Travel Notes 3: London

Previously in Travel Notes: SFO to NYC, Aboard the Queen Mary 2

This was my third visit to London, but my last visit was a long time ago. In fact, except for a short trip to Vancouver, BC, in 2017, I hadn’t been outside the US since 1995. Which is embarrassing, but as I may have mentioned more than once: I hate flying.

I arrived feeling like crap because of the cold I’d picked up on the ship. To my great regret, I had to bow out of a dinner invitation I’d been looking forward to. Rather than staying in my hotel room feeling sorry for myself, I decided to take advantage of the mild, sunny weather to walk around and look for cultural signifiers.

Pink and blue garbage bags awaiting pickup on a London street. They looked like the residue from a couple of gender-reveal parties. Much more standardized than the motley bags in New York!

I regret to report that the disemvoweling trend has taken hold across the pond. (See my Pinterest board of all-consonant brand names.)

CNCPT, a “luxury multibrand store”

Every so often I’d see a sign that made me think, “There’s no way this would work in the US.” This one, promoting the Daily Mail’s assessment of Back to the Future (the musical) as a “whacking great hit,” was an example.