view from balcony. Photo by: webshots/ptschan (2003)

Another important distinction is the arrangement of seats on the stalls level in London compared to orchestra level on Broadway. Almost all Broadway houses have a orchestra left, center and right with two center aisles and two side aisles. In London, the stalls level on most theaters have seats in an unbroken row with aisles only on the sides. Some London theaters will have a singular center aisle. The largest of London theaters: Palladium, Apollo Victoria and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane have stalls seating arranged similar to that of Broadway houses.

Because many London theaters were constructed when there was a distinct class system and mixing of the classes of avoided, some balcony ticket holders will find themselves using a separate entrance from ticket holders seated on the stalls or dress circle levels.

Below are two samples of London seating charts. One for London's Palace Theatre which currently houses the musical 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' and the Noel Coward Theatre which currently houses the revival of 'Deathtrap'.

Noel Coward Theatre Seating Plan.

Right Size Wallet for British Bank Notes

British Sterling bank notes are a couple of centimeters wider than U.S. bank notes. For this reason, UK money will likely stick out of most wallets used by the average American male. The wallet I have been using for visits to the UK had served its duty and was ready to be replaced.

The Fossil brand had the exact wallet I was looking for and it was perfect for this London visit. The 'International Combi - Evans' imported leather wallet (Style# ML9628 US$45) measures 4"x5" with lots of slots for cards and even coins. I found the wallet at the Fossil store on 34th Street in New York City. It is available online and at select Fossil retail locations. More info at fossil.com.

There it Went and Here it Ends - Back to Reality

So all good things must end. This 2010 visit to London has to be one of the best among my travels. Sure it may have been helped that the airfare and hotel was taken care of by using a lot of points and miles. But it was worth it all.

So there it went and here it ends with final shots from this vacation taken from my airline seat: the entertainment system showing the near arrival to LAX and the view from my window of the California coast and downtown Los Angeles. I'll leave it there as everything after this point is norm for my travels to/from the US mainland. After landing, it's another journey through immigration and customs, a two-hour layover and then a five-hour flight on one of American's aging 757s to Honolulu.

All I can think of at this moment is I want go back.

Food x 8: Course After Course of Food

Menu cover

One can say there is far too much food served on this American Airlines Flagship flight from Heathrow to LAX. But I won't complain. I was soaking it all in and planned to enjoy as much of it as I could. I may never be able to do this again. But even I had my limits and refused the mid-flight snack of gourmet cheeses, dried fruit and crackers. Sure it's not quite dining in a four-star restaurant but the quality and service is better than expected from what I am used to in coach.

Here's what was offered during the flight. Take notice of the silverware, china and glass with the Airline's standard navy tray-table cloth. Also offered were warm nuts, gourmet bread and butter, assorted candies (I went for the Toblerone & Walker's shortbread), freshly baked cookies and chilled sparkling water. The remaining entree choices were: tomato almond beef fillet; grilled citrus halibut; and penne pasta with basil and tomatoes.

To start: Champagne (Nicolas Feuillate Brut Reserve Particulaire) and marinated cheese antipasto.

Appetizer: Smoked salmon and citrus marinated shrimp accompanied by capers, red onion and sour cream

The Salad Cart: Seasonal greens with artichokes, red bell peppers, kalamata olives and cucumbers with Sapori d'Arte olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Main Course: Tarragon chicken (seared breast of chicken enhanced by tarragon reduction) served with fava bean and sundried tomato medley with truffle mashed potatoes.

Dessert: Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream sundae with hot fudge and whipped cream.

Pre-Arrival Meal: Uno's deep dish pizza seasoned with garlic offered with a fresh green salad topped with broccoli, tomatoes and Italian herb vinaigrette.

Coffee & Dessert: Fresh fruit.

Flagship Suite Premium Amenity Kit

Everything one would need to help make a long overseas flight comfortable is included in this premium amenity kit on American Airlines. Such kits are offered to passengers seated in both first and business classes on their overseas flights. Naturally after years of flying economy, I already had packed most similar items going to London. I was wiser on the return trip. Included in the kit:

Toothbrush

Colgate Tooth Paste

Smint Mints

Toothpicks

Ball Point Ben

Earplugs

Tissue Pack

Hand & Face Towelette

Socks

Eyeshades

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion

Case with Zipper

The only items I think missing are dental floss and mouth rinse. 

AA Flight 137 - Flagship Suite from Heathrow

View from two of the three windows by seat 4J.

Taxi, train and finally airplane. It would be 10 hours and 30 minutes from Heathrow in London to Los Angeles International Airport. Among all the distances I have ever flown this is probably the most torturous. It is such a long distance of over 5,000 miles and the duration of the flight is entirely in daylight. Sure on international flights, American does offer meal service in coach but the hours move by extremely slowly.  

This time things were a thousand times different as I settled into a Flagship Suite. The flight was delayed but waiting at the gate for the plane to depart was never so relaxing. Shortly after finding my seat, the flight attendants offered a drink, menu, newspaper and a Bose headphone set. My head was already buzzing from the third glass of champagne before we departed.

Even though there are seats for 16 passengers in this section, one seat remained empty on the flight and on the one I flew to London. I noticed that during the flight the pilots or flight attendants would use this empty seat.

Click here for an animated view of the Flagship Suite or here for an overview of American Airlines First Class.

Rainy day view as the plane moves on the runway to takeoff.

Before takeoff menus were distributed and champagne served.

Above and below two views of cabin from my seat.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Leave London

Exiting the taxi, I encounter a line of people waiting for taxis to maybe begin their vacation.

The hardest part of the final day of a great vacation is ending it all. I stalled at the hotel until the very last couple of hours to leave. It's hard to savor the last moments especially in a fast paced city like London. The itinerary from the Chancery Court Hotel was now in reverse. First a taxi to Paddington Station and then the Heathrow Express to the airport. This time the bags are heavier than when I left and it will be almost twenty four hours until I reach my final destination at Honolulu International Airport.

The highest compliment to make about this London visit is the inspiration. I've been using my iPhone and iPad to write about my experience. It would be a task to transfer all this information to update my blog which I have been ignoring for almost two years but I feel I'm up to it. There's always a purpose to every trip and it was accomplished in spades with unexpected and welcomed events along the way.

Passengers heading to a waiting Heathrow Express train.