Among Southern California universities, Cal State-Long Beach has long had to live in the shadow of higher-profile neighbors like USC and UCLA. But with nearly 37,000 students, and a long list of notable alumni, Cal State-Long Beach has had an impact on culture and the economy that deserves to be recognized.
In "Long Beach State: A Brief History, author Barbara Kingsley-Wilson describes in colorful detail how this college emerged from a bunch of agricultural fields just after World War II and grew into major university.
In the early days, Kingsley-Wilson notes, the college wasn't much. The first classes
were held in a converted apartment building. One newly hired professor couldn't find the campus. Another was shocked to find the school's library had no books. In the 1950s, the
parking area became so muddy when it rained that cars slid down the
hill.
I enjoyed the stories about 1960s, when students starting
challenging campus administrators and sought to exercise more of an
independent voice. Controversy erupted over one student's sculpture show
that some thought was obscene.
In one good chapter, Kingsley-Wilson describes how the
basketball program, under Coach Jerry Tarkanian, battling visiting teams
amid the noisy and hot Gold Mine gym. The Tarkanian era, Kingsley-Wilson notes, had its ups and downs, and eventually came to an unpleasant end when the coach exited amid charges of NCAA rules violations.
There's also a good explainer on why the college is sometimes known as "Long Beach State," sometimes as "Cal State Long Beach," and sometimes just "The Beach."
I liked the stories about how women's
sports grew on campus from a shoestring operation of play days and dance
classes to something much more. Eventually, the campus would get a
national championship from a women's volleyball team led by someone
named Misty May.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
An American Family in Europe: Day 19, heading home
(Previously: Day
18, the Tower of London)
It was the last day of our trip, and time to head for the airport. But how would we get there?
We could have taken a taxi, but we were nowhere near Heathrow and it would have cost something like $85. I wanted to try the train -- partly because our Travelcard passes would cover a portion of the expense -- but I knew it would be a little tricky. In fact, out of all the transportation connections we'd made on this trip, this was the one that worried me most.
First step: Get to Blackheath train station. We had been walking there all week -- it took about 15 minutes -- but this time we would have luggage. I decided to try Uber.
We had never used Uber before, so I was apprehensive. But it worked flawlessly. After I submitted our ride request online, we could see a little car icon on the online map approaching us and the driver was with us in about 10 minutes. It was a short drive and cost only 5 pounds (we added a small tip).
At the station, I tried to purchase "extensions" for our tickets. Our Travelcards were good for zones 1-3, but Heathrow was in Zone 6. We would have to pay more, but the ticket agent said we couldn't do it at that station. We'd have to wait until we got to a Tube stop. Rats -- I wanted to get that chore out of the way.
Also troubling was that we arrived at the train station at a bad time -- no trains were coming for 25 minutes. On a weekday, they're rolling in every 5 or 10 minutes, but this was a Sunday and we'd just missed a train. We had allowed a lot of time to get to Heathrow but I was starting to feel the minutes ticking away.
Finally, we caught a train to Waterloo Station, and I tried again to buy our extensions. I stood in line for several minutes, only to discover -- arrgh -- I was in the wrong line (I needed the Underground ticket counter, not National Rail).
Reaching the entrance to the Tube's Jubilee line, I looked for a ticket office but saw none. So I bought four extensions at the automated machine. This cost me more than it should have -- I couldn't figure out how to buy "child" extensions for our kids, so I just bought four adult extensions.
I was watching the minutes tick away on my watch -- we had a plane to catch, after all -- but we got good breaks the rest of the way. The Jubilee line train pulled up just as we arrived on the platform. Transferring to the Piccadilly line, we again made an immediate transfer.
It was long ride to Heathrow, but there were no delays and we arrived about two hours after leaving home. At the Tube exit, I wasn't quite sure how to use our ticket extensions, but when I asked a worker, he simply opened a gate and let us through, with barely a glance at our paperwork. We were at the airport an ample two and a half hours before our flight. Whew.
