On the Heath
Looking out over the city
On the walk back
Friday 29 October 2010
Baking (Banana) Bread
- From The Hummingbird Bakery
270g / 9.5 soft light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
2 eggs
200g / 7oz peeled bananas, mashed - I did slightly more.
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I did 1 1/2)
1 tsp ground ginger (I did 1 1/2)
140g unsalted butter, melted
(I added the seeds from two cardamom pods)
Grease a 23x13cm loaf tin and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F
Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.
Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes: I did two batches. The first was as noted, the second I added a cooking apple and a fistful of walnuts, chopped into pieces about the size of the eraser at the end of a pencil.
I didn't melt the butter in the first batch, instead chopping it into small cubes and then working it in the flour.
The dark brown sugar has a higher moisture content, and may require a longer baking time - I checked with a wooden skewer and then gave it an additional 15 mins.
270g / 9.5 soft light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
2 eggs
200g / 7oz peeled bananas, mashed - I did slightly more.
280g / 10oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I did 1 1/2)
1 tsp ground ginger (I did 1 1/2)
140g unsalted butter, melted
(I added the seeds from two cardamom pods)
Grease a 23x13cm loaf tin and dust with flour. Preheat the oven to 170C / 325F
Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.
Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes: I did two batches. The first was as noted, the second I added a cooking apple and a fistful of walnuts, chopped into pieces about the size of the eraser at the end of a pencil.
I didn't melt the butter in the first batch, instead chopping it into small cubes and then working it in the flour.
The dark brown sugar has a higher moisture content, and may require a longer baking time - I checked with a wooden skewer and then gave it an additional 15 mins.
Baking Bread
I'm a big fan of trying the recipes on the back of the box. The success of the King Arthur Flour brownie recipe made me a convert. And, by the way, if you haven't tried making those yet, I highly recommend that you do so.
So I picked up some Hovis yeast at the Atlanta Food and Wine in West Hampstead. According to someone on the internet: "The word "Hovis" was invented by London student Herbert Grimes in a national competition set by S. Fitton & Sons Ltd to find a trading name for their bread, which used a patent flour that was rich in wheat germ. Grimes coined the word from the Latin phrase hominis vis – 'the strength of man'. "
I just liked the look of the packaging.
and they had this recipe on the back:
500g / 1lb strong white bread flour
25g / 1oz butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Hovis fast action yeast
300 ml / 10 fl oz water
2 tsp sugar to give added flavour and thicker crust (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter, then stir in the yeast.
Stir in the water and mix into a soft dough by hand
Knead for about 5 mins in an electric mixer with a dough hook, or turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins by hand.
Shape dough, place in greased 2lb tin or on baking tray
Cover with a clean, damp towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
Uncover, and bake in an oven preheated to 230C (450F) for 30-35 minutes.
My adjustments to the recipe:
I used 400g strong white bread flour and 100 g plain white flour. Definitely add the sugar - who doesn't like thicker crust and added flavour?
I did not knead it nearly as much as recommended, instead opting to let the dough rise for 3 hours, then divided the mass in two and put it in two loaf tins, greased and floured. I scored the top down the middle and let rise again until almost double, then popped them in the oven. They looked done after about 25 mins, but I left them in the tins on a rack on the counter until they were just warm, then turned them out onto the rack and let them finish cooling that way.
So I picked up some Hovis yeast at the Atlanta Food and Wine in West Hampstead. According to someone on the internet: "The word "Hovis" was invented by London student Herbert Grimes in a national competition set by S. Fitton & Sons Ltd to find a trading name for their bread, which used a patent flour that was rich in wheat germ. Grimes coined the word from the Latin phrase hominis vis – 'the strength of man'. "
I just liked the look of the packaging.
More ingredients:
and they had this recipe on the back:
500g / 1lb strong white bread flour
25g / 1oz butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Hovis fast action yeast
300 ml / 10 fl oz water
2 tsp sugar to give added flavour and thicker crust (optional)
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Rub in the butter, then stir in the yeast.
Stir in the water and mix into a soft dough by hand
Knead for about 5 mins in an electric mixer with a dough hook, or turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins by hand.
Shape dough, place in greased 2lb tin or on baking tray
Cover with a clean, damp towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
Uncover, and bake in an oven preheated to 230C (450F) for 30-35 minutes.
My adjustments to the recipe:
I used 400g strong white bread flour and 100 g plain white flour. Definitely add the sugar - who doesn't like thicker crust and added flavour?
I did not knead it nearly as much as recommended, instead opting to let the dough rise for 3 hours, then divided the mass in two and put it in two loaf tins, greased and floured. I scored the top down the middle and let rise again until almost double, then popped them in the oven. They looked done after about 25 mins, but I left them in the tins on a rack on the counter until they were just warm, then turned them out onto the rack and let them finish cooling that way.
Jed's Noodles and Cheese
I've been spending a lot of time cooking this past week - it's been a good distraction from the stress of flat searching. One of the things I enjoy most about cooking are the defined stages of the process. First you've got a bunch of ingredients, then you start putting them together, and before long, you have a completed dish. Once it's eaten, it's done.
