Greenwich...and the Equation of Time

Why do I bother to listen to what American's have to say about London, particularly why they've never been? It was for this reason I nearly avoided an entire section of the southeast portion of this city; my hall's RA at Ohio State was meant to attend the University of Greenwich the same term I was to go to Cambridge, so we were comparing travel plans and school locations and other essential elements of a UK study abroad experience, prior to our departures from OSU. It was during this conversation that she mentioned how she anticipated a perfectly horrid on-campus experience for herself owing to the fact that Greenwich is a dirty, industrial, and unattractive part of London. I believe she'd been there once before, if I remember correctly. Nonetheless and despite the fact I was already a lover of all things English, I could hardly refute her claim as I'd never been abroad, myself, nor did I know any distinct characteristics of pieces of London. The specificity of my UK knowledge was entirely lacking, I’m ashamed to admit. At the time, then, I felt a twinge of pity for her knowing I was going to what I considered to be the most beautiful campus in the world.

Alas, I never spoke to her of our foreign exchange adventures post-study to determine the accuracy of her impressions of the school or of SE London. In fact, I wasn't reminded of our concurrent studies abroad until 2 ½ years later, meaning this past January of 2012 when I was invited to Greenwich, myself. Another American I'd met in London had lived in Greenwich while attending Goldsmith's University and, unlike my RA, was a huge fan of the area. Though I anticipated a grungy experience I agreed to go along anyway, never one to turn down an offer to see new parts of London. After all, I’m a fan of grunge and dark, underground scenes. So why not give Greenwich a shot?

Greenwich Park, site for the upcoming Equestrian Games in the 2012 summer Olympics!

Despite the fact it's south of the Thames, just as Roehampton is, you actually have to take a very round about way to get to Greenwich from here, switching trains and going north of the river, just to go south once again. Destination #1: The Meantime Bar at the Old Brewery on the Old Royal Naval College Campus. As we approached, I was struck first by the absolutely gorgeous setting because, as it turns out, Greenwich has been favored by royalty since the 1420s and several increasingly grand houses were built next to the Thames. Greenwich Palace, built by Henry VII on the site of today’s Old Royal Naval College (ORNC), was transformed by Henry VIII into a sophisticated royal residence, modeling both its elaborate decoration and culture on the courts of France and Spain, with the emphasis on pleasure and ostentation. Henry VIII added a tiltyard for jousting together with an armory, kennels, stables, tennis courts and a cock pit. However, the Tudor buildings were demolished in the 1660s to make way for Charles II’s new palace, which was intended to rival Versailles. Its location on the Thames allowed Greenwich to retain its links with the sea, sailors and ships. The transition from sail to steam meant that Naval officers required more sophisticated technical education than they could get as trainees on board ship. 

Naval College at Night

Our position, at that moment, was adjacent to Trinity Laban, the UK's first ever Conservatoire of Music and Dance, ranked number one in both its specialisms, and located within the beautiful Wren designed King Charles Court at the Old Royal Naval College. And that night it appeared that a protest was in session. The night was alight with blue spotlights and hundreds of people spilled into the alleys between buildings. Everyone was shouting and the noise seemed entirely out of place in such a sophisticated setting, to be honest. Being the inquisitor I am, I needed to investigate. Against the will of my exploring buddy, we neared the back of the crowd where a film crew was assembling their gear. Another shout rose up in the night, but no one moved from their positions. I asked what was going on: We're filming a commercial for the botanical gardens.

Really?

Yes.

Oh. Nevermind then.

Moving on. We turned and headed back to the pub. The Meantime Bar at the Old Brewery is “a state of the art research facility and Meantime's experimental home. Here the brewers are able to trial, tinker and ultimately create extraordinary quality, limited edition beers, many in a style unavailable anywhere else in the world, including some wild beers (brewed using non conventional yeasts). Delving into the history books, long forgotten recipes, such as old Tudor style ales, will be given a new lease of life. Ancient recipes that used ingredients such as 'bog myrtle' or 'wormwood' are brewed alongside avant garde beers such as Mojito Pilsners and Juniper Pale Ales which have been specifically crafted to match the flavors and aromas of modern contemporary cuisine. The eight majestic 1000 liter copper clad vats (also called tuns) dominate the main hall of The Old Brewery. From their unique vantage point the Main Hall diners can witness the activity around the copper tuns, the focal point of this extraordinary working brewery. The new brewhouse's amazing high-tech design means The Old Brewery is an intriguing balance of the new and the old. Each copper tun will hold 1,500 expertly brewed pints.”

