Monthly Archives: September 2012

Random Sports Rant: The Replacements – My Take on the Current State of Officiating in the NFL

Note:  Although an agreement was reached on September 26, 2012 (see NFL’s update here), I still wanted to post this as it was my immediate reaction after watching the most recent Monday Night Football game.

I know that this is generally a blog about fashion, family, dining and music.  But if you are a regular reader of this blog, I have mentioned on many occasions how much of a sports fanatic I am, especially of American football and soccer.  Because of what has transpired in these first weeks of the season, I have to comment on the state of my beloved sport of football.

This week, I watched a game that to me, should signal a turning point in this lockout of the regular officials.  To kind of give a brief overview for those of you who are not up to speed with football news, the regular officials (referees) are not currently officiating this season’s regular NFL games due to a lockout imposed by team owners after their contracts expired in June of this year.  Basically, the team owners are locking out the referees by not agreeing to a contract.  To ensure that the football season continues, replacement referees have been put in place to officiate, while the contract negotiations are taking place.  I thought that these officials would be higher level college referees, but I realized that the college football season coincides with professional football season, so those refs are actually tied up already.  I’m not exactly sure how these replacement referees are hired and where they come from.

In the beginning, it didn’t seem so bad because they seemed to put their “best” refs forward during the opening game on September 5th, 2012.  But it has become apparent in these last couple of weeks that the replacement officials clearly are not handling the pressure of the speed of play.  Not only that, but I’m sensing that players are testing their boundaries with making blatant pass interferences, late hits and unnecessary roughness penalties that we as fans see, but not all of the officials are paying attention to.  Were all of the refs really looking at that holding penalty instead of that helmet-to-helmet contact that received no flag, but resulted in a fine? 

This Monday night’s game on September 24th, 2012 between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers was just more exposure on a national level of what we have been seeing all season.  In addition to the missed and incorrect penalties, we’re also seeing a loss of control of the game by the replacement officials.  I see these officials as being scared out of their minds to make a bad call, so they make no call.  This was apparent in the final call of the game where Seattle was on the offense and quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw a “Hail Mary”.  As you can seein the picture above, one official signaled touchdown, but the other signaled that it was not a touchdown.  To me, it was clearly an interception as the defender, safety M.D. Jennings, had control of the ball in the air and when his two feet touched the ground in the end-zone, although receiver Golden Tate, looked as if he also had the ball.  The ruling on the field was a touchdown, resulting in the Seahawks winning 13-12.  Thinking this was the final outcome, both teams left the field, including the officials.  To finish the game, Seattle should have kicked for the extra point, but no one was around to do it.  Eventually, each team had to get 11 men on the field to run the final play.  Finally, the game was over and the resulting score was Seahawks 14 and Packers 12.  Kudos to Green Bay for stepping up and being a class act for sending 11 men out there, which was something I’m sure I couldn’t have convinced myself to do.  In a statement that was released on Tuesday September 25th, 2012, the NFL supported the decision to not overturn the touchdown due to the simultaneous catch rule (the decision goes to the offensive player), and the Seahawks remained the victors (read statement here).

As the NFL commissioner and chief executive officer, Roger Goodell should step in and bring these talks to a head and demand a decision.  Something needs to give, not just for those of us who love the game, but for the health, safety and sanity of the coaches and players.  I cannot watch football like this any longer.  As a San Diego Chargers fan, each game with my home team is emotional because I want my team to win.  Once my own team game is finished, I can sit back and watch other games, simply because I enjoy watching football.  Right now, I can’t even stand to watch a regular game, let alone my own home team’s games because it’s absolutely painful. 

I usually enjoy fall because watching football and learning the game is how I got incredibly close to my father growing up.  We knew Sunday was football day and we would have the tellys blaring games all day, or we would even attend a game locally (one of the best reasons to live in a town with a local team).  Before he passed, we would discuss each game and make our picks for random office football pools.  Now, I’m married to a man who loves the game equally and I get to continue my tradition each year with him and soon with our son.  But in all of the years that I’ve grown up watching this sport, this is the worst that I’ve seen as a spectator.  Even when the Chargers were 1-15, I still watched faithfully.  After Green Bay was robbed of a win this week, I’m not sure that I can stomach watching bad call after bad call.  It’s like watching a crime in progress:  you know it’s wrong, but you can’t do anything about it.

