two countries separated by one language

i recently went to london for a conference. it was actually held in moscow, but since they have a few problems with xenophobia, corrupt police, AND they require a visa for americans, i opted for the london sattelite version. plus, getting to london is much cheaper and easier than getting to moscow.

1) Childhood - even though the books were written about a london that is long gone, i kept remembering all the charles dickens i've read: a tale of two cities, oliver twist, and david copperfield. i usually dont go crazy for monuments or tourist sites, in london i felt incredibly curious. "what does the tower of london ACTUALLY look like?" "so THIS is the london bridge where oliver twist met nancy" "can i actually find a barbershop on fleet street?" (i only drove by on the bus, so i didn't see any). because i kept matching things up with illustrations in books and how i would have pictured them, it was really exciting. but in another way it was really anti-climactic. "so...it's actually just a bridge. in london."

2) New York - Everything I like about London can also be found in New York City, so I had to reconcile my dislike for Americas world city while there. both cities are world class, but still dirty and quirky, both city centers aka "zone 1" or manhattan are vibrant entrepots, both have a rich history as part of the growth of a nation (and an empire), both are the 'city of dreams' for their countries (or in london's case, the city of great expectations, ha ha), both are hubs of art and music from all sorts of traditions, unimaginably diverse, distinct city culture. relating to the first point, both have great literary traditions. i wonder if tourists who have read any of the tons of historical fiction about ellis island and immigrant families back then feel the same way about new york.

3) The Economist - who doesn't love their witty headlines? notable headlines in the online edition recently: "nothing gets between me and my calvins" (a reference to the 80's brooke shields ad) and "happy gays are here again."

4) Billy Elliot - critics called it "extraordinary," "spectacular," and "the best british musical i've seen" (quite a compliment!). if you are in london, DO NOT miss this musical, but DO NOT pay more than the price of the cheapest ticket. i thought the stage adaption of the movie was great, and the coreography nicely shows how the two main motifs, billy's love for ballet and the coal miner's strike of 1984, play off one another. the first act flew by (largely because of the great tap dancing by the chap that played billy), while the second dragged a little. during intermission one of the actors did some stand up political satire that was lost on me. at one point the comedian said "...and everybody in the room is laughing but the americans." :( sir elton john's score was also quite good (my favorite song).

sometimes, there are reminders that home isn't so far away