Soon, we were on our flight and heading home.
-------------
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It was the last day of our trip, and time to head for the airport. But how would we get there?
We could have taken a taxi, but we were nowhere near Heathrow and it would have cost something like $85. I wanted to try the train -- partly because our Travelcard passes would cover a portion of the expense -- but I knew it would be a little tricky. In fact, out of all the transportation connections we'd made on this trip, this was the one that worried me most.
First step: Get to Blackheath train station. We had been walking there all week -- it took about 15 minutes -- but this time we would have luggage. I decided to try Uber.
We had never used Uber before, so I was apprehensive. But it worked flawlessly. After I submitted our ride request online, we could see a little car icon on the online map approaching us and the driver was with us in about 10 minutes. It was a short drive and cost only 5 pounds (we added a small tip).
At the station, I tried to purchase "extensions" for our tickets. Our Travelcards were good for zones 1-3, but Heathrow was in Zone 6. We would have to pay more, but the ticket agent said we couldn't do it at that station. We'd have to wait until we got to a Tube stop. Rats -- I wanted to get that chore out of the way.
Also troubling was that we arrived at the train station at a bad time -- no trains were coming for 25 minutes. On a weekday, they're rolling in every 5 or 10 minutes, but this was a Sunday and we'd just missed a train. We had allowed a lot of time to get to Heathrow but I was starting to feel the minutes ticking away.
Finally, we caught a train to Waterloo Station, and I tried again to buy our extensions. I stood in line for several minutes, only to discover -- arrgh -- I was in the wrong line (I needed the Underground ticket counter, not National Rail).
Reaching the entrance to the Tube's Jubilee line, I looked for a ticket office but saw none. So I bought four extensions at the automated machine. This cost me more than it should have -- I couldn't figure out how to buy "child" extensions for our kids, so I just bought four adult extensions.
I was watching the minutes tick away on my watch -- we had a plane to catch, after all -- but we got good breaks the rest of the way. The Jubilee line train pulled up just as we arrived on the platform. Transferring to the Piccadilly line, we again made an immediate transfer.
It was long ride to Heathrow, but there were no delays and we arrived about two hours after leaving home. At the Tube exit, I wasn't quite sure how to use our ticket extensions, but when I asked a worker, he simply opened a gate and let us through, with barely a glance at our paperwork. We were at the airport an ample two and a half hours before our flight. Whew.
Soon, we were on our flight and heading home.
The full trip, by day:
Days 1 and 2, Los Angeles to Paris
Day 3, Paris
Day 4, the Palace of Versailles
Day 5, the Eiffel Tower
Day 6, Goodbye France, hello England
Day 7, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge
Day 8, Bath
Day 9, Doctor Who and Swansea's LC
Day 10, the waterfalls of Wales
Day 11, Blists Hill and Ironbridge
Day 12, Warwick Castle
Day 13, Oxford and Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 14, this is London
Day 15, British Museum and British Library
Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
Day 17, Greenwich, the Thames and Westminster Abbey
Day 18, the Tower of London
Day 19, heading home
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An American Family in Europe: Day 18, the Tower of London
(Previously: Day
17, Greenwich, the Thames and Westminster Abbey)
When my family was first planning our trip to England, I put down the Tower of London as a "must-do." But as we got into our vacation, we became increasingly tired of crowded tourist sites. We started questioning whether we should visit the very popular Tower.
Our days in England were counting down, so we went back to square one and starting reading, again, about the amazing history of the Tower of London. It became clear: We gotta do the Tower.
So here we were, on our last full day of vacation, going to the Tower of London.
At first, things didn't go smoothly. Arriving at the railway station, we found all the trains delayed from a "pedestrian on the tracks" (we would later learn it was a suicide). What was really remarkable here was that they apologized some 10 or 11 times for "late-running." (In Los Angeles, where I ride the trains, you might get one apology. At most.)
