Nottingham City Center part36 Monday, November 22, 2010

Nottingham Train Station



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4XbiPHMDiY&hl=en

Life On Mars TV Show Photo Collection Friday, November 19, 2010

Photos of the Life on Mars cast, with music and sound effects.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1pFlt4R2d4&hl=en

Staying Power - The Bars And Restaurants That Stand The Test Of Time Monday, November 15, 2010

Here today, gone tomorrow, bars have a reputation for short-term success. But a few have the ability to ride the times and keep on top of the game.

Ten years ago, I was sitting in The Groucho Club one late summer's evening discussing with a now well known haute couture designer, the new wave of drinking culture that was enveloping the capital, arguing that London really had never been so exciting. Up until that point, drinks were very much a secondary element of the overall experience - wine was simply white or red, beer came only in a pint glass and vodka was whatever paint-stripper the barman chose to pour. But in the nineties, we were on the cusp of a cocktail movement. New-world wines were making the Chardonnay and Shiraz as commonplace as the Bordeaux, while new conceptual drinks like Red Bull were seriously shaking up the market, broadening people's drinking landscape and challenging us to think about drinking as more of a lifestyle. Slowly, what was behind the bar appeared to be taking over the focus of the night. People were whispering rumours of late night bars that were open into the wee hours, where glamourous glitterati rubbed hips with the international jet-set over Manhattans and Martinis. They, along with The Groucho, were the places everyone wanted to be seen and their popularity seemed untouchable to all but the most cynical.

Of course, everything has a lifespan, we cynically agreed: fashion is dead in a season, and a fashionable bar - well you wouldn't want to bet the house on it would you? We both concluded that fashions simply can't last and those bars, which today were the subject of snaking queues, would quickly turn to yesterday's news as would the drinks that were being quaffed within. Of course, in most cases we weren't far wrong. Mondo, Saint, Titanic, Riki Tik... all have fallen by the wayside having once been celebrity favourites of their day. Many others have turned from exclusive A-list excellence to godawful tourist tat. The Gin Sling became the Sea Breeze became the Bramble became the Vanilla Mojito...

But it's not all doom and gloom. Today, another ten years hence, I am back in the same leather couch of the same Groucho, and ordering from the menu a Red Bull, a drink whose ability to transcend fads and trends seems to symbolise the aspirations of nightlife culture. It has history and heritage and has attained almost timeless appeal. Fashionable works for a while, but every owner, manager and promoter hopes and strives for one thing ultimately - and that is to be the next classic. Because the classics, while small in number, exist on a plain far superior to fashion. Dotted amongst the sprawling community of one-off wonders that populate the bar world, a few classics really have stood the test of time, riding the cyclical waves to achieve immortal credibility. The Groucho is one of those timeless classics. Through the years it has always been at the top of its game, its members' list comprising the same names that populate the pages of the celebrity press together with the successful and powerful in the world of media.

Nowadays, octogenarian founder members sit comfortably alongside young achievers and its long-term future would appear to be set in stone. Embassy is another long-time winner - or more to the point, its ever-present Rock 'n' Roll proprietor, Mark Fuller, who ran the original Embassy twenty years ago with equal success. This most recent incarnation of one of London's most famous clubs, now with a fine dining restaurant that counts among the capital's very best, and glitzy nightclub in the basement, is a rare constant in the oscillating world of the fashionable. Another face that has always been associated with bar and club supremacy is Jake Panayiotou who ran original celebrity hot-spot, Browns for a decade before moving on in its hay-day. His last few years at the helm of the Wellington Club in Knightsbridge have seen the age-old members' club climb to yet new heights. But it's not only members' clubs that can battle through the ages unscathed. Music-led venues such as Medicine Bar in Islington, Bar Rumba, The Cross, Bar Vinyl and The End have all proved their mettle, while the likes of Hanover Grand, The Gardening Club and Iceni have collapsed into the annuls of 'hip' history.

So, what is it that sets the one-hit-wonders apart from the immortals? What makes a classic? Three characteristics seem to pump through the veins of all the long-term winners.

