Are you ready for some (American) football?

The New England Patriots defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today at Wembley Stadium here in London. The Patriots arrived on Friday morning and stayed on Park Lane (across the street from Hyde Park), a 15 minute walk from my flat. The team's lone practice was held at the Brit Oval cricket ground, located just across the River Thames and less than half a mile from my flat. I saw lots of Patriots fans about town over the past few days. Most seemed to be packing in a day or two of touristing before the big game.

I came across these two British Patriots fans on my way to the Tube this afternoon.

As for the game... I didn't have a ticket, but I did make my way out to the stadium a few hours prior to kickoff to see the sights. The NFL put on an official tailgate celebration that was worthy of a Super Bowl week. You needed a game ticket to enter the festivities, but I took the time to check out the entertainment on offer from the wrong side of the fence. I was unlucky enough to hear Kid Rock "entertaining" the crowd. My one "celebrity" sighting was Steve Burton of WBZ in Boston. He appeared rather surprised to be recognized.

What follows are some pictures I took whilst on my walk.

This is the view from Wembley Park Tube Station.

I took this picture from one of two large pedestrian ramps to the stadium from ground level. Wembley Stadium opened in 2007 on the same plot where the original Wembley (opened in 1923) was located. Wembley is the national football (soccer) stadium in England.

 

The stadium has a retractable dome roof that is not supported from below in an attempt to eliminate restricted view (behind a support beam) seating required in traditional retractable dome designs. The solution is a large and prominent arch that supports the roof from above.

Time's A-Changin'

I'll be shifting my clock back by one hour this evening when the UK moves from British Summer Time back to Greenwich Mean Time. That means for one week I'll be situated four hours ahead of the East Coast and seven hours ahead of the West.

Carbon Finance 2009

Over the past two days I've been in attendance at the annual Carbon Finance conference here in London.

The meetings were held at an incredibly fascinating time. Many of you have undoubtedly heard of the Kyoto Protocol, a protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty which seeks the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." Of course, some of you in the US may be unfamiliar with the specifics of the protocol because the United States, a state responsible for over 36% of emissions in 1990, did not ratify the protocol. The following map puts the United States' absence in the appropriate context.

Green: Yes, Gray: Undecided, Red: No

The conference centered on the fast-approaching summit in Copenhagen, where our collective path after Kyoto's end date of 2012 will be debated. In the meantime, the EU has instituted a cap-and-trade program for carbon and operates a fully-functioning commodity market in carbon emission allowances. The United States Congress has, of late, made some strides (passing the Kerry-Boxer bill in the Senate and the Waxmen-Markey bill in the House) but much remains to be done.

Delegates at the conference came from governments around the world, as well as from NGOs and private industry. While there were many scientists, economists, policy experts, and entrepreneurs from the United States, there were zero representatives of our government.

Recommendations, Solicited and Issued

If anyone is reading these missives and would like to see something specific in London, please let me know by posting a comment herein or by sending me an email at patrickjthomson (at) gmail (dot) com. I've been in London on enough occasions that I, at this point, might not know just what people with less or no familiarity would find interesting.

And here's a tip for you while I'm at it... Those pictures contained in my various posts that I actually took (read: that's most of them) are of a rather high quality and can he greatly enhanced by clicking on them. That might seem self-explanatory to many of you, but I wanted to point it out so that all of you could fully enjoy the scenery.

Finally (and, perhaps, most selfishly), each and every one of you should try to make your way to London (preferably while I'm here, but you should do it anyway). I thoroughly enjoy playing tour guide, it's a comparable (albeit much more comfortable) flight from Boston/New York as would be a flight to the West Coast, and, contrary to popular and inexplicably continued belief, it is not prohibitively expensive. If you can be flexible in your plans (and, with enough forethought, most of you can be) a hotel/airfare combination can be downright cheap at Expedia.

London is a pulsing and thriving city that drips with history, culture, and entertainment. What's more, it's the most innocent "international" experience you'll experience and, no matter what the locals say to the contrary, you all already know the language. I hope to see you soon - you'll love it.

What is London... Exactly?

I mentioned in a previous post that I am currently living in the city of London, a vast and international city with millions of residents. Many people have been to this great city in person and those that haven't have certainly seen its famous landmarks on television. Thinking of London conjures mental images of the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, and the London Eye. While all of these places are found in the city of London, none of them are located in the City of London.

The Temple Bar monument at the border of the City of London and the City of Westminster. At this point the Strand becomes Fleet Street.

The City of London, located on the northern banks of the River Thames, covers just over one square mile and is the historic birthplace of the sprawling metropolis of London. The full-time population totals approximately 8,000 and is increased to about 350,000 during the workday. The entirety of London consists of 32 boroughs in addition to the City of London, which is led by the City of London Corporation and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office distinct from the Mayor of London.