I made a couple things this week to use up the last bits of things in the fridge - there was a lot of varieties of milk that had been opened; some skim, some whole milk, a container of organic whole milk, some cream... about a liter all together. So, I decided to make Jed some mac and cheese. Alright, it wasn't macaroni, it was ziti. So, noodles and cheese.
I don't have precise measurements, but it went something like this:
1: Dump milk in saucepan, stir briefly
2: Turn the heat on low-medium.
3: Add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar (lemon juice would also work, might to need a bit more)
4: Give a couple quick stirs, then let sit. You should see some curdling right away, and then as the milk warms up it will start to separate even more. Once you've got pretty good separation between curds and whey, you can either pour this through a colander lined with cheesecloth and let sit, or do what I did, and fish the curds out with a slotted spoon. I reserved them in a bowl to the side, and then poured the whey into a container. One of my favorite uses for whey is in place of water when making bread.
okay, so now add a dash of salt to the curds - this will help pull a little more whey out of them, but they'll still be fairly wet, about the consistency of thick yoghurt.
At this point I put on a pot of water for the noodles.
Next I made up a bechamel sauce, then added grated cheddar and parmesan, a splash of the whey, and the curds. Remove from the heat, pour into a dish on the side.
Finally, I chopped up a couple of deli ham slices that were rattling around the fridge, minced up some leeks, and sauted that mixture in a little butter. While that finishing, I drained the noodles, then added them to the ham and leeks, and then poured the cheese over the top. I stirred this in the pan. Add a dash of salt and lots of black pepper.
Jed was really into it, and it turned out so well that I made another batch for the missus and I for dinner.
Up next: recipes with actual measurements.
I made a couple things this week to use up the last bits of things in the fridge - there was a lot of varieties of milk that had been opened; some skim, some whole milk, a container of organic whole milk, some cream... about a liter all together. So, I decided to make Jed some mac and cheese. Alright, it wasn't macaroni, it was ziti. So, noodles and cheese.
I don't have precise measurements, but it went something like this:
1: Dump milk in saucepan, stir briefly
2: Turn the heat on low-medium.
3: Add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar (lemon juice would also work, might to need a bit more)
4: Give a couple quick stirs, then let sit. You should see some curdling right away, and then as the milk warms up it will start to separate even more. Once you've got pretty good separation between curds and whey, you can either pour this through a colander lined with cheesecloth and let sit, or do what I did, and fish the curds out with a slotted spoon. I reserved them in a bowl to the side, and then poured the whey into a container. One of my favorite uses for whey is in place of water when making bread.
okay, so now add a dash of salt to the curds - this will help pull a little more whey out of them, but they'll still be fairly wet, about the consistency of thick yoghurt.
At this point I put on a pot of water for the noodles.
Next I made up a bechamel sauce, then added grated cheddar and parmesan, a splash of the whey, and the curds. Remove from the heat, pour into a dish on the side.
Finally, I chopped up a couple of deli ham slices that were rattling around the fridge, minced up some leeks, and sauted that mixture in a little butter. While that finishing, I drained the noodles, then added them to the ham and leeks, and then poured the cheese over the top. I stirred this in the pan. Add a dash of salt and lots of black pepper.
Jed was really into it, and it turned out so well that I made another batch for the missus and I for dinner.
Up next: recipes with actual measurements.
Sunday 24 October 2010
Diana, Princess of Wales', Memorial Playground
I needed to get out of the house and away from my work computer for a while this afternoon, and I suspect that Jed wasn't too keen to watch me work either. As such, we walked out the door of the vicarage, headed to the nearest bus stop, and got on the first bus that came by. This was the 328, to Chelsea/World's End. Auspicious start, no?
Jed has been pretty psyched about the double-decker buses since our arrival, so I had been pretty excited to get him on one. And they are loads easier to handle with a kid and a stroller than New York City buses. No stairs to board, and no requirement to fold up your stroller. I did fold it up when we boarded though, since there was a luggage rack (!) available and two empty seats beside it.
I decided to get off at Notting Hill Gate, mostly because I wasn't sure what was at the World's End and how much longer the ride would be before the world would end. Though we had been on the bus for at least a half hour, Jed was irate with me for making him get off and get in the stroller. It worked out well for him, though, since the Notting Hill Gate area was crowded without much to see (at least, by the Tube stop), so we hotfooted it up Kensington Church Street in order to see a bit of the area before going to Kensington Gardens.
Pretty much the first thing we saw upon our arrival in the park was Kensington Palace. They have some sort of "seven enchanted princesses" exhibit/show/extravaganza on view there now, and it reeked of the American Girl Place experience to me. I'm not going without my cousin Lauren, or I won't be able to stomach it. Jed was properly enthralled with the historical statuary, and that's enough for me.
