The Real Olympic Legacy
The Wellcome Trust has made a bid to run the Olympic Park and the Village after the 2012 Games finishes. Read about it here.
It seems to me that this could be a real lasting legacy for East London, especially if they eventually create a science and technology park, as they are indicating.
London’s Bendy Buses Are a Dangerous Joke
Yesterday on my way to Kings Cross, I was nearly run down because of a 73 bendy bus. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the fact that I’d just got off it, it might have been closer. It blocked the junction by Kings Cross, because it was just too long to get round the corner and then everybody jumped the lights to get through. I was crossing on the green in all this mayhem, but pulled back to safety well out of the way. As I wasn’t in a hurry, I decided to be safe rather than sorry.
Thinking about it afterwards, the bus might have been blocking drivers views of the lights, so they thought it safe to carry on. A standard double-ecker with a smaller footprint would have been able to get round the corner and allow the lights to be clearly seen.
And then today, as I was coming back from the Angel, another 73 bendy was causing a traffic jam as it struggled to pass another of its ilk at Essex Road station.
They are just too long for London’s streets. If you don’t believe me read this from the Evening Standard.
I just can’t wait until the 3rd September this year, when according to Wikipedia, they will be replaced by a mixture of hybrid and diesel buses. The seventy-free will only be missed by fare dodgers.
The Dafs Are Out
Or they certainly are in the Thames Barrier Park.
Daffodils in the Thames Barrier Park
This park is one of London’s hidden gens, in that it has beautiful modern gardens, the river, the barrier and of course the coffee.
The Best £1.85 Capuccino in London!
Possibly! No! Probably! Today I was cold and as I walked through the Thames Barrier Park back from the Thames Barrier to Pontoon Dock station, I had one in the cafe in the park. It was in a china mug too!
The Cafe in the Thames Barrier Park
I’ve not had one better, since I had one for a Euro in the backstreets of Naples over three years ago.
The Hotel at St. Pancras is Looking Ready
The Renaissance Hotel at St. Pancras appears to be close to opening from this picture.
The Renaissance Hotel at St. Pancras
It would appear to be opening this month.
The Olympic Rings Are Here
The Olympic rings are now in St. Pancras.
The Olympic Rings in St. Pancras
But I don’t think they are in the right position, as Sir John Betjeman appears to be puzzling.
They don’t appear to be too well finished behind either.
The Back of the Rings
But the lovers don’t seem to be interested.
There won’t be too many Iranians on the Eurostars.
The Olympic Logo on a Eurostar Train
As they are now sporting the sign of Satan.
A Bad Idea
What idiot thought it would be a good idea to have a pop festival on Blackheath?
I’m not against the idea of the festival, but surely the event was going to raise the ire of the residents, who would use every trick, legal or otherwise, in the book to stop it. So the venture will probably run out of money well before it is due to go ahead!
Perhaps the person who thought of the idea has more money than sense!
But I do like the name of the company behind the festival. They are called Nimby Events. So perhaps it’s just a publicity stunt!
The Rebuilt and the New
I took this picture on Bishopsgate in the City of London today.
St. Ethelburga’s and the Gherkin
In the foreground is St. Ethelburga’s Church, which was rebuilt after the IRA bombing of 1993. The Gherkin is shown behind the church. That building was built on the site of the Baltic Exchange, which was also substantially damaged by the IRA in 1992.
The Anonymous Widower 