... Wavy Davy is back in New York for a few days and so to Brunch. This time at Wombat; an Australian restaurant that serves cheap food to minor celebrities (today the cool architect guy from Top Design) from a decent space in a weird part of town.
It was fun actually and good to see him again. Monday is President's day - so we'll hit the stores with elbows raised in a bid to beat the rest of NYC to a bargain.
Good day today - brunch, Battlestar Gallatica and tonight a Hugh Grant / Drew Barrymore movie (Music and Lyrics)... how much more chilled can it get?
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Back
Despite the best efforts of Greenpeace (protests that brought Paris to a halt), of Air India (planes old enough to make you look at the sunset as though it was your last), the weather (Jesus it's cold), the Holland Tunnel (90 minute delays to get through it) and a narcoleptic driver ('traffic give me headache, headache give me sleep') I made it back.
Tax morning this morning then in to work with a spring in my step and a nip of rum in my coffee.
Tax morning this morning then in to work with a spring in my step and a nip of rum in my coffee.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Valentine en Paris
Paris on Valentine’s day is weird. There’s a line outside McDonalds whilst Pan De Vin Blanc (little phonetic French joke for you there Sun readers) have pulled their Valentine’s day special chocolate box due to lack of interest. Not at all what you’d expect.
However you can still tell it’s Valentine’s day by the low moans of amour creeping in under the door of your hotel room as young couple after young couple, checks in, checks out of their clothes and begins le dance d’orizontal - forgetting that Paris hotels have walls made of crepe paper. Or perhaps, in the fashion of the true boheme, just not caring.
Still there are worse places to be... spent the day in a coffee shop that predates ‘kill the natives and steal their turkeys’ America drinking short café noir with a rotating cast of characters... all of whom turned up on time and had an attitude to indulgent pleasure matched only by my frotting neighbors. To quote both (and Billy Idol) the order of the day seems to be “More, more, More”
Best ideas I’ve seen here are a flat zero calorie coke (for those who don’t want to feel bloated), a store that expands out into the street at the touch of a button and a fantastic Tequilla Soda concoction that fizzes all over you like a mentos spiked Coke agitated by the rocking of the bed of my (increasingly noisy) neighbors
C'est magnifique
However you can still tell it’s Valentine’s day by the low moans of amour creeping in under the door of your hotel room as young couple after young couple, checks in, checks out of their clothes and begins le dance d’orizontal - forgetting that Paris hotels have walls made of crepe paper. Or perhaps, in the fashion of the true boheme, just not caring.
Still there are worse places to be... spent the day in a coffee shop that predates ‘kill the natives and steal their turkeys’ America drinking short café noir with a rotating cast of characters... all of whom turned up on time and had an attitude to indulgent pleasure matched only by my frotting neighbors. To quote both (and Billy Idol) the order of the day seems to be “More, more, More”
Best ideas I’ve seen here are a flat zero calorie coke (for those who don’t want to feel bloated), a store that expands out into the street at the touch of a button and a fantastic Tequilla Soda concoction that fizzes all over you like a mentos spiked Coke agitated by the rocking of the bed of my (increasingly noisy) neighbors
C'est magnifique
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Done!
Well my time in Paris is (hopefully) coming to an end. New York is su zero, 60mph winds, 6" of snow and raterh nasty but the Air India flight today looks like landing 13 mins early and so I have my fingers crossed for tomorrow.
Paris has been okay - expensive but not prohibitively so. Stylish but not swank. And the respondents have all turned up on time, well recruited and ready to talk
Last night in the mini room with the concrete mattress. I may even miss it.
BTW the pic is from our archery centre... very 80s I thought
Paris has been okay - expensive but not prohibitively so. Stylish but not swank. And the respondents have all turned up on time, well recruited and ready to talk
Last night in the mini room with the concrete mattress. I may even miss it.
BTW the pic is from our archery centre... very 80s I thought
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Are these bites?
Half way through the flight to Gay Paris (Paris is the gayest thing I've seen... and I've seen two men shagging) I awoke with hands itchier than than the Singing Detectives balls.
"Ouch" I thought and went back to sleep.
This morning I looked at my hands and I'm covered in bites. So not only did they fail to provide a plane at the specified time, fail to entertain me, wake me twice to ask whether I REALLY wanted not to be woken for meals then feed slop disguised as said meals but they also failed to clear up their 'infestation' problem.
Sacre Merde!
"Ouch" I thought and went back to sleep.
