One of the many things I love about London are the names of its streets. You know: places like Bleeding Heart Yard, Houndsditch, Spitalfields, Elephant and Castle. But how did they get those colorful names anyway? The Associated Press recently looked into that question and came up with these answers:
* Bleeding Heart Yard is from a legend that a noblewoman's still-pumping heart was found there after she was murdered in the 1620s.
* Houndsditch comes from the ditch where people dumped dead dogs in the Middle Ages.
* Spitalfields, the site of a popular market in east London, is a contraction of "Hospital Fields." The New Hospital of St. Mary without Bishopsgate was located there in the early 12th century.
* Elephant and Castle, in south London, may be a corruption of "La Infanta de Castilla," which in Spanish refers to Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess who was the first (but not the last) to marry Henry VIII..
And there are more:
* Piccadilly Circus gets its name from a stiff collar called a "picadil" and a picadil tailor’s mansion called Piccadilly Hall. In this instance, “circus” merely means a circular area.
* Pall Mall, which cuts through London’s center, may have got that name because British nobility liked to play "paille maille" on long, straight streets.
* Chalk Farm, in north London, is a corruption of "Chalcot Farm," which the AP says no longer exists but was chosen as the name for the nearby Underground stop “simply because it was memorable.”
For a lot more about London, including a three-night flight-and-hotel offer starting at $599, go to www.visitlondon.com.
Everyone groan -- here comes a travel joke
A passenger piled his suitcases on the scale at an airline counter in Chicago and, after paying the airline’s outrageous fees, told the ticket agent, "I'm flying to Los Angeles. I want the square case to go to Denver and the two round ones to go to Boston."
"I'm sorry, sir, but we can't do that," said the ticket agent.
"Why not?” answered the passenger. You did it the last time!"
Las Vegas resort gives a $100 beverage credit
The Signature at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a Mobil four-star resort, is celebrating its third birthday with a deal. Throughout July, when you book the Signature Celebration package, rates start at $129 per night for a junior suite -- and you get a $100 beverage credit. If it happens to be your birthday, too, you get a complimentary upgrade to a one-bedroom suite.
Call 877-727-0007 and mention booking code “BIRTHDAY.” The website is www.signaturemgmgrand.com.
And speaking of beverages ...
The Deerfield Inn in Deerfield, Mass., is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a new tavern and name for the restaurant. In a tribute to acclaimed painter and late 19th century Deerfield resident, James Wells Champney, the name is now Champney’s Restaurant and Tavern. What’s more, the beverage menu features a whopping 101 custom-blended martinis, and restaurant guests get a free treat -- some of the inn’s signature Dense Chocolate Torte for dessert.
Visit www.deerfieldinn.com or call 413-774-5587 .
Worth quoting
“There ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
-- Mark Twain
2 months of music, dance, theater, flamenco
For 60 days this summer, Madrid will welcome performing artists like Sara Baras, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cesária Évora, Gilberto Gil, Jerry Lee Lewis, Youssou N’Dour, Carlos Saura and James Taylor. The Spanish capital’s Summer in the City Festival will have 1,166 performances – 65 concerts, 50 plays, 30 dance companies, 200 film screenings and two circuses. Events begin Thursday and run through Aug. 23. Prices, locations and times vary. For the rundown, click here. To learn about Spain, visit www.spain.info.
Fascinating facts
With a coastline of 2,650 miles, Chile makes up more than half the western coastline of South America. This ultra-thin country is between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, the earth's longest exposed mountain range at more than 4,300 miles.
Answer to Monday’s trivia: Buenos Aires
The striking span pictured below is the Puente de la Mujer in Buenos Aires, a 335-foot-long suspension pedestrian bridge The central portion can turn 90 degrees to allow water traffic to get by.
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