Royal Observatory

From there we walked along the elevated path following the Thames. It was then I was formally introduced to Greenwich Mean Time (no longer referring to the pub now, though the similarity in words can't be ignored). As we all know, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is a time system originally referring to mean solar time and is what later became adopted as a global time standard. What I didn't know, though maybe you did, is that the line designating GMT is at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. In the United Kingdom, GMT is the official time only during winter; during summer British Summer Time is used. For you sciencey people out there: Noon Greenwich Mean Time is rarely the exact moment when the noon sun crosses the Greenwich meridian (and reaches its highest point in the sky at Greenwich) because of Earth's uneven speed in its elliptic orbit and its axial tilt. This event may be up to 16 minutes away from noon GMT (a discrepancy calculated by the equation of time [see below]). The fictitious mean sun is the annual average of this nonuniform motion of the true Sun, necessitating the inclusion of mean in Greenwich Mean Time.

The Equation of Time:

Using the approximation for α(M), Δt can be written as a simple explicit expression, which is designated Δt_a because it is only an approximation:

And there IS literally a line. A bright green line in the sky at night. 

See? Everywhere to the West of this is behind in time, and everywhere to the East is ahead in time.

You'll also notice in this photo, about 1cm to the right, is the O2 Arena. Hadn't been there either. So that was, spontaneously, our next stop. As the name so cleverly suggests, the O2 Arena is (yes, you guessed it) an arena....for events. You know, music...and stuff. Plus a cinema, restaurants, bars, and clubs, all under one gigantic roof. What more could you want for full time entertainment? And yes, it's pretty darn huge; a kilometer in circumference and 50 meters high at its central point. If you turned The O2 upside down, it would take Niagara Falls 15 minutes to fill it, they say on their website.

Metallica at the O2

"One Mo Mile"

 

Paula and Mo

As a running addict, it's hard to top a day that begins with a 5K run alongside the UK's best international track star. Nike sponsored an event, in light of the upcoming Olympic games here in London for summer 2012, this morning featuring Mo Farah. He and Paula Radcliffe are the faces for Nike Running UK and both will be competing this summer on home turf. Today was an invite-only event held at an undisclosed location, only those those who were selected to run out of the applicants were privy to its whereabouts. On a whim, I entered the competition and received the qualifying email announcing my placement alongside other London runners, including Mo, to be followed by a meet-and-greet/Q&A/breakfast with the man himself. Obviously, unless your an avid runner, like I am, this even may not appeal, unless you're into meeting athletic celebrities, I suppose. In any event, I was thrilled and woke up plenty early to get myself up to Arsenal tube station with plenty of time to warm up for the run. In fact, just to log in some extra miles I ran part of the way there, as well, despite the bitter, icy clear morning.

Unlike most running events, this one was free. Plus everyone got matching 'One Mo Mile' Nike training t-shirts in addition to the after-event stuff. But I’m getting ahead of myself. So I arrived at Arsenal tube, literally running. It was far too cold to stand still and I needed to scope out the area and warm up my legs for the run. The grove where all the participants were to meet was admittedly quite well hidden. There is no way anyone would notice the entrance to this grotto if they hadn't been told it was there, specifically. Behind a 15 foot high brick wall with only a small door, up the overgrown dirt path, through the small foresty area, there was a clearing. The sun was still low at this point and hadn't crested the trees enough to even thaw the ice on the ground. I was one of the first to arrive. Slowly, more runners in all their tight spandex gear came trickling into the circle. In the congenial manner of athletic events we all formed small groups of 3 or 4 to discuss the morning proceedings; no one was exactly sure what to expect, including myself. I found myself in a group with a journalist who'd been given Nike gear from his magazine simply so he could participate in today's event; a tri-athlete and ultra-marathon runner from Scotland; and another fellow student who was merely a recreational runner. With 45 minutes or so to spare before show time, we compared training notes and experiences, backgrounds, and the rest, while standing, waiting, in this small clearing. Naturally, in our thin running gear we all began to freeze and the entire hoard of runners was visibly shaking by the time all was in order to begin.

After a mild group warm up they announced we'd be running as a group around the course noncompetitively, with Mo leading the way. That seemed fair enough since the competition would have been a bit unmatched, I think. Thankfully I had a pacer in the ultra guy because my feet were literally numb when we started off. If you've never tried it, it's not easy going into a steady-paced run with no feeling in your feet...a touch unsteady, really.

