Well who is he, Mr. Rand McNally...

"I dreamed I went to England, and met the Spice Girls there for tea. They lost one more and down one more to my favorite number three. But they're still quite spicy, as the orange flavor, now do me a favor and lick my icing under the table now. But I've got to leave town Mr. 'Nally- just as Scary Spice was about to go down on me!" Jason Mraz

3/13- London, I started the day with an "English Breakfast", which consisted of a bowl of cornflakes, water and a croissant; which would be much of the same as a normal breakfast for me, minus the pastry. I set out on foot to the Glouster Road underground station via the District Line to Westminster, where I changed for the Waterloo Line to get to Waterloo Station. My first destination of the day was the London Ambulance Service. They are headquartered out of Waterloo Rd., on the south side of the Thames. Right next to Waterloo Station there is a converted fire station turned restaurant aptly named Firehouse. When I got to the LAS headquarters I managed to photograph a number of vehicles, and was able to get a motorcycle paramedic to pose. Inside, I spoke with a representative from their Media Department. Unfortunately, they were unable to provide a paramedic to interview, but I realise I am not the New York Times. I got some very good information (yes in shorthand) and an e-mail address to send follow-up questions to. Protip: Bring credentials when interviewing emergency service workers, they treat you differently than a regular journalist. While I was there, a doctor and an air ambulance paramedic came in from a run.

London has a quite interesting set-up. It has both paid and volunteer components to it. LAS is less like FDNY, and more like New Jersey's volunteer ambulance services if they all regionalised and functioned like they are supposed to. LAS has some components that could be integrated into our system in New Jersey, and really benefit us, like Clinical Telephone Advisers (CTA). LAS realised that not every patient needs to go to an emergency room. When a 999 emergency call (our 911 equivalent) is determined not to be an emergency, a CTA steps in either over the phone, or goes out into the field and determines the most appropriate course of action. It could be to arrange a doctor's visit at the patients leisure, a trip to the pharmacist, or a non-emergency transport to a hospital or urgent care facility. This option has greatly reduced the impact of non-emergent cases in hospitals and Emergency Departments. Just think of how many patients we could keep out of our EDs if we implemented a system like that? Bypass might go away during peak seasons.

I also got a kick out of their bicycle paramedics. In London, they are more than just for special operations. They are used year round to respond in congested areas of the city where motorised vehciles are delayed (including the motorcycle medics). The bicycle medics are also used inside the terminals at Heathrow. Take that RAmbulance.

After finishing up at the London Ambulance Service, I walked over to the British Airways London Eye, and took a "flight". Unlike NYC, the London skyline's most photogenic areas are isolated. The Victoria Embankment and its opposing side of the Thames are one of the two most impressive areas which fortunately had a good view from the Eye.

From the Eye I continued up the Southwark, stopping to photograph a street performer making bubbles. I headed over the Thames to St. Pancras/Kings Cross Station where I grabbed lunch at a nearby pub.

For those of you familiar with my life, you know that fish and chips have usually eluded me throughout my adult life when I am in areas uniquely poised to provide that meal, eg. trips to the shore with Anika, Dom and Sean; so I was quite pleased with the fact that I could readily get it. I was also pleased to get a pint of cider and a pint of Stonehenge Seasonal Lager, which in an apparent Dutch Spring tradition, is coloured green. I also discovered that the English has a macabre sense of humor, as one of their best selling ales is Captain Smith's Private Stock, being the same Capt. Smith of the RMS Titanic.

Content and liquored up, I headed up the Strand towards St. Paul's Cathedral stopping to photograph things here and there like the royal courts and the RAF chapel. St. Paul's is the second largest cathedral in Europe, behind the Vatican.. Unfortunately for the Protestants, I'm sure, I did not find the three-hundred year old cathedral as impressive. That is not to say it is without merits. Historic figures like the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Horatio Nelson, Florence Nightengale and Sir Christopher Wren, whose tombstone reads- "If you need a monument, look around you", are among the glorious dead interred here. The Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery are quite impressive, the latter offering great views of the cities of London and Westminster.