This rant is not a gripe against the replacement referees because they are probably doing the best they can under the circumstances.  My gripe is against the league, specifically the owners and Goodell.   I have been watching the game of football since I was eleven.  The game that solidified me as a lifelong fan was the Epic in Miami where my Chargers rallied to beat the Miami Dolphins in an all out play-to-win-at-any-cost game that got them to the AFC Championship (where they lost against the Bengals in the Freezer Bowl).  That’s where I saw heart, tenacity, endurance and players truly playing a full game of football, no holds barred in the face of exhaustion and pain.  I have watched games here in San Diego, but I have traveled to other cities and countries for the love of the game (Pittsburgh and London).  It is this deep appreciation for the game that makes watching this season so painful.  I feel insulted that the NFL could think for a second that we could just sit back and accept that this is how it’s going to be, and that the decisions these replacement referees are making are as sound as the decisions made by Ed Hochuli or Mike Carey.   No, you will never get me to accept that, especially after this last Monday Night Football game. 

Although I’ve said on Facebook and Twitter that I would stop watching football the rest of this season while these replacement refs are still there, I know I’ll still watch because I love the game too much.  Believe me, this is inner tourmoil for any sports fan.  It is because of my love of football, I’m begging all parties to get these negotiations under wraps and come to a decision.  Please.

(Top photo courtesy of Policymic.com)

Foodie Fever: Restaurant Week at Analog Bar

As mentioned in a previous post, last week was San Diego Restaurant Week.  I ventured out with Janice to a place that I had been wanting to try out for a while: The Analog Bar.  Here is yet another example of the kind of establishments that Janice and I seem to gravitate to: good music, good drinks, and musical paraphernalia attached to the walls.  If you recall, on our recent trip to London trip we paid a visit to a fantastic little bar called Callooh Callay where the walls of the restroom were covered with cassette tapes (posts here and here).  Not only are the walls covered with cassette tapes, but also with album covers as well.  I tried to look for a Depeche Mode cover, but I really only saw Human League.  I’ll have to go back to see what other 80’s groups I can find among the dozens.

If you are unfamiliar with Restaurant Week, I have a few posts about the week-long event (here and here).  It’s definitely something that my friends and I enjoy and we try to go somewhere different each time.  I missed Restaurant Week earlier this year, so it was Regi’s turn to miss this one.  The three of us try to get together as time and schedules permit, but sometimes one of us misses out.  Since we already scheduled the date and made the reservations, Janice and I decided to keep the date, and I’m really glad we did!

From the prix fixe menu (which was $30), we always pick different things in order to be able to sample a variety of what is offered.  In addition, we chose to do the Cocktail Pairings for an additional $12 because this meant that we each got a specialty drink that was made for each item on the menu.  The cocktails that were offered already would have cost a total of $36, so we thought it was a fantastic deal.  I also think we were trying to relive our trip to London and the fantastic drinks we had while we were out there.

Grapefruit Champagne Spritzer

“Bahn Mi” Street Tacos and Lobster Corn Dogs with tarragon dip

I started off with the Lobster Corn Dogs that came with a tarragon dip and Janice had the BBQ Pork “Bahn Mi” Street Tacos, which she had before.  Both dishes were very tasty and I thought the tarragon dip was a wonderful compliment to the lobster (lobster cakes surrounded by corn dog batter).  This was accompanied by a Grapefruit Champagne Spritzer, which was light and very delicious.  I thought it went well with the appetizers because it sparkled and wasn’t too heavy.   Already, the cocktails did not disappoint, so I looked forward to the other pairings.

Grilled Orange-Sesame Glazed Salmon

Next was our main dishes: I had the Grilled Orange-Sesame Glazed Salmon and Janice had the Braised Sterling Silver Short Ribs (not pictured).  Each were good versions of our favorite dishes.  They were paired with the Hendricks Experience cocktails which also was surprisingly refreshing.  For me, it went well with my salmon and didn’t overpower my meal. 

