more than 10 years ago, The Wife’s job sent her to London for a little more than a week. She worked hard but the team was good and she enjoyed her time there. Before she left, I flew out to join her for a long weekend. It would be the only time she got to do any touristy stuff while she on the trip.
I worked all day Thursday and flew out that night. I arrived in Gatwick and took an hour train ride to London. I got into one of the famous black cabs and gawked at the sites as he delivered me to the Mayfair Hotel. Very swanky. I talked to the front desk, got a key to The Wife’s room, dropped off my bags, took a quick shower, and rushed back to the lobby.
I was cutting it close. I had scheduled a Beatles Walking
tour that morning. The concierge assured me it was only a 5-minute walk and
gave me some simple directions. I pulled out my mp3 player and selected a Beatles
song as I walked through the pedestrian filled sidewalks looking for meter maids. I just breathed the
air and enjoyed the ambiance as I passed Londoners. 5 minutes later, I was actually
where I needed to be.
I met the guide and paid my fee. Just a few minutes later we
were passing through streets that John, Paul, George, and Ringo walked on. Most
of the tour was seeing trivial places most Beatles fan would find boring. I had
been up for more than 24 hours. (I didn’t sleep on the plane). Seeing the art
gallery where John met Yoko, the studio that did some of the animation for
Yellow Submarine, or a building where Paul once rented some office space, didn’t
raise the needle.
Then we wandered down a street that looked familiar, my adrenaline started to flow and I was very awake. At the end of the street we stopped and the guide asked us to look up. THAT was where the roof top concert was performed. We were in front of the Apple Corp offices (no, not the iPhone company, but the REAL Apple Corp: 3 Savile Row).
Very cool! I now felt the cost was worth it.
But wait, there’s more!
Not only did I get to ‘Mind the Gap’ and ride the ’Underground’, the
guide took us to Abby Road Studios, where all of the magic happened. There, I had
the pleasure of watching people try to recreate the Abby Road cover photo without
getting run over by the motorists. There were a few close calls. The motorists
aren’t patient and too many Americans look the wrong way for traffic.
That cross walk ended our tour and I got back on the Tube. I made my way back to the hotel without getting lost. With the excitement still in my veins, I asked the concierge for some more help. I wanted to find where The Wife was working while in London. It was early enough that she would still be there.
Again, it was a 5 minute walk. As I got close, I was surprised the
street looked familiar. It was the same street I walked on earlier to see the Apple
Studios building. My Wife was just 3
buildings down from where The Beatles were!
When I entered the office, I was guided to The Wife. She
was sitting next to an open window updating a document. The London office workers
just adored her and gave me a big welcome. We all chatted for a bit. Since the
window was open, I asked if they heard a group of people in the streets about 30
minutes ago. Yes, they did but none of them minded. It happens all of the
time.
I told them I was with those people. I was on a tour and saw THE ROOFTOP. After seeing the question marks over their heads, I gave them more details. They weren’t nearly as impressed as I was. Since they were young, I’ll forgive the disinterested comment that trialed off: Oh yeah, I heard it was somewhere near here…
And in the end, a splendid time was had by all. I got to see Abbey Road and Apple Corp. I got to see The Wife. A great way to start a long weekend.
AH
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