Once we finally arrived at the Tower Hill tube station, we got a glimpse of the Tower of London and naturally decided that ... it's time for lunch. We sat and ate some burgers at a pretty park named Trinity Garden, that also, by the way, was where more than 125 people were executed in centuries past, including Sir Thomas More. We weren't even in the Tower and history was coming to meet us.
Thanks to a tip from travel writer Rick Steves, we stopped and bought our tickets at the Traders Gate store on Tower Hill -- there was no wait in line, and we saved 5 pounds. Thanks Rick!
The Tower of London is not so much a tower as it is a castle. We crossed the moat, entered the grounds, and toured some of the walls and towers. We then doubled back to the entrance to take one of the famous tours by Beefeater guides.
Our Beefeater was good, but most importantly he was LOUD. He had to be -- our group had 200 people, a ridiculous size for a tour group (they should consider offering more tours during the busiest times for the year.)
He told us of the beheadings that happened here and the murders of the little princes in the fifteenth century, and noted the many people who are buried in the walls and floor of the church that lies inside the Tower of London. Yep, there seems to be quite a focus on death here.
After a snack break, we toured "Bloody Tower" -- there we go again -- and then got in line to see the Crown Jewels, which are housed here. The line seemed long, but moved pretty quick and in about 35 minutes we were inside looking at jewels, sceptors and a variety of other shiny objects.
Just outside the Crown Jewels exhibit, we saw something else extraordinary -- a drinking fountain, one only a few we'd seen on this whole trip.
We left the Tower of London and walked several blocks to a more modern tower -- the skyscraper known officially as 20 Fenchurch, but more commonly as the
"Walkie Talkie" for its distinctive shape.
We had reservations to visit the Sky Gardens, an attraction at the top of 20 Fenchurch that offers, we'd heard, a great view of London. I can't confirm that because somehow they way overbooked the place and when we arrived there was over an hour wait to get inside, even with a reservation. We bailed and headed home.
Next: Day 19, heading home
-----
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When my family was first planning our trip to England, I put down the Tower of London as a "must-do." But as we got into our vacation, we became increasingly tired of crowded tourist sites. We started questioning whether we should visit the very popular Tower.
Our days in England were counting down, so we went back to square one and starting reading, again, about the amazing history of the Tower of London. It became clear: We gotta do the Tower.
So here we were, on our last full day of vacation, going to the Tower of London.
At first, things didn't go smoothly. Arriving at the railway station, we found all the trains delayed from a "pedestrian on the tracks" (we would later learn it was a suicide). What was really remarkable here was that they apologized some 10 or 11 times for "late-running." (In Los Angeles, where I ride the trains, you might get one apology. At most.)
Once we finally arrived at the Tower Hill tube station, we got a glimpse of the Tower of London and naturally decided that ... it's time for lunch. We sat and ate some burgers at a pretty park named Trinity Garden, that also, by the way, was where more than 125 people were executed in centuries past, including Sir Thomas More. We weren't even in the Tower and history was coming to meet us.
Thanks to a tip from travel writer Rick Steves, we stopped and bought our tickets at the Traders Gate store on Tower Hill -- there was no wait in line, and we saved 5 pounds. Thanks Rick!
The Tower of London is not so much a tower as it is a castle. We crossed the moat, entered the grounds, and toured some of the walls and towers. We then doubled back to the entrance to take one of the famous tours by Beefeater guides.
Our Beefeater was good, but most importantly he was LOUD. He had to be -- our group had 200 people, a ridiculous size for a tour group (they should consider offering more tours during the busiest times for the year.)
He told us of the beheadings that happened here and the murders of the little princes in the fifteenth century, and noted the many people who are buried in the walls and floor of the church that lies inside the Tower of London. Yep, there seems to be quite a focus on death here.
After a snack break, we toured "Bloody Tower" -- there we go again -- and then got in line to see the Crown Jewels, which are housed here. The line seemed long, but moved pretty quick and in about 35 minutes we were inside looking at jewels, sceptors and a variety of other shiny objects.