From the Cocktail Pairings (drinks appear in respective order to the menu)

My favorite part of the meal was the dessert (of course).  I had the Butterscotch Pudding and Janice had the Peanut Butter Cup Cake, which came with a glass of milk.  The Butterscotch Pudding was a brownie topped with pudding, salted caramel and whipped cream, served in a small mason jar.  This was paired with the Analog Organic Chai Mule, which was almost like what a liquid gingerbread cookie would taste like.  The spice of the ginger went very well with the sweetness of the dessert.  It was a wonderful way to end a delightful meal. 

Overall, this was a wonderful food and drink experience, and I know I would definitely go back again to take my husband on a night out.  The space resembles a sleek music recording studio, and I’ve read that it’s a great place to enjoy listening to music and dancing because of the DJ set up.  I would also like to return with my entire family to enjoy their brunch, because I know my son would love looking at all of the album covers and cassette tapes that adorn their walls.  Not only does Analog Bar have good food and great drinks, but a cool and hip atmosphere as well and appeals to the music enthusiast in me.  Cheers!

Keep Calm & Listen to Depeche Mode

Ah yes, I’m still on my European vacation high.  I have a couple of “Keep Calm and Carry On” catch phrase items that I brought back with me in the form of a magnet and tumbler.  I found the above image through Google on Red Bubble (click the picture to buy the shirt, I’m going to buy one). I know it’s how I definitely keep calm!

Here are a few pictures that show just a bit of my Depeche Mode collection, which includes Recoil and solo projects by Martin Gore and Dave Gahan.  I sometimes use them as subjects for the “Photo a Day Challenge” themes on Instagram because the themes have words that appear in their lyrics or song titles, and that album or single will be the first image to pop into my head (if you want to join in on the “Photo a Day Challenge” meme, go to Fat Mum Slim for details).  Some day, I’ll do some kind of photo essay of everything I own that is Depeche Mode related.  Until then, I’ll continue to share photo collages of selections from my collection. 

August 26: Dream (Dreaming of Me, 7″ UK imported single)

August 31:  Hidden (Hidden Houses by Dave Gahan from the album Paper Monsters)

September 16: Strange (Strangelove 7″ and 12″ domestic singles; Strange & Strange Too on VHS; A Strange Hour in Budapest on Blu-ray DVD and USB by Recoil)

September 18: Price (Early Depeche Mode song called Price of Love on Live at Crocs vinyl album from Amoeba Music)

Summer's End, Fall Into Autumn

It’s so hard to think of fall when the weather is still incredibly warm here in San Diego, but I think I’ve got the infusion of shoes that I need to end my summer and begin the cooler fall weather.  It began with the Topshop studded flats that I bought while I was in London, but I also bought a couple of pairs of shoes from Labor Day sales.  I’m also trying to embrace flats, lower heels and lower wedged heels as part of my fall office wardrobe, so you’ll see a bit of a trend with my most recent acquisitions.  I again included prices because I think anyone can really get a good deal if you sign up for special mailing lists, or get the shoes you want at a better price if you time your purchase with a good sale.

Matiko “Monaco” in nude from Ashbury Skies (On sale for $59 from $179.95. Received email for $20 off during Labor Day. Final price with free shipping: $29!)

Ego and Greed “Bowler” in grey printed python from Solestruck.  I LOVE the Shoe Addict bandage that came in my package. (On sale for $59.95 from $119.95. Received notification for exclusive Facebook discount. Final price with free shipping: $35.97!)

VECTRA4 Canvas Studded Slippers from Topshop (£28 when I purchased them in London, which converted to $45.)

Bamboo “Alive 04” penny loafers in navy blue from Lulu*s ($25)

Steve Madden “Frankie” studded engineer booties from Macy’s (Originally $149, but I got them for $130 with free shipping because of a discount during a Labor Day sale.)

European Vacation Days 7 & 8: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

August 22 was our last night in London, and part of the morning was spent returning back to London from Paris.  After a quick trip back to our hotel room back at Wembley Park, we quickly went back to Knightsbridge because Janice had a couple of returns and VAT  items to take care of at Harrods and Topshop.  We then headed towards Piccadilly Circus to see the famous illuminated signs and we grabbed some lunch at a pub called Tom Cribb.  From the official website:  “The pub is named after British champion bare-knuckle boxer Tom Cribb who, in the 1800s, retired from the ring and later became a publican, at the Union Arms. The pub changed its name to honour his career.”  I had a sandwich named after him and Janice had bangers & mash for the first time (both were very tasty).  I wanted to try a truly British beer, so I had half a pint of Spitfire to wash it all down.

