As long time readers and those that know me well can attest, I count myself among those are amused by and have great affection for Boris Johnson. If you didn’t know this, make a note of it because it is for that reason that I am sad I was not here over the past few days.

“Boris Johnson?” I hear you ask. ” The Mayor of London?” Yes, the same and before you ask why, let me confess that I am not entirely sure myself. It’s been a “thing” of mine for years. From before his days as Mayor. It’s hard to explain. He’s sort of bumbly and unkempt, never managing to look quite right in the suits (in large part because he won’t stop putting his hands in his pockets.) But he’s BRILLIANT – as bumbly, mildly confused looking people often are. What did Jimmy Breslin say in the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight? “You could tell he was a genius because he never tied his shoes.”  That’s the kind of thing I mean.  I find Boris hilarious, adorable and informative all at the same time. It’s not a single thing – not the hair or the bumbling, the writing or the history-geek thing. Or rather it is all of them. It’s just Boris as a whole. Anyway…

Boris was in town to promote London tourism and have a chat or two with Mini-Mayor. I’m all about travel between New York and London – which is good since I do it quite frequently. I stand ready to assist Boris (who is actually New Yorker by birth) in strengthening ties between the two cities. I would like to suggest he start by making his books more readily available in the US.

Because Boris is a multi-media kind of guy, he blogged and twittered throughout his trip and I got to see pics and video of him uptown, downtown, all around and it looks like he had a great time.  Still, it’s not the same as being there.