My favorite parts of London, links, and a Monos review

Think of it as a tourism buffet

Hello readers and friends! As we launch into the last month of the year I am starting to think about planning a content calendar for 2024. I definitely did not do that for 2023, I just rolled with it based on what articles I found, what I was feeling like writing, etc. In fact, I am surprised that I have kept my publishing schedule and have always been excited to work on this. It is not always easy to start something new (that no one asked for) and that is also quite demanding of my time. So thank you SO MUCH for being here.

In order to professionalize this a bit and make life easier for myself, I’d like to have monthly content themes for 2024. I will still publish twice monthly for free and add 4 more quarterly editions for the paid subscribers. If there is anything you’re looking to read about or learn about, let me know! I will publish my planned content calendar in the next newsletter and take suggestions through the middle of January.

Co-writing session

Next order of business! If you are interested in joining the FREE virtual co-writing session that I mentioned in the last newsletter, we now have a submission form and it will be held on Tuesday, December 12 at 6 pm Pacific time. The submission form has all of the other time zones listed if you need that help.

If you would like to attend, please complete that linked form so that we know how many to expect. This is open to anyone, of any age, working on any writing project. Bring your poetry, your journal, your novel, your doctoral thesis, or your annual Christmas letter! We will not be reading each other’s writing or sharing unless anyone is really wanting to at the end. We’ll follow the Pomodoro Technique and this will run about 80-90 minutes. Let’s work together, from afar!

A few more UK photos, from left to right, top to bottom: Sunny beautiful day in Trafalgar Square, a super old church from the HOHO bus, old homes in Kensington, a country walk with friends outside of Birmingham and a cute fence on that walk, the house where Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon Avon, part of Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales.

London

I have been to London a few times since high school and though I choose to live in a much smaller city now, London is a large city that I think I would love to live in. Some of the neighborhoods seem cozy and like their own towns and the city has so much green space that you can escape car noises and city sounds. My friend and I spent our four days and three nights at a hotel on the edge of Hyde Park. Our hotel room view looked out upon it and we enjoyed walking through it several times, I spent my last morning running a 6k through and around it. We were also very close to not one but two Tube/Underground stations and a 12-minute walk to Paddington Station, which is a central station for changing lines and for travel to other parts of the UK.

The location was fantastic for public transit, it was a short walk to the Notting Hill Neighborhood, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and not too far from the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum (about 25 minutes, via Hyde Park). It was quiet too. I liked that we were facing Bayswater Road, a pretty busy road and on the edge of Hyde Park, but at night we slept well on the 7th floor since it was a quiet neighbourhood. I would stay in that hotel and area again.

My highlights of the trip - not a trip guide!

Borough Market - Food, glorious food! Of all kinds and from everywhere. There were so many smells and tastes here and I was so happy to walk around and see all the locals eating outside on their lunch break as well as tourists milling around, buying, and eating. We went here after meeting at our hotel late morning, dropping our bags, and walking to the Tube from our hotel. The whole journey was about 45 minutes. When we got here I was incredibly nauseous. I had some kind of weird jet-lagged response for a few hours and was very dehydrated. So I walked around and smelled the smells and tried to eat half of a banana that I bought from the fruit stand. It was sad and I want to go back. Stephanie kept offering me bites of her food but honestly, every time I smelled something it smelled wonderful and then I felt like I was going to be sick. We stayed long enough for her to eat some food and walk around to make sure we saw everything (I was rallying) then we took a taxi back to our hotel to check in and so that I could drink gallons of water and we both napped since we’d arrived that morning. Then I woke up feeling better. Do not recommend going there and having my experience.

National Portrait Gallery. - This is what we planned the trip around, the Paul McCartney Eye of the Storm exhibit. We didn’t go to any of the rest of the museum since we spent a long time inside for Sir Paul. It was a beautiful, sunny September day and we had plans to go to St. John’s Wood afterward. I would return here! This museum is excellent and has a great gift shop. I don’t know if it is for everyone though, it is all portraits so if you want landscapes, you’re out of luck. Check out the types of exhibits before committing. The main part of the museum is free but special exhibits cost a reasonable fee and you’re supporting the arts.