"Quality, choice and adaptability," says Cas, The Groucho's pre-eminent bar manager, as he deftly shakes up cocktails from behind the bar. "You have to offer a quality experience in the drinks, the music, the food and the people. You must give customers what they want and you have to adapt to the times." Subtly underlining the point, my Red Bull silently arrives at the table on its own tray, dressed with a single, perfectly folded napkin.

Can staying power really be so simple to achieve? With twenty years of success behind The Groucho, the club is quite an authority on the subject, but it was Darwin who concluded that "the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting to their environment." Sounds pretty familiar to me and, let's face it, you can't argue with Darwin.

HERE TO STAY

Our selection of bars that we think will still be doing it in ten years time...

MAYFAIR: Embassy

An all-round club for the all-round socialite, Embassy offers food on a par with Michelin starred restaurants, drinks that are as good as any great cocktail bar, a basement club and a guestlist that could double as a who's who of London.

COVENT GARDEN: The End & AKA

One of the capital's most respected dance music venues, with Mr C behind its success. Music is always ahead of its time and drinks are a world away from most dance music venues.

KNIGHTSBRIDGE: Wellington Club

With over 100 years of history, The Wellington has been reborn as an exclusive hangout for the city's hippest. Lounge bar and club rolled into one and popular with the pap's and the press alike.

WEST: Woody's

On the banks of London's longest canal, Woody's has become accepted as the members' bar for the music industry. Three floors of food drink and dance with a collection of the best music and cocktail mixologists in the country.

ISLINGTON: Medicine Bar

It was the bar that put Islington on the 'credible' map. One of the original DJ bars that has been made a home to the clubbing community of the 1990s.

CAMDEN: Bar Vinyl

Reputedly the first DJ bar in London, Bar Vinyl combines a record shop with the only bar in Camden really worth its salt. The bar is minuscule, but the offering is enormous and the future is vast.

SHOREDITCH: Home

One of the originators of the Shoreditch movement, Home made its mark before all of the others and continues to hold its own. It has moved from a scraggly basement bar to a slick, but funky cocktail bar and restaurant and continues to define the times.

SOHO: The Groucho

A favourite media hangout, The Groucho is like a party in your own front room with the kind of people that anybody would eat their own right arm to have turn up at their party. Now with a more modern bar on the first floor to complement the leather and wood ground floor classic, it is a members' bar that suits all and bound to see in another twenty year term.

HOXTON: Zigfrid

A newcomer to the Hoxton set, Zigfrid is most likely to be here in ten years. Brainchild of leading bar designer, Paul Daly, it appeals to the more creative Hoxtonians and since the district is a hotbed of creativity, it's proving pretty popular.

FITZROVIA: Social

A collaboration between bar gurus The Breakfast Group and music gurus, Heavenly Social, this backstreet concrete bunker of a bar offers some of the best DJ-led and live music about. Now with sister venues in Islington and Nottingham, Social is destined for a big future.

Jeremy Mascarenhas has been editorial director of the seminal London Bar Guide magazine [http://www.londonbarguide.com] for 10 years. He is also global editor of The World Bar Guide, an online guide to the best bars in the world http://www.worldbarguide.com, publisher of The Big Directory (a bar industry bible) and a freelance drinks marketing consultant. He has worked with most of the leading drinks groups including Red Bull, Moët Hennessy, Diageo, Brown Foreman, Budweiser, Asahi, Tiger Beer and Grand Marnier. Through his publishing company Scene It, as well as the London Bar Guide, he has published guides to Sherry, UK nightlife, cocktails, Japanese restaurants, the much lauded London Restaurant Guide and much more besides.

All About Christmas Planning Friday, November 5, 2010

Every Year on the auspicious day of December 25th, people celebrate Christmas all round the world. Christmas is celebrated to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, Christmas is celebrated to remember the day and wow new promises for the coming year.

Christmas comes only once a year and it is an important festival, which brings lot of joy and happiness amongst family and friends. Many consider different ways of cherishing Christmas such as, making videos and taking pictures. No doubt, it is a day of sharing joy, which hardly can be given a miss. It is very important to plan Christmas ideas well in advance.

