The Crush at Westfield Stratford City
It was a waste of time taking the train to the new shopping centre.
I walked out of the Overground station up the stairs and after walking past the masses of smokers, lined up outside the centre, I entered the centre, avoiding one of the doors, which was constantly being opened by a four or five-year-old constantly pressing the disabled door-opening button. He was having great fun smashing the door into people standing outside.
I did at least know where I was going and attempted to walk through to Waitrose at the other end. I don’t think, I’ve been in a crush like that for some years and that was probably at Wembley for the play-off final against Barnsley in 2000. But the football crowd was better behaved and I should say better controlled and it didn’t contain lots of children, buggies and especially aggressive youths, who were determined to get through at any cost.
Eventually, I did get to Waitrose, but decided that I didn’t really want to go through that crush again with my shopping, so I decided to just have a look round John Lewis.
I was astounded to see, two children on scooters in the shop. Some people must be mad.
I then gave up and decided that the best bet would be to get to Stratford International and take the DLR from there. It was a very wet walk around the outside of the centre. as there was no shelter.
At the station, I met a policeman and told him how dangerous it had been in there. He whole-heartedly agreed.
I must admit I did get a train to the main station at Stratford from where I took the Central Line back to Liverpool Street. After a walk, I did get a bus, but then this was delayed due to an accident on the New North Road.
This must be regarded as the least successful shopping trip, I’ve ever done.
The Infrastructure’s The Star
On the one hand I watching athletics on the BBC in the centre of Newcastle amongst all of the bridges and the iconic buildings. It’s called the Great North City Games.
On the other hand, I’ve just had an e-mail describing the Sound Tracks Festival in East London, which is taking place at three main venues and you get between them on the East London line. Someone has remarked that it’s quicker to get between stages, using the train, that walking through the mud at Glastonbury. And of course there’ll be acoustic acts, including bands and a harpist on the connecting trains. I wonder what the Brunels would have said, if they’d known that their Thames Tunnel, would be transporting mobile concert halls between the two sides of the river.
We now have some fantastic pieces of infrastructure, both new and old and we should be imaginative about how we use them.
Fighting the Devil
Jonny Bairstow has effectively won the last one-day international for England at Cardiff tonight on his debut. England were up against it, when he started his innings, but 41 runs from just 21 balls got England home. At the end, Rahul Dravid, the former Indian captain, warmly congratulated him, for what he had done.
Cricket is a warm compact sport and I suspect that all the Indian players knew of Jonny’s father, David Bairstow, who took his own life in 1998.
I Don’t Get These Football Colours
The Manchester United match was on in the background last night. I thought they had scored, as the team in red had!
But it was Benfica!
Isn’t it about time that in important matches teams played in their proper colours!
But it’s all about money. So if it’s about money, does that explain why a fairly small crowd turned up to watch Chelski on Tuesday.
A Funny Thing To Advertise At Football
I was intrigued by this advert at Bloomfield Road.
What is pata-ab.eu?
What does pata-ab.eu do? It’s nothing dodgy, but a timber company. I wouldn’t get a wonga loan to buy your timber though!
Strange!
Where To Watch Premier League Football in Blackpool
I found this sign outside a pub in Blackpool.
All Premier League Matches Here!
Note that the Manchester City match can be watched at three. Which of course, is the same time, that the Blackpool Ipswich match started!
So perhaps you have to watch it with a Greek commentary!
They Said The Seat Was Restricted View
This is the view from a restricted view seat at Blackpool.
A Restricted View at Blackpool
Especially, as Ipswich lost, I doubt I’ll be going again. I suppose it’s OK if your team doesn’t take too many fans to away matches.
But Ipswich do!
Is Blackpool the Most Pedestrian Unfriendly Resort in the UK?
I went to Blackpool with an open mind, but I had met a plumber from Wigan in Liverpool, who goes to that city with his bike, when he wants to get some sea air.
But I hadn’t been prepared for what I found.
Arriving at Blackpool North station, there was no map or instructions to help me get to the football ground or even the town centre. There was a map for sale at a pound or so,but it didn’t have either the station or the football ground on it.
I was told as a child, that if you’re lost, you should always ask a policeman. So I found two. But one was from Manchester and the other was from Preston. They hadn’t a clue on directions. So I suppose, if there was an incident, they’d probably turn up with difficulty and late.
In fact there are no useful maps in the dump, as to call it a town, insults all of those places, like Great Yarmouth, who care for their visitors so much better.
There is however this bus map on all the stops.
Blasckpool's Useless Bus Map
I suppose it might be useful to those who have the route they are taking to hand. But for me it was as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Close to the football ground it gets worse with roads that have no crossing places for pedestrians.
A typical Pedestrian-Friendly Crossing In Blackpool
The picture was taken on a busy roundabout. where are the protective lights? And here are some Ipswich fans trying to cross the road to McDonalds.
Ipswich Fans Dodge The Traffic in Blackpool
I know Blackpool has financial problems, but surely they want visitors to return.
Obviously they don’t want coeliacs, who have to walk everywhere!
Liverpool’s Commercial District
Most people forget that Liverpool was and still is in many ways, a prosperous commercial city.
-
- Oriel Chambers
I took these pictures as I walked round the city on Saturday morning, before I departed for Blackpool to see Ipswich.
Some of the buildings in the pictures like Liverpool Town Hall and Oriel Chambers are by any standard, some of the best commercial or civic buildings in the country.
A Recce to Barnet
Barnet is a surprisingly difficult club, as it lies between Aston Villa and Barnsley. So it’ll have to be done quickly on a trip between Euston and St. Pancras. In other words it’ll be two trips on the Northern line to High Barnet. I’d only ever been once before, when I was about seven to see Enfield play them with my father, but C as a child used to go regularly with her father, on their bicycles.
So to see how difficult it was, I took a trip from Euston to High Barnet and then back to St. Pancras. The times were as follows.
18:22 Left Euston
19:00 Arrived High Barnet
19:25 Left High Barnet
20:10 Arrived St. Pancras
So that short trip took just 12 minutes short of two hours.
It could be a bit quicker if soomeone was with me to hold the lights on Barnet Hill and get the platform right there. I got the wrong train out of High Barnet and had to wait for one at Camden Town, which probably cost 15 minutes.
At least the ground is well-signposted and easy to find, as these pictures show.
At least though the walk isn’t too difficult.
The Anonymous Widower 