Hop on Hop off Bus (for real) - Prior to this trip, I’d only been on one HOHO bus, in Dublin. I will never stop saying that, HOHO bus, insert laughing emoji here. I think this is a great way to see a city upon arrival when you need to get your bearings. Or, when you’re at the point of a trip when you’re tired and want to cover a lot of ground and see the things you’ve missed. It is also great if you’re travelling with older people, kids, or anyone who can’t do as much walking! We got in a lot of steps on this trip and I was running on some of the mornings too, and to be honest I was happy to sit and listen. I will never trash talk or turn up my nose at a HOHO bus again. I recommend it, see the sights, learn some history, and you can hop on and hop off at whatever sites you’d like to see!

Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A) - In my several trips to London, I’d never been to this museum. It was a blend of sculpture, art, and artifacts from various centuries and around the world. We went on our last morning and were not able to spend a lot of time there but I want to go back. There is currently a Coco Chanel special exhibit there until February 25th that I would LOVE to see. I am trying to figure out how to get back to London just for another museum visit. We also got here early enough to dash in and sit in the garden with our coffee and a pastry from the museum cafe. I have heard from a friend that their restaurant is also excellent for high tea. This museum’s entry is also free! The Chanel exhibit is not though, it is 26 GBP.

Cornerstone Hackney - this Michelin-starred, seafood-focused restaurant was in a cool neighbourhood outside of Zone 1 on the Underground. My friend Stephanie wanted to go after a friend recommended it to her. It was delicious! We ordered the tasting menu and every single dish was inventive and tasty. Steph tried some of the cocktails and I ordered one of the non-alcoholic beers and really liked it. I like that there are a lot more non-alcoholic options at restaurants these days. I can drink water all of the time and sometimes I want something different but without alcohol. If you don’t like seafood or are pretty picky about it, I would not recommend this place.

American Bar at the Savoy - I am corny and I like a fancy bar with live music. There were locals and tourists here. I occasionally (less so these days so it feels like an extra treat) go to a fancy cocktail bar where I live. This hotel bar is cozy, and lively but the noise level is at a dull roar, and classy. The drink menu changes often enough to keep it interesting and I’d go back every time I visit London. This was my second visit. My last one was a solo trip and they treated me just the same as any other patrons and let me have my own table and linger.

Monos review

I vacillated between buying a new suitcase for ages. I kept telling myself I didn’t need it because I already had a carry-on-sized rolling suitcase. That roller has seen way better days. I still have it and I need to assess if it is donation-worthy. So, I waited until there was a good discount in the spring and I bought the Carry-on size at a 30% discount, it this one in olive green. I have never had a hard shell suitcase before but I like it. It isn’t super hard, there is some flex to it and yet it still feels really sturdy.

It rolls so smoothly. The handle telescopes pretty easily. If you stuff it really full, it might give you a little bit of trouble pulling it out all of the way but that is fixable. Also, that was a sign there was too much in it. However, if it only comes out halfway, it is still easy to hold and walk beside or drag it behind you. Once the handle is all the way up/out, it is at a very good height. I am 5’6” and didn’t feel like I was crouching to hold it. I think that someone a little bit taller than me would find it comfortable as well. It is 22’' tall so the bigger suitcases will obviously be taller and more comfy for taller people.

It comes with a few different sizes of laundry bags for your items. And, it has a functional and well-thought-out design. See the interior below.

I really like those straps that you can tighten that help you compress your items. Game changer when you have bulky items and need space. I had a lightweight down jacket with me and a pair of running shoes on that trip plus booties, dress shoes for a wedding, and I wore a pair of Adidas Sambas on the plane. I normally have a strict three-shoe rule but the wedding forced me to bring another pair.

