London Weekly 75
I got back from NYC really late on Friday. Saturday was really chill, with Steph and I going to Yonder to do some climbing, then playing Frosthaven most of the rest of the day.
Sunday was a lovely day, where we went to the Albion for lunch, then had a fancy dinner reservation at the Gingerline. The Albion is an old pub in Islington that has an amazing wisteria vine on the front and another on a trellis in the back. The day we went it was raining and got really cold at the end of lunch. I still really enjoyed it, and they had a lovely set of classic Sunday roasts.
Gingerline was a cute venue that looks really unassuming from the outside. It is an interesting dinner and a show location. Their current performance is called the Grand Expedition. The show was ok, with it being a series of small dances mixed with some surround videos on the walls. They got the feeling of taking off in a hot air balloon done pretty well with the surround video display. They also did a really good job on the decorations. The food was good, and tasty, but nothing exceptional. I also wanted more of a specific set of singularly impressive acts, but it was more low level and somewhat interactive the whole time. I think my expectations were just off from what the show was.
I was glad I didn’t have to go to Menlo Park this week, but there was a lot of work to do still. Monday, I went to meet with Osman, a friend of Irene’s. He works with startups as part of the London Business School, and we had a great discussion on how big corporate and startup life differ. I look forward to talking to him again. I made it to choir on Monday evening, and I feel bad that I’m not going to be able to go to many this month, due to all the US trips for work.
Wednesday after work we went for drinks. David and I walked down the canal to The Constitution, which had just opened up. It was directly on the canal, but had 3 levels, and we took a table on the top. Nathalie joined us later, as did Grace and Carla. It was great to relax with people at the bar, as it has been a rough few weeks.
Thursday and Friday we relaxed at home and hung out in the nice weather. We spotted a fox while on the astroturf stairs in King’s Cross, which is right in the middle of everything. It amazes me the amount of wildlife in the city with the canals and parks all over.
Saturday, while Steph was diving, I went to Castle Climb and did the V1-2 circuit in the top section. There was one that I just couldn’t grip the holds towards the end. Then I walked home and got pictures of so many great flowers, especially lots of wisteria. I ran across another fox, which was healthy and cute.
That night I joined Craig, David, DC, and Segio for dinner and Overtures. They did a few good Disney, but then did a lot of famous musicals, but not the famous numbers from those musicals.
Sunday we spent mostly with Punit and Nancy. Steph made an amazing pie. She got the recipe from one of the Star Trek actors. I helped Punit put together their new canopy on their roof patio. Then we watched the final two episodes of Siren Island, one of the Korean physical challenge shows. I really enjoyed this one as it had some real strategy. The people who had strategies also were the ones who ended up winning most of the time.
When we tried to head home the Victoria line wasn’t running, so we had to head back and take the book club call from Nancy and Punit’s place. It was a great discussion, but the book was really hard to get through.
Monday was chill, Steph and I went to power pump, then had lunch at Canopy Market. We chilled until the evening when we went to Cabaret. We got there only a little before showtime, and saw Carla and Grace right before the show. I really enjoyed it and it was some of the best acting I’ve seen.