Jed Goes to Kensington Palace from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
From there, we went and checked out some sort of giant bird pond in the middle of the park. I know it has a name, and I could probably look it up on the internet, but "giant bird pond" works for me and I'm sticking with it. In New York, you've pretty much got pigeons, geese, and ducks, with the occasional seagulls or hawks; here, though, everything just seems a bit classier. Like the ducks are retreating to the corner of the pond for a pint and a pipe once the tourists go home. In the meantime, though, they are swarming on the banks of this pond and terrifying the heck out of me. Proof of terrifying numbers:
Hitchcockian Nightmare from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
Proof that Jed is not terrified:
Jed chases a white bird of some kind from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
Proof that I may be overly dramatic, since some of this was really nice:
Still, at this point, I am determined to bring us both to a child-safe part of the park. I am determined to bring us to the Diana, Princess of Wales', Memorial Playground.
I should admit that the only pang of emotion I feel upon seeing this sign is sympathy that she has been immortalized in a sleeveless denim shirt. Bummer.
Immediately upon arrival, it begins raining. And this is one important point about London weather so far (and it's only been a week, so take this with a grain of salt): rain can come and go in five minutes, without warning.
So the remarkable thing is that no one is leaving the playground. Parents and kids alike head for cover, to wait out the drizzle. And there are some pretty cool places at this park to wait out the rain.
It turns out that this is a classic British "adventure playground." It includes teepees (made by Wigwam Sam, according to the label)...
... remarkable wooden sheep...
Jed Pets the Wooden Sheep from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
...tunnels through bushes, hidden slides, and the coup de gras... A pirate ship.
Needless to say, Mom was thrilled with this park. Jed mostly played with the sand.
Saturday 23 October 2010
C is for Cookie
Raining today; the first really wet day so far. Stewart and I went to Waitrose this morning for groceries. Waitrose is kind of like Whole Foods, I guess - they have lots of organic options, it costs slightly more than Sainsbury's or Tesco, and they have their own store brand. I happen to love the packaging, too. It's pretty recognizable. Stewart and Jonathan are going on holiday - a barge trip in Wales - so Stew got supplies for that. and I tried to figure out what to cook for dinner the next week. Also picked up some rubber boots and a hat for Jed.
Back to the house. Jen had work to do, so I decided to make cookies to occupy Jed. I found a recipe that looked pretty good, but i decided to change it up a bit.
Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
200g / 7 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
85g / 3oz light muscovado sugar - a sticky brown sugar.
85g / 3oz golden caster sugar - caster or castor sugar is sold as "superfine" in the US.
225g / 8oz self-raising flour - if you've only got all-purpose, you can add 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda per pound of flour. Stir well with a fork or sift through a fine sieve.
100g / 4oz sweetened chocolate, roughly chopped. I used 50 grams each white and dark chocolate
50g / 2oz hazelnuts, also roughly chopped.
Heat oven to 190C/375 F
Beat butter, sugars, and egg until smooth.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, chocolate, and nuts. When chocolate and hazelnuts are well floured, add the dry to the wet. Mix briefly. Spoon mixture onto baking sheets.
I did about six dollops, slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball, per sheet. The cookies spread out pretty quick, so making sure they are well-spaced prevents cookie merge. I did 15 mins on the first batch, and between 10-12 minutes on the second and third, watching them pretty closely. The first batch came out fairly crisp. The shorter bake time meant crisp edges and still-gooey centers on the second two.
Chopping die haselnuss.
First batch.
Back to the house. Jen had work to do, so I decided to make cookies to occupy Jed. I found a recipe that looked pretty good, but i decided to change it up a bit.
Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies
200g / 7 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
85g / 3oz light muscovado sugar - a sticky brown sugar.
85g / 3oz golden caster sugar - caster or castor sugar is sold as "superfine" in the US.
225g / 8oz self-raising flour - if you've only got all-purpose, you can add 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda per pound of flour. Stir well with a fork or sift through a fine sieve.
100g / 4oz sweetened chocolate, roughly chopped. I used 50 grams each white and dark chocolate
50g / 2oz hazelnuts, also roughly chopped.
Heat oven to 190C/375 F
Beat butter, sugars, and egg until smooth.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, chocolate, and nuts. When chocolate and hazelnuts are well floured, add the dry to the wet. Mix briefly. Spoon mixture onto baking sheets.
I did about six dollops, slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball, per sheet. The cookies spread out pretty quick, so making sure they are well-spaced prevents cookie merge. I did 15 mins on the first batch, and between 10-12 minutes on the second and third, watching them pretty closely. The first batch came out fairly crisp. The shorter bake time meant crisp edges and still-gooey centers on the second two.
Caster Sugar - a finer grind of table sugar. Dissolves well.
Muscovado sugar - aka Barbados sugar. Apparently also used in making whiskey.
I love the Waitrose packaging.
...and the chocolate
There was rigorous testing by our vigilant
Quality Control division throughout the process.
My new favorite tea.
Comparing first and second batches.
Left: 15 mins
Right: 12 mins
Batch 3: 10 minutes.
These smelled fantastic, and suffered grievous losses throughout the process; between quality assurance and small, grabby hands, only about half of the cookies made it into the container. The original recipe said it makes about 20, but i think we could have gotten 30 out of that batch easily.
