DESTINATION Navajo Joe, London
INSPIRATION Luke Donald, PGA golfer and college friend, shows me another side of London.
Sitting cross-legged on a dirty, dusty college frat house floor, throwing ping-pong balls into cups of beer is my favorite memory with Luke Donald. That guy is an intense competitor. As we played our game of Cups, Luke got more serious. I remember finding a magazine with Tiger Woods on the cover and putting it behind the cups in hopes of distracting Luke. It only pushed him to do better—he beat Tiger’s low stroke average one year while we were at college. Can I take some credit for that?
When I arrived in London, I was thrilled to find out Luke would be there too—but only overlapping two nights with me. I was immediately on it, determined to hang out together while we were there. Luke was game but a little disappointed that I was more interested in visiting with him then re-enacting the beautiful date night with his wife that he had described in his travel moment email to me.
FROM Luke Donald
TO Angie Banicki
subject RE: Hi!!!
Here was one of my favorite days out in London:
While planning a night out with some friends, I decided to go all out and spend a night in London at the famous Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park in Knightsbridge. The rooms are classical and elegant, and although the hotel is far from cheap (not sure that you can find anything cheap in London!) the location is one of the best there is.
After a lazy morning, my wife and I crossed the busy Knightsbridge street, and ducked under Harvey Nichols to a little restaurant called Wagamama’s - a far from chic place, where the seating is communal along benches. The staff are friendly though and the food is great, specializing in Japanese noodles and soups - a great little place to meet up for a casual lunch with friends, before embarking on some serious shopping.
That night, after a little nap to get ready for the evening’s festivities, we got all dressed up. London is all about looking sharp, and making an effort, somewhat like New York, so it’s a good idea to bring some of your best outfits. After waiting for my wife to finish glamming up, we went downstairs to the hotel bar to meet up with our friends. The bar is a very chic and cozy little spot. Make sure to go early if you want to get a seat.
After a couple of cocktails, we headed over to Zuma, a 5-minute walk away. Zuma again is very trendy, and usually has some paparazzi outside, just waiting for the many celebs that like to go there. Zuma is very much like Japonais in Chicago, an Asian style restaurant where the food is best shared and enjoyed together.
It’s all good on the menu, you really can’t go wrong. As we were a large group we had one of the back tables, where you sit on little cushions with your shoes off, which in hindsight was probably a little too private, as it was a little away from the hustle and bustle of the main dining room. I strongly recommend the mojitos; they’re delicious and really easy to drink. After a few of these, the night will take care of itself......
Hope that helps!
Luke
Like it or not, Luke Donald was going to be my Luke Donald moment. That evening started with a friend at a restaurant called Hakkasan, recommended to me by another friend, director Frank E. Flowers. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk down a small, dark street. At the end, a guy in a trench coat checks for your reservation before letting you inside, down a long, plain staircase into the subterranean restaurant. Blue lights and lattice walls, very dramatic. It was a great meal, and we sampled all the fun drinks before heading to meet Luke and his high school buddies for karaoke.
Our karaoke experience in London was kind of like that Cups memory I have—dusty, boozy, and fun. Vodka tonics all around in the basement bar of a converted warehouse. Luke’s high school buds had a similar gentle kindness as Luke’s, setting us at ease even before the drinks did.
It was fun to watch Luke in his element. His accent got a little stronger, his mannerisms more defined. He and his friends went full-on goofball, doing a group number.
Ultimately, we closed out the place. Clothes on, of course.
BIO >> LUKE DONALD
The funny thing about the world-renowned pro-golfer Luke Donald is that he’s shy and quiet. He was that way at Northwestern, where he studied art theory, and he still is now that he’s held the title of World Number One. (He held it for 55 weeks!) In fact, the night we spent together in London was the most extroverted I’ve ever seen him. Luke’s ability to live his passions–his golf career, his family life, his interest in food and wine—while remaining down-to-earth and available to old friends inspires me enormously.
THE HISTORY OF KARAOKE
“The word karaoke comes from kara, empty (as in karate – empty hand) and oke, (short for okesutora) orchestra. While most people agree that it started in Kobe, Japan, the origins of karaoke are obscure. One story claims that a snack bar owne,r when a performer failed to appear, put on tapes of music and asked people if they wanted to sing. From such insignificant beginnings, karaoke has spread, not just throughout Japan, but also throughout the world, and the term karaoke – while pronounced differently – has been accepted into common language usage. – From Essortment.com’s “History of Karaoke”
TRIPPING POINT
Karaoke is the world’s universal language.
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