Let me tell you about my shoe retirement program. When I travel and want to bring my running shoes and don’t have a lot of space, I bring an old pair that needs to be retired, and then I leave it at my last location. I don’t just ditch shoes left and right, they have to be old. But, I got 4 good runs out of them and had not worn them for months and then I had space on the way back. I hope those Sauconys are enjoying the retirement life in the south of England. Moving on!

I think the most thoughtful part of the design is that the zippers lock into place so that they don’t accidentally unzip or get damaged in transit. I have wiped it down with cleaning spray and a rag after each trip and it’s looking pretty good. The hotel in London had aggressively white walls that knicked it on its maiden voyage that have not yet come off but I don’t think that is the suitcase’s fault.

Overall, I give it an A. I would buy another of their bags. I’m eyeing the compression packing cubes for my next purchase. I have some cubes but they are really old and the zippers get stuck and they’re starting to rip. I have a sewing machine and can mend things but I think they might be beyond repair.

Links

The 9-step checklist for a stress-free trip. Okay, this is a big promise IMHO, but they are things I do, and if you’re travelling internationally, they are smart things to do before you travel. There are a lot of unprepared travellers out there and you don’t have to be one of them.

The first Black heritage-focused itinerary in the river cruise industry.

“River cruising has traditionally catered to, and been marketed toward, white travelers. The travel style has been priced and promoted as a more luxurious experience than ocean cruising. And Black travel advisors say that historically ocean cruising has done a better job of attracting a more diverse passenger base, including Black travelers, largely because the marketing materials for ocean cruising are more inclusive.”

This is a good start to creating tourism experiences that tell more than just white stories. The article notes that “Ultimately, the Soulful Experience river cruise itineraries are not exclusively for Black travellers—these itineraries are for everyone. They simply put a focus on Black and African cultures, providing a vibrant lens through which to view the history and heritage of the destinations passengers are sailing through.”

I’ve read this book but have not watched the Netflix series yet but you can visit the town! You have to click to find out.

Consuming

I am watching Nailed It! on Netflix like it is going out of style. Thus, I feel like I have nothing to add to this conversation this time. I enjoy baking shows and funny baking disasters. I don’t know how Jacques Torres keeps a straight face most of the time. I think this little Nailed It! marathon is a palate cleanser to the true crime I was consuming for the first part of the month.

Did anyone listen to Andre 3000’s new album? I listened from start to finish. I was expecting it to be more classical sounding since everything I had read was that it was flute, but it sounded like a new-age yoga class or music for a fancy spa. I think I would not mind it on a playlist with other songs but probably would not listen to it from start to finish again unless I wanted background focus music while I worked.

I finished listening to Dickens and Prince by Nick Hornby and since I wrote more details about that audiobook in the last last edition, you can go back and read it there. I then borrowed the audiobook of the short memoir written by Prince called The Beautiful Ones. I am now disappointed that I did not get the book from the library and might have to read it as well. The best description of this memoir is that this is the story of “How Prince became Prince”. If you click that link for the book, I highly recommend perusing the Loungewear section of the Prince store. There are cozy pajamas and sweats for days.

I am now reading The Three Body Problem and I am barely 30 pages into it. Does it get better? I need it to in order for me to continue reading it. Wikipedia describes it for you below as it is the first book in a series.

The series portrays a fictional past, present and future wherein Earth encounters an alien civilization from a nearby system of three sun-like stars orbiting one another, in an example of the three-body problem in orbital mechanics.

The writing is quite dry and the last two books I read hooked me so quickly that I am quite impatient with slow starters right now. If reading a particular book is not enjoyable then it is okay to quit and try something new. Okay, somewhere around page 50 it got really interesting and I have not had much time to read but I am past page 200 now. It has not hooked me in the way the last two books did, but I am invested and will definitely finish it.

No article in this edition! I think we are full this time with London and suitcases. I have an interesting one for the next edition though. :)

Thank you for reading, supporting, clicking, and being here. I am trying to think of a fun way to mark one year of this newsletter in January, stay tuned!

-Sonya