A long-planned visit from Rhonda Campbell occurred yesterday. Rhonda and I have been Facebook friends via our mutual Oceanside (NY) High School (OHS) friend Debra Pasvol Donahue. They both live in California now but all three of us attended OHS at the same time and then, Rhonda and I were at SUNY Oneonta at the same time. We met in front of Kings Cross Saint Pancras and made out way to Camden Market via the Northern Line. There are several markets in the area, and we visited almost all of them. The markets were a chaotic, crowded, and colorful world selling all kinds of souvenirs, food, supplies and clothing.
Rhonda and I found a nice cafe with some outside seating overlooking one of the canal locks with houseboats on either side of it. We stopped at their indoor pavilion to request the one open table. The host directed us to the table, but another woman tried to steal it from us. Rhonda, showing her true New York roots was not letting that happen! Before the host could get to us to shoo the interloper away, Rhonda had us comfortably seated! During our beverage we were able to get to know each other better. We both had a connection with the nuclear power industry over the course of our careers! During the afternoon, we found that we did have mutual friends and acquaintances in addition to Debra. We both had been friends with a fellow named Danny Cohen who was another alumnus of both OHS and SUNY Oneonta. We were both disappointed that he seems to have dropped off the radar. I was able to Rhonda about my OHS classes recent reunion and she recognized some of my classmates that attended.
After we completed our exploration of the markets, we made our way back to Camden Town Tube Station and headed back to Kings Cross where I took Rhona on a tour of “my” neighborhood, pointing out some of my favorite haunts. Like everyone visiting the area, she was quite impressed with the Saint Pancras Hotel.
From there we walked down Judd Street, past the Half Cup, a delightful local cafe, Clare Court, where my flat is located, and through the neighborhood where I could show her the array of shops and restaurants, including The Observatory, the combined cafe and art photography gallery, and to Rhonda’s delight, an international bazaar shop that she disappeared into while I took the chance to rehydrate. Next, Rhonda had the chance to experience a London post office, located within a “general store.”
We continued into The Brunswick Centre, the local shopping centre, for Rhonda to buy a few items for her plane trip home from the neighborhood Waitrose. No trip to my corner of Kings Cross and Bloomsbury would be complete without a visit to Russell Square itself and, of course, Caffe Tropea. We were just in time for a late afternoon coffee (for me) and herbal tea (for Rhonda).
All that was left for us as the afternoon moved toward early evening was dinner back at Brunswick Centre at the new and interesting restaurant, Riding House Bloomsbury. One reviewer described the menu, in part, as: “dishes like Earl Grey cured trout with citrus kosho & sour cream; flat iron steak & comte yakitori; caraway harissa chicken & cassava chips with fennel & cardamom gravy; teriyaki rabbit legs with shiitake mushroom & sweet potato champ; miso grilled sea bass with nuoc cham & pickled cucumber; and hot doughnuts with milk jam.” The menu and the food did not disappoint. The service was good. We chose to dine outside under a canopy. It was a very comfortable and enjoyable dinner.
After dinner, it was a brief walk over to the Russell Square Tube Station for Rhonda’s ride back to get some rest before her flight back to San Jose. Life is grand when you make new friends. Rhonda is a delightful lady who is a great listener (anybody who knows me, knows you have to be when I get wound up and start yacking). We had a great day together.
Mark In London 