After walking around a bit, we stopped by Cool Britannia, one of the coolest souvenir shops in London.  Unfortunately, I was quite bogged down with packages and it was way too busy in the store to take any proper pictures.  I wish I had because it really is quite a fantastic souvenir shop.

Elliot making my first drink of the evening: The Westerners’ Erofeitch.  Doesn’t he look like a naughty mad scientist?  Note the water and food close by…we knew it would be that kind of night.

My next two drinks: The Perfect Lady (very sweet & creamy) and The Mandalay (slightly bitter with Campari).

To celebrate our last hurrah in London, we went back to Callooh Callay (see my first post here).  The above drinks were all delicious and very mildly named.  Things already became fuzzy for me after two drinks, so I very thankful that we had been eating and drinking water throughout the night.  As the evening got later, the names of the drinks got raunchier.  I’m sure Elliot has seen crazier patrons than Janice and myself, but I thank him for putting up with me, especially after four drinks (Janice can hold her drink much better and went three drinks deeper than I did).  India, another lovely and incredibly understanding waitress, was also very sweet, keeping up with our silliness throughout the evening.

This was the last of the respectfully named drinks: this is the P-p-p-poppy.  I think the stuttering comes from having the three drinks prior.

A very nice picture of Elliot and Janice.  My eyes always narrow the more drink I consume, so I opted for no pictures of myself for the evening.  I’m surprised I was even able to hold the camera steady for this shot.

Janice with a new friend she met whilst I was in the ladies room.  The bluriness of the shot indicates why I couldn’t remember her name…sorry dear!

One of these drinks is called the Spagliato and the other is called Ahhh, Sh!t, It Tastes Like Christmas (as you can tell, I can’t remember which is which).  The last drink of the night was what did Janice in, which is probably why it’s not pictured.  It was a drink we used to have when we were clubbing.  Elliot’s version is called “I F@#!ed the Red Headed Slut”.  And so ended the night…

I’m not sure how we did it, but we filled out applications and turned them in before we left, with the hopes of obtaining membership to The Jubjub Bar.  I’ll let you know if we actually got our memberships approved (*crossing fingers*).  As Bridget Jones would say it was a “v. good night and blurry good fun!”

(Please note that as of September 5, our Jubjub Membership requests were approved!  Now, does that mean that we should schedule another trip out there to collect our key?  Hmm…)

The Metropolitan line.  Our hotel was directly in front of the Wembly Park stop (Zone 4).

These last pictures in London are a bit silly.  One is of the Tube line that we took regularly, which was the Metropolitan.  The second picture I took because I’ve read that Alan Wilder (Recoil/Depeche Mode) grew up in Acton, which is in West London.  On our way to Heathrow, the one of the stops was Acton Town.  Is it the same area?  I don’t know, but I had to take a picture of it (although I know he now lives in Sussex).  I also have to say that I’m very sad that I missed the Spirit of Talk Talk launch party, which happened September 6 (Alan Wilder was rumoured to have been there).  Even if I had known about it, I’m not sure I could have made it work anyway as it would have been just too long to be away from home and work.  Oh well!

I took a couple of final pictures on the plane ride home of our route on British Airways.  I love the individual video screens that are available on these long flights because it allows me to watch several movies I would never have otherwise watched.  I watched The Five-Year Engagement and The Hunger Games on the way home (I can’t remember what I watched on the way to London because I was fighting a cold that I caught on the way). I also took a picture of our dinner that night because I also love meals on long flights.  I particularly liked the dessert, and our nice gentleman flight attendant gave me another one after my meal (it was a cream passion fruit custard, with chocolate shavings on top, SO good).

I had such a great time with Janice and I’m glad we got the chance to get away and spend some time together.  I’m also glad I was able to be there for her first European trip, showing her places I had been and discovering new places.  I think there may be another European trip in the future (we’re shooting for Germany), but it will be with my husband and son.  Cheers and thanks for reading!

Please note that most photos were taken with my iPhone unless otherwise noted.  Photos 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were by Janice Gutana (photo collages are counted as one photo).