The City of London is bordered to the west by the City of Westminster (where I live) and to the north by the London Borough of Camden (where I learn).

"Change The Politics, Save The Climate"

I stumbled across a truly strange sight on Sunday afternoon. I was walking through Parliament Square when I saw a bustle of activity at the fences surrounding the Houses of Parliament. I made my way over to see what was happening and was shocked to see a group of 50-60 people had scaled the fencing and were now climbing up on the roof of Parliament. Once the group was settled on the roof, they donned Greenpeace UK t-shirts and settled in.

Perhaps most amazing of all is the British response to the action. I can't help but think that such an activity in the United States would have been met with round-the-clock coverage on all the various and sundry "news" channels and networks alike. There has hardly a mention in the news, either in the UK or, from what I read, abroad. The protesters were allowed to scale the building and about half of them were allowed to remain on the rooftop overnight, which was all they asked. Parliament reconvened in the morning following on its summer break and the members of Greenpeace UK wanted to be there when they arrived.

What follows are a series of pictures I took from my vantage point in Parliament Square...

Something You DO See Every Day

For living in the wealthiest nation in the world, Americans sure don't drive like it. Sure, you see luxury cars - BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, etc... That's nothing. Hell, here even the police drive BMWs!

All joking aside, you certainly don't see cars like this back home. I saw these three cars parked within a few short blocks not from my flat.

First, we have a brand new Aston Martin Vantage

Next, an Aston Martin DB9

And, finally, a Ferrari I'm not adept enough to identify by model

A Piece of Home

I spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon walking around the neighborhood of Mayfair, an upmarket area located just east of Hyde Park in Central London. It's a quiet area with few overly busy streets and a beautiful and predominantly brick architecture. In addition to being home to the likes of Madonna, Mayfair is also home to the Embassy of the United States of America to the Court of St. James's. The current embassy is located in a building of 1950s construction at the western end of Grosvenor Square. The installation boasts a staff of 750 and serves as the United States' primary presence in the United Kingdom. There are also American consulates located in Belfast and Edinburgh and additional offices in Glasgow and Cardiff.

The following picture was taken from the closest vantage point a camera-toting individual can obtain without drawing undue attention from armed local police or United States Marines.

And this next picture is one I took in wintertime a few years ago when all the leaves were down and you could get a good view from across the Square.

Since the 1960s, security has been a concern at the current location. The area is quite densely developed and there are roadways that pass within feet of the building. Security elements, provided by both the British and American governments, have stifled automobile and pedestrian traffic in the area. Nearly two years ago the United States made public its intention to relocate its embassy to a location that could be made more secure. The current location under consideration is in South London quite near where I live.

And, finally, here's an interesting fact... The embassy in London is not located on land owned by the United States, but, rather, on land leased from the Duke of Westminster. The United States did ask the Duke of Westminster to purchase the land and was refused unless land (primarily in Virginia) confiscated from his ancestors during the Revolutionary War was returned.

And here's another interesting fact (coupled with some pictures I lifted off the embassy's website)... The American ambassador lives in a place called Winfield House, which is centrally located on 12 acres in Regent's Park. Unlike the embassy, Winfield House is owned by the United States.

Up and Coming

I'll be posting pictures of University College London and more information about my course of study soon (I promise!), but, in the meantime, I thought I'd share some news that was released today to much fanfare.

UCL is now rated the fourth best university in the world behind Harvard, Cambridge, and Yale according to the THE-QS World University Rankings. That's up from seventh place just one year ago. Those displaced since 2008 were Oxford, Cal Tech, and Imperial College London.

You can look at the complete rankings here.

A Universally Good Idea

I'd like to take a brief detour for my typical pattern of posts to discuss something I experienced today, which dovetails quite nicely with the spirited debate in American politics this past summer.

As a bit of background, my health insurance through Cornell University lapsed on August 15th of this year and I went without coverage for five weeks while awaiting my departure for London. That situation continued until I squared away my coverage with a brief and painless errand after lecture this afternoon.

As a full-time student enrolled in a postgraduate course on a student visa, I am eligible for coverage by the National Health Service here in the United Kingdom. I popped in at the on-campus doctor's surgery today, filled out a single double-sided piece of paper that posed questions no more intrusive than "Where do you live?" (in order to assign a conveniently located doctor in my neighborhood) and "How much do you smoke/drink?" (presumably for statistical study), and I was registered. I spent a total of ten minutes in the office and left with a NHS number, which guarantees me medical care here in the United Kingdom. As an aside, the World Health Organization's oft-quoted rankings put the UK at 18th worldwide, well ahead of the United States at 37.