The group, in our matching black Nike shirts with the dripping skull on the back wound through a suburban course at a decent clip. We passed through a park with a petting zoo in the center, with goats and things milling about on one side, and a children's soccer game on the other (it should be noted the small boys were not members of the petting zoo, though the proximity might be confusing to some). We paced down a small hill and headed straight for the old Arsenal Football stadium which, my running companion inflormed me on the go, had been converted into apartments. My question, which was answered shortly thereafter, was what had been done with the inner circle/field? And then, as we passed through the complex, I got to see it for myself:

Converted Arsenal stadium

New Arsenal stadium

It was less than a mile to the finish by this point, ending at the new Arsenal stadium. The journalist caught up to us here and he and the ultra-runner sped up the flight of stairs, ahead of me. One loop around the perimeter of the stadium and, boom, done. The other runners who'd started at the lead of the pack were already gathering around Mo and the news crews for pictures and autographs. Naturally enough, I snapped a few on my phone.

Thankfully, they brought us in out of the cold for the remainder of the event. Inside Arsenal stadium, there was a big conference hall type room. Enormous, with huge windows looking out over the field. A giant screen played clips of Mo in training while everyone grabbed coffee, tea, and traditional English breakfast items from the buffet. My original group, the four of us, grabbed a table and chatted a bit more while we waited for Mo to take the stand.

Introductions were given and then the surprisingly small runner appeared on stage, all smiles. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and modest as well. Down to earth despite his achievements. His speech covered the highlights of his life and training, beginning with a humble start in Somalia, arriving in London from Mogadishu at the age of 8 and speaking very little English. He grew up in West London and began running at school when spotted by his PE Teacher, despite the fact he preferred football and dreamed of playing for Arsenal one day. But it turns out he had a knack for distance running, instead. He “was a very successful junior athlete winning the European Junior 5000m title in 2001. His major breakthrough on the senior stage came in 2006 when he won a silver medal in the 5000m in the European T&F Championships and later in the year won the European Cross Country Championships. At global level he went on to place a creditable 6th in the 2007 World T&F Championships and 7th in the 2009 World T&F Championships. His career took another step forward in 2010 with a 5000m & 10,000m golden double at the European T&F Championships and one week later became the first British man to run sub 13 minutes for the 5000m with a National Record time of 12:57.94. 2011 was a dream season for the popular 28 year old as he became the first British man to win the 5000m in the World T&F Championships a few days after winning the silver medal in the 10,000m. He smashed the European 10,000m Record with a time of 26:46.57 and improved the British 5000m Record to 12:53.11. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon and is coached by the famous distance runner, Alberto Salazar, and runs for the Nike Oregon Project.”

After his life-story synopsis, a Q&A. As I expected, people asked about his specific training and, as I also expected, it was a mainly high-volume training regimen; twice a day runs, just like me. As a side note: I always find it amusing how people respect that kind of training in professional athletes but question it in anyone else, like they do to me. Anyhow, I was curious, especially, how he avoided over-training and, thus, injury...and someone did indeed ask that question. His answer was simple; his coach watches him train every second of every run. If there is ever anything off with his form or in his speed, suggesting fatigue, it's immediately noted and corrected or adjusted for, accordingly. Plus, it is literally his job to run. He gets paid by Nike to be the best. He doesn't have a daytime gig. He does his two runs a day, eats right, has time for naps and plenty of rest, gets the best athletic training, and constant attention from professionals. That helps ward of injury, too, and keep you top notch.

Someone asked a rather silly question, I thought: How do you get yourself out to do runs when you don't feel motivated? His answer basically was that that doesn't ever happen to him. You don't run that much unless you LOVE it and you're competing to be the best in the world. If you're going to win you just know there is no shortcut; you don't skip days, take time off, chill out. That's WHY Olympians are the best. Their sport is their life and they don't compromise it by succumbing to the laziness of recreational athletes.

Despite the fact it reignites the jealousy in me that stems from the fact it's someone else up there instead of me, it was an inspiring day. Hearing someone talk about their passion, alone, is uplifting, but to hear an Olympic runner talk about the one activity I love more than anything else is exponentially more motivational.

And That's Why I Smile

 

I met an opera singer, an internationally famous tenor, who told me anyone can be a great singer with the right training, just as one can at almost anything. However, it wasn't I who mastered the art of singing in my family. That was my dad, also a tenor and, to be honest, one who OUGHT to be internationally famous. But despite the fact he can easily outshine anyone else in a room with that voice, it was I who was the first to perform internationally. Go figure!

In the last week I've been on live TV and sung in front of an audience.

Ok, ok, to be fair I was merely a live audience member in the first instance, and I was singing karaoke in the second. But to be doubly fair, it was also my first time doing both!

