On The Other Side of the Pond

You go somewhere cool and people want to know how it was. I promise to keep it short people. It was really cool to spend a week working in London. I debated all week whether or not I could live there and I never really came to an answer. Having no sun for really long periods might be an issue for me. I have always thought it would be cool to go live in a different country and experience the culture. If only for a little while. Work had me eating pretty much all lunches and dinners with vendors. I was booked on every tour there was. It was really cool to be on the "other side of the pond" to see what work life is like for our Head Office. I attended their weekly staff meetings. It was neat to see all the materials they gather from us during the week and how they present the materials to our President and higher up executives. I got to be on a video conference call with Japan (our weekly meetings with them are only conference phone calls). The Japanese were excited to see me in this time zone. It was really awesome to go to a vendor and brief them on a French Trailer and sit with an editor and see their process of thinking about what works and doesn't work. I had my mandatory McDonald's dinner with Julie, a co-worker who can appreciate a good double cheeseburger. We had learned while we were in Amsterdam that we both loved McD's cheeseburgers and fries. It was great to go see vendors you only heard of in emails. Even greater to meet people I have know for 5 years but never met in person. As mentioned in my last blog I stayed in a great eclectic hotel. It was one hotel room you could feel comfortable lounging in. It was homey. Of course there was the amazing showers. I had some fabulous food. Ate a Michelin rated French restaurant and had the best steak in London in this cool wine cellar. I was able to do some shopping at their brand new Westfield's Mall, and a little shopping along Oxford Street. I visited the biggest toy story I have ever been in...five stories high. And last but not least had one wonderful touristy day. One of the vendors took my work colleague and his girlfriend and I out to see some of the sites of London. We had brunch at Borough Market, imagine the best farmer's market you have ever been to in your life, then did a little shopping in said market, next took a tour of The Tower of London, walked over the Tower Bridge, took a ferry boat ride to Greenwich, had margaritas and dinner, found the best chocolate truffles, saw Big Ben and the London Eye, walked through China Town and last but not least saw an amazing show at the theatre called Jersey Boys. Absolutely, hands down one of the best shows I have ever seen in the theatre. Overall, it was a great trip!