Next time I think I'll add slightly more flour - a tablespoon or two - and moisten the dough with a little water, in an effort to get a thicker, chewier cookie. I think that would balance out the crispiness of the edges. However, I did seal up the survivors in a container, so we'll see if they end up being a bit chewier by dinner time.
October 20th, continued
So, after hauling Jed around all morning and his fussing, etc. I decided that I had been productive enough for one birthday and decided to go back to the vicarage and have some wine. So, after a quick stop off at the Oddbins for a bottle of "Musica en el Camino" - and yes, it tastes just like listening to music in an El Camino - I got back to the house. Stewart was in the kitchen having crackers and cheese, so after some vigorous arm-twisting, I convinced him to drink some wine with me. I went up to our room, put Jed down for a nap, and then went back to the kitchen. We sat there and chatted and drank wine, then Jonathan and Alison came in and joined us for a bit. They opted for coffee rather than wine.
After the wine was gone, I took my computer upstairs and did some more flat-searching in the lounge, and then, groggy from wine and walking around in the cold all morning, i decided, as long as Jed was asleep, I should nap too. This was probably about 5:00 or 5:30
Next thing I know, it's almost 9pm and Jen was waking me up. I had been sound asleep - so asleep that I didn't hear Jed get out of the crib, let himself out of the bedroom, and head downstairs. I have no idea how he got out of the crib. My theory is he tried climbing over the side, which tipped the crib over enough to lean against the bed, and then he slithered ont the bed, hopped down the floor, and headed off. He's already pretty good at opening doors, so that was no problem either. When Jen got home, Jed was sitting with Jonathan in his office, pulling apart a block of styrofoam.
Jonathan said Jed just walked into his office holding a chili pepper with a bite taken out of it, held it out to him and said "uhoh!". Presumably Jed went into the kitchen, sorted through the vegetable bin till he found something he liked, and then took a bite. So Jonathan gave Jed some styrofoam to destroy and the kid whiled away the evening ripping it into bits and putting the particles in a trash can.
(That's Teeny Houdini himself, holding a diaper. His expression accurately reflects the smell.)
I slept right through Jen putting Jed back to bed too. Since Jed was now asleep and I was up, we decided to go to the restaurant down the street - The Alice House. Time for my first fish and chips of this trip!
It was pretty good, too. What's not to like about cod in batter? Jen had a burger, which she pronounced to be fantastic. We had a great time, though, despite my best efforts, I could not talk Jen into karaoke in the basement. Oh well. Afterwards we walked around for a bit, and I took Jen by this place:
(photo by Jennie Vincent)
Stew and I had gone there for lunch previously, and I had an amazing bacon sandwich. At this point in the evening, they were closed, but I just wanted her to know where it was, in case she was in need of an excellent lunch.
And then back to the vicarage. Jed was snoring away, and soon we were asleep too.
After the wine was gone, I took my computer upstairs and did some more flat-searching in the lounge, and then, groggy from wine and walking around in the cold all morning, i decided, as long as Jed was asleep, I should nap too. This was probably about 5:00 or 5:30
Next thing I know, it's almost 9pm and Jen was waking me up. I had been sound asleep - so asleep that I didn't hear Jed get out of the crib, let himself out of the bedroom, and head downstairs. I have no idea how he got out of the crib. My theory is he tried climbing over the side, which tipped the crib over enough to lean against the bed, and then he slithered ont the bed, hopped down the floor, and headed off. He's already pretty good at opening doors, so that was no problem either. When Jen got home, Jed was sitting with Jonathan in his office, pulling apart a block of styrofoam.
Jonathan said Jed just walked into his office holding a chili pepper with a bite taken out of it, held it out to him and said "uhoh!". Presumably Jed went into the kitchen, sorted through the vegetable bin till he found something he liked, and then took a bite. So Jonathan gave Jed some styrofoam to destroy and the kid whiled away the evening ripping it into bits and putting the particles in a trash can.
I slept right through Jen putting Jed back to bed too. Since Jed was now asleep and I was up, we decided to go to the restaurant down the street - The Alice House. Time for my first fish and chips of this trip!
Fish and chips - or fish 'n' chips - are now 150 years old. According to The BBC, "John Lees opened a fish and chip shop in Oldham and in 1863 Joseph Mallin opened a Fish and Chip shop in the East End. (There is actually some debate as to which was the first to be opened). By the early 1900s there are more than 30,000 chippies in Britain."
It was pretty good, too. What's not to like about cod in batter? Jen had a burger, which she pronounced to be fantastic. We had a great time, though, despite my best efforts, I could not talk Jen into karaoke in the basement. Oh well. Afterwards we walked around for a bit, and I took Jen by this place:
Stew and I had gone there for lunch previously, and I had an amazing bacon sandwich. At this point in the evening, they were closed, but I just wanted her to know where it was, in case she was in need of an excellent lunch.
And then back to the vicarage. Jed was snoring away, and soon we were asleep too.
Phone clarification
So, it turns out that the reason I ran out of funds on the phone: setting up my iPhone to receive Gmail was the problem. When the iPhone accessed my email, it used data, and since the plan hadn't been activated yet, there was a small charge. That brought my balance below £15, which mean when O2 looked at my balance to set up the text and data plan, there wasn't enough cash in the account, which meant that instead of unlimited texts and 500MB of data, I was billed at the standard rate, which ran down my balance. Mystery solved, at a cost of £15. Thanks to the nice man at the O2 shop in Hampstead for sorting all this out.