Shortly before I left the US, my sister and I were lucky enough to snag tickets to Barack Obama's town hall meeting on the topic of healthcare held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Throughout the summer, tremendous amounts of energy were expended on both sides of the political divide while arguing the merits and problems associated with making healthcare both widely-available and affordable. To be honest, I never understood the need for a debate. Every other member of the OECD (a group of 30 highly-developed countries that embrace democratic and free market ideals) offers better and more comprehensive healthcare coverage at a substantially lower cost than we do in the United States. In short, residents of countries like the United Kingdom pay less in healthcare expenses and are healthier for it.

My experience today reinforced everything I've heard and read to date: namely, that universal healthcare arrangements can be managed both competently and efficiently. It should be made clear that, as an economist, I am strongly in favor of free markets, except in cases where they do not work. A free market, where privately-held companies operate in the interest of maximizing the discounted stream of profits, will not arrive at the societal optimum in the case of healthcare.

The American system is broken and today I saw first hand the way to fix it.

Point A to Point B

I alluded to bus travel in my most recent post and I'll now take the opportunity to expand on that aspect of my day-to-day existence. The bus system in London, with a fleet of approximately 8000, is quite extensive. London's various and sundry bus routes couple with the Underground subway system (colloquially referred to as the Tube owing to its circular tunnels) and my feet to serve, collectively, as my means of local transport.

As I've mentioned before, I am living in Pimlico, a neighborhood in Central London (postcode SW1) located just south of Westminster, which is home to a good many of the capital's tourist highlights. I'm exceedingly lucky in that my two local Tube stops, Pimlico and Victoria Stations, are both on the Victoria Line and so too is Warren Street Station, located near the UCL campus in Bloomsbury. That constitutes Option One when it comes to my daily commute. Option Two consists of the route 24 bus, the oldest continuously operated bus route in London. The trip by bus takes considerably longer than by Tube due largely to heavy traffic in London. What doesn't help is the fact that the route 24 could very well double as a tourist service as it passes a number of notable (and very busy) sights in the course of its journey. I sat in the front row of the upper-deck a few days ago and took a few pictures to illustrate my point. I provided a bit of commentary prior to each picture...

I pick up the route 24 bus just next to Victoria Station and it commences in a generally easterly direction along Victoria Street in the direction of Parliament Square. The first picture shows (from left to right) the London Eye, the Palace of Westminster (Parliament/Big Ben), and Westminster Abbey.

The bus then circles Parliament Square in a counterclockwise (or "anticlockwise" as would be said here...) direction. I took this next picture just as the bus prepared to make a lefthand turn onto Whitehall, the home to assorted Ministerial headquarters and of the prime minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (just off Whitehall, on Downing Street).

The bus continues in a northerly direction along Whitehall until it enters Trafalgar Square, the historic center of the British Empire. The following picture provides a good view of the 170-foot tall Nelson's Column (the big pointy bit) and the National Gallery (the stone, columned structure in the background). The bus enters the visible roundabout at 6 o'clock, circles in a counterclockwise direction, and exits at 2 o'clock to continue north on Charing Cross Road.

Charing Cross Road passes through the hustle and bustle of the West End, home to the city's theaters along with many restaurants and pubs, and eventually turns into Tottenham Court Road once north of Oxford Street, that of high-end shopping fame. This specific picture was taken just as Charing Cross Road passes between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, two major centers of tourist activity.

My ride on the 24 ends just a short while north of that final picture when I alight at Warren Street Station (the same terminus as the Tube when it comes to my commute). Then it's just a one block walk to the east and I'm at UCL on Gower Street. I've intentionally left off here and I'll be back to show you my new academic home in the next installment.

Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral, seat of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, is located just off Victoria Street - a ten minute walk from my flat. I pass by the cathedral with a view quite similar to that in the picture below when I occasion to take the bus (more to come on that later...) home. The church, completed in 1903, is young by any religious architectural standard, especially that relating to English cathedrals. It's worth noting, too, that this grand church should not be confused with its older and much more famous Anglican neighbor, Westminster Abbey, which is located another five minutes' walk down the road.

Westminster Cathedral, October 2009

I took this opportunity to look through some of my older pictures and found a few from Christmas Eve Mass back in 2004 when my family spent the holiday here in London. I remember that we ran from the Tube station to the service and, owing to our nominally late arrival, were relegated to a standing position in the back of the church. This all came on the heels of having arrived via an overnight glorified Air Canada cargo service from Montreal that same morning. Suffice it to say that we moved through that Mass thanks largely to muscle memory of a Catholic variety. I learned my lesson and have steered clear of Air Canada transatlantic flights since, instead choosing both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic on numerous occasions. Connecting in Montreal and Toronto might save you a few bucks, but the classic idiom rings true - you do get what you pay for.

Christmas Eve, 2004

The Cheap Seats, Christmas Eve Mass