I came to a depressing conclusion the other night: summer is almost over and that means that soon we will return to extended dark evening hours. I do love long summer nights when the sun sets late, but this photo was a good reminder of just how great evening shots can be. Big Ben stands almost secondary to the car lights that whiz by in this wonderful shot by fiznatty.
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The closing ceremonies of Beijing ’08 were not quite as spectacular as the opening ceremonies. Not quite, but almost. There were still plenty of people wearing LED lights, drummers and acrobats climbing tall structures.
London got a chance to do their “we’re hosting the next Olympics” skit. It sucked in comparison to the other performances of the evening. There was some guy who looked like an gray-haired Jimmy Page. (It was obvious that the Stones said no to the gig). And Beckham kicked a ball off the top of a bus that had magically converted into some sort of green lump.
While they shake off their Olympic withdrawals, some people are passing the time by guessing what the opening ceremonies are going to look like in ’12. Here are some of the ideas:
1. They will hire the cast and crew of the Beijing opening ceremonies and perform the exact same show.
2. They will tap a different film director, like Ridley Scott or Madonna’s husband, and offer an unlimited budget to create a series of whimsical dance numbers featuring soccer hooligans and those guards with the furry hats.
3. Beckham will be, under order of the queen, part of the ceremony. Fine, as long as he doesn’t have to say anything in that high-pitched cockney voice or take his shirt off.
Whatever they come up with, it’s going to be great. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until 2011 to get their hands on some of the 7.7 million tickets up for sale.
If you like Mexican food, then Europe typically offers nothing but frustration.
I’ve been living in Europe for nearly four years and I have never stumbled into a “Mexican restaurant” that hasn’t ended up being only the thinnest interpretation of this revered cuisine. Europeans cannot do Mexican, for a number of reasons, but it comes down mostly to a blandness of palate that does not demand much on the flavor scale.
So, a Mexican joint is usually at the bottom of my list in terms of options.
Imagine my surprise, then, to arrive at Wahaca in London last night, the city’s hottest Mexican restaurant.
I was encouraged right away by the line snaking out of the door and halfway down the street. And I wasn’t disappointed: Wahaca is a seriously good Mexican restaurant that infuses its dishes with the requisite heat and flavor that you’ll find if you spend long enough eating in Mexico.
The place’s name is obviously a transliteration of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and features what it calls “Mexican market food,” small plates of simple tacos, quesadillas and tostadas filled with basic, but flavorful, ingredients. I tried the quesadilla filled with chorizo and potato and sampled the salmon ceviche tostada, which had some really good heat to it.
There are bigger dishes on offer, as well: Burritos, enchiladas and grilled fishes.
They get salsa right here (two kinds, green and red), habanero figures in a lot of dishes, and there is a whole menu of variously aged tequilas.
Perhaps best of all, it’s not that expensive.
The restaurant recently won Britain’s best “cheap eat” award. I wouldn’t say Wahaca was cheap, but with many of the dishes in the $6-$8 range, it is cheap by London standards.
I usually don’t like recommending restaurants, but I will in this case. If you’re a fan of Mexican (and I’m talking Mexican, not Tex-Mex) and are in London, try Wahaca.
The good folks at Grist put together their own list of 15 green cities. Although their thought was probably to showcase the green efforts made by local governments and locals to make the cities more environmentally friendly, in reading it I realized it was a great list of places to chose your next eco-vacation.
If you’re looking to take public transportation, play in parks and learn more about sustainability as part of your next vacation, here are the 15 cities that made the list:
Some of the selections surprised me; Bangkok for example, but apparently it’s all about the city’s strategy to make things greener. Check out the full list with accompanying explanations here.
What green cities have you visited?
Just outside of London, the Farnborough Airshow kicked off its biennial air show yesterday, starting a week of fun filled aviation spectacles and sales. Along with the Paris, Dubai and Berlin air shows, industry leaders use the Farnborough Airshow to feature some of their latest technology, designs and concepts as well as ink deals for large aircraft orders.
You can always tell when an air show is in full swing when checking out the travel wire — every several hours Boeing or Airbus or Embrarer will anounce another deal with another rich country or magnate for a few dozen aircraft; today, FlyDubai bought 50 737s and Emrarer sold 22 jets to Consorcio Aeromexico SAB.
It’s also a good time for airframe manufacturers to update the world on what’s going on with their newest creations, namely “Why is the 787 so behind schedule?” and “Can you really fit a schoolbus inside of an A380?”, so keep an eye out for announcements along those lines and your shares of stock to follow the news.
I, personally, was thinking about going this year, but unfortunately ran out of time off at work with which I can enjoy such pleasures as long weekends in London.
No worries. I’m saving myself for the Paris Air Show, THE place to be for airplane debauchery, delight and excitement (only held on odd years). See you in Paris on the 15th of July next year!