Just outside the Crown Jewels exhibit, we saw something else extraordinary -- a drinking fountain, one only a few we'd seen on this whole trip.
 |
| The "Walkie-Talkie" |
We left the Tower of London and walked several blocks to a more modern tower -- the skyscraper known officially as 20 Fenchurch, but more commonly as the
"Walkie Talkie" for its distinctive shape.
We had reservations to visit the Sky Gardens, an attraction at the top of 20 Fenchurch that offers, we'd heard, a great view of London. I can't confirm that because somehow they way overbooked the place and when we arrived there was over an hour wait to get inside, even with a reservation. We bailed and headed home.
Next: Day 19, heading home
The full trip, by day:
Days 1 and 2, Los Angeles to Paris
Day 3, Paris
Day 4, the Palace of Versailles
Day 5, the Eiffel Tower
Day 6, Goodbye France, hello England
Day 7, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge
Day 8, Bath
Day 9, Doctor Who and Swansea's LC
Day 10, the waterfalls of Wales
Day 11, Blists Hill and Ironbridge
Day 12, Warwick Castle
Day 13, Oxford and Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 14, this is London
Day 15, British Museum and British Library
Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
Day 17, Greenwich, the Thames and Westminster Abbey
Day 18, the Tower of London
Day 19, heading home
-----
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An American Family in Europe: Day 15, British Museum and British Library
(Previously: Day
14, this is London)
The weather report indicated this was the most likely day to rain during our London stay, so we opted for indoor activities.
We took the train into London, stopped at Leicester Square to get some theater tickets for the next day, fit in a visit to the M&Ms store and then headed to the British Museum.
The British Museum houses some of the greatest artifacts of mankind anywhere, and it's free, but I gotta say it wasn't a great experience for us.
First, it was just too crowded. The Rosetta Stone was surrounded by so many people, it was nearly impossible to get close. Everywhere you went in the museum you were constantly evading other people; you couldn't walk in a straight line.
Second, the presentation of items was uninspired. Each artifact was either mounted on a wall, or placed in a glass case, with a small information placard adjacent. That's fine for most things, but you need some variety or it soon becomes monotonous. How about some audio or video elements? An interactive touch screen? Some sort of example that you can touch and hold in your hands? There was none of that.
I did look at the Elgin Marbles, the source of a dispute between Britain and Greece, and got a feel for what the controversy is about.
One little gem I found fascinating, on the 2nd floor of the museum, was the "rolling ball clock," a timing device from 1810 that seems to me to violate laws of physics against perpetual motion machines.
Lunch was at a nearby Italian restaurant Amarcord, where the food took 40 minutes to arrive after ordering. We were so hungry by that point that we scarfed it down in a fraction of that time.
Next stop was the British Library, which turned out to be much more enjoyable than the British Museum. There was less to see, but the items on display were impressive and well-presented.
We first visited the free Treasures Gallery, which features a remarkably concentrated collection of original books and writings. There was a Gutenberg Bible, original handwritten lyrics from the Beatles and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin and others.
Also good was a special exhibit next door -- alas, not free -- on the Magna Carta that dispelled a lot of myths about this historic document. The exhibit included an original Thomas Jefferson copy of the Declaration of Independence and some informational videos to supplement the displays. The two Magna Cartas on display at the end, however, were disappointing. Both were small, and one was so damaged as to be basically unreadable.
This was a lot of museum time for one day, so our next stop was much less formal: The crosswalk at Abbey Road that the Beatles made famous. We rode two buses to get there, and found a few other small groups ready to get their picture taken there just like we were.
The crossing itself is kind of dangerous, because there's a lot of traffic. You have to pick a moment when the flow subsides for a bit, then move quickly out there. A man from Minnesota agreed to take our picture, we found our moment and got our Facebook-ready photo.
Next: Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
----
(Please support this blog by clicking on an ad.)
The weather report indicated this was the most likely day to rain during our London stay, so we opted for indoor activities.
