Right in Covent Garden, off of Long Arce, is the "world's biggest and best map and travel bookshop" called Standford's. When I was living in London in 2010, I was lured into Standford's by the combined delight of two of my favorite things: travel + books. At the time Standford's kept their globes right at the front of the store by the front entrance, greeting everyone who entered with sight of the world. And it was in this moment, I met my match. The globe I fell for was of a modern design. It had a simple wooded circular base cutout with a slanted steel rod connecting the beautiful blue globe to the base that held it up. Just like pockets take a dress from good to fabulous, my love for this globe was solidified when I learned it was electric. The simple feature lit up my heart. But sadly a globe like this: modern, beautiful and bright was not cheap. And translating my measly student US dollars into GBP was a rough lesson in the exchange rate. During my year living in London, I would visit the globe from time to time, hoping that maybe it would go on sale.
Fast forward to 2012. I was in London my first and only business trip with the Guardian. My heart was still fixed on the globe. Santa hadn't given it to me. I hadn't received it as a birthday gift. I couldn't even find a retailer in the US that sold it (maybe part of my problem). It was a European globe. I would need to bring it back from the UK. So that fall, when I was in London, I decided this was the moment. I was no longer a student and had a paying job. I deserved this beautiful globe. And so that fall, I walked into Sanford's to purchase my prize. I proudly and delicately carried it on the airplane and found a prime spot in my New York pad for it. All excited to her it light up my apartment (and heart) when I went to plug it in, I shockingly and quiet dumbly realized that my globe had a UK plug. Sad and a little downtrodden, I told this dilemma to my friend Penny. As a Brit living in the New York she had a spare UK-US adapter. Saved! I plugged it in and delighted in the glow from the world.
Fast forward to the present. Wouldn't it be great to put this globe to use? [continue to POST #2]
November 2012: First lite up!
