travelblog continued
brighton & hove
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
I left London yesterday, grabbing the train at London Bridge Station. The trains run on time here, it seems. I got on board and grabbed a comfortable seat. At first, the landscape was dismal, old, decaying tenaments covered in gang graffiti under gray skies. Then, as we began passing out of the London area and into the countryside, breathtaking landscapes, villages, sun breaking through the clouds. The closer we got to the sea, the more clear the weather became.
The ride to Brighton is quick, about an hour. The air was crisp, the sun shining as I left the station in a taxi. Brighton is such a colorful place!
Got checked into my hotel, which is a hideous looking building from the outside. However, my room is great, it's absolutely enormous with one solid wall of glass looking out onto the ocean and the West Pier. Beautiful but tragic, because the West Pier is falling down.
I think of the piers falling down in Asbury Park and it just makes me so sad. It was apparently decaying to begin with, and then a hurricane in the 80s brought it to its knees. I found out talking to people today that a lot of money has already gone into it (not that you can tell) and that there are committees fighting over what should be done. It's an old story. The developers want it. The restorationists are fighting to restore it. I hope they do the right thing and restore it.
The sun didn't last long, alas, and when I woke up from a nap it was pouring rain and so cold that the hotel had to bring me a portable heater as they'd turned off the main heating. It's supposed to be summer, after all. The wind was literally howling it was that bad. This morning, the weather was no better, but then it cleared for a few hours so I could venture out and explore.
I love this city! It's very reminiscent of San Francisco in its way, with hills running down to the water, Victorian row houses painted in green and yellow and pink, great restaurants, and incredibly colorful people wandering about: Tourists from all over the world, eccentrics, lovers of all denominations, New Agers, very old agers, homeless, an absolute fascinating mix, perfect for a people-watcher like me.
The side street along my hotel is filled with restaurants of every imaginable kind. There are Indian, Chinese, Thai, Sudanese, Italian, French, American (ribs and chicken!), Turkish, Greek, English pubs, and even a Pizza Hut and a KFC thrown in for good measure. There are also coffee houses advertising live acoustic music (guess what I'm doing tonight) and plenty of dance clubs and wine bars. Tucked in between are Internet Cafe's, tons of them. You can't spit without hitting one, and they're all filled up. It's truly a lively place and I feel very much at home.
The weather got very windy and cold and since I'm fighting some kind of low-grade yick I decided to come back and warm up before venturing out again. Tomorrow, I meet up with Natalia, my editor with whom I worked on the Colour for Web Sites book, and venture off to Worthing to check out the Applied Visual Arts offices to see what they're up to and help out with getting their web site situation straightened out.
Friday, June 14, 2002
Language is a curious thing. Here are a few notables from along the way:
- Car boot sale
- Boat jumble
- Stop in for a good time (sign in pub window)
- Wide Water Close
- Doors & joints
- Sale agreed (in the US: sale pending)
- Convenience stop (as opposed to store)
- Feedwell Cafe
- Sackville Hotel
- Car pound
- Ship Hotel (well, which is it?)
Here is the funniest bumper sticker I've ever seen, found on the back of a parked van on a side street in Hove:
Brighton is less than bright today, fog so thick I can't see two feet in front of me. But, it's not raining so I'm off to explore.
Sunday, June 16, 2002
This is King George IV. His reputation spans from having been "a bit of a dandy" to having contributed to the "demoralisation of civilization." No matter his licensious and extravagant ways, King George IV left one of the most unusual tributes to to architecture known to humankind. That would be the Brighton Pavillion, an absolutely fascinating combination of Indian architecture, Chinese decoration, and the most progressive technology of its time including automated spits in the kitchen.
I wandered over to the Pavillion on Saturday, after walking from my hotel at the West Pier over to the Brighton Pier, which is a lively, fun place. The day was gorgeous, with the first sun I'd really seen since I've been in England. I love the rain, but the sun was a refreshing change. Since it was Saturday, there were a lot of tents set up where people were selling jewelry, clothes, and mementos.