So, if you're setting up a pay as you go phone for the first time, don't do anything until you get your confirmation message. The clerk had told me not to text or call, but didn't mention email...
So, if you're setting up a pay as you go phone for the first time, don't do anything until you get your confirmation message. The clerk had told me not to text or call, but didn't mention email...
Thursday 21 October 2010
Phones, Terminology, and cold weather
Still clear today - It's only rained once our first week here, and that was for about 15 mins while Stewart, Jed and I were finishing up lunch. However, it was definitely colder. I'm still trying to adjust to the measurement changes - 13 Celsius doesn't correspond to anything yet.
Today Jed and I took our first ride on the Tube - Jubilee line to Northern, and then got off at Angel in Islington. We walked around that area for a while, heading south to Barbican and west through Spitalfields Market, then up Brick Lane, and finally got back on the train at Whitechapel and headed back. It was really interesting to see those neighborhoods in person, after hearing the description from Jen. I didn't see the same areas she did - she was north of Angel, near the canals - and the bits I saw were less appealing to me. Lots of taller, newer buildings, not much of a neighborhood feel. The Barbican Centre was huge; I was walking down the street, looked up and all I could see was this building.
(photo from the Guardian - photographer: Greame Roberston.)
I was trying to remember why the name "Barbican" sounded so familiar, and then when I got back I remembered a bit about the history of the Barbican Estate.
Our trip out was cut short by phone woes. I was using the iPhone map to get around and simultaneous trying to respond to an email from the estate agent regarding an apartment in Shoreditch - calling his office depleted my phone credit. How, exactly, I'm not quite sure - still figuring out the phone policies here - but my phone kept warning me that I needed to "top up".
I had tried to figure out how to do this online the night before, but in order to register with the phone company, even to create an online account, you need to give them your address. Since I wasn't sure how hard it would be to change the address in a week or two, when we're (hopefully) in our own place, I gave customer service a call. They were closed after 9PM.
So I gave them a call while I was out today. However, the customer service line is totally automated, and to top up the credit over the phone requires that you put in your postcode. It does not recognize a US zip code as a post code, and the automated message kept cheerfully requesting that I try again. No luck. Now the phone was fully out of funds, which meant that every couple of minutes I would get a message that said I'd be unable to use the internet until I put more money on the SIM.
The way that mobile phones work here is different than in the States. There's two options for service - "pay monthly" and "pay as you go". Pay monthly is a contract, similar to what I'm used to from New York. It seems to be available in 18 and 24 month blocks. That's not an option for us, as we don't have a credit history, a bank account, or an address here. So Pay-as-you go it is. You buy a phone, and then buy a SIM card with money on it. Different carriers have different options, and you can pick one based on the coverage, the different plans they offer, or whatever other criteria is meaningful to you... Logo color? Spokesmodel?
O2 and Vodaphone are the two biggest, with Orange and T-Mobile being next in line. Stewart said that O2 and Vodaphone had the best coverage, although according to the ads I just saw today, T-Mobile and Orange are now sharing transmitters, which should increase the coverage for those services. The interesting thing about pay as you go is that there's nothing tying you to one provider from one month to the next. You can get a SIM card from Orange one month and Vodaphone the next. I think you can even transfer your number fairly easily, although I haven't tested that out yet.
Anyway, £15 on the SIM card was supposed to get me 100 texts and 500 MB of data free, although there's apparently some kind of procedure where I have to text O2 and tell them which category I want my £15 applied to, but the text cost me several pence, bringing my balance below £15, which made me ineligible to apply the £15 and end up with the 100 texts. The salesman at the O2 store had said that I should be careful and wait until I got the confirmation text from O2, otherwise this would happen, but I'd gotten a text that looked awfully confirmation-esque, "Calltime loaded. Your balance is now £15.00. Thanks for topping up with O2" so I thought I was good.
Looks like today I'll be taking a visit to the O2 store to sort all this out.
Back to the walking around part - in addition to the phone buzzing to let me know that I needed to somehow feed it money, Jed was really unhappy about having to wear his hood. Although it was merely brisk when we were in the sun, if the street was shaded it was downright chilly. I was feeling okay with a flat cap and hooded sweatshirt, but I was also walking briskly while pushing a stroller (pram!) and carrying a backpack. Jed was not at all into the idea of having his hood up, and when I insisted that he wear it, he started yelling... and yelled and sobbed for about an hour, trying to get out of the stroller, pulling at the straps, etc. I tried giving him a scarf to play with, but that only intensified the anguish. Still not really sure why he was so upset - he's worn a hat before with no issues. Ah, two year olds. Fortunately he was much calmer on the tube. Trains do a pretty good job of distracting him.
