Notting Hill

Today the idea of spending another day on my feet being overstimulated by yet another treasure-stuffed museum was just too much. So, this time I rode the Tube to the Kensington/Chelsea area, another of London's "villages" that is now full of brick row houses and swanky shops. Hugh Grant fans will know of a movie with an eponymous title. I did buy a book in the travel bookstore off Portobello Road that featured in this film, but these pictures are from Books for Cooks. This store wins today's prize for the perfect combo of specialty bookseller with test kitchen/restaurant in the back. These folks test recipes from the books they sell, you show up about 11:45am, line up and eat whatever they featured today for lunch. I shared a communal table with several regulars, all local residents of the wisteria-clad £1M+ mansions I'd just walked by, and the conversation was priceless. Today's topic, naturally, is the brand newBritish coalition goverment [Conservatives + Liberal Democrats], and what lies ahead. London is full of tourist traps, but this gem isn't one of those.

The last photo is of London Lord Mayor Boris's current ambitious campaign to get Londoners to "share the road" with cyclists. I love the fact that this woman cyclist is riding in a skirt and heels. This giantess is definitely wearing a helmet, but the "let's all wear street clothes and just say no to lycra" is quite typical. This poster appears on a lot of bus shelters around town. I wonder if it's working.