Friday, December 9, 2022

Debs Does London Show and Tell

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It may be What We're Writing week here on Jungle Red, but for me that means a chance to show-and-tell from my October trip to London (and to go back through hundreds of photos!) My lovely daughter was with me for the first five jam-packed days, then I had another two weeks to do research for Kincaid/James #20. My list of things to see and do was huge and would have taken three months rather than three weeks, but I at least made a dent.

Top of my list was to see Little Venice, an area of London I'd read about but somehow never actually visited. This is the little stretch of the Grand Union Canal just north of Paddington Station. It's incredibly picturesque and there are boat tours, a fictionalized version of which is (at least at the moment) the first scene in book #20.




Look at that sky! Every photo I took on a sunny day looks almost psychedelic! 

Then, I wanted to see Charing Cross Police Station. As much as I've wandered around Charing Cross/Covent Garden, I had never managed to see it as it's a bit tucked away.



And although I'd written about the new New Scotland Yard headquarters on the Thames Embankment, I'd never actually seen that either. Here's the Cecil Green Building, now home of the Metropolitan Police. The New Scotland Yard sign really does spin!



Here's the view looking across the river.



I revisited much of the Bloomsbury and Soho territory of A KILLING OF INNOCENTS, and it was great to get my mental geography of London refreshed. I had lots of fun touristy moments, too. We had afternoon tea at the Shard. I didn't expect to be so gobsmacked by the view!



Here's Kayti looking glamorous with the Shard in the background. Borough Market, the best food market in London, is just to the left.


I rode an Uber boat, thanks to Kayti's adventurousness! The Thames in a stormy sunset was breathtaking. 


But out of four afternoon teas, my favorite (and by far the least expensive) was at the Wolseley on Piccadilly. Delicious food, delicious tea, and lovely service.



Favorite meal? The vegetarian restaurant Bubala in Soho totally lived up to all the hype. I also loved the lunch Kayti and I had at Noble Rot in Lamb's Conduit Street. Their fixed price lunch menu is one of the best deals in London.

Favorite wine bar? Here we are on the patio at Gordon's, the historic wine bar in Charing Cross. Is that Winston Churchill looming over our shoulders?



Favorite cocktail spot? The Botanist in Sloane Square. So fun and friendly, and the Bramble is delish!



Favorite new pub? The Surprise in Chelsea. Discovered by accident!


If you think I did nothing but eat and drink for three weeks you wouldn't be far wrong, but I swear I walked it off! 

Now I have so much material and so many ideas for the new book. The trick is to sit down and stitch it all into a story--many thanks to our Lucy for yesterday's plotting tips! 

And of course I'll also be looking forward to the launch of A KILLING OF INNOCENTS in February. You can preorder it here!


In the meantime, happy holidays, and if anyone has London questions I'll do my best to answer them!


72 comments:

  1. It certainly sounds as if you had a lovely time . . . and the pictures are great. It’s terrific to see the places that play such an important part in your stories. Thanks for sharing these . . . . .

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  2. I'm so envious of all that eating and drinking, Debs! Thanks for the great pictures. Say more about the Uber boat - I can't quite get my head around it.

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    1. The Uber boats are water taxis, a partnership between Uber and Thames Clippers, and linked to London Transport (you can use your Oyster card.) I went back and posted a picture in the blog, and included the link. They're used regularly by commuters but are also great for sightseeing.

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    2. Edith, thanks for asking. Deborah, looking forward to Gemma, Duncan, and all enjoying all your wonderful meals fictionally. Elisabeth

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  3. Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I have no questions yet, but I'll be making my first trip, crossing fingers, to London in 2014.

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    1. Planning some time travel, Dru? I can't wait to read all about that!

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    2. Always happy to answer London questions, Dru! Fingers crossed you get to go!

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  4. DEBS: I am also envious of all that eating and drinking in London! What's in the Bramble drink you had at the Botanist?
    I have never heard of Little Venice. Did you see any residents in the permanent houseboats?

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    1. Grace, the Bramble is gin, lemon juice, and blackberry or black currant liqueur, usually Chambord. And maybe a dash of simple syrup.

      I didn't see any of the houseboat residents but many of them are occupied. I did the boat tour from Little Venice to Camden Lock.

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    2. YUM, that is my kind of cocktail.

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  5. Oh, you made me want to go to London! What interesting places. I went years ago, and my husband and I saw several shows, including The Mousetrap. We hung out at bookstores, Hyde Park, but none of those cool places you mentioned. I will look forward to revisiting them in your books.

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    1. I didn't make it to the theatre, sadly. There's always so much I want to do and never enough time to work it all in.

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  6. Thanks for the tour through London this morning, Debs. What fun and what yummy food you had!

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    1. I'm happy to have had a chance to think about it all!

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  7. London looks so good...and not a spot of rain ;-). I'm making a note of those places to visit. What terrific recommendations, did the hotel help with ideas or do you read up on everything thing before you go? Joyce

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    1. I actually got caught in a record-breaking rainstorm in Chelsea, right after my Sunday lunch at the Surprise, and got literally soaked to the skin. Mostly, though, it was unseasonably warm the whole three weeks, great for all the walking I did.