Apart from those aggravations, the walk was pretty great. Brick Lane reminded me of Atlantic Avenue, only with lots more Muslim-related shops. Even the Subway has signs saying that the meat is halal. We walked past the East London Mosque, which is massive. We also saw Spitalfields Market - basically an open square with shops like this around the perimeter:
(article on albam)
Then inside that square were a bunch of stalls selling food, plus picnic tables, and then inside that circle were a bunch of vendors. Wikipedia tells me that there's been a market there since 1638 - Charles I gave a license allowing the sale of "flesh, fowl and roots", but I also saw paperback books, Beatles paraphenalia, scarves, jewelry and ironic T-shirts on offer. Kind of reminded me of some of the shops along Broadway south of 14th, only condensed into one area.
At this point the phone battery was almost gone, so we headed to Whitechapel and got on the Tube to head home.
Things that are different between the NYC subway and London Underground:
1: Getting there, and back again:
In London, the subway doesn't run for 24 hours. Sometimes it doesn't run at all. You can look at the Transport for London page to see which lines are experiencing delays and which have "good service". Jen was over an hour late for work the other day; the train stopped. In New York, if the train stops, you tend to just hang out for a couple minutes and see if it's going to go again, or what. Here, she said that the train stopped in the station and everyone just piled off. And not to wait for the next train - they headed out to get busses or cabs. In fact, an informal poll of her coworkers indicated that having an Underground stop near the house is not as big a deal as living near a subway stop in New York was for us. I need to do some research on bus lines that go to her office, and look for housing accordingly.
2: Oyster Card!
I saw shops with signs advertising "Oyster Top-ups". Despite the name, it's not actually a delicious snack. The Oyster card is like a Metrocard, only instead of swiping, you tap it on this yellow button. Well, by tap, they mean "lay flat against the button till the little light comes on" Also, in the two stations we entered today, the station attendant physically opens the extra-wide door to let a stroller through. And there were two attendants in the station, both of whom were extremely friendly and helpful, even remembering Jed when we came back through later in the day. Not sure how much of that was standard service, and how much was the combination of clueless American and cute baby. I knew teaching him to give people high fives would come in handy!
Unlike NYC, in London you also have to tap your card upon LEAVING the subway system, otherwise you get charged the max amount. The cost of your ride depends on actual use, rather than a flat fee to enter the system, and the cost is higher during peak hours. I'm kind of back and forth on which system seems fairer - on the one hand, why not charge people for their actual use of the subway? Those who commute shorter distances and therefore use the system less, should pay less.
On the other hand, in NYC, cheaper housing tends to be farther from the city center, so lower-paid workers who have to commute longer distances would pay a higher amount, whereas those who can afford to live in the more expensive parts of Manhattan would also pay less for transit. In theory, I like the "level playing field" aspects of the same price for everyone, bum or billionaire.
Not sure which is more effective for the city - I'd have to do some research on how much of the subway's budget the riders actually cover.
3: Physical differences:
Here, the subway cars themselves are actually shorter in length, with a lower, curved roof, and the seats are cushioned and cloth-covered. When I heard that the subway was upholstered, I began grimacing involuntarily, thinking of all the unpleasant things that could be living in the fabric. If you've ridden the NYC subways, you're probably getting your own disgusting mental picture right now. Sorry.
Unlike New York, the tube in London seemed pretty clean - not sure whether that has more to do with social attitudes towards people using the subway like a combination bedroom/bar/toilet or just the Underground lines and stations that I saw.
I have no idea how you get around on the Tube in a wheelchair. There were signs next to the various stops that indicated which ones were handicap-accessible, which didn't seem all that phenomenal to me until I got to one that wasn't. There was easily a vertical 10 inch difference between the door of the subway car and the subway platform. Jed said "Bump!" as the stroller...errr, pram went out.
Additionally, there were lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. I had no problem carrying him up and down them, but if we were riding at peak hours with more commuters, it could get tricky.
(more to come!!)
Today Jed and I took our first ride on the Tube - Jubilee line to Northern, and then got off at Angel in Islington. We walked around that area for a while, heading south to Barbican and west through Spitalfields Market, then up Brick Lane, and finally got back on the train at Whitechapel and headed back. It was really interesting to see those neighborhoods in person, after hearing the description from Jen. I didn't see the same areas she did - she was north of Angel, near the canals - and the bits I saw were less appealing to me. Lots of taller, newer buildings, not much of a neighborhood feel. The Barbican Centre was huge; I was walking down the street, looked up and all I could see was this building.
(photo from the Guardian - photographer: Greame Roberston.)
I was trying to remember why the name "Barbican" sounded so familiar, and then when I got back I remembered a bit about the history of the Barbican Estate.
Our trip out was cut short by phone woes. I was using the iPhone map to get around and simultaneous trying to respond to an email from the estate agent regarding an apartment in Shoreditch - calling his office depleted my phone credit. How, exactly, I'm not quite sure - still figuring out the phone policies here - but my phone kept warning me that I needed to "top up".
I had tried to figure out how to do this online the night before, but in order to register with the phone company, even to create an online account, you need to give them your address. Since I wasn't sure how hard it would be to change the address in a week or two, when we're (hopefully) in our own place, I gave customer service a call. They were closed after 9PM.