Across the street from St. Paul's is a monument to the Fire Brigade for their wartime efforts.

Then it was down from the cathedral and over the Thames via the Millennium Bridge to the Southwark again. I headed over to the Globe Theater. Unfortunately, it was still too early to have performances, but I did take the tour and learned a lot about London during Elizabethan times. Additionally, you really learn a lot about how Shakespeare's plays were meant to be heard, and not seen. Apparently it was customary for people to talk throughout the plays, and for the actors to interact with the audience while in character. This just reinforces my belief that Shakespeare is best understood through the spoken word, not read.

From the Bard's playhouse, I continued up the Southwark. In my humblest opinion, there is a magical hour in London in which it is best viewed; dusk. I arrived at the Tower Bridge at just the right time, providing for some spectacular photographs. The Tower Bridge area is quite extraordinarily lit at night. For whatever reason, the London Bridge, Tower of London, and a few other buildings were lit red that night.

After I finished up photographing, I decided to call it a night. I had done a lot of walking, and had been up quite early that day. I took a District Line train from Tower Hill back to Glouster Road station, and walked back towards my hotel. I stopped at Sainsbury's and picked up take-away pasta and some Walkers Crisps (Lays brand in the UK)along the way. I got back to the room at about 2230, and passed out for the night.

All about the wordplay

As Shakespeare wrote, "Portrait of a blinking idiot". It fits so well, for so many people. Think about that tonight at your precious dinner. Meanwhile, back in New Jersey...

Just touched down in London town

I took a Picadilly Line train from Heathrow Terminal 4 to the Earls Court underground with one of the couples from the wedding party. Getting to the hotel was painless, and not that bad of a walk. However, being that it was only 0700, there was no way to check in. I dropped off my luggage, and went for a walk. My walk took me to Westminster, Victoria Embankment, Whitehall (where I was able to see the changing of the horse guards ceremony), Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. For those of you who don't know, the British Museum contains the spoils of the British Empire, and houses many fascinating exhibits. My personal favorites were the Egyptian exhibit, and some mummies, as well as the Rosetta Stone. The Asian exhibits were also quite interesting. I am bringing back a terracotta warrior. As previously mentioned, I still had not really slept much since Monday. At the time, it was Thursday on both continents. I made it back to the hotel around 1730, and passed out until 0100. Thank the gods for Sainsbury's, which is a Pathmark on steroids, where I was able to get some food; a roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce and a potato salad in which the mayo was mixed with mint, and a ginger beer soda. Note to the public, ginger beer and ginger ale are not in any way similar. Also, these things do not all taste very good together. Oh well, the sign at the entrance to Sainsbury's advised to "Try something different", and that's exactly what I did.

My own little square of the airport

I cleared the TSA checkpoint with plenty of time to spare. Pre-flight was nothing to speak of. It went very smoothly. The flight over, however, was fun. It is either a small world, or I was on a very large plane. I sat next to two women from Bergen County, one from Franklin Lakes, and the other from Mahwah. The woman from Mahwah is actually next door neighbors to my boss (MPD Chief), and knows the homeowner from the Alexandria structure fire, as well as being good friends with one of my former EMS Lieutenants and her son (another MPD dispatcher) and two other co-workers of mine. They, along with some of their friends, are on their way to London for a friend's wedding. Very nice people, and fun loving too!

As some of you may know, I have a sickness. I look forward to airline food. I chose the chicken, and it did not disappoint. I got to see Eagle Eye on the way over, and continued to read the Bourne Identity; I started that on the trip over to Prague in August.

All and all, a pleasant ride. There were a few patches of turbulence, my 777 got knocked around a bit, but we landed at Heathrow (LHR) without incident.

Escape velocity

Multi-patient MVAs and structure fires on Tuesday, combined with no sleep since Monday made Wednesday very long. Last minute packing and running around; I forgot my tri-pod, tape recorder and travel charger. I am going to have to re-learn how to write in shorthand. I got everything else at least. Mad dash to Newark Liberty (EWR), Terminal C.

Home

What is home? Is it a place, or is it a connection?