After my trip to the Pavillion, I walked through The Laines, which really was fun. The Laines are a series of winding roads filled with shops, cafes, and pubs. There was a square with a live Jazz band playing. I had a Tarot reader do my cards, which was interesting. She said I've been successful in my past and am happy with my accomplishments, but I am longing for something new. The future brings that, apparently. A very sunny reading for a sunny day.
Great sign seen hanging outside a Brighton Pub:
If the text is too small in the image for you to read, here's what it says:
"Fat thin black white male female asian malaysian young old gay straight bi transgender retired student unemployed artist ?iss artist - thankfully our range of customers is as extensive as our drinks. If you like variety we think you might enjoy what we offer."
I'm not exactly sure what the ?iss artist is all about, I have a few suspicions but, erm, if there's a specific meaning I don't know it. What do you think?
Later, I stopped in at a pub to watch the England/Denmark game. It was very exciting as England won 3-nil. The energy surrounding the World Cup here is just amazing, people out yesterday in full patriotic regalia. It's easy and fun to get swept up in it, and I had a very good time watching the game, and watching the people watch the game. A great day.
The evening before (Friday) my publisher at AVA took me, my editor Natalia, and her husband Phil out for a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Fleur de Sel in West Sussex. On the drive there, I got to see the most beautiful English landscapes. We had a fantastic meal; I had grilled monkfish in a cream sauce with a Pouilly Fousse to compliment. Then, we went to Brian's cottage, a 16th century house by the sea for coffee, brandy, good jazz, great conversation, and the company of Brian's dog, Sita. She is a sweet black lab and it's nice to spend a little time with her as I miss my cat, Tara, very much when I travel. We enjoyed ourselves enormously. Along the ride to Brian's, we went through Arundel, where he pointed out Arundel Castle. All in all, it was a real English evening which I will always remember.
london
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Back in London. Thanks to all the people who wrote in and explained that a "piss artist" is a drunk. What still is a bit of a mystery is why the question mark instead of a "p". Jenny thought it was someone trying to be polite, Bruce suggested it was simply a poorly-formed letter. So the mystery continues.
Not long ago my best friend from teenage years, Howard, found me via email. Interestingly, I'd tried to find him about a year earlier to no avail. Life is pretty amazing that way. Howard wrote to say that today a rare and special astrological event is occuring called the Grand Trine. Communication is emphasized, luck abounds, great karmic help is in abundance.
The sun certainly seems to agree. It is finally beautifully bright and warm here and looks like summer. As much as I've enjoyed the rain, having sunshine in London is great. I'm off on an adventure!
Monday, June 24, 2002
So it's back to the states with me today. I've had a fantastic time here. I was up in Birmingham for two days, where I got to hang out with some of the folks from glasshaus and eat famous Birmingham curry, met Bruce's terrific wife and family, it was great! I have loads of pictures which I will organize and create a travel book of once home.
I spent last night in the hotel pub where I'd made friends with some of the regulars and barmen. Michael especially kept us all entertained, with Jenks sliding in stealth humor to bring us to our knees.
More interesting language:
- Slag = Slut
- Cracker = Nice looking woman or a decent bloke. Most definitely not a reference to white trash.
- Treacle = a sweet woman
- Fanny = vagina, not butt (bum) as it is in the states
I'm looking forward to seeing my family in LA, then on home by Tuesday. Must dash to the airport now, and deal with all of that joy. See you on the flip side!
los angeles
Monday, June 24, 2002
Back on US soil, and heading to the desert Tuesday night. Looking forward to a few hours with my brother Linus, who lives here in Los Angeles, and my folks, who happen to be in town, that'll be a nice treat.
If you don't see an entry from me for a bit it's only because I'm trying to regroup, reorient, and get settled back at home.
tucson
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Who the hell ever thought of settling in this overheated sauna? Today it was 107 F. That's 41.666 for my Celsius readers. So it's the devil that's in the details then? I'm stumbling around trying not to sleep and get back on local time. Bad lag.
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