      I was in a flat in Chelsea rather than a hotel this trip, so all the ideas were mine or Kayti's. My daughter is great trip organizer!

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  8. What a great trip! How wonderful that Kayti could be with you for five days.

    I admire how tuned in you are to what parts of London you were visiting. Irwin and I were there just a few years ago. We wandered around, walking for miles everyday, not realizing that a few more steps would have brought us to another scene from one of your books. Next time in London, I want the James-Kinkaid tour!!
    BTW, our best meal there was at an Indian restaurant. Devine!

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    1. Indian food in London is fabulous. Sadly, I didn't make it to any of the much lauded places on this trip. But I did have takeaway from Masala Zone and it was delish!

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  9. What a fantastic trip Debs! we all can't wait to see what you make out of it. I'm wondering whether you were provided a tour of the inside of the police station and headquarters?

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    1. I didn't tour either, Lucy. As much bad publicity as Charing Cross Station is getting lately, I doubt they'd have welcomed a snooping crime writer.

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  10. Great London tips! What is the name of the hotel near Earls Court where you used to stay, fresh off the plan at Heathrow? Now that Cincinnati has BA non-stop service to London, I'm making plans.

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    1. It was the Indigo in Barkston Gardens. https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/london/lonlk/hoteldetail
      I didn't stay there this trip, and rather missed it!

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    2. thanks! I thought "blue" but couldn't find it in the London hotel listings.

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    3. I stayed there on Deb’s recommendation and enjoyed it as much as a high fever sudden infection permitted. Lovely staff, great walking and eating neighborhood, and close to a manor underground station. (Susan Shea).

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  11. I loved this little taste of your visit, and all the great recommendations!

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  12. I’m glad you had such a good time and good food in London, Debs. Thanks for your pictures.
    The first question that came to mind was: would you bring me with you next time ? :)
    Only two months now to wait for reading A Killing of Innocents.
    Danielle

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    1. I'm counting down the days to the book, too, Danielle!

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  13. Just what the writer ordered! What a great trip! Even without the photos, reading a Duncan/Gemma book vividly takes me to wherever they are. Seriously, I feel like I've been all over London/England after I finish one of your books. Looking forward to my next 'visit'!

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  14. Nan McCann: what fun you’re having. I’m supremely jealous! The tea at the Wolseley is great… but have you gone for Sunday brunch? Try the Arnold Bennett omelette. Mmmmmmm!
    Keep having a great time with your daughter!

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    1. I have had Sunday brunch at the Wolseley, quite a few years ago, with my niece and her family. It's such a fun place. I put in the link in the blog post. Did you know it was built as the showroom for Wolseley cars? And it was designed by the same architect as the the Curtis Green building on the Thames Embankment, which is now Scotland Yard headquarters!
      https://www.thewolseley.com/history/

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    2. Nan: Yes, I did know it was a showroom for cars… but has also been a bank and Chinese restaurant. I love it exactly as is, now! 🙂

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  15. The Shard was not there the last time I was in London, visiting my daughter. What a striking profile it has. Where they lived in (I think, near Victoria Station) Chelsea had a view of The Gherkin on clear days; the skyline there has really changed in recent decades.

    The Surprise looks like a cut above the usual "local". And now I really want to see Little Venice. Like Grace, I'd also never heard of it until you and Rhys mentioned it recently.

    Speaking of Sunday brunch, is Sunday lunch still a big thing? Yorkshire puddings, yum.

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    1. I wandered in the Surprise, hoping someplace would seat me for a late Sunday lunch, which they did. I loved it so much I went back for dinner with a friend.

      I could have done an entire post on Little Venice! Another time! And Sunday lunch is still a huge thing in London and I love the ritual of it. I had a proper Sunday roast lunch at the Jolly Gardeners in Putney, but at the Surprise I had lovely fish and mussels. And on my very last Sunday afternoon, after the time change, I had a butternut squash risotto at the Ladbroke Arms in Notting Hill.

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    2. Sunday roast! That's what it's called. My daughter and son-in-law spent many Sundays looking for the best one when they lived there.

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  16. What great photos, Debs. I love how even police stations in London can look so elegant.

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    1. Charing Cross Police Station is very elegant and not at all the way I pictured, so I'm glad I got there!

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  17. DEBORAH: Love this post! The last time I was in London, I went to the Ebury Wine Bar on Ebury Street. It is within walking distance from Buckingham Palace and Victoria station.

    Have you been to the Ebury Wine Bar? I also walked a lot. I cannot recall how many minutes it took me to walk to Sloane Square, I popped into Peter Jones department shop and I met a deaf lady working there. She was excited about getting her first cochlear implant. She mentioned that she was on the NHS waiting list for a cochlear implant. I had my cochlear implant for about four years,

    Did you visit the Kensington Palace Gardens? I love the gardens in London. And Green Park.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, I walked down Ebury Street, and the Ebury Wine Bar is sadly no longer there. In my very early days of staying in London I rented a flat in Ebury Street and had been several times to the wine bar. It was a neighborhood institution.