San Diego Restaurant Week: September 16 to 21

Can you believe it’s that time yet again?  Foodies rejoice, it’s time to rev up your taste buds and hit the town for San Diego Restaurant Week.  My girls and I are headed out again, and I’m trying to steer them to somewhere French because I’m still on a Euro kick.  If we choose something different, then I’ll take my hubby and son (I hope they’ll eat French cuisine).  I’ll be sure to tell you all which restaurant we settled on in an upcoming post.  In the meantime, for those of you here in San Diego, check out their list of fantastic eateries by clicking on the picture above.  Cheers!

Photo courtesy of the San Diego Restaurant Week Official Website

Journées Européennes de Vacances 5 et 6: Bonjour Paris!

Bonjour and merci Bing Translator (formerly Babelfish) for the translation of the title of my post!  If you haven’t guessed, it should translate to “European Vacation Days 5 & 6: Hello Paris!”

Photo from the train entering France.

August 20th and 21st, we spent in Paris, France.  Although I would loved to have spent my entire trip in London, Janice brought up a great point that we should see one other country while in Europe.  Although I had already been there because my husband and I went on our honeymoon, we figured the easiest jaunt to another country was to take the two-hour Chunnel through Eurostar to Paris.  I tried to sleep, but instead spent the entire ride listening to Spandau Ballet because of the Rewind Festival the night before.  We actually arrived at Gare du Nord (North Station), but Janice booked a room at the Mercure Hotel location that was walking distance from Gare de l’est (East Station), which was close by.

The Mercure Hotel on Boulevard Magenta. 

I’ll again rely on my pictures to tell the story of where we went in Paris for the two days that we were there.  It was quite the fleeting trip, because I tried to make sure that Janice saw all of the most popular of sights during our short stay.  The best part about the trip for me was the food, which I enjoyed because we actually got to sit awhile at each little cafe.  À la prochaine!  Next post:  Our last day in London!

Our arrival at Gare du Nord, a street sign close to our hotel, and our first stop on The Metro.

Janice’s first introduction to authentic crepes in Paris.  This one was filled with Nutella and bananas.

We took pictures outside of The Louvre because we were too late to take a proper tour (and we couldn’t go the next day because it was closed).

Jardin des Tuileries, which is the Tuileries Garden, between The Louvre and Palace de la Concorde.

We saw something being filmed while walking around the streets of Paris, close by The Louvre.

A cool Metro station entrance.

The cafe where we ate breakfast each day we were in Paris. Our waitress was so sweet that she made sure to warn us about pick-pockets, and she loved my Wendy Brandes ring!

Some of the delicious food and wine we ate and drank while in Paris: creme brule, pino grigio, eclairs and Quiche Lorraine.

This is the awesome bakery where I bought the eclairs.  Janice bought some kind of Nutella goodness.

Marché Saint-Quentin (St. Quentin Market), which was right outside our hotel. If you watched “Cars 2”, you’ll know why it’s funny that Lightning McQueen was in the market!

Notre Dame de Paris

We stopped at a cafe near the Seine river, while walking to the Eiffel Tower. Janice and I were trying to be artsy with our pictures at the cafe.  I liked her’s the best!

I was so excited to find the little Irish pub that my husband and I visited during our honeymoon!  I knew it was the right one because it was next to the soccer shop where the nice store owner gave us a free key chain.  The gal that was bartending at the time introduced us to the music of the group Phoenix.

Tour de Eiffel

Arc de Triomphe and the Louis Vuitton store on Champs Elysees.  The “love me” painted on the wall caught my eye while walking.

Janice’s photo of Cartier at Champs Elysees.

All photos were taken with my iPhone unless otherwise noted.

European Vacation Day 4: Be Kind & Rewind!

Sunday August 19th was the Rewind Festival at Henley-On-Thames, which was the catalyst that spurred this whirlwind trip to London and Paris into action.  This was my first ever festival, and I thought my first festival would be Coachella or Lollapalooza, but I’m actually glad to say that my first festival was in a different country.   Although we would have loved to have gone to both days of the festival (especially to see Rick Astley and Jimmy Somerville on Saturday August 18th), both Janice and I don’t really camp in America, so camping in another country 5,000 miles away from home was most likely out of the question.

