Bangers'n'Mash'n'Nuns--Oh my!

So I met Felicia in Oxford Circus after (her) work. The theatre was ridiculously easy to find and, as we met a couple hours too early, we went to grab some din-din. Fi announced she was “starving” which just does not happen. When she added, “I may even have to get desert” I almost dropped dead from shock. I managed to pull myself together and found out she had only had some coffee and a chocolate bar or some bird food like that all day. I mean, she may only weigh 45 pounds, but even that is too few calories for her to survive. As we had eaten in the same area the week before, we wandered in the opposite direction and found…..nothing. Apparently, and I don’t know if this is a law or something, pubs and restaurants are typically not on the main drag, only the side streets. After walking a few blocks and realizing our food options were relegated to supermarkets and convenience stores, I made the executive decision to take the next side street and feed poor starving Felicia. We quickly nixed the Chippery and Japanese place (Fi’s has a sensitive stomach—most birds do) and stumbled upon a Champagne bar. Now that sounded good. A glance at the menu, however, showed our only edible options were tapas and Fi, obviously quite hungry, said, “that’s not enough food.” We spied a pub around the corner and after taking a look at the menu (well—not me, bcs I’ll eat practically anything), we found a table in the corner and settled in. I have to admit, I was pretty excited, as this was my first real pub experience. Since I’ve been traveling solo—and since I havea vagina, I was a little intimidated by entering the local pubs by myself. Especially as I was staying out of the main tourist areas-- whenever I was tempted, the long queues of the local “chaps” (with very few females, if any, in sight) made me think twice. It’s embarrassing to admit that, but, apparently I’m not as brave as I thought. Anyway, back to the evening, since I was with Felicia, I felt the power of two. I scanned the menu but made my decision pretty easily—Bangers (Sausage) and Mash (Mashed Potatos) with an optional Yorkshire Pudding and of course, a (half-pint—I had to sit through a show after all) of Guinness. As traditional, we ordered and paid at the bar, then had the food delivered to the table. I was in AWE when I first saw my plate. It looked ridiculously amazing. Three bangers on a huge bed of mash, drenched in brown gravy, all sitting on top of a gigantic Yorkshire Pudding (basically a flaky pastry type deal). Amahzing. My first bite lived up to the expectation. It was delish. My beer was awesome too and went down so smooth—I could’ve kept drinking all night. But of course, I didn’t. I only got about half way through my dinner—it was really huge. But I finished my Guinness. Everything together cost only 10 pounds. A bargain, really. Felicia even did some serious damage to her dinner—a chicken breast with cheese and bacon (I think) with bread and salad. She almost finished her food. Ridiculous! Lol.

After a time mishap (I misread my watch—24 hour clocks require too much thinking on my part), we had about an hour to kill so we wandered over to Liberty department store on Regent Street. Liberty is pretty cool because the building is Tudor-style amidst the mainly Georgian and Victorian architecture of the West End shopping district, and was made using timbers from ancient British ships. The store has also been around since 1875 in its original location—cra cra, right? As we entered, we had a specific mission, find a place to pee! Felicia bemoaned the fact that there may not be a “public” restroom as the only promising signs were those of the department store café. When you need a restroom, you need a restroom, so I had no problem shelling out the cash for a drink or something, if the need arose. In any case, we hopped on the elevator in search of the café, only to find ourselves on the wrong floor, near the champagne bar. Well, God must’ve been looking out for us bcs next to the champagne bar was a clearly marked sign for “Toilets”. After walking around for a few minutes and not finding our way, I made eye contact with a salesperson and asked for the toilet. He kindly showed me and we were on our way. As I told Felicia, “I’m not embarrassed. We have to pee.” As I have found in several UK bathrooms already, they can be a little quirky. The sinks were in the stall with you, and one poor woman came out of the bathroom, only to be puzzled at the vast expanse of counter space, and no sinks. As her face turned a beautiful shade of pink, she turned heel, and headed right back into her stall. Good times. Afterwards, we wandered from floor to floor, just browsing and chit-chatting. The store is really eclectic, reminding more of something like a Fred Segal, as opposed to a Macys. Traditional designers mixed in with funky contemporary stuff. A (expensive) fabric and knitting section. A selection of bath products that would shame a Bath and Body Works. Even an amazing vintage designer boutique, complete with vintage Chanel earrings, Ferragamo shoes, and Yves St Laurent gowns. So pricey and extravagant were these items that Fi and I even had the pleasure of being warily tailed by a pissy looking sales guy. Extra good times. I also enjoyed a section of the store all made with specific prints of fabric—there was everything from purses, hankies, and tea towels to shower caps and journals. After some research, I found this is a specialty of the store. They introduce (sometimes vintage) fabrics every year and make several lines of products featuring them. Very cool. They’re a little pricey (especially considering our exchange rate), but I might have to check back in before I leave to grab something. After an ill-fated hand-rub with “Meyer Lemon” hand lotion (sounds good, right?—yeah, nope), we headed out and made our way the couple blocks to the Palladium Theatre.

I was excited to see “Sister Act” bcs of Carnegie-graduate, Patina Miller’s turn as Deloris Van Cartier—the part made famous in the movie with Whoopie. For any of you youtube/musical theatre dorks, you may know her from her amazing rendition of “Random Black Girl”. And if you don’t—go watch it now. The song is amazing and she is amazing. Also, the show got decent reviews and is rumored to be moving to the Broadway. God bless, Broadwaybox.com for having not only discount codes in the US but in the UK as well. I found Fi and I good Stalls tickets (that’s orchestra to you) for just under 40 pounds—about $65. The London Theatre experience itself is a little different than the Broadway—the main difference being that you have to pay for your playbill. I found this completely irritating, and from people-watching, found that I was not the only one. Not one to miss out on the playbill experience, I paid up without complaint, to read the bios and articles. I have to admit, the playbills are of a higher quality and a little bit larger in size, if not in page or content quantity/quality. As they’re considered part of my souvenir stash, whatever. Another difference is that almost everyone partakes of the pre-show/intermish concessions. The concession areas looked more like a popular bar, instead of the usual practically empty stands in NYC. People munched on chocolate, crisps (potato chips), chocolate and drank PLENTY of alcohol and other assorted drinks.

To be continued….

(Sorry everything is "to be continued" or not posted at all....between the inconsistent internet service and just time, it hasn't happened. No worries--I have lots to post--just not yet.)