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So, if anyone thinks that having good status with an airline guarantees a good seat…just take a look at this seatmap for my flight from Denver on Friday. Status gets you nothing if there are just no seats. How depressing.

I’m claustrophobic just thinking about this flight.

I overheard an amusing exchange in a shop in the Las Vegas airport.

"Do you sell cotton balls?"

[Long pause.]
[Quizzical look.]
"Huh?"

"Do you sell cotton balls. You know…uh…cotton balls?"

This was followed by a jumble of disconnected words and hand gestures as the customer tried in vain to define cotton ball…without saying "balls of cotton".

Hysterical.

By the way, the answer…eventually…was no.

Oh yes…the guy sitting behing my at the gate has now called five people telling them that he made it to the gate. Fantastic.

One last 'cheerio'. A very early morning to catch a taxi to Heathrow. (Side note: The taxi drivers are sooooo friendly in London. Yesterday, one driver didn't have change for a paper bill I had, so he took whatever change I had…about a pound short on a six pound ride…and said in the nicest way that it was close enough and that really it was his fault. Totally classy. I seem to remember an LA cab driver speeding off with the door still open when I refused to tip him for his poor service. Score one for the Brits.)

Left the May Fair. The four of us rode in sleepy silence for most of the way…with the occasional oooooh or aaaaaaah. A layer of frost made the occasional green sporting fields magical in the low morning light. The city was quiet.

Parted with Sherie as we rounded the airport…she made her way to Virgin's Terminal 3 and we stopped at United's Terminal 1. Spent some quality lounging time in the Star Alliance international lounge before our flight.

First UA 949 to Chicago…yes, Chicago in January…the direct flights to SFO were sold out. Seats 9 A/B. Oh yes…the new lie flat seats complete with big screen entertainment system. Damn entertainment…I didn't sleep for more than 15min. A couple dozen games. The beginnings of several movies. A couple of episodes of The Office. My A.D.D. was in full distraction mode.

Landed in Chicago on schedule. Made our way through the inefficient 'howdy' known as US Customs.

United 907…on time? Shocking. I will give United and O'Hare a new year's reprieve from my loathing 🙂 Seats 9 A/B again…but no lie-flat seats on this ancient widebody. Ok we took off a bit late, but for Chicago…this almost counts as on-time. Wow did this 4-hour flight feel longer than the 9-hour flight from London. Did watch a good movie though…Bottle Shock…and its sunny telling of a historic French-American wine face-off.

Landed. Baggage. Car. Home. Shower. Bed. What a whirl-wind New Years.

(Welcome home Sherie and Chris…what are you on about?)

The sun was shining brightly on our final day in London….although the high latitude of London means the sun starts low and ends low…resulting in dramatic lighting all through the short day. Jeff and I started the day at the Victoria and Albert Museum with a temporary exhibit that Jeff had been hoping to see…Magnificence of the Tsars. Dozens of outfits from the Russian Imperial Court… mostly ceremonial… all lushiously tailored. Even a couple of pairs of imperial underwear. Afterwards, we wandered through a few of the numerous permanent collections, including a famous collection of plaster replicas of art wonders from around the world…assembled to bring the world to London's residents.

After a mid-morning latte, met up with Chris and Sherie to walk down Bond Street. Destination…Smythson… the renowned stationery store and purveyor to the royal household. A historical stationery display showed letterhead of royalty and famous politicians.

Next stop was the historic Aspley House…home to generations of the Dukes of Wellington. This stately house sits right off of Hyde Park, and holds an impressive art collection acquired by the 1st Duke of Wellingtion, Arthur Wellesley, famous for his defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Many items in the home were gifts from grateful monarchs and spoils of war. One strange item of note was a giant Canova statue of a nude Napoleon wearing only a fig leaf in the circular stair hall. Oddly enough, the statue was a present from a grateful Britain to it's illustrious general.

Took a walk along Green Park…quickly past a loud mob protesting the Israeli actions in Gaza…on to a couple of tacky souvenier shops on Piccadilly. A quick snack of sushi and noodles. Jeff and I took a short walk to St. James Palace before heading out for the evening.

Our evening event was the musical Billy Elliot at the charming Victoria Palace Theatre. A classic three-tier theatre with bright red velvet seats and gold-painted wood ornamentation. The musical based on the award-winning book and movie… lively and moving… we all enjoyed it immensely. The teenager who played Billy was wonderful.

Dinner in Soho at Bertorelli. We all savored pizzas, wine, and yummy mojitos for our last dinner in London.
After wishing Jeff's sister Lisa a happy birthday and instantly getting a picture of her traditional banana split cake, we settled down to our last night of slumber in London before our flight home tomorrow.

Took an early morning stroll through nearby Berkley Square Park, bordered by beautiful row houses. Gray skies showed the promise of breaking sometime during the day. Breakfast at Starbucks…a grande latte cuts right through the cold morning.

A short taxi ride to majestic St. Paul's Cathedral. Christopher Wren's masterpiece is bright and (somehwhat) cheery…in contrast with many of the grand Catholic cathedrals we have visited…those tend to reflect a more weighty, somber elegance. Snuck in a couple of forbidden photos of the ornate interior, before descending into the stuffy crypt…home to many famous remains including Florence Nightengale and Admiral Lord Nelson. Climbed winding stairs up into Wren's famous dome. First to the interior Whispering Gallery high above the cathedral floor. Then up tiny confining stairs to the exterior Stone Gallery, with 360 views of London.

Returned to Earth and crossed the Thames on the modern Millennium Bridge…its gleaming metal shone as the clouds began to break for dusk. (FYI sunset is quite early this time of year…today it was at 3:52.)

Directly opposite of St. Paul's was our next destination…the Tate Modern museum. An imposing, brick former power plant…reclaimed to house a world-famous collection of modern art. The building was packed with art-lovers…and we headed to the glass-enclosed top floor to eat lunch. As we waited for our table, the clouds parted and St. Pauls lit up brilliantly against the gray skies behind. An inspiring postcard. Lunch with floor-to-ceiling views of the Thames. Four blackcurrant iced teas. Four big fish and chips. Four huge satisfied smiles.

Bought tickets to see a special Rothko exhibit, covering some of his late works. Crowded rooms for admiring huge canvases…orange on red…black on black…grey on brown. Striking similarity from afar, but mesmerizing variations up close.

Took a long walk back to the hotel along the south bank of the Thames. Lights from buldings and boats twinkled on the gently rippling river.
Walked beneath the towering London Eye, lit up in white and blue. A nearby carrousel twirled as well…but in rich red and gold. Crossed the Thames beneath the tower of Westminster and iconic Big Ben.

Took a winding walk through St. James Park, which lead to Buckingham Palace. The park's serpentine path was bordered with old trees, lit from below. A long, central lake housed ghostly-lit waterfoul floating for the evening. Another glimpse of Buckingham Palace before crossing through Green Park to our hotel.

Dinner at the Club Bar and Restarant in Soho. Drinks after in the pulsing simply named Soho Bar.

Tired feet from a long day. Fell asleep watching a documentary on Harrod's. My favorite factoid, was that writer A.A.Milne bought a bear at Harrod's for his son Christopher Robin which became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.

Oh Pooh. That makes me smile.