Just Thinking. Not Packing

 

Walker and Erik went with me to see Tower Bridge last year

I leave for London in 33 days.

No, I have not packed yet.

But I did think about it a bit.

This will be different from my previous visits to the U.K. For one thing, time will be of the essence. I'm leaving on Tuesday and returning that Friday. The Hunt Scanlon conference is Thursday. There will be a few things that I will need to be at but I should have some open time on Wednesday.

Still, it's a business trip so I'm there because of the work I do.

Others are staying longer and I wish I had contemplated that. A few are heading to the continent, for instance. 

I'd like to go to Liverpool to look at things related to a British boy band and I'd fancy a stay at the Hard Days Night Hotel (yes, that's a real thing).

Or I'd like -- really like -- to go to France. Paris, sure, but Normandy and Omaha Beach. As an American and a historian, I feel strongly about visiting a site that is so sacred.

But alas it's not meant to be this time. 

I see the silver lining in the shorter amount of time on this trip. For one thing, who needs a big suitcase? Not this guy!

A couple of pairs of shorts, pants for going out to dinner, a suit for the conference, shirts, toiletries, etc, and we're done. Throw that in my garment/duffel bag* and away we go!

*I hadn't talked about packing with my colleagues last year so I showed up with a big suitcase that needed to be checked. I wasn't alone in doing so but Erik Boender used a duffel bag that has a built-in garment bag. I fawned over it. He told me where he got it and I bought one not long after. I used it for San Francisco last September. It was perfect. I also used it for Florida a few months back.

Ah, time. Such a bear. How was Florida already two months ago?

I'm all about not having to check a bag. I'll likely have my backpack with me and that will be that. I'll also bring my little Adidas pouch that I bought at Lillywhites in Piccadilly Circus last April. That -- inspired by Mike Hawkins -- kept things easily reachable without needing a backpack at all times.

It was clutch. It was a very smart purchase.

So, no, I've not packed. Honest. But I've clearly given this some thought. Just not that much thought.

I also need to think a little about how to spend my free time. Do we go to the Tower of London or go inside Tower Bridge? Visit Shakespeare's Globe Theater? Hit one of the museums, such as the British Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, or the Victoria and Albert? We didn't do any of these things last year, though we did walk across some of Tower Bridge.

Last year was a trip of fun discoveries like the buns we had in Chinatown and my quiet stroll to the site of The Beatles' Rooftop Concert. 

My view of the Thames as I spoke with Tony Savino on WGCH

Among my favorite memories of London in 2022 was calling into WGCH just before Noon in London for my Friday morning sports chat with Tony Savino. I called from the middle of Tower Bridge. I love things like that. We had a great talk about English sports fans and how I was keeping up with sports back in the States.

I hold memories like that closely.

These are great people to travel with and there's a comfort level among us. Oh, sure, I thought they were going to walk to my death a few times between London and San Francisco but that's part of the gig. They're experiences that won't be forgotten.

Besides, an Irish coffee after a long walk in San Francisco hits the spot. A pint of Camden Hells or something else in a London pub always goes down smoothly.

I can't stress enough how much I love to travel. I love the planning. I love the strategizing. I love waking up in a strange place after a night in a (hopefully) comfortable accommodation. I love the discoveries. My mind feeds off all of it.

I love it when my traveling companion gets my sense of weirdness (Waffle House, Wawa, international and state borders, roads, etc) but also has a shared chemistry. I've had travel partners that just don't quite jell. It can get uncomfortable.

I love shifting it all around like it's a game of Tetris. The best-laid plans had us ready to go to Buckingham Palace but the King can't see us on Tuesday so we shall rearrange for tea there on Thursday, shifting the recording session at Abbey Road back to Tuesday.

He's a real nowhere man, you say!

Sean has a possible trip he's working on for August and I'm encouraging him to go. The downside is that it will potentially conflict with a trip involving both Buffalo and North Carolina that we were dreaming up. So we'll shift, pivot, and make it all work.

More on that as we pull things together.

I haven't packed for any of it. I can't stress that enough.

Not yet.