So I gave them a call while I was out today. However, the customer service line is totally automated, and to top up the credit over the phone requires that you put in your postcode. It does not recognize a US zip code as a post code, and the automated message kept cheerfully requesting that I try again. No luck. Now the phone was fully out of funds, which meant that every couple of minutes I would get a message that said I'd be unable to use the internet until I put more money on the SIM.
The way that mobile phones work here is different than in the States. There's two options for service - "pay monthly" and "pay as you go". Pay monthly is a contract, similar to what I'm used to from New York. It seems to be available in 18 and 24 month blocks. That's not an option for us, as we don't have a credit history, a bank account, or an address here. So Pay-as-you go it is. You buy a phone, and then buy a SIM card with money on it. Different carriers have different options, and you can pick one based on the coverage, the different plans they offer, or whatever other criteria is meaningful to you... Logo color? Spokesmodel?
O2 and Vodaphone are the two biggest, with Orange and T-Mobile being next in line. Stewart said that O2 and Vodaphone had the best coverage, although according to the ads I just saw today, T-Mobile and Orange are now sharing transmitters, which should increase the coverage for those services. The interesting thing about pay as you go is that there's nothing tying you to one provider from one month to the next. You can get a SIM card from Orange one month and Vodaphone the next. I think you can even transfer your number fairly easily, although I haven't tested that out yet.
Anyway, £15 on the SIM card was supposed to get me 100 texts and 500 MB of data free, although there's apparently some kind of procedure where I have to text O2 and tell them which category I want my £15 applied to, but the text cost me several pence, bringing my balance below £15, which made me ineligible to apply the £15 and end up with the 100 texts. The salesman at the O2 store had said that I should be careful and wait until I got the confirmation text from O2, otherwise this would happen, but I'd gotten a text that looked awfully confirmation-esque, "Calltime loaded. Your balance is now £15.00. Thanks for topping up with O2" so I thought I was good.
Looks like today I'll be taking a visit to the O2 store to sort all this out.
Back to the walking around part - in addition to the phone buzzing to let me know that I needed to somehow feed it money, Jed was really unhappy about having to wear his hood. Although it was merely brisk when we were in the sun, if the street was shaded it was downright chilly. I was feeling okay with a flat cap and hooded sweatshirt, but I was also walking briskly while pushing a stroller (pram!) and carrying a backpack. Jed was not at all into the idea of having his hood up, and when I insisted that he wear it, he started yelling... and yelled and sobbed for about an hour, trying to get out of the stroller, pulling at the straps, etc. I tried giving him a scarf to play with, but that only intensified the anguish. Still not really sure why he was so upset - he's worn a hat before with no issues. Ah, two year olds. Fortunately he was much calmer on the tube. Trains do a pretty good job of distracting him.
Apart from those aggravations, the walk was pretty great. Brick Lane reminded me of Atlantic Avenue, only with lots more Muslim-related shops. Even the Subway has signs saying that the meat is halal. We walked past the East London Mosque, which is massive. We also saw Spitalfields Market - basically an open square with shops like this around the perimeter:
Then inside that square were a bunch of stalls selling food, plus picnic tables, and then inside that circle were a bunch of vendors. Wikipedia tells me that there's been a market there since 1638 - Charles I gave a license allowing the sale of "flesh, fowl and roots", but I also saw paperback books, Beatles paraphenalia, scarves, jewelry and ironic T-shirts on offer. Kind of reminded me of some of the shops along Broadway south of 14th, only condensed into one area.
At this point the phone battery was almost gone, so we headed to Whitechapel and got on the Tube to head home.
Things that are different between the NYC subway and London Underground:
1: Getting there, and back again:
In London, the subway doesn't run for 24 hours. Sometimes it doesn't run at all. You can look at the Transport for London page to see which lines are experiencing delays and which have "good service". Jen was over an hour late for work the other day; the train stopped. In New York, if the train stops, you tend to just hang out for a couple minutes and see if it's going to go again, or what. Here, she said that the train stopped in the station and everyone just piled off. And not to wait for the next train - they headed out to get busses or cabs. In fact, an informal poll of her coworkers indicated that having an Underground stop near the house is not as big a deal as living near a subway stop in New York was for us. I need to do some research on bus lines that go to her office, and look for housing accordingly.
2: Oyster Card!
I saw shops with signs advertising "Oyster Top-ups". Despite the name, it's not actually a delicious snack. The Oyster card is like a Metrocard, only instead of swiping, you tap it on this yellow button. Well, by tap, they mean "lay flat against the button till the little light comes on" Also, in the two stations we entered today, the station attendant physically opens the extra-wide door to let a stroller through. And there were two attendants in the station, both of whom were extremely friendly and helpful, even remembering Jed when we came back through later in the day. Not sure how much of that was standard service, and how much was the combination of clueless American and cute baby. I knew teaching him to give people high fives would come in handy!
Unlike NYC, in London you also have to tap your card upon LEAVING the subway system, otherwise you get charged the max amount. The cost of your ride depends on actual use, rather than a flat fee to enter the system, and the cost is higher during peak hours. I'm kind of back and forth on which system seems fairer - on the one hand, why not charge people for their actual use of the subway? Those who commute shorter distances and therefore use the system less, should pay less.
