Sim Carter: Past Tense Imperfect

Liverpool Station by Liam O'Farrell If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 55. I left off our walk last week bemoaning the fact that I was unable to dine at the members-only Searcy’s, at the top of the Gherkin. Today, I’ll start my day close by on the 40th floor of the Heron with a meal at the Duck & Waffle where they offer a ‘playful take on traditional British cuisine.’ Not only do they serve anyone, they serve anyone 24-7. With a stunning views to boot, from the highest restaurant in London. Take that Searcy’s!  You can see the Gherkin from the Duck & Waffle! Check out the link below ...

If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 54. Following the Central Line from where left off last week's visit to the Roman Ampitheater at Guildhall  , as we walk from the Bank Station along Old Broad Street to Liverpool Station, we can't miss the towering Gherkin rising almost 600 feet in the air. Today it’s definitely a case of a picture being worth a thousand words otherwise how could I describe this tall pickle-shaped building—a missile comes to my mind—clad in glass?  Located at 30 St. Mary Axe—Oh, I do love these odd British names that make you go huh? Why is the street called St. Mary Axe? Did St. Mary...

If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 53. Last week we took a ‘Closer’ look at Postman’s Park , today we’re going to wander down Gresham Avenue until we come to St. Lawrence Jewry. The church was designed by Christopher Wren in the 17th century after the Fire of London destroyed so many of the city's institutions and cathedrals. If St. Lawrence Jewry sounds like an odd name for a Christian church; it gets its name from its location near the old Jewish ghetto, Old Jewry Street is located nearby. As the St. Lawrence Jewry website explains: ‘‘This is where a Jewish community lived from 1066 to 1290. They came t...

 image via the Smithsonian If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 52. We can’t leave the area of St. Paul’s Cathedral until we visit Postman’s Park. I’ve never heard of the place but I’ve seen it on screen and chances are, if you’re a movie fan, you have too, even if you’ve never been to London. The park, a system of gardens built over a series of burial grounds—cheery, what?—was seen in the movie Closer starring Jude Law , Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and  Natalie Portman . Not only seen, the park played a key role in the film, and in the original play by Patrick Farber. Shall we look a little closer?...

Canaletto's The River Thames With St. Paul's Cathedral On Lord Mayor's Day/1746 If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 51. If you follow me on Instagram , you know I love some of Los Angeles’ older buildings. You know, 1928 and such. My imaginary London walks deal with buildings that are, shall we say, a tad older than that.The pub we left off at last week, Ye Olde Cock dates to 1549! Trekking forward along the Central Line takes us to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Now we’re talking old. And even older. The famous cathedral designed by Christopher Wren—the architect of many of London’s most famous buildings—i...

If it's Friday we must be back in London.   Every Friday I take a virtual walking tour ‘above ground’ on the London Underground. Using  my Tube guide & my fitbit® device, my goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day roughly following along the Underground route, reporting back here on Fridays with my findings We're currently following the Central Line.  Here are the previous days . This is Day 50. Wandering along the Oxford Road from the Marble Arch we’re traveling parallel to our walk along the Piccadilly Circus route. We’re quite near places we’ve visited before, Marble Arch which we’ve just left, the British Museum , and Selfridges. Today heading towards Chancery Lane, we’re having a look at a couple of literary locations, one well known to anyone who has read Charles Dicken’s Bleak House and the other made famous by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code. Photograph: Kurt Hutton/Getty images/1951 The entrance to Old Buildings and Old Square which leads into Linc...