This morning I looked at my hands and I'm covered in bites. So not only did they fail to provide a plane at the specified time, fail to entertain me, wake me twice to ask whether I REALLY wanted not to be woken for meals then feed slop disguised as said meals but they also failed to clear up their 'infestation' problem.
Sacre Merde!
Monday, February 12, 2007
I still hate Paris
One hour in Paris and the cell phone that I've had for 3 years is gone.
Call it jet lag, call it thieving cheese surrender monkeys, call it dopey old guy - call it what you want the truth of the matter is that like Hall and Oates girlfriend "She's Gone"
Now losing the Blackberry, the wallet, the credit cards, the computer or the passport would be much worse of course but it still annoys.
On the plus side I did manage to snap the above pic whilst out. I rather like it
Call it jet lag, call it thieving cheese surrender monkeys, call it dopey old guy - call it what you want the truth of the matter is that like Hall and Oates girlfriend "She's Gone"
Now losing the Blackberry, the wallet, the credit cards, the computer or the passport would be much worse of course but it still annoys.
On the plus side I did manage to snap the above pic whilst out. I rather like it
Greetings from Paris
Well Air India is a trip. First they call me to tell me that the 9pm flight that I'm supposed to be on is delayed until 'at least 3am' and then I watch as that time slips and slips.
I call the reservations dept. and figure out that all of the planes the previous day had been cancelled and that two planes were leaving around 18hrs delayed but mid afternoon. Get myself on the 5.30pm.
The airport is filled with screaming families - all delayed a day and facing a long NYC - PARIS - MUMBAI - Azabazramdan (or something) flight. I bypass them all merely by waving my ticket in the air and get checked in and through security in under 10 mins.
The flight is almost empty - there are 3 paying passengers in Business class. We're outnumbered by stray flies but still outnumber the number of TV screens available. No in-seat TV here. Still they have wallpapered - which is nice.
Crew are weary looking and pleasant without being helpful. They wake me up for dinner and for breakfast - despite me asking them not to (both meals are dire) and they refuse to put my bag in the closet at the back of business class even when I offer to carry it.
Still we arrive on time and I head for the world's smallest hotel room via the back of a taxi that seems to be heated to steel warping temperatures.
Paris is - well Paris. I feel alien, afraid to order anything and scared of taking too many pictures. But it's good to be here and I'm hoping that the project goes well. Already found that the cafe at which we;re meeting has had a change of name, been ripped off for two notebooks and 4 pens (E60???) and figured out how to log on to the hotel internet.
Off to explore before it gets dark now
Steve
I call the reservations dept. and figure out that all of the planes the previous day had been cancelled and that two planes were leaving around 18hrs delayed but mid afternoon. Get myself on the 5.30pm.
The airport is filled with screaming families - all delayed a day and facing a long NYC - PARIS - MUMBAI - Azabazramdan (or something) flight. I bypass them all merely by waving my ticket in the air and get checked in and through security in under 10 mins.
The flight is almost empty - there are 3 paying passengers in Business class. We're outnumbered by stray flies but still outnumber the number of TV screens available. No in-seat TV here. Still they have wallpapered - which is nice.
Crew are weary looking and pleasant without being helpful. They wake me up for dinner and for breakfast - despite me asking them not to (both meals are dire) and they refuse to put my bag in the closet at the back of business class even when I offer to carry it.
Still we arrive on time and I head for the world's smallest hotel room via the back of a taxi that seems to be heated to steel warping temperatures.
Paris is - well Paris. I feel alien, afraid to order anything and scared of taking too many pictures. But it's good to be here and I'm hoping that the project goes well. Already found that the cafe at which we;re meeting has had a change of name, been ripped off for two notebooks and 4 pens (E60???) and figured out how to log on to the hotel internet.
Off to explore before it gets dark now
Steve
Sunday, February 11, 2007
en Paris
Overnight flight to Paris tonight... with the very lovely Air India ($2400 vs. $5000 on Air France)
A couple of days there talking with people about minor indulgence, one lonely Valentine's day night in a hotel full of starry eye lovers (though it beats last year when I was dying and the year before when I was in an hotel on a Coventry industrial estate) and then home.
Nothing much to complain about there.
A couple of days there talking with people about minor indulgence, one lonely Valentine's day night in a hotel full of starry eye lovers (though it beats last year when I was dying and the year before when I was in an hotel on a Coventry industrial estate) and then home.
Nothing much to complain about there.
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