We took the train into London, stopped at Leicester Square to get some theater tickets for the next day, fit in a visit to the M&Ms store and then headed to the British Museum.
The British Museum houses some of the greatest artifacts of mankind anywhere, and it's free, but I gotta say it wasn't a great experience for us.
First, it was just too crowded. The Rosetta Stone was surrounded by so many people, it was nearly impossible to get close. Everywhere you went in the museum you were constantly evading other people; you couldn't walk in a straight line.
Second, the presentation of items was uninspired. Each artifact was either mounted on a wall, or placed in a glass case, with a small information placard adjacent. That's fine for most things, but you need some variety or it soon becomes monotonous. How about some audio or video elements? An interactive touch screen? Some sort of example that you can touch and hold in your hands? There was none of that.
I did look at the Elgin Marbles, the source of a dispute between Britain and Greece, and got a feel for what the controversy is about.
One little gem I found fascinating, on the 2nd floor of the museum, was the "rolling ball clock," a timing device from 1810 that seems to me to violate laws of physics against perpetual motion machines.
Lunch was at a nearby Italian restaurant Amarcord, where the food took 40 minutes to arrive after ordering. We were so hungry by that point that we scarfed it down in a fraction of that time.
Next stop was the British Library, which turned out to be much more enjoyable than the British Museum. There was less to see, but the items on display were impressive and well-presented.
We first visited the free Treasures Gallery, which features a remarkably concentrated collection of original books and writings. There was a Gutenberg Bible, original handwritten lyrics from the Beatles and writings by Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin and others.
Also good was a special exhibit next door -- alas, not free -- on the Magna Carta that dispelled a lot of myths about this historic document. The exhibit included an original Thomas Jefferson copy of the Declaration of Independence and some informational videos to supplement the displays. The two Magna Cartas on display at the end, however, were disappointing. Both were small, and one was so damaged as to be basically unreadable.
This was a lot of museum time for one day, so our next stop was much less formal: The crosswalk at Abbey Road that the Beatles made famous. We rode two buses to get there, and found a few other small groups ready to get their picture taken there just like we were.
The crossing itself is kind of dangerous, because there's a lot of traffic. You have to pick a moment when the flow subsides for a bit, then move quickly out there. A man from Minnesota agreed to take our picture, we found our moment and got our Facebook-ready photo.
Next: Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
The full trip, by day:
Days 1 and 2, Los Angeles to Paris
Day 3, Paris
Day 4, the Palace of Versailles
Day 5, the Eiffel Tower
Day 6, Goodbye France, hello England
Day 7, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge
Day 8, Bath
Day 9, Doctor Who and Swansea's LC
Day 10, the waterfalls of Wales
Day 11, Blists Hill and Ironbridge
Day 12, Warwick Castle
Day 13, Oxford and Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 14, this is London
Day 15, British Museum and British Library
Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
Day 17, Greenwich, the Thames and Westminster Abbey
Day 18, the Tower of London
Day 19, heading home
----
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An American Family in Europe: Day 14, this is London
(Previously: Day
13, Oxford and Harry Potter Studio Tour)
Though we had stayed in four Premier Inns on this trip, we had avoided the hotel chain's breakfast offerings due to the cost and because I'd heard it wasn't very good.
But on this last Premier Inn morning, I decided we could "splurge." The price of 8.50 pounds per adult was rather high, but the fact that our kids would eat free made it almost reasonable in the end. The breakfast itself was nothing special, just the simple eggs, cereal and sausage buffet that's offered for free by most U.S. mid-range hotels.
The driving portion of our vacation was ending today, and we were moving on to a little village known as London. Maybe you've heard of it.
We had deliberately avoided driving in central London -- by all accounts, the traffic is nightmarish, especially for new UK drivers. But today we would have to at least skirt around the edges.
It was little dicey, but with our GPS and my wife's careful map-reading we eventually made it to Blackheath, where we would be staying for the next five nights.