Another novelty for me living in London is the proximity to the entertainment industry. You know, film, TV, music, radio...all the biggest UK/European acts are produced right here. And in the case of game shows on television, they ask for live studio audiences, same as in the US. It's only now that I've lived close enough to the studios to be able to participate. Since these shows air once a week (or whatever it is) and since there are so many of them, they give away free tickets to participate.

I was invited along to see 'Million Pound Drop' and, never one to turn down an offer to try something new, I obviously agreed to go. I knew nothing about the show or the process or even modern television, for that matter – I’m pop culturally retarded, I admit it often – but it was an opportunity I wouldn't even consider passing up. In fact, I actually canceled other, less unique/interesting plans so I could go ;)

3 Mills Studios, where the show is shot, where we waited outside

The night the show was to air was bitter, freezing cold. So naturally I dressed inappropriately for the weather, as I always do. When will I learn it's better to look bulky and fat than be cold? Admittedly, probably never. Though in all fairness neither of us anticipated standing in line to get in for an hour or so. Thankfully, of the two of us, I was the one with the coat. Ten minutes into our wait I was frozen solid. 30 minutes in we'd been huddling for warmth but I was still visibly shaking from the cold. After the hour I was delirious and numb. Finally, though, with much pomp and circumstance, they led us in small groups into a briefing room (where it was all I could do to focus my eyesight, contact lenses frozen to my eyes and all, let alone pay attention). 

same, from a different angle.

A momentary thaw, and then we were back outside, marching to another room, a giant hall where they stripped each of us of all our belongings minus only the clothes on our backs. Another hour was spent in an adjacent room, another waiting room of sorts, prior to entering the studio itself. After we'd all assembled, after we'd thawed as much as could be expected, they led us back outside, this time coat-less. Just before my body rejected life entirely, we were rising up the stairs above the set of 'Million Pound Drop'.

Everything hovered 20-30 feet off the ground including all the platforms the contestants and the audience stood on. It reminded me a of something potentially from Star Wars, a giant floating platform in the middle of the room. For the next hour I felt like I was back on stage as a chorus member in a show, learning and rehearsing a scene, where to move and when, how loudly to clap and how fully to react to the primary scene – the game show, front and center. Despite the fact it was about 9PM everyone on the set was upbeat and lively, including myself. I became entirely preoccupied by the action and the surroundings, even before filming actually began, to even consider the discomfort I'd experienced for the first few hours.

Davina

Then we were introduced to the host of the show, Davina McCall, a super cute British lady who's actually quite famous, I hear. Interestingly enough, her children's school teachers were members of the audience that night. Two sets of contestants compete every night the show airs, apparently. The first set is always a celebrity duo, typically attempting to raise money for a charity. We saw the BBC radio comedy pair, Chris Moyles & Andi Peters, compete.

Chris and Andi

This is how it's played:

Contestants are given their prize at the top of the show - a million pounds in CASH. All they have to do is keep hold of it! Just eight questions stand between the contestants and their chance to take home the prize. This is played out on the Drop - a fiendish device with four trapdoors, on which the answers to each question are displayed. Contestants place their money on the trapdoor they think displays the correct answer. They can spread the money across the trap doors if they aren't sure. If the answer is wrong, the money they placed will fall through the doors to be lost forever. Just one wrong move could literally see thousands of pounds drop through the floor. Also, the Play Along game is available to play online during live shows.

There I am, the full face you can see in the second row!

It was actually a hugely entertaining show and since it's a game show you can kind of play along and guess at the questions yourself and pretend you're getting to play, too. The questions focused heavily on current events, meaning things that happened that same day. And the answers are quirky and seem almost ridiculous, making it pretty tough to select the right answer sometimes.

I was going to put up a link to the episode we were on but you can't watch it from the US. Bummer, dudes.

Then, different day with a different friend – who was aware (and accepting of) my constant singing throughout the day – we went to an American-themed diner place, fully equipped with bowling lanes and karaoke rooms. I was, however, unaware of the plan for the evening prior to our arrival. We showed up at All Star Lanes on Brick Lane and I assumed we were going bowling after we passed the diner section (which I was grateful for because I don't think I could've stomached anything on the menu). I was willing to suck up my sense of personal space and hygiene to don a pair of bowling shoes, though, if that was indeed the plan. We walked up to the shoe rack/cashier girl who, surprisingly, handed us a pair of microphones instead of shoes and then led us into a small room off to the side...our own personal karaoke room! 

She wished me a happy birthday, handed me a birthday card, and left after setting the songbook on the bench. My friend told me they'd asked if it was a special occasion when he booked the room and he just told them it was my birthday because places in London always give out free stuff when it's someone's birthday. And indeed, inside my birthday card with a seductive 50's-looking pin-up girl drawing on the cover (see right) was a coupon for free birthday girl cocktails at the bar. Someone even wrote me a little birthday-well-wishing note in the bottom corner.

