London / January 2016 Pt.1

January 21, 2016 by Jonathan Chow in London

We're back! Kick started 2016 with a week trip to London. Unfortunately, it also happened to be the worst week for British celebrities with passing of the iconic David Bowie breaking out while we were on flight to Heathrow and the beloved Alan Rickman passing later that week as well. But while the world of celebrities and news may be dim and grim, at least the weather turned out a lot sunnier and drier than we had anticipated. And we happened to have come to London during the same week the Lumiere Light Festival!

For the most of the week we were working and either visiting places we never got a chance to see during our previous trips or going back to our old favorite spots. Most of the stills taken during this trip was done on film, so expect to see more of London later when I have those rolls developed and scanned. On Saturday though, our only real free day during the whole trip, we decided to go back to the wonderful seaside town of Brighton.

The great thing about Brighton is how convenient it is to get to from London. Taking the National Rail, trips last from an hour to an hour and a half depending on delays and which station you were coming from. Once you arrive though, the Brighton station is close enough to all of the main features Brighton has to offer that you don't need to worry about any other transportation solutions. Everything is within a few minutes of walking.

My car spotting game this trip was pretty weak overall, the biggest highlight being a super mean black 2015 RS6 Avant that roared by outside the cafe I was working from. This VW T2 with a thorough rust treatment matched up its owner pretty well, who's business was selling variety of discovered antiques, usually made from iron.

Maybe it was the rare sunny winter weather, but there were so many dogs out that day, much to Michelle's delight. And yes, the dog on the left was a young Irish Wolfhound, one of the few if only dog breed that can grow larger than a Great Dane.

If you're ever looking for goods from the popular Finnish book series Moomin, this store probably had it.

We returned to the same cafe we originally went to back on our first visit to Brighton, the Cafe Coho. If you plan to visit Brighton, we highly recommend it mainly because the food is great, the prices are fair and the atmosphere was nice, not too busy. Important to note though, there are two locations. We prefer this spot which is away from the station and nestled within the narrow streets, closer to the beach.

English Breakfast (Brighton Breakfast in this case) is always a safe bet for a great way to start the day. Pt. 2 of our trip will be posted by tomorrow.

LONDON / WRAP UP FOR 2015 MARCH TRIP

March 16, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

Just wrapping up the last material images from our 2015 March London trip.

We went to an amazing Indian restaurant Dishoom to met up with our friend Ali, a graphic designer emigrated from Ohio who Michelle initially met in SF.

Just a sampling of some local drinks I purchased at Borough Market. The Williams Borthers Red Ale had a nice, solid red ale flavor (my preferred brew). The Kopparberg is a Swedish brand popular in UK for their ciders. The Mixed Berry is one of the few drinks Michelle enjoys and is a pretty great cider, not overly sweet like the more common Strawberry & Lime flavor. Lastly the Wild Raven by Thornbridge was a "Black IPA", something I hadn't come across until I was referred to it by the helpful vendor employee. Easily ended up being my favorite drink during the trip; dark and malty but not too hoppy. Definitely want to try to get that one again!

Here's a few car sightings. By now if you've seen any of the past London posts, you should know that Bentleys are a pretty common sighting in central London (though that doesn't make them any less special!) so let's move on to some more interesting finds.

How about a peach-colored, Custom '57 Chevy pickup for starters? A neat sighting in the States, but in central London it certainly stood out. Not a fan of the wheels, but still pretty cool.

Now for something really different, a Chevy SSR. These things are a rare sighting in the States, so it's pretty much on the bottom of the list of cars I'd expect to see in UK.

I'll finish with this badass 110 Defender. Again, the wheel game is off (I'll take mine with black steelies please) but otherwise it's just the type of truck that'd be amazing to have in the States. That is, if the Feds weren't so eager to steal and crush these trucks.

LONDON / CHINATOWN

March 15, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

I don't think it's possible for me to now visit London without making at least one trip to Chinatown. What can I say, I love my pork buns!

During the week while we were here, it rained a handful of times but fortunately they were all light sprinkles. Save for this one moment, however, when it absolutely dumped lakes on us for a thankfully short couple of minutes. At least afterwards it made London look pretty for a bit.

LONDON / ST PANCRAS

March 09, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

At the end of our first stay in London, we left for Paris through St Pancras station. However, since it was 4 in the morning and we were being rushed, I didn't really have time to pull out the camera and look around. So while we were here, we decided to take a look at where all those wizards and witches started their journey to Hogwarts.

First thing first though, we gotta get there.

Why yes, it does have a Tiptronic. How'd you figure?

There's something wonderful about these older stations with massive ceiling. I mean, nowadays with diesel/electric trains. Back in the steam engine days I don't think it would have been as pleasant with all of the black smoke filling everyone's lungs.

LONDON / PORTOBELLO MARKET

March 06, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

It's not too often London gets sun, so when it comes, you gotta seize the day! Off to Portobello Market! First thing first though, the automotive round up!

First we got an Overfinch Ranger Rover. Overfinch is a "tuner" for Land Rovers, best known for make a model with a built-in mohagany gun and whisky storage in the back. Because nothing says manly like shooting little birds in your 4X4 with summer tires...

Next up a Smart Roadster (which has a ton of tuning potential IMO) and an E92 M3 (M's seemed to be a lot less common than AMG's).

Speaking of, there were these two GT bruisers. A CL63 AMG and a Bentley Continental GT (Bentleys everywhere!).

You know what's unfair? That Europe gets the best version of an American icon. Give the US Wrangler a diesel already Jeep!!!

This sweet little GTV was a nice sighting. Even with that dent, Alfa's cars are easily some of the best looking "consumer cars" around. Pretty might not be the best description, but they definitely all have a style that most other cars in their range lack.

A cool Morris Wagon looking properly British.

A 135i M Sport getting buried under trash. Kinda ugly little thing, but a Golf R/S3 killer.

And the best for last, this classic 901. Black exterior, tan interior and Fuchs wheels: simply perfect.

Heh, little white socks on his back feet. Here's some more pics.

LONDON / BRICK LANE PT.2

March 05, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

Just a post with the remaining images from Brick Lane. Sadly we still weren't able to get any pics of the kitties in the crazy-cat-lady-store. The cats might be chill, but she was super quick to call out any spotted cameras.

LONDON / BRICK LANE

March 03, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

Finishing up from Borough Market, we decided to head over to Brick Lane. We really haven't been there since when we first visited London, so it was pretty refreshing to see what had changed.

Firstly though, a few car spottings. I was a bigger fan of this pretty well used Defender 90 than the shiny examples that are near the flat we're staying at.

Also new S classes. Lots and lots of S classes.

Heh, a "TSX" wagon.

LONDON / BOROUGH MARKET

March 02, 2015 by Jonathan Chow in London

Ah Borough Market. Where there's always the constant smell of cheese, meat, cheese, flowers, cheese, spices, and did I mention cheese? We gotta admit, if there was one place we'd recommend people go to go for London, it's here. The crowd, the food, the overall environment is all very British.