Let's Build A Bar - Part 5

Let's Build A Bar

Part 5

Last time I left off, we had finished the flooring and were waiting on our soda set-up to arrive. The only thing I thought I could do to make progress was start working on the stone walls. We decided we were going to use stacked stone on some of the walls to create a sort of "wine-cellar" vibe. We picked our stone after an exhaustive search and then when we bought the large amount we needed and got it home it seemed a lot more tan than the sample pieces we originally chose. We decided to stick with it anyway.

This was a step that I decided I was going to do myself (for some reason). I bought all the right equipment including a big wet-saw. I thought "Maybe a couple days - kinda fun". Not so much.

Just about every piece has to be cut to some degree. Some of them had about six dimensions to cut - length, height, beveled edge on one end...sometimes on both ends, angle, beveled along the top edge, etc. Some pieces had to be higher at one end than the other (walls aren't always level). I spent a number of days messing with this when I could.

About to cover my punch list. I decided to use Liquid Nails adhesive and it was the right call. Some people do this with thin set or mortar. That wouldn't have worked for me because I spent time cutting just about every piece as I went. With the Liquid Nails you could just sort of put it on the back of each piece and didn't have to worry about mortar drying out. It's not coming down either - the wall will come down with it if it does.

We finally got it all up and I'm okay with the results. I've got a few pieces that I've already cut that need to go up to fill spots around switches and plugs, but I need to space them first so they're flush with the wall.

We finished the stone a few weeks ago and were kind of just resigned to waiting on the soda system before we could do anything but I finally decided to go ahead with counter-tops. I called a guy and he came out that day and brought a bunch of samples. We looked at everything - granite, quarts, concrete - but I decided to go with my gut and pick my old favorite...Bianco Antico. Nel was on board...sort of. She wasn't convinced, but I don't think she had a strong favorite to put up against it so she let me run with it. 

The guys came out and did the job in a day. It was a long day, but they got it done. 

I like it. I think it has subtle browns in it that come out under the right lighting and look great.

Branelle does not like it. She may tell you she does, but she does not. She thinks it's too busy with the floor and she doesn't see the browns that I do. She says she's waiting to see the backsplash before passing judgement. My mother, who's the only other person that's seen it, also doesn't like it. I may be the only person that does, but at this point it's not going anywhere. 

The soda fountain unit also showed up yesterday - being held here by mom because it will fall over if you don't. I slid the ice maker in to see if it would fit....and it barely does. The soda dispenser will go somewhere near where it is in this picture, and all of the other stuff will go underneath.

Nel also isn't a fan of this unit. It's exactly what I was imagining, but I'm sorry she's disappointed. She's pretty chill though, so it's not like she'll dwell on it. Plus, every time she comes in here there's wine! She'll be fine.

The next step, I imagine, will be to install all of this stuff, which I have no idea how to do. The soda machine uses the ice maker as a cold plate, and there are tons of lines. I won't get to this until October though, so wish me luck.

Big Ben

100 Places To See (and take a selfie) Before You Die:

Big Ben

London, England

When I do these "100 Places" posts, sometimes they're about the actual thing, and sometimes they're really about the location. For example - Pisa is a nice town, just like a lot of other nice towns in Italy, but you go there to see the leaning tower, otherwise there's really no point. Conversely, Big Ben is cool, but this is really about visiting London. 

Regardless, here are a few quick Big Ben facts before I switch to the city. Technically, it's not the tower or clock that's actually called Big Ben, it's the largest of five bells inside. The name is now the Queen Elizabeth II Tower, but everyone just keeps calling it Big Ben. Another not so fun fact that really slams home that this "100 Places" entry is more about London than the clock is that you can't even take a tour of it unless you're a UK resident - no exceptions!

OK, so Big Ben is really a bell you can't see and will never see unless you move to the UK. Still, for me it's one of the most iconic structures in the world and the symbol of London, along with the Tower Bridge. If you see a movie scene with either of these things in it, you know exactly where it's taking place.

So now that we've covered Big Ben, let's talk about the real reason for this post: Go to London. London is one of those cities that should be on every travelers wish list. It's got history, it's got culture, it's got architecture, it's got touristy stuff. You can spend a week here and not run out of things to see and do. We did just that not too long ago so I'm going to list some of the things we observed and learned. These are just my opinions, but here goes.

I'll start with the London Eye, since that's clearly where Nel is in the picture above. It's cool, and I would say do it if you're there. It's expensive and I wouldn't stand in line for too long to ride it, but if you buy tickets in advance or can just walk up and get on like we did, why not? The views are pretty spectacular.

Westminster Abbey was a real pleasant surprise. I felt more immersed in history here than anywhere else in London. It's quiet and peaceful and doesn't feel all that touristy...except for all the tourists. For some reason, the day we went it was free and not particularly crowded. I don't think either of those things is the norm. Don't miss it!

Another can't miss on your visit is the Tower of London. It's on the Thames near (not coincidentally) the Tower Bridge. Yes, the crown jewels are there as well as a number of other mini-museum type places on the grounds, but really it's just a fun place to go. There's all kinds of stuff going on and you can just walk around checking things out at your leisure. 

My favorite thing there were the Beefeaters. They kind of just tell stories in different locations from time to time. Pretty much all the stories end up with someone (or many people) meeting a gruesome demise, but they're hilarious! They have organized tours with Beefeaters which we didn't do, but I would recommend it.

Back to the Tower Bridge for a second. There's a tour you can take - we did - but I wouldn't recommend it. It's hot and there's not really much to see. Just skip it and walk across it at street level.

If you're visiting London, you're probably going to visit Buckingham Palace. It's very nice, but it wasn't my favorite stop. The tour is very "cattle drive" to me - you just follow a path and look at things as you go. Many people will love the clothing displays, etc., but I was not one of them. We had lunch out back afterwards and that was nice.

Another very touristy place I was disappointed with was the Globe Theatre (not misspelled - that's just how they write it for some reason). It's just a recreation of the original sort of near where it used to be. The tour just shows you around, but our guide was at least quite entertaining. If you're an English Lit major, or just a big Bill Shakespeare fan, plan ahead and actually go to a play there instead of taking a tour.

I could go on and on giving a thumbs up or down to the myriad of touristy things in London, but I'll just make a couple of suggestions and call it a day. 

I hate public transportation. I realize it's a necessary evil in congested places like London, but it's still just an awful way to live. That said, the tube works pretty well getting you around but don't forget about the boats. If you're moving up or down the Thames, the boats are actually really cool...and quick. 

  
Go to a soccer game (or football match if you prefer). If you can't get tickets to a Chelsea or Tottenham game, just go to one of the lower division games. We went to a Fulham game and loved it. There may not be anything more English than a football match. Even if you couldn't care less about soccer, go!

  
Get out of London. Do it on your own, or take a tour. There is no shortage of companies that will take you places and it's not that expensive really. We hit Stonehenge (which was also on our "100 Places" list and has already been covered in a previous post), as well as Bath and Windsor Castle. Bath I could take or leave really, but Windsor was a lot of fun. Regardless of what you do, get away from the city and see the English countryside for at least a day. It's not that pretty but it's charming.

Talk to people. Look, I'm not exactly a social butterfly, but you can learn all sorts of things chatting with local folks. They're almost always nice and they want you to enjoy their country.

Warning - This tip does not apply in New York.

Do something weird. We do lots of weird things when we travel, and in London one of those things was having tea at a place where you could play with cats. We really liked it.

So that's it. I highly recommend visiting London at some point on your travels. While you're there, say hi to Big Ben.