Stevie Wonder Soul Traveling Tour 2010: London, England

We returned to England with nearly a full day's worth of sight-seeing and shopping time in a major city. Excited, I set forth with my erudite shopping companions into the fashion meccas of Oxford and Regent streets, determined to find irresistible bargains, inspirational once-in-a-lifetime finds, and can't pass it up sales!

We stopped at Harrod’s and imagined being celebrities who can actually afford to shop there (YIKES at the prices!). Top Shop was particularly wallet friendly, in an environment that was highly averse to the American Dollar. Even parsimonious me found a couple of items that I loved too much and were priced low enough that I couldn’t pass them up.

Yet, Hélas!! Shopping is my Kryptonite. I am no shopper. After about 90 minutes of shopping, my shopping companions agreed that the spark had gone from my eyes and I'd entered a state of overwhelm. Despite my desire to partake in this activity which so many women the world over indulge in, bond through, and spend endless hours joyfully rummaging the racks and tables of shops from couture to consignment discovering items which elicit surges of euphoria, I came to this sad conclusion: I hate shopping. Can't stand it. Never have enjoyed it. I keep thinking “if I try, maybe I’ll like it”. Nope. Oh well!

The architecture in London is gorgeous. I love walking along the avenues, taking in the variety within the structures that still manage to have unique features among the cohesive facades. The hustle and bustle is nostalgic and familiar for any big city dweller (I lived in Harlem for years – once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker), with the rush of the taxis, the crowds of people with their destination (and not necessarily your personal space) in mind, shops, eateries, the ever present cacophony signaling urbanity – in both senses of the word! I love it!

Later that night, a group of us went out to dinner and sit in on a jam session. What fun! The band was hot, the crowd enthusiastic, the food delicious. That’s my kind of party!





The next day, we had our performance at the Hard Rock Calling concert in Hyde Park. The venue was not far from our hotel, but I suppose for security purposes, we were required to ride the bus together to get there. Unfortunately, our bus driver didn’t know where he was going (or wasn’t given explicit instructions), and we ended up being on that bus for 90 minutes!!! We had all hoped to arrive early enough to hear other artists perform (especially Corinne Bailey-Rae for me, as I’m a big fan), but that wasn’t to be. By the time we got back stage, we barely had enough time to grab a to-go box from catering, throw on our makeup and cloths, and hit the stage. The crowd was estimated to be around 80,000. Lovely. Good times!