Montag, 4. Juni 2012

London Meet-Up Diary


NCISLA Familia Meet Up – London 2012!

When I first happen to mentioned to sindee that I was headed to London on holiday at the end of May, her immediate response was: “How about if we plan a mini NCISLA Familia meet up?” Well, how could I turn down that invitation? Before I knew it, the invitations were posted on this blog and plans for the first NCISLA Familia meet up were underway! I would be remiss if I didn’t keep a diary of the magical two days we spent together talking about our favorite television show. Here’s is a brief account of our time spent together. Enjoy!

May 23 – 27, 2012

I’m here on holiday in the UK to visit with friends from two fandoms – Life on Mars (LOM) and NCISLA. The first part of my trip included a meet up with four old friends (from England and Germany) who I met online six years ago at the Railway Arms, a great fan forum for LOM. We spent a couple of days exploring the sites including a new exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a play at the West End (39 Steps) and lots of cold lagers at the nearest pubs (Did I mention it was HOT in London??!!). On our last day together, we ventured up to Sheffield to watch the star of LOM, John Simm in a new version of Harold Pinter’s play Betrayal. With a revolving stage and front row seats, this adaptation at the Crucible Theatre was a real treat. Fine performances all around.

May 27, 2012

So far it’s been a perfect visit to London. Since arriving four days ago, the sun has been shining brightly, the pre-Olympic crowds are pulsing but orderly, the Queen’s Jubilee festivities are in full swing, and the Earls Court lift is working again at the Underground Tube Station. Life is good.

After returning from Sheffield, I waited for sindee and Maxie Kay to arrive in London from Germany and Scotland, respectively. I got a text from Maxie Kay first and then sindee checked in. Jay from Wales joined us next and we were off to find a good pub for a laid back evening with new friends, good food and drink. We spent the evening talking about the show’s season finale, Callen’s first name, Hetty and Deeks maternal-son relationship, Sam’s childhood , and Densi: will they or won’t they? The conversation was always flowing and it was great to be able to talk about out favorite show with other fans that share the same adoration and love for these characters. We finally decided to call it a day because there are more familia to meet up with tomorrow and we needed to get an early start.

May 28, 2012

sindee, Jay and I met for a good English breakfast this morning and then it was off to the tube to meet Maxie Kay and Tony, who had arrived early in the morning from the Newcastle area. After we exchanged introductions, we hopped on the tube to meet up with our next family member, Olive who would be joining us in the center of London. Along the way we spied huge posters advertising CBS shows like NCIS and Hawaii Five 0. (sindee had to settle for having her picture taken next to the NCIS cast.)


We found a cool place at Covent Gardens to rest and wait for Olive to join us. (Did I mention it was HOT??) sindee eventually located Olive at Piccadilly Circus and our group was off to tour the TATE Modern.

Once we arrived at the Embankment, we had to find the best route to the Millennium Bridge and the museum. We tweeted our favorite Brit, Craig Robert Young and asked for directions. He responded that we needed to turn left and then take the second right (LOL! Thanks Craig!). With Craig’s assistance and a very nice constable, we found the bridge and made our way over to the TATE.
With the heat beating down on us, we had to locate a cool pub again and some needed shade….stat! (Did I mention it was really HOT!??) It was time to finally have a proper chat about the show and why we still enjoying watching the number two procedural show on television after three seasons. There was more speculation about the season ending (like how Shane B. was going to get Callen out of the mess he’s in after killing the Chameleon?), the sudden demise of Hunter and Renko, and the theories were flying as to why Hetty resigned and what’s going to happen to the team going forward. We also came up with a wish list of what we would like to see happen in season four. Well, we can dream, can’t we?

After a bite to eat at the TATE and brief walk about the museum, it was time for group photos. We still had one more fan, Daniella to meet and that meant a tube ride to Marylebone Tube station. Along the way we said good bye to Olive and then stopped at 221B Baker Street to say hello to Sherlock Holmes and take a few pictures.

Our final stop of the day found us sitting down for dinner for one last table chat together before we had to call it a day. Daniella was a big Deeks fan and we discussed our favorite Deeks’ centric episodes and finally sindee shared her vision of the next NCISLA Familia meet up next year in Los Angeles. We all agreed it would be a great chance to get together again and meet other fans of the show.


It was hard to say good bye to all our new found friends but we look forward to seeing each other again in LA next year. Keep checking this site for more information and on Twitter you can follow @NCISLAFamilia for upcoming news and information. A big thank you goes out to sindee for arranging this get together and to the fans who showed up in London for all the fun. Hope to see you in LA next year!

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