London 2012 - Day 1(ish)

This summer, one of my favorite cities in the world hosted the summer Olympics.  I kind of enjoys big spectacles like the Olympics and love London, so why not combine those and have a visit. My friend Gill kindly agreed to tolerate my presence in her house for a week and even arranged for tickets to see men's beach volleyball.  I bought my plane ticket and left on August 1st.

Sadly, a few days before my trip, I came down with a cold that would dog me for the duration of my visit, keeping me coughing and tired most days.  Oh well.

The first night, took us to The Pelton Arms, a pub in Greenwich.  Despite the fact no none of the my friends live in Greenwich, this spot has become the home base thanks to our favorite singer, Glenn Tilbrook. Simon, Nic, Cathy, Sue, Neal, and Roger all met me and Gill at the pub. We didn't stay too late as Gill, Cathy, and Sue want to get back to Gill's so we could watch a Steve Poltz Stageit show. A shocking side note to my trip is that I did NOT see Squeeze perform.  It feels weird, but I'll get over it.

Just because there was no official Squeeze action for me does not mean I did not get a little Squeeze fix.  I traveled about with Cathy and Sue to find important spots in early Squeeze history.  For example, we found the house where they wrote "Cool for Cats," and the shop where Chris placed a slightly deceptive ad for a guitarist which Glenn answered. It was great fun and Cathy should be proud of her abilities as a detective as she located all these spots through Google maps and the following video

After our Squeeze pilgrimage, we met up with Simon and Nic in Shoreditch.  I wasn't there long as I needed to meet Gill close to Hyde Park for a couple of free concerts.  Sadly, I suffered an Olympic career ending boo-boo on my knee as I slipped in line, but I'll survive.

Inside Hype Park, we met Roger and turned our thoughts to food, beverage, and music. The first show was a band called Dodgy.  I had never heard of them, but the show was enjoyable and free.

There was a little time before the next act, so food and a spot in front of one the many big screen television was our next goal.  The park had been turned into a big gathering spot for people who wanted a communal experience of the games, but couldn't afford tickets.  We watched Andy Murray beat Novak Djokovic.  Needless to say, the place exploded when  he match was over. Perfect timing, as it was now time for the next act.

Again, I had never heard of the band, Cast.  They obviously had a larger following as the crowd was considerably bigger than for the first gig.  I also enjoyed their music much more, though I can't really pinpoint why.

That's all for the first day.  More to come tomorrow.