I bought these for the train ride to Henley.  Oh. My. SO. Good.

Premium Pear Cider, mmmm!

The line up for both days.  The running order for the Sunday show remained true to the list above.

We discovered that Henley-on-Thames is not as close to London as we had perceived it to be.  A few weeks prior to our vacation, I decided to finally check out how we would route our trip to Henley.  I was glad that I did because I would have never perceived that it would be approximately 35 miles from London, in Oxfordshire.  Being that we don’t have licenses to drive in Great Britain, I furiously looked for transportation from London, and I found that we would need to take the National Railway.  This would mean that while we could get there with no issues and start our concert festivities early, we knew we would miss the last act because we would need to get back to the station in time to return back to our hotel.  In hindsight, we maybe could have just gotten a hotel in Henley and then taken an early train to St. Pancras to just simply connect to our train to Paris.  Don’t they say hindsight is always 20/20?

Concert goers on a mission!  These were actually the folks who initially helped us navigate our way around Henley.  After that, we met quite a few other nice people who helped answer questions as we needed.

The water taxi we took back to the train station after the concert.

Henley is a beautiful, picturesque town.  Janice caught some great pictures of our walk along the river to the festival area.  The venue itself was on Temple Island Meadows, which has been the home of the Rewind Festival for the past few years.  The festival itself was larger than anything I had been to previously.  It felt like the San Diego County Fair combined with a food truck event, but with way better music and bands (in my humble opinion, of course).  I will say that the acts that I wanted see played everything I wanted to hear:  Adam Ant, Midge Ure, Marc Almond and Tony Hadley.  My only regret was not being able to catch OMD, but that’s only because of the aforementioned time constraints.   In fact, we nearly missed Tony Hadley!  But we got to stay through his set because our friendly neighborhood concert goers explained that our train tickets were good for the night because the trains departed every 30 minutes.  My favorite concert moments:

  • Dancing around like a lunatic during Adam Ant’s set.
  • When Midge Ure played “Vienna” and “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes”, I practically cried.
  • Surprised that Roland Gift actually played “She Drives Me Crazy”, and loved that he played “Good Thing”.
  • Completely not expecting to hear “Tears Run Rings” by Marc Almond. I had read previous set lists from his shows, and I don’t recall seeing that song on there.
  • Every. Single. Song. By. Tony Hadley. 

Rather than continue to describe all of the events, I just made selections from both sets of photos by Janice and myself to just illustrate the awesome time we had.   Next post: A quick two-day jaunt to Paris!

Adam Ant fans, no?

Some of the booths at the festival, which included vintage clothing!  Janice got some totally bitchin’ leg warmers there.

Ohmigod, Janice!  That side ponytail and those leg warmers are in full effect.  Totally.

Our pile o’stuff.  I think we were the least prepared to be there.  Next time, we need to at least bring a throw blanket, mat or towel!

Originally, I brought the umbrella in case it rained. It turned out to be useful to keep cool!  And yes, that is yet another Joy Division shirt that I’ve added to my collection.

This lighthouse/windmill looking building was actually a giant slide!  At first, it was mostly kids coming down the slide with their parents.  Later into the night, alcohol fuelled everyone’s inner child to take a ride.

Adam Ant and The Good, The Mad and The Lovely Posse

There was karaoke for the crowd between sets.  Duran Duran anyone?

Everybody Wang Chung tonight!

Carol Decker of T’Pau putting in some heart and soul into her hit song of the same name.

Midge Ure looking and sounding wonderful after the mini-fiasco of the first song (his mic was completely shut off for an entire song).

Marc Almond not only sang “Tears Run Rings” but also “Tainted Love” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye”.

We were excited to know we could stay for Tony Hadley!

Tony Hadley sounded so amazing live.  Although I know the favorite was “Gold”, my highlight was “Only When You Leave”.

My iPhone lighter for when Tony sang “True”…

This group of concert-goers sat behind us.  They were so awesome and answered many of our questions.  They also ave us glow sticks to carry our celebration into the night.

Janice spotted some interesting characters in neon.  I don’t think I have seen that much neon collectively in one place, except at a mall back in the actual 80’s.

Teen Wolf attacked me on the way out of the festival (or was it the werewolf from “Thriller”?). Either way, I survived!