I often find the little differences in other countries fascinating, and a simple thing like going to the grocery store can be a cultural experience. We wanted to stop at a Sainsbury's supermarket to get some groceries, but even though we could see the store's sign, we literally couldn't figure out how to get into it.
The whole store was surrounded by a high wall, except for a small opening on one side that we eventually found. We parked in a "parent and child" space (you won't find those in The States) and inserted a 1-pound coin in the handle of the grocery cart to get one free.
Finally, we got our groceries and settled into the home we had arranged through home exchange. I returned our rental car. No more driving on the left side!
After resting a bit, we walked to the Blackheath train station. London offers a bewildering number of choices in transit tickets, and you probably need an advanced degree in mathematics to decide which sort of pass is best for your particular needs.
Fortunately, I'd done the ticket analysis ahead of time, I had finally decided the 7-day Travelcards would work best for us. They would cover both buses and trains in one price. I was happy with the choice, but even in retrospect, I'm not sure they were the most economical option.
At the train station window, I told the agent what we wanted. He asked if we had pictures of ourselves for the card. Yes, I did. Feeling very prepared, I showed the agent that I had, in fact, printed out three different sizes of pictures, just to cover the bases.
The agent looked at what I had and frowned, "No, we need them like this," he said, holding up his hands to indicate a full page-size. My heart started to sink -- I thought I had this covered -- when he grinned and said, "Just kidding."
Soon we had our Travelcards in hand -- they looked very official, like something we could flash to get backstage with the Spice Girls -- and caught a train heading to downtown London. It was only about a 20 minute ride to Waterloo station, where we got off and headed for the London Eye, the city's gigantic ferris wheel.
The lines were long, the cost was high (80 pounds for the 4 of us), and the wait was about an hour. Finally, we boarded our pod-like capsule and got great views of London. We were in London! Below us was the Thames, the Parliament building, and Big Ben. The city stretched far out to the horizon.
The London Eye moves slowly, so there was plenty of time to take pictures. A full circle take 30 minutes.
Afterwards, we walked to the nearby Westminster Bridge, thankfully leaving the crowded area of the Eye behind, and crossed the Thames, enjoying the classic views of Big Ben. We stopped at Parliament Square to see the statues of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and others, and took a few pictures with the classic red phone boxes on the sidewalks.
While we were done with the hazards of driving in Britain, we were now faced with a whole new peril: Crossing the street as a pedestrian. It's not just that you have to remember to expect traffic from the opposite way, it's that the crosswalks in London had a secret code that I never did crack.
Yes, you could stand there and wait for the "walk" light to turn green. But you might be the only one who does that. There seems to be some hidden signal that triggers the locals on when to walk or not walk. We sometimes joined them, but going on your own is risky -- a bus, a cab, a cyclist can zip out of nowhere in a flash and they really don't like to stop for pedestrians.
We walked up Parliament Street, past the heavily fortified entrance to Downing Street, home of the prime minister, up to Trafalgar Square. There was a lot of buzz in the air from the many people hanging out in the pleasant weather.
But we were tired and headed to a train station, and then home.
Next: Day 15, British Museum and British Library
----
(Please support this blog by clicking on an ad.)
Though we had stayed in four Premier Inns on this trip, we had avoided the hotel chain's breakfast offerings due to the cost and because I'd heard it wasn't very good.
But on this last Premier Inn morning, I decided we could "splurge." The price of 8.50 pounds per adult was rather high, but the fact that our kids would eat free made it almost reasonable in the end. The breakfast itself was nothing special, just the simple eggs, cereal and sausage buffet that's offered for free by most U.S. mid-range hotels.
The driving portion of our vacation was ending today, and we were moving on to a little village known as London. Maybe you've heard of it.
We had deliberately avoided driving in central London -- by all accounts, the traffic is nightmarish, especially for new UK drivers. But today we would have to at least skirt around the edges.
It was little dicey, but with our GPS and my wife's careful map-reading we eventually made it to Blackheath, where we would be staying for the next five nights.
