"Its like an intergalactic spear!" enthused London's colorful mayor, Boris Johnson, as he cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony in February. To most Londoners it is The Shard. Soaring 87 stories above the city, its angular crown reaching skywards. Clad with 11,000 glass panels, enough to cover to cover 8 soccer fields, it gleams on sunny days. On … [Read more...]
It’s a Boy! A Personal View as London Celebrates
It's a boy! It was the news we had been waiting for all day. I was at Caraffini, a favorite hangout in London's Chelsea, when a woman at the next table checked her smart phone. For me dinner was over. I grabbed my camera and headed, like thousands of others, to Buckingham Palace. As I crossed St. James's Park helicopters hovered … [Read more...]
With Athletes Gone, 2012 Olympics Props are Hot Sellers
They've gone. That glorious legion of 2012 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. For a month they transformed London and transfixed the world. On Monday, one day after the Paralympic flame was extinguished, Londoners filled the streets to cheer teams in a victory parade and bid farewell. There was a final flypast, the incorrigible Boris waved his … [Read more...]
London’s Trafalgar Square is a No Fly Zone
Trafalgar Square is a no fly zone for pigeons. They are gone. That cooing, feathered flock of scroungers who delighted generations of children and tourists have been evicted. There was a time when pigeons were considered heroes "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag!" they were immortalized by Mary Poppins and as much of a London fixture as her … [Read more...]
2012 Olympics Men’s Marathon: They’ve Come a Long Way
Champagne, brandy, beef bullion Oxo cubes, sips of strychnine and gargling with wine. This was how athletes prepared for the 1908 London Men's Marathon, now an Olympic legend. Only 6 runners completed the course, perhaps due to a humid 78 degrees and dehydration. Water was not considered helpful though champagne, brandy and beef broth were … [Read more...]
