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April 2, 2006
On The Other Side Of The Pond
I've arrived in London, and am at my hotel. A few notes, in no particular order:
- I am very tired.
- Building on that point, London is eight hours ahead of Seattle. That means I've been up almost 23 hours straight as of this writing. I plan to see if I can go a few more.
- Dan Savage's "The Commitment" is a really good book, a personal meditation on marriage (gay, straight), families, and American society.
- The Colbert Report will make you laugh out loud on a 737 (and when you do, people notice and look at you funny). I'll hand it to 'ol Steven - he's polished his right-wing blowhard routine to a high shine, and it's hysterical.
- Despite its terrific trailer, "The Weather Man" isn't a very interesting movie. Pity.
- "Satisfaction: The Science Of Finding True Fulfillment" is also a really good book.
- The latest issue of Business 2.0 has a mention of a kick-ass new Cingular phone, the 8125, that I may have to buy for myself.
- The Boeing 777 is a hell of an aircraft - just a monster widebody thing with loads of room for everything. The bathrooms, for instance, were the largest I've ever seen on an airplane. Ever wondered how there was enough space in an aircraft lavatory for the "Mile High Club"? Wonder no longer. On the 777, you could fit an entire boy scout troop into the bathroom and still have room for a few more.
- United's "Economy Plus" is a godsend to those of us who are six feet or better.
- The United crew on our 777 was super, super, super cool, professional, and helpful. This is a marked contrast to the nasty experience I had with them a few Novembers ago. Mad props to United!
- "Snakes on a Plane" is funny, but becomes somewhat less funny when you're tired, punchy with lack of sleep, and begin wondering if that shadowy shape you see out of the corner of your eye ... IS A SNAKE ON YOUR PLANE!
- Flying into the sunrise - especially after hours upon hours of utter, blackest dark, 7 miles above the Atlantic - is magical.
- Heathrow airport is kinda shabby. Like, c'mon, guys ... spring for some new carpet and a few buckets of paint. The kids'll love it.
- The London Underground is awesome for a transit geek like me. It's not light rail - instead, it's old-school heavy rail. The Piccadilly line took me right from the airport to the Covent Garden stop (a few blocks from my hotel). Total transit time: 36 minutes. Imagine: a rail system to the airport! Unbelievable!
- London's traffic planners have never heard of a "grid." Ever. Or if they've heard of it, they have decided they don't like the look of it - too straight and logical. Instead, the streets here seem to have been inspired by a crayon drawing by some retarded three-year-old who went crazy on a menu at IHOP.
- Which cost me 25 minutes, on foot, trying to find my hotel.
- NOTE: It took me 36 minutes to get within a few blocks of my hotel from the airport.
- My hotel is very hip. My room is like that swank loft on the Haight you always wanted, but could never afford.
- It's also a smoking room ... cause, you know, I'm in Europe.
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- London streets are very, very empty at 10:30 on a Sunday morning.
- I am very tired.
- It's now raining outside, which pretty much hoses my naive sightseeing plans. I may sleep sooner instead of later.
- I'm really, really excited to be here.
More as it develops...
UPDATE, June 2, 2007: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined.
Posted by Gavin Shearer at April 2, 2006 4:31 AM. Posted to MSFT | Travel.
Hey hey, you're staying in the area where I was when I hit London 2 years ago. Covent Garden was my station too. It's the theatre district. Enjoy the neighbourhood. And be careful at the crazy intersections. I'll dig into my travel archives and see if I can find some recommends for you.
BTW, there's a good cafeteria style deli/restaurant nearby. With fresh veggie and fruit options -- not boiled or fried to death. Be ready to drop $14 US for a simple sandwich. And there's a Tesco's grocery within walking distance too. More later. :)
Posted by: Elaine at April 2, 2006 8:40 AM
35 minutes on the Piccadily, blimey guv' that was quick, it my be the best tube journey you'll have.
Posted by: Gareth H at April 2, 2006 12:38 PM
Ok, curiosity finally got the best of me and after 20 minutes of internet research, I am proud to admit I am a convert! Snakes on a motherfuckin' plane!! Excellent.
Posted by: marnie at April 2, 2006 8:08 PM
Come on Gav - give old London a break. The city's like 1500 years old or something. People don't natually create a grid - it must be forced upon them. People like wandering paths and hypotenuses (hypotenu?)when walking and walking dictated the city for a long, long time. Go to Chicago to get your grid on. :) Have you gotten to experience the Electronic Road Pricing at all? Can you imagine if they tried something like that here? Hope you are recovering from the jet lag and having many good times! Cheerio old bean!
Posted by: Allie at April 3, 2006 10:55 AM
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