On the River

Jennifer, Jesse and I boarded a boat yesterday morning for a ride down the Thames to Greenwich. I've always used the tube to travel down that way, but the boat really is much more pleasant. It's interesting to see the city from the river -- the old waterfront warehouses now converted to lofts and offices, interspersed with new glassy condo towers. I can't even imagine how strange it would be to live right on the Thames, with all that river traffic passing through the back yard.

Greenwich is a mess right now, amid all the preparations for the Olympics. The equestrian events are being held there, and huge areas of green space in and around the park and the Queen's Palace have been fenced off and built up with towering bleachers. Walking through is like navigating a metal maze.

We went to the Royal Observatory, the Greenwich Market and the Royal Naval College, with its buildings by Christopher Wren. True to form, Jesse wanted to go back to the hotel -- but he managed to take it all in very patiently.

Last night Dave joined us and we went to St. John, the home of nose-to-tail cooking, at Jesse's request. Jesse had heard me talk about the duck heart salad and he really wanted to try it, but sadly, it wasn't on the menu. He had to settle for pig's cheek and ox tongue, and he got to try Dave's main course of sweetbreads. Mystifyingly, given Jesse's generally unadventurous approach to tourism, he loved all three.

I, however, went conservative and got baked chicken.

(Photos: Houses on the Thames, and a leafy shadow in our neighborhood in Notting Hill.)