Let's take a look at the following points which may prove handy for making Christmas party ideas:

Plan your occasion: Planning your occasion well in advance empowers you to handle the last moment glitches. Making a plan makes you enough prepared to handle the inventory list, guests list and buffets items.

Give a Bash: Make an initiative. Do not wait for someone to invite you for a Christmas party. Take an initiative and start reaching out to your friends and family members three months in advance. Make sure that you convince them about your efforts to make the Christmas a memorable occasion.

Pick a Place: If you own a farmhouse, make sure you celebrate Christmas at your farmhouse, as this is one of the best places to celebrate the festival. Invite your family and friends and have a bash. Farmhouses are apt places for celebrating Christmas, as they are far from city limits and let you enjoy a unique quality time with your family members.

Invite Kids: This Christmas, you may invite more families with kids, because kids add to the celebration. Their fantasies with Christmas only add to the fun and celebrations. Moreover, they remind you of your childhood days and the Christmas games you happened to have played once.

Christmas Gifts: To avoid last minute hustles, buy Christmas gifts well in advance. While choosing your Christmas gifts, choose the ones that resemble the person whom you are going to gift. Choose a gift, which suits to the style and nature of the person. Avoid gifting sweets or eatables; put more emphasis on gifting artefacts such as, photo album, rings, showpieces, wall clocks or a cuckoo clock. You may gift articles carved out of rosemary woods or sandalwood for their unique texture and fragrance.

Christmas Recipes: Out of many dishes, you may choose the ones, which are easier to cook and serve in bulk. These include Turkey, Sausages, Cakes and buns. However, if you wish to prepare special cookies for Christmas party ideas, then you may have to start preparing them a bit earlier before the festival. Further, choose those dishes that taste better with wine and champagne.

You may find host of Christmas ideas at christmasplannings.com. You will find many ways of celebrating Christmas party ideas at this site and thus, choose the one, which suits you the best.

Need an Idea For an Office Christmas Party This Year? Thursday, November 4, 2010

If you are planning a Christmas party in London then read on then, I attended this event last year with my office colleagues and we had a fantastic evening. It is an extremely lavish Xmas night, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that will transport everyone who takes part back to Dickensian London.

You can go back in time for your office Xmas party to experience the very essence of Christmas. Everyone is familiar with the look and feel of Dickensian London and that's exactly what is provided for you. It's an elaborate recreation of the Christmas party events that Dickens would have seen - but with the luxury and convenience that office Xmas party goers expect today. What you get is an exceptional Christmas party in London comprising dinner, dance and theatre. It will almost certainly be the best Christmas party London has ever seen - in the Past, Present or Future.

A complete office party experience

So what will you find during one of these Dickens office Xmas party events? When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of champagne before being taken down Dickens Lane, accompanied by traditional Christmas carol singers.

A Dickensian guide then escorted us to our exclusive dining area where waiting staff attended to our every need. Then we had all evening to experience the best that Victorian London had to offer, but with all the luxury that party goers today expect from their Christmas events.

Great wining, dining, dancing and more

As well as the fabulous dinner, we had the opportunity to visit The Boars Head Tavern, located in the centre of Dickens Lane, with its three large bars serving fine ales and the always popular roulette table. And to add a modern twist for a bit of extra variety to complete our Christmas party in London, there's a roulette table and cocktail bar with barmen showing off their flair and skill.

Step back into Dickens' London

Dickens Christmas party nights in London wouldn't be complete without a suitable cast of characters. So you get to meet Oliver, Fagin, The Artful Dodger, Miss Haversham, Mr Macawber, Bob Crachit, Jacob Marley, Jenny Wren and many more Dickens favourites.

The actors aren't just there to look authentic: the actors will recreate all their trials and triumphs to reveal the stories that are so familiar yet always a pleasure to experience. Don't expect stuffy performances - the characters can get very rowdy during the evening and love entertaining in true music hall style!

There are many other ideas for Christmas party nights, but this is the best I have yet to come across.

Christmas party. London has never seen anything like it . . . well not for 150 years!

Christmas party, London has never seen anything like it . . . well not for 150 years! Further information regarding this Dickens Christmas Party in London can be found here: http://www.dickenschristmasparty.co.uk