So basically, my friend told me you could rent these mini karaoke rooms out for parties, etc, but he thought I'd be more comfortable practicing in front of a small audience (of one) before I got up on stage to do the real deal. Plus, this way you get to sing as many songs as you want without having to get on a waiting list to take your turn. On one side of the room was a little screen for the song selection and display. Cushioned benches surrounded the other three walls and a disco ball spun on the ceiling at a predicable pace. 

This was the room, but no, that's not me.

I was first up to sing and rocked out Avril's 'When You're Gone' with enough punk and precision to impress. Believe me, you can get WAY more into it in that kind of setting. And I agree, that was the perfect warm up routine for the real deal....next time.

East London

Once again I’m embarrassingly behind in my recordings. I blame it on school. When there are so many other papers to write, week after week, I simply cannot motivate myself to write in my free time as well. Interestingly enough, the first 4-5 weeks back, however long it's been, are dedicated to completing final papers for last term's courses. And honestly I’m alright with that. Not having a pile of essays to turn in on the last day of class was a huge relief and left me full of pep and energy going into Winter Break. Upon my return, then, I hankered down in my room, day after day, with plenty of hot tea and indie acoustic, to get me through the work. (Though I admit I still did my two-a-day runs religiously....why wouldn't I?) And now I've emerged unscathed and, quite frankly, doing very well grade-wise. But that's no surprise ;)

However, as I’m incredibly organized with my time, down to the minute of every day, I partitioned off sections of days and allowed myself, on multiple occasions, to go out and actually DO stuff, too. I would just cease to be me if I sat in my room all day, after all. That's just not me.

The last time I wrote I talked a bit about the street art in Shoreditch/Brick Lane area. Well, for this segment I'll expand on what those areas have to offer. Since my first visit weeks ago I've returned to the area several times.

Just outside the East Aldgate tube station, where I alighted on my first day of exploration, there's a small art gallery; The Whitechappel Gallery. It's tall and narrow and features several floors of modern and 20^th century art. It's one of the original East End galleries and has proven itself to be a considerable point of interest within that thriving artsy community, showcasing world-renowned artists like Picasso, Pollock, and Rothco.

This season, the featured exhibit was Zarina Bhimji's large-scale photos. Her project focused on abandoned places in India and East Africa where there was once human activity but now there is silence. 'Desolate but beautiful', was how these scenes have been described by the art critics. The other galleries inside didn't thrill me much, so I'll move on.

Exit Whitechapel Gallery and you're right at Brick Lane which, as I mentioned before, is a part of London infused with curry, jewish beigels (aka: bagels), street art, and underground night life. It's also a crowded market full of illegal sellers on weekends and you'll find people selling anything, from antique books to eight-track cartridge decks to vintage furs and shoes. Seedier than Protobello Road market, to be sure, but part of its charm lies in the possibility of strange discoveries and photo ops.

Beigel Bake is a 24-hour bakery on Brick Lane. Its menu is focused on bagels (which it spells beigels), baked in the traditional Jewish style with fillings such as hot salt beef with mustard, chopped herring, and cream cheese and salmon. Beigel Bake is the oldest bagel shop in London, and produces 7,000 bagels every day. The line, when we went past, ran down the street, so I did not try out this place, but I thought it was a big enough highlight to include anyway.

Keep walking north and you'll end up with the Columbia Road Flower Market on your right and Shoreditch on your left.

On Sunday the street, Columbia Road, is transformed into oasis of foliage and flowers. Any plant you can imagine is up for grabs, including imports from around the world. The single lane road is teeming with pedestrians and buyers and all the while the chants and deals from the barrow-sellers rises above all the noise. Behind the flower stalls, lining the streets, are sixty independent shops. “Small art galleries sit next to cup cake shops, vintage clothes stores, English and Italian delis, garden and antique shops. There is also a wealth of great pubs, cafes and restaurants. The shops have a common thread, a love of the flower market and its history, and a refusal to be dictated to by a retail world where the sense of fun has all but gone.”

After a jog through the flower market, heading west, you'll come to Shoreditch. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Shoreditch was a center of entertainment to rival the West-End; theaters and music halls galore. However, none of the most famous ones survive today. Instead, like many other parts of London, this one saw some gentrification and is now quite fashionable, proudly demonstrating higher property taxes, etc. However, to the north, east and south, poor quality housing and urban decay are still prevalent. Most recently, during the 'online boom' the area has become popular with London based web technology companies who base their head offices around Old Street.