London Is My Gymnasium
The weather is better today, so I did a trip round the various construction and other sites that I keep a watch on.
The pictures are in order and show how I went to the Excel to see the CrossRail progress, then over the cable-car to Greenwich. I then took the Jubilee line to Stratford and the DLR to Pudding Mill Lane station, again to look at CrossRail. I also had a coffee and some delicious gluten-free cake at the ViewTube, before coming back to Highbury and Islington station, where I did a bit of shopping.
I tend to use these trips as long walks with the occasional climb up and down stairs to get fit. I found that on the cruise stair-climbing with a rail on the left, was good for that side of my body.
I’ve Never Understood The Lure Of Waxworks
Madame Tussauds are no advertising on the DLR.
I’ve Never Understood The Lure Of Waxworks
I’ve never been that I can remember and these adverts won’t dissuade me in my view that waxworks are a waste of space and time.
It used to be spelt properly as Madame Tussaud’s, but apparently, they have dropped the apostrophe.
I think it would be very scientifically incorrect to go to a museum, that deliberately misspelt its name.
The New Bridge Over The Thames
In my lifetime, I can remember five bridges being built and opened across the Thames; London Bridge in 1973, the bridge at the Dartford Crossing in 1991, and the Golden Jubilee footbridges and the Millennium Bridge in 2002.
So today, when the BBC said that a new Walton Bridge was nearing completion, I just had to go, despite the weather.
I went to Waterloo station and got the train to Walton on Thames station.
Walton On Thames Station
From the station, after a fifteen minute wait, I got a 478 bus to the bridge. The bus actually, went over the old bridge next to the new one.
The New Walton Bridge
The weather was now the worst it had been all day, so I retreated on the first bus that arrived; a 555 for Heathrow Central.
It was possibly a mistake, as it went all round South West London, before arriving at the airport an hour or so later,
So in the end I got off at Hatton Cross station and took the Piccadilly line back to Green Park station, from where I got a 38 bus home.
Although, I achieved my objective of seeing the new bridge, the cold, snowy weather, the slow bus and the very crowded Underground coming home, put rather a damper on the day.
April Snows In Piccadilly Circus
I was going to Waterloo and the way I often go is to take the 38 bus to Piccadilly Circus and then get the Bakerloo line direct to the station.
But you don’t normally get snow showers in April!
Coming North On The Cable-Car
I usually traverse the cable-car from north to south, but on Sunday, I went the other way, as the DLR wasn’t running to Royal Victoria because of Crossrail works.
Afterwards, I walked to Canning Town station, took the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf for lunch.
Blue Skies Over London
On Friday, back in London, I was out and about in the morning doing a bit of shopping.
I saw a lot more sun in those few hours, than I did on ten days of the cruise.
A New City Is Growing Up
Forty years ago, when we lived in the Barbican it was a good place to live, and it was very convenient for me to get to my various jobs in the City and for C to get to University College. But it wasn’t a place for living at the week-end.
Now though, with places like One New Change, the City is becoming a complete place to live, work and play.
As it’s only a short bus ride from where I live, I can partake of the good life. I have found in recent months, that I’m visiting shopping centres like Eastfield less and less.
One New Change
I said in this post yesterday, that I would go to One New Change to check out the views.
I did this morning and although the weather wasn’t good, the views from the top were stunning. I also had a pot of tea in Madison’s cafe on the roof, which did cost me £3.91. This was worth it, as I got two full cups, sat in very comfortable leather arm chairs and had magnificent views of St. Paul’s.
The charge to go to the roof is a big fat zero and for that you got a lift with views of the cathedral. Surely, if you want to have good views of London from above, this is even better value than walking to the top of Primrose Hill.
I think One New Change could be the prototype in London and other places for this type of development Only six floors high, but with a double basement, it mixes high-quality offices, shops, bars and restaurants, to create a working, shopping and visiting community. Read their ecological statement here. The building is so much better than that monstrous erection by London Bridge station; the Shard.
I know we won’t see it, as the plans are probably fully in place and approved, but wouldn’t a building with this ethos, fit well into the railway lands, between Kings Cross and St. Pancras, which will probablt be filled by more anonymous high-rise buildings.
Leadenhall Market
Despite the awful weather, today was a good day to walk through a virtually empty Leadenhall Market.
Note the date of 1990. Was that when the art students repainted the inside, as I reported here?
Wet Sundays aren’t generally that nice, but in London, they do mean that you can often walk the streets of the City more or less totally by yourself.
The Anonymous Widower 