      I was staying very near Peter Jones department store in Chelsea so did a bit of shopping there, and had my makeup done for my photo shoot!

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    2. Deborah, did Ebury Wine Bar close as a result of the pandemic? I have not visited London in donkey years (to borrow a British idiom)! I remember having an interesting conversation with a very cute young man working there. I loved a particular wine that was sweet and he was trying to talk me into trying a wine that was rather dry. We agreed to disagree.

      Hope that I will have another chance to visit London soon.

      Diana

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  18. What a lovely treat for us this morning! And an even better one coming up in a few months. Thank you for sharing your pictures and food descriptions. I truly wish I had been with you!

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    1. Thanks, Judi. Hope I didn't bore everyone! It was fun to think about some of my favorite things from the trip.

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  19. Oh, I am absolutely swooning! It just looks so wonderful, and you both look fantastic. And it brings tears to my eyes to think about having such an adventure. You have the best research! What things from your research do you use in your novels – – how do you decide what details you need? And do you have a plot sketched out and then fill it in with these setting details, or do you realize you need them when the time comes ?

    (And yes, I loved Lucy/Roberta ‘s plotting ideas too. Off to get some yellow stickies! Wish I could buy them in London .

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    1. Hank, it would take me pages to answer your wonderful questions. The short answer, however, is all of the above! I had a plot idea that involved Little Venice, for instance, and also Charing Cross Police Station. But I made so many new fun discoveries (the Uber boats, the Chelsea Physic Garden, Gordon's Wine Bar, etc. etc.) that I'm now wondering how I can work them into the story.

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    2. It will happen! xx

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  20. It's been so long since I've been in London, thank you for the tour! I love that the city has not gone all high rise and lovely townhouses still line the streets. Have you ridden the Eye? It wasn't there when I was last in London, and I love the thought of seeing the city swirl past!

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    1. I do actually love the new skyscrapers but they are in a pretty compact area and London is still incredibly walkable and green. I have not done the Eye--Kayti didn't manage to talk me into it this trip! I'm a wee bit claustrophobic and the hour in the little pod is not so appealing. But as much as I loved the view from the Shard, maybe I should give it a go.

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  21. Omigosh I'm salivating for all that wonderful food and drink. And I'm also so very jealous! I'll have to visit London vicariously through you by reading the next book and the next. I can't wait. As you know, you singlehandedly pulled me out of a serious covid slump. I'll be forever grateful. Now I must wait for February. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your daughter. What great memories she will have.

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    1. Lorraine, I'm so happy the books were helpful to you. That is the nicest thing any writer can hear. Writing A Killing of Innocents, and pretending I was in London, saved my own mental health, I think.

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  22. Thank you for the photos! They are gorgeous and make me want to hop on a plane. And the food! I have a part time job during tax season that allows me to take trips later on and I’m thinking Ireland or England.

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    1. I'd be happy to be virtual tour guide for England, Ann!

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  23. Looks like a wonderful trip, and thank you for sharing it with us. Life in different forms took me to London many times ( lucky, I know). I got to walk past the Bow Street police station, and to accidentally learn why "clink" is a nickname for jail, and see the Paddington shop right where it belongs (in Paddington Station!) Plus some memorable teas! All a long time ago. Miss it. So thanks for stirring up the memories too. Looking forward to the book

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  24. I always love seeing photos of the real live places I read about in books. Thank you for sharing your trip here.

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  25. I WANT TO GO NEXT TIME! This is my kind of travel (complete with daughter!) - Thanks for sharing, Debs.

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    1. Wouldn't it be fun to plan a joint mother/daughter visit!

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  26. It never gets boring to read the accounts of your trips to London, and to see your pictures! Thank you!

    DebRo

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  27. I'm printing this out and using it as a guide the next time I'm in London! Fabulous, Debs!

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  28. Thank you for this wonderful vicarious tour of London, Debs, complete with terrific pictures. I would never have imagined that I could have tea at the top of the Shard. And I never even heard of the Wolseley. Now it's on my list of places to see. Exciting to think of you already taking notes for scenes in Book 20 when I haven't had the delight of reading Book 19 yet.

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  29. Debs, I know I've said this over and over again, and now I'll say it again. You have been the best tour guide to London in your books, showing readers how endless are the interesting places to visit there. And, yes, I'm still pushing for the Deborah Crombie Gemma and Duncan tour of London. I would sign up in a heartbeat. So, with your post today, I am now adding Little Venice to my London must-sees. That picture of yours is stunnings. In fact, all your pictures are great. I'm so glad that you and Kayti got to spend time there together. I think it sounds like you got a lot accomplished in your October London visit. And, of course, I can't wait to see all of this great London material appear in one of your books.

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  30. Taking ALL the notes for my April trip!
    Lisa in Long Beach

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  31. OMG! The Wolseley' website! And the MENUS!!!!

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  32. Nan McCann: I adore Borough Market! My mouth is watering!!!!

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  33. Such a wonderful adventure! I shall wait anxiously for the new book. I love Gemma and Duncan!.

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