London Déjà vu

 

Its blue and white arms descending to the Thames from two ornate towers connected by overhead walkways, London’s Tower Bridge matches the Tower Bridge of memory. There’s nothing superlative about it, yet there is, as it probably inspires more glances upward than any other bridge in the world. As a student fifteen years ago, I walked across it at least twice a day, coming and going between my flat in nearby Butlers’ Wharf.  Then as today, I was compelled to stop and ogle the blue and white suspension arms and the ornate Victorian Gothic towers. Since then much has changed for me and also for London, but the power of the Tower Bridge and its effect on residents as well as visitors has not. Walking across it earlier this year, I was only one of dozens who stopped or slowed, neck craned upwards.

I was in the UK’s global capital for only a week and didn’t have much of a plan other than to reacquaint myself with it and discover what was new. And I wanted to eat as much sticky toffee pudding, sample as many afternoon teas and (because London is one of the world’s up-and-coming coffee cultures) drink as much espresso as I felt like. It seemed a simple plan.

But that was before I got lost looking for my old flat. Wandering around the Butlers’ Wharf neighborhood’s narrow, cobblestone streets for nearly an hour and recognizing nothing, I began to think the building had been torn down. Yes, I was distracted by all the cafes, art galleries and Italian restaurants, none of which were there before, but I should have recognized something. Butler’s Wharf had morphed from boho student enclave to trendy urbanite hang out.  It seemed to have matured (like myself) and I liked it, even though it made me feel a little old.

But then London’s history put my young age into perspective. Around for millennia, it’s not exactly stuck in the past but neither does it ignore it. Wandering a short distance west along the Thames I found Borough Market, London’s oldest fruit and vegetable market and on Borough High Street since the 13^th century. With dozens of places to eat and drink as well as 100+ stalls selling all kinds of produce, it reminded me of how sometimes time stands still.  That is, until I saw the line at Monmouth Coffee wrapping around the corner. Described on my “London’s Best Coffee” app as, “the roastery that put London on the coffee map”, I didn’t mind waiting. I’d already popped into Rabot Estate, a café selling all kinds of chocolate bars and treats. Associated with the cacao producer of the same name, a plantation on the island of St. Lucia, it harvests its own beans and also buys them from some 80 farmers on the island.  I had decided on a cacao wrap there – a crepe with chocolate in the batter and a filling of duck confit, dark chocolate, dried cherries, coriander, cacao nibs and crème fraiche. It sounded truly weird but tasted delicious. It was so filling that once inside Monmouth I didn’t even have room for a shortbread cookie.

Nearly towering over Borough Market is The Shard, Western Europe’s newest skyscraper and now its tallest building. Its name appropriate-ness as far as appearance is matched only by that of The Gherkin, across the Thames. Opened in February , 2013, its’ three observation decks—floors 68, 69 and 72—offer 360 degree views from a dizzying height stretching  on clear days for nearly 40 miles. Designed by award winning architect Renzo Piano, getting to that view is entertaining from the moment you walk through the entrance. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed waiting in an elevator line so much. Who knew that the River Thames flows for 215 miles and is home to more than 120 species of fish? Or that London attracts over 14 million visitors a year, more than any other city in the world? And it’s not all interesting but useless facts while you’re waiting. Also taking up wall space in the lobby are fabulously flippant illustrations of famous Londoners past and present—like Margaret Thatcher and Karl Marx on a tandem bike with Paddington Bear lost off to the side and Vidal Sassoon and Vivienne Westwood giving Charles I a makeover.

While The View from The Shard is the highest around, I was more interested in another of the city’s views—the one from the ArcelorMittal Orbit at Olympic Park. With no television, I had missed most of the London Olympics but still knew about this much-talked-about twisting red steel tower set between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Center. It’s England’s tallest piece of public art and from photos and YouTube videos, I was uncertain if it was visionary or vapid. Standing 70 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty, Londoners have called it the“Eye-full Tower” and “Helter-Skelter,” and have compared it to a “contorted mass of entrails.” I needed to see it for myself and I also liked the idea of looking out from its two enclosed observation decks over Olympic Park, a place that didn’t exist the last time I was in London. And there was also plenty of interesting architecture to see in the park itself.

Or, there was plenty of interesting architecture. Evidently, construction crews began dismantling much of what London had spent the previous years building as soon as the last Paralympic athletes had cleared out of their dormitories. At the time my London visit was ending, Olympic Park was the largest construction site in Europe. Even before the first venue was designed, people wondered what would happen to everything at the Games’ conclusion. Ask anyone in public relations in London about the Olympics and you’ll hear the word legacy repeated over and over. And a big part of the legacy is that many of the buildings were just temporary with only a select few to remain in their Olympic state. The dorms are being converted into flats, the first of which, East Village, was supposed to be move-in ready this summer. Just an fyi, if you’re in the market.

I admit that “A Park in Progress” tour does not sound particularly interesting, but until Spring 2014, it’s as close as you can get to the completed post games Olympic Park. So I took one and it was awesome. I’d never seen so many cranes, so much earth moving equipment and trucks with wheels twice my height. From the safety and comfort of the tour bus, it was clear that the workers in hard hats were getting things done. They were not only dismantling things but also installing new green spaces and pathways for pedestrians and cyclists as well as converting spaces into retail and entertainment areas. And they’re also restoring the historic wetlands, planting over 10,000 trees along the way. That’s a legacy that I’m willing to bet hasn’t come out of any other Olympics.

Halfway through the tour, I promised myself I’d make it back at the end of summer to see how much they had pulled together. Geez, I can’t wait another 15 years to see how everything turns out. Besides, I’d only made it through 15 of the coffee roasters/cafés from the London’s Best Coffee app I bought. And it was impossible to choose my favorite sticky toffee pudding, although The Abingdon’s is high on my list.