Abbey Road

Well, it was time to finally go see the road where the iconic Beatles album was shot. And isn't it the coolest that this, much like many of the tourist sites in this city, was full of regular people, school children, and mothers with prams crossing the street? It's so London that since this piece of history isn't thousands of years old, it's just a regular intersection with service vehicles and taxis. I loves.

My father was hilarious when I talked to him the other night. He said, in typical Ernie fashion (if you know what this sounds like, you might also be able to imagine the animated motions that go with it),

"Well...

...

Since you're there...

...

you kind of have to go see Abbey Road. I mean...

...

because you're there."

He's cute. Anyway, let's start here...

image courtesy of popartuk.com

We started the day getting photographed by this kind soul... (nice one!)

...outside Keu! Deli, a Vietnamese sandwich bar near Old Street Station. Side with me on this one: there aren't sandwiches in Vietnam, right? Anyhoo, the food was delicious and the people watching was a delight. Hipsters, floral-patterned "ladies" and well jeal models who couldn't partake in the goodness of a gluten-rich meal abounded.



And then it was time to move on to the Big Show...



We were fairly certain that this was the NOT intersection that everyone thought was "The Intersection", but it was only after seeing some graffiti and being turned down once inside the studios (more on that in a sec) that we realized (well, Erik realized. I have no idea what I'm looking at. It looked like a really normal street to me. Unless I'd seen the cameras lodged up on light posts, aimed at the street for the all-day-every-day stream, I wouldn't have known I'd stumbled upon it. Oh London, where is your signage?) The Intersection (wow that bracketed interlude was well long) was a little further down the road.

You might need a second to re-read that bit.

Anyway, as it turns out, everyone else was right...we were wrong. Oh well...I should have done some more research before heading out ;) The album cover was shot from the other direction, with the studios on the left hand side.



Ah yes, misplaced graffiti. Really? Does anyone really think that John Lennon looks down from a fluffy cloud and reads all this writing? Does he think to himself, "Wow, that recap of Imagine was well timed and spelled correctly"? No. No he does not.

Does Paul McCartney ever come back here and thank everyone for their kind sprawled, marker-ed words? "Oh! This guy really got me here when he quoted a whole song we wrote some forty years ago. Wow...I'm so glad we're still relevant." Sigh.

Alas, I digress...

This was my personal favourite: an abandoned keyboard. Now THAT is a gift! SO Ferris Bueller when he plays that song in coughs and sniffles. Loves.



This photograph marks the time when we walked through the gates clearly marked, "No Entrance: Private Access Only" and strolled into the studio. Upon arriving inside, two people greeted us and asked if they could help.

"Nope. Not really, we're just looking around," I replied.

"The Studio (now capitalized) isn't open to the public. That's why there are signs all over the place telling you so."

Right. Sheepish retreat.

(side note: the gate should be locked.
I mean, anyone could just walk in.
Close your gate.)

What we thought was The Intersection, but turned out to be the crosswalk just down the street ;) from it. What a riot.

Yours truly having a little walk across. How incredibly dorky did I feel right at that moment? (but also how awesome. I felt like I do when I watch Chicago [you know, when I dance around with Jazz Hands thinking I can sing and dance like Catherine Zeta Jones]: I embodied a Beatle for a moment. Yup...even if you can't see it.)

There you have it...one more check mark on the list of things that simply must be done before leaving the fair city (I'm glad I went, Dad). If you're curious, you can watch the intersection streaming live here.

Only five days and a few hours until I board that plane. I'm getting a little bit more than excited.

Showed my kids Bedtime Stories today (an hour of it). It was a delight. I found myself getting right into it. Ahh...finally the last week.