I often find the little differences in other countries fascinating, and a simple thing like going to the grocery store can be a cultural experience. We wanted to stop at a Sainsbury's supermarket to get some groceries, but even though we could see the store's sign, we literally couldn't figure out how to get into it.
The whole store was surrounded by a high wall, except for a small opening on one side that we eventually found. We parked in a "parent and child" space (you won't find those in The States) and inserted a 1-pound coin in the handle of the grocery cart to get one free.
Finally, we got our groceries and settled into the home we had arranged through home exchange. I returned our rental car. No more driving on the left side!
After resting a bit, we walked to the Blackheath train station. London offers a bewildering number of choices in transit tickets, and you probably need an advanced degree in mathematics to decide which sort of pass is best for your particular needs.
Fortunately, I'd done the ticket analysis ahead of time, I had finally decided the 7-day Travelcards would work best for us. They would cover both buses and trains in one price. I was happy with the choice, but even in retrospect, I'm not sure they were the most economical option.
At the train station window, I told the agent what we wanted. He asked if we had pictures of ourselves for the card. Yes, I did. Feeling very prepared, I showed the agent that I had, in fact, printed out three different sizes of pictures, just to cover the bases.
The agent looked at what I had and frowned, "No, we need them like this," he said, holding up his hands to indicate a full page-size. My heart started to sink -- I thought I had this covered -- when he grinned and said, "Just kidding."
Soon we had our Travelcards in hand -- they looked very official, like something we could flash to get backstage with the Spice Girls -- and caught a train heading to downtown London. It was only about a 20 minute ride to Waterloo station, where we got off and headed for the London Eye, the city's gigantic ferris wheel.
The lines were long, the cost was high (80 pounds for the 4 of us), and the wait was about an hour. Finally, we boarded our pod-like capsule and got great views of London. We were in London! Below us was the Thames, the Parliament building, and Big Ben. The city stretched far out to the horizon.
The London Eye moves slowly, so there was plenty of time to take pictures. A full circle take 30 minutes.
Afterwards, we walked to the nearby Westminster Bridge, thankfully leaving the crowded area of the Eye behind, and crossed the Thames, enjoying the classic views of Big Ben. We stopped at Parliament Square to see the statues of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and others, and took a few pictures with the classic red phone boxes on the sidewalks.
While we were done with the hazards of driving in Britain, we were now faced with a whole new peril: Crossing the street as a pedestrian. It's not just that you have to remember to expect traffic from the opposite way, it's that the crosswalks in London had a secret code that I never did crack.
Yes, you could stand there and wait for the "walk" light to turn green. But you might be the only one who does that. There seems to be some hidden signal that triggers the locals on when to walk or not walk. We sometimes joined them, but going on your own is risky -- a bus, a cab, a cyclist can zip out of nowhere in a flash and they really don't like to stop for pedestrians.
We walked up Parliament Street, past the heavily fortified entrance to Downing Street, home of the prime minister, up to Trafalgar Square. There was a lot of buzz in the air from the many people hanging out in the pleasant weather.
But we were tired and headed to a train station, and then home.
Next: Day 15, British Museum and British Library
The full trip, by day:
Days 1 and 2, Los Angeles to Paris
Day 3, Paris
Day 4, the Palace of Versailles
Day 5, the Eiffel Tower
Day 6, Goodbye France, hello England
Day 7, Windsor Castle & Stonehenge
Day 8, Bath
Day 9, Doctor Who and Swansea's LC
Day 10, the waterfalls of Wales
Day 11, Blists Hill and Ironbridge
Day 12, Warwick Castle
Day 13, Oxford and Harry Potter Studio Tour
Day 14, this is London
Day 15, British Museum and British Library
Day 16, the Tube goes on strike
Day 17, Greenwich, the Thames and Westminster Abbey
Day 18, the Tower of London
Day 19, heading home
(Please support this blog by clicking on an ad.)
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