Tales from London

[Matthew_T]

Well yesterday I got home from my little trip to London for the Red Cross Takeover Day.

Whilst I was there I was amazed at how excluded from everyone you are. You keep yourself to yourself and often find that people just push past you on escalators.
Whilst travelling in the underground tunnels, I was amazed at how many toes I ran over with my suitcase. People just seemed to walk into you and not really have any patience.

When outside, I saw a few cyclists RLJ and someone nearly go run over at a crossing.

It was a nice experience to be in a large city and I wouldnt mind if I worked there and commuted (as long as it was a safe journey).

RC Takeover day info:
http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/News/2012/November/I-was-a-Red-Cross-boss-for-a-day

 

[Matthew_T]

I saw some awsome trackstanding by a fixie at a set of lights though.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I think the tube and the underground are part of the reason many people have chosen to get about on the bike. Did you get a chance to ride on our gold-paved roads?

 

[Matthew_T]

I think the tube and the underground are part of the reason many people have chosen to get about on the bike. Did you get a chance to ride on our gold-paved roads?

Nope. My time was pretty much full up.
But TBH I wouldnt have been happy using a BB as I saw a guy having difficulty riding it. I would have liked to use my own bike though.

I am sure there will be plenty of times in the rest of my life when I will be in London or a similar city where I have the opportunity to ride in it. Afterall, I am going to end up in a city with the career path that I have chosen (Civil Engineering).

 

[mcshroom]

Not necessarily

Dounreay for example has a lot of civil engineers and it's about as far away from a city as you can get

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Nope. My time was pretty much full up.
But TBH I wouldnt have been happy using a BB as I saw a guy having difficulty riding it. I would have liked to use my own bike though.

I am sure there will be plenty of times in the rest of my life when I will be in London or a similar city where I have the opportunity to ride in it. Afterall, I am going to end up in a city with the career path that I have chosen (Civil Engineering).

Sure enough, you'll get your chance. While you're at it, some of us could do with some civility engineering....

 

[swee'pea99]

As a born & bred, I'm always a bit surprised by outsiders' descriptions of the hellhole that is my hometown. I don't find London hostile or unpleasant in the slightest. The worst you can say about it is that people tend not to engage with others. Understandable given the number of 'others' any Londoner encounters on the average day. But I find the prevailing culture very much 'live & let live', and that suits me fine. I've lived here man & boy for over 50 years, and the number of genuinely unpleasant/nasty/violent incidents I've witnessed in that time can be counted easily on the fingers of one hand. For a city the size, density and variety of London, I think that's pretty remarkable.

 

[Arch]

Whilst I was there I was amazed at how excluded from everyone you are. You keep yourself to yourself and often find that people just push past you on escalators.

Anyone with any experience (or who can read signs) knows you stand one side, and people in a hurry walk up or down the other past you.

Whilst travelling in the underground tunnels, I was amazed at how many toes I ran over with my suitcase. People just seemed to walk into you and not really have any patience.

In my experience, anywhere, people running into me with suitcases do so because they are lousy suitcase drivers, not because I've walked into them. Also, people with wheeled suitcases do DAWDLE so!

It was a nice experience to be in a large city and I wouldnt mind if I worked there and commuted (as long as it was a safe journey).

Aw, bless, little country mouse!

To be fair, coming over from York, I find Manchester intimidatingly large.

BTW, last time I was down there, I saw dozens of people happily riding Boris Bikes, so your chap must have had some special problem. I've not tried one myself yet, but they seem fine.

I've never lived in London, but I think I've visited enough to get a feel for the place...

 

[Night Train]

As an almost born and bred Londoner, living there from 1967 to 1994 and revisiting frequently thereafter, I found London to be 'the centre of the world' until I left and got a perspective on life.
I find London too busy, to stressful and too chaotic for my tastes and I now avoid it if I can. However, I do also miss the easy access to the museums and galleries there and so plan visits occasionally for when I can tolerate being there.

However, I had/have no difficulty with the progress through the various London transport systems despite a hatred for the many 'hit and runs' from thoughtless and careless cycle couriers.

 

[grolyat]

I live out in the sticks but visit London maybe four or five times a year and think it's probably the most fantastic city on the planet. There's so much to do and so much to see that it beggars belief. The only place that comes close is New York. The Boris bikes are the greatest invention ever; riding one through the deserted back streets and mews is a joy. The diversity of people. the choice of food, the history and underlying civility makes London unique. This is the city that delivers "the greatest show on Earth" virtually every weekend. Go London!

 

[gaz]

Us londoners will push past those who are taking too long. We have places to go, people to see and important business meetings to get to. I don't have time for tourists standing on the right of the escalators!

 

[Matthew_T]

Is it common that most pubs have an 'over 21' policy? Because me and someone I was working with went in one to have a drink and even though my friend had ID and was 18, the barman said that it was company policy to be over 21, even if you have ID proving you are 18. We were both not very happy so just got some drinks from the hostel.

 

[gaz]

Is it common that most pubs have an 'over 21' policy? Because me and someone I was working with went in one to have a drink and even though my friend had ID and was 18, the barman said that it was company policy to be over 21, even if you have ID proving you are 18. We were both not very happy so just got some drinks from the hostel.

Nah... sounds like the barman was being a muppet.

 

[Matthew_T]

Nah... sounds like the barman was being a muppet.

Haha. We went looking for another one but they were all full to the brim with people and seemed to be very high-class and snazzy around St Paul's Cathedral.

 

[mcshroom]

There was a pub in Sheffield that had a minimum 21 limit on it when I was a student (I think it was called either 'All Bar One' or 'Bar Twenty-One').

It used to be a challenge to get in there as an under-age student