Recalling London

Day Seven - Shopping around Oxford Street

In what was already becoming a habit, we started the day by picking up some pastries from Villandry. Then, pastries in hand, we set off for Bar Italia so Kerah could get a really good cup of coffee. Well, actually, she ordered something foofy, like a cappucino or latté or something, but basically bean juice at the core. She quite enjoyed it, and with our bellies full we set off for a rousing day of shopping. We each had some things for which we were looking. I was in the market for some new shoes, and was leaning toward red Doc Martens, while Kerah was looking for some cute clunky shoes and a black leather jacket.

We started out with Niketown, a veritable mecca for Kerah. Not only does she like the shoes, she's also a big fan of the apparel, too. We wandered around there for a while, trying on shoes and whatnot, and managed to escape without buying anything save some socks. Nothing was a must-have, and we were keeping our powder dry, knowing that there was still a lot of shopping to be done.

FCUK SweatshirtNext up was French Connection UK, or FCUK, as they liked to print on shirts and things. FCUK logo garmets are about as common over there as Gap logo garments are over here, so it seems that the Brits like the joke with the transposed letters. Kerah liked it too, and was keen to get her very own FCUK sweat jacket, but alas, the quality was not up to her exacting standards.

Still in search of shoes, we stopped at Shelley's, where I found some sweet red Docs. Sadly, they weren't the right size, and we continued our searching all around Oxford Circus and up and down Oxford Street. After visiting a bunch of shops (or is that shoppes?), we decided to head over to Covent Garden for another visit to the Doc Marten superstore.

CyberdogAlong the way, we swung through the Seven Dials area, where we found Cyberdog. Entranced by throbbing techo music, we shopped for hours, basking in the ultraviolet glow of black lights. Cyberdog carries all manner of clubware to make you look all super-cyber when you're makin' the club scene. Items for sale ranged from things as basic as t-shirts to more advanced clubware like futuristic pseudo-armor and little fake heads-up displays. Even some of the t-shirts were tricked out, sporting battery packs to power little sound-activated light panels which velcro to your shirt. There were so many funny things to try on, we spent hours in there. The dressing rooms have light switches in them so you can look in the mirror with either regular light or black light. I fell in love with a t-shirt sporting a styley glow-in-the-dark, 20-point Space Invader. Kerah also picked up a t-shirt and a bracelet, both of which glow under black light. Completing the list of purchases was a CD compilation from Frantic, a clubbing record label.

As we stumbled out of the darkness of Cyberdog into the dimness of London's December twilight, we realized that we didn't have much time before we had to meet Tess and John for dinner. This was a good thing, since we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. We quickly grabbed a bouquet for Tess from a street vendor and beat feet up the cobblestone street.

Our dinner reservations were for Hakkasan, a very trendy asian fusion restaurant. It's the kind of place where the decor, lighting, and music are such that you feel cool just sitting there. I started with a Saketini (martini with sake instead of vermouth), and then ordered up some crazy ostrich dish. After eating our fill (and choking down the "trendy" bill), we headed home, where we finished off the night with another round of Classiques and a few more games of cards. Tess and John were such accomodating hosts that Kerah and I were starting to consider moving in for good.

> Day Eight - More shopping, around Seven Dials >