Topshop at Nordstrom Starting Today!

Ah, the Anglophile in me just did a somersault!

TOPSHOP AND TOPMAN WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN THE FOLLOWING NORDSTROM STORES:

  • September 7
  • Garden State Plaza (Paramus, NJ)
  • Southcenter (Tukwila, WA)
  • September 9
  • Irvine Spectrum Center (Irvine, CA)
  • Valley Fair (San Jose, CA)
  • The Plaza at King of Prussia (King of Prussia, PA)
  • Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL)
  • Chandler Fashion Center (Chandler, AZ)
  • Oakbrook Center (Oak Brook, IL)
  • September 10
  • Ala Moana (Honolulu, HI)
  • Barton Creek Square (Austin, TX)
  • Burlington (Burlington, MA)
  • Phipps Plaza (Atlanta, GA)
  • San Francisco Centre (San Francisco, CA)*
  • South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, CA)*

*Topshop only

(Photo and information from Nordstrom.com)

 

European Vacation Day 3: Take Me to the River (Thames)

On our third day in London, we decided to take the advice of one of our cabbies and start off at The Houses of Parliament and just walk all the way down to the Tower Bridge.  But first, we grabbed a bit of breakfast, so I thought I’d share what I had.  We went to a place that was walking distance from our hotel called the Moulin Grill.  I absolutely love bacon in any form, and British bacon is more like ham than what we are used to in America.  Either way, it was a tasty and inexpensive way to have my traditional English breakfast (no beans, but with grilled tomatoes).

We hopped on the tube on the Jubilee line and headed towards Westminster.  This dropped us off right in front of Houses of Parliament and The Clock Tower, otherwise known as Big Ben.  We took a walk along the Westminster Bridge to where the London Eye is located, which is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.  It was quite crowded (I’m sure due to the fact that it was a Saturday), so we choose not to ride it. Instead, we snapped pictures of ourselves with the attraction in the background (only my picture is shown).  After we passed the London Eye, we noticed that we were on a trail called The Jubilee Greenway, which is 60 kilometers long and each kilometer marks one year of the Queen’s reign.  We then passed through the Soutbank, went into Southwark Cathedral and saw many other fantastic sites on the way to Tower Bridge.

My new studded Topshop shoes with my Rebecca Minkoff schoolboy.

Janice took this great picture of a sign on a bench.

Random shots around Southbank.

There was poetry posted all along the rails of a pier on the Southbank.  I loved this poem.

Millennium Bridge and Shakespeare’s Globe

The sign above explains pretty much everything we saw on the approach to Tower Bridge.

Clink Prison Museum, Tate Modern, Southwark Bridge

Southwark Cathedral

I just really liked the lines and the way the angles looked in these pictures.

Sights of the Olympics were alive and well while we were in town, and we realized that we were actually between Olympic events:  The Summer Olympics games ended on August 12, but the Paralympics games began on August 29th.  Everywhere we went, we could see the Olympics’ mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.  At one point, Janice and I gave in and posed with one of them as we approached Tower Bridge.

Tower of London

After having lunch at a cute little place called Noodle Noodle, our last stop was Buckingham Palace.  There wasn’t a guard ceremony that day, so we just walked around, taking in the enormity of the grounds.  In the picture below, we are standing on The Victoria Memorial with Buckingham Palace in the background (Janice is pictured on the right).  Below that is a great picture of The Mall, which is a ceremonial route to Buckingham Palace. The last pictures are of the gateway to the Queen’s Gardens, the Queen’s Gallery (we only went to the gift shop), and a marker for Princess Diana’s memorial walkway.

Gateway to the Gardens at Buckingham Palace

The Queen’s Gallery and a marker for Princess Diana’s Memorial Walkway.

It was amazing how long of a walk we actually took from Westminster Bridge all the way over to Buckingham Palace!  But is was a fantastic walk, and I want to thank our cabbie for suggesting it to us.  It was quite a lovely day for a long stroll, and it did take us the bulk of the day to do it.  Next post: The Rewind Fesitval at Henley-on-Thames on Temple Island.

Please note that most photos were taken with my iPhone unless otherwise noted.  Photos 4, 6, 7, 17, 20, 21, 22, and 23 were by Janice Gutana (photo collages are counted as one photo).