Chowki

As I was wandering around the neighborhoods off Regent street, I reached the point where I couldn’t make a decision about dinner. I passed some pubs, a Thai place, and a Modern Euro place. I felt like I was walking around searching for a needle in a haystack when I passed Chowki.

I noticed the sign for the pre-theater dinner special and thought I’d check it out. Chicken Tikka as a starter, Lamb as a main, rice, nan, and dessert. That sounded great; so in I went.

The tables are communal style which I didn’t mind. It was just starting to fill up, so I had enough room. The food was flavorful, and the service was friendly. All in all, it was a great bargain. I’ll put this one on my list of places to visit again.

Regent Street

On my way to dinner, I took a walk up Regent Street.

As you stand in Piccadilly Circus, you can't help but notice it; the beautiful street that curves away in the distance.

My girls love to shop; I don't. So, for them, I took pictures as I walked up the street. Needless to say, I looked like some kind of fashion spy taking pictures of the window displays.

Let's start with a nice dress.


And, for those who (including me) who have now had enough shopping, there is a nice pastry shop to get a treat.


Back to shopping. How about a handbag.


And some shoes.


And more clothes.


And after walking Regent Street, I was hungry and ready to eat. More on that later.

Mushy Peas

I like pub food, and you can find pubs all over London. The picture above is a pub in the West End. The picture below is near St. Paul's.

It took me a while to crack the code of getting food in a pub. When you go in, you first pick out a table, then go to the bar to order your meal. You tell the bartender where you are sitting, and they will bring your meal. And you pay the bartender up front.


My favorite pub foods are fish-n-chips and bangers-n-mash (sausages and mashed potatoes). But yesterday, I was in the mood for fish. I looked at the menu and decided that I'd try the "mushy peas" with my dinner.

I admit that I picked the "mushy peas" mostly because I really wanted to see what would come out. And, I have to say that I don't quite get it. I ate all of the fish and only a couple of bites of those mushy peas.

Heathrow Express

I arrived in London this morning after one of those "red eye" flights. The flight from Boston to London takes about the same amount of time as San Francisco to Boston. But, we arrived at 6:30am GMT which is 1:30am EDT. Needless to say, I was pretty groggy.

Thank heavens for the Heathrow Express. You can take the train right from the airport, and in 15 minutes, you are in Paddington Station in central London.

A quick taxi ride, and I was able to drop off my luggage the hotel. I walked past Trafalgar Square and found a place to get breakfast.


The Full English Breakfast seemed like the thing to order. And, I even ate the mushrooms.

Fenway Part II

We took our kids to Fenway Park Saturday night to see the Sox play. Here is a quick summary on why everyone had a great time:

• Dad: Red Sox won 8-2 beating the Chicago White Sox. Loved yelling with the crowd.

• Mom: Long talk with a friend, got to sing along to "Sweet Caroline", occasionally noticed a baseball game going on.

• #1 Daughter: Listened to the 80's rock music being played during the game, cheered for the Red Sox

• #2 Daughter: Looked for cute boys, cheered for the Red Sox

• Son: Cheered for the Red Sox; ate hot dog, popcorn, soft pretzel, and sister's remaining fried dough.

Go Sox!

A Time to Pause

After seeing the North End earlier in the week, I thought it would be fun to go back with my wife and kids.

As we walked near Quincy Market, we came across a Memorial. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even know it existed. The Memorial looks like several glass towers with what seemed to be etchings of names. We asked each other if it was a Vietnam Memorial.

Upon closer look, we realized that the towers were symbolic of smokestacks, and the etchings were numbers.


Within each column, were quotes from survivors of the Holocaust. The one in the picture above talks about cutting women's hair before they were sent to the gas chambers.

The one in the picture below talks about a child finding a raspberry, keeping it safe all day, and then giving it to a friend.


WWII is ancient history to our kids. But, we were moved by what we saw and read. It gave us a chance to talk about what happened and the reality of the Holocaust.

North End

I was in Boston today and thought I'd walk over to the North End.

Before the Big Dig, you had to walk under an elevated, ugly highway to get over to the North End. Today, there is a quiet park instead. Here is a picture:


There were people relaxing in the park and soaking up the sunshine. It was one of those perfect late summer days in New England. Around this time of year, you occasionally get a day where the air is crisp and the humidity is gone. I suppose it is Mother Nature's way of telling us fall is finally coming.

I walked through the park and over to Hannover Street. As I walked up Hannover, I gave up counting the number of restaurants I wanted to try. In the end, having limited time, I stopped in a nice little Italian Gelateria and got a lemon Italian Ice for the road.