On the other hand, in NYC, cheaper housing tends to be farther from the city center, so lower-paid workers who have to commute longer distances would pay a higher amount, whereas those who can afford to live in the more expensive parts of Manhattan would also pay less for transit. In theory, I like the "level playing field" aspects of the same price for everyone, bum or billionaire.
Not sure which is more effective for the city - I'd have to do some research on how much of the subway's budget the riders actually cover.
3: Physical differences:
Here, the subway cars themselves are actually shorter in length, with a lower, curved roof, and the seats are cushioned and cloth-covered. When I heard that the subway was upholstered, I began grimacing involuntarily, thinking of all the unpleasant things that could be living in the fabric. If you've ridden the NYC subways, you're probably getting your own disgusting mental picture right now. Sorry.
Unlike New York, the tube in London seemed pretty clean - not sure whether that has more to do with social attitudes towards people using the subway like a combination bedroom/bar/toilet or just the Underground lines and stations that I saw.
I have no idea how you get around on the Tube in a wheelchair. There were signs next to the various stops that indicated which ones were handicap-accessible, which didn't seem all that phenomenal to me until I got to one that wasn't. There was easily a vertical 10 inch difference between the door of the subway car and the subway platform. Jed said "Bump!" as the stroller...errr, pram went out.
Additionally, there were lots of stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. I had no problem carrying him up and down them, but if we were riding at peak hours with more commuters, it could get tricky.
(more to come!!)
Monday 18 October 2010
Sunday, 17 Oct 2010: Stewart and I made butternut squash risotto for lunch. We had the leftover soup and a rocket salad garnished with parmesan first, and an absolutely mindblowing sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
After all that, I was ready for a nap, but Stewart insisted that, as per the recipe's instructions, we should have a walk afterwards. He was right, and it was too nice of a day to sit indoors. So off we went.
View from the front door of the vicarage:
Jed looks contemplative; probably wondering how he can get some more of that toffee pudding.
We are headed to Hampstead Heath; here's some of the things we saw along the way.
Most of the walk was through residential areas. There are tree-lined gravel paths that are little shortcuts between the roads. The foliage was pretty incredible- lots of old trees, walls covered in ivy, ferns, and moss, and a huge thicket of holly.
The Heath itself is like a gigantic park - we came through a parking lot and went down the path through an open, grassy area. Jed was already excited, and kept saying "Outside! Outside!"
After we crossed the grass, we went into the trees. There was very little undergrowth - either the Heath is well-maintained by an army of gardeners, or the huge old trees cut off enough light to prevent smaller stuff from growing too quickly. There was a carpet of leaves everywhere, just right for scuffing.
Along the paths are various invitations to stop and enjoy the views. I saw easily a dozen benches.
Jed was thrilled by the quantity of dogs out for a walk with their owners. I don't know if the leash laws are different here or what, but we only saw one person even carrying a leash, and all the dogs were running free. They seemed well-behaved, except for one German Shepherd who was so excited by two boys playing soccer...errr, FOOTBALL... that he ran over and stole their ball, and then came bounding back across the grass to his owners. The dog seemed pretty pleased with himself, despite their scolding.
Stewart kept insisting that there was a really good view of London around here somewhere, so we wandered around the paths, saw some ducks in the old swimming ponds - there were three ponds; one for men, one for women, and one for 'mixed bathing'. The only swimmers there were ducks, a cygnet, and a few seagulls.
After the ponds, we went up the hill, through the trees, and emerged on a beautiful hilltop. There were lots of people milling around, a guy flying a kite, more benches, and a pretty spectacular view:
Jed was way more excited about the kite than the view of London. He kept shouting "Oh! Oh! Up! Up!"
As the sun went down, the temperature started to drop, and we decided to head off before Jed fell asleep in the stroller. Stewart suggested a stop off at the pub for a fortifying beverage before the half-hour trek back home. We had pints of Guinness at The Freemason's Arms. Here's the view from their patio.
Then we headed back to Stewart and Jonathan's place. I made a note to bring a scarf on the next evening trip out; I could have done with just a little more insulation.
After all that, I was ready for a nap, but Stewart insisted that, as per the recipe's instructions, we should have a walk afterwards. He was right, and it was too nice of a day to sit indoors. So off we went.
View from the front door of the vicarage:
Jed looks contemplative; probably wondering how he can get some more of that toffee pudding.
Along the paths are various invitations to stop and enjoy the views. I saw easily a dozen benches.
Stewart kept insisting that there was a really good view of London around here somewhere, so we wandered around the paths, saw some ducks in the old swimming ponds - there were three ponds; one for men, one for women, and one for 'mixed bathing'. The only swimmers there were ducks, a cygnet, and a few seagulls.
After the ponds, we went up the hill, through the trees, and emerged on a beautiful hilltop. There were lots of people milling around, a guy flying a kite, more benches, and a pretty spectacular view:
Jed was way more excited about the kite than the view of London. He kept shouting "Oh! Oh! Up! Up!"
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