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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 18, 2019 16:33:57 GMT
Of course the idea of any part of London being off the map is completely ridiculous. I visited London for the first time in 1971 and bought the absolutely excellent 'London Street by Street' which covered absolutely everything until you got to agricultural fields practically. I had to stop using it, though, when new underground lines were created and others were extended. I don't know if street names change in London as often as they do in Paris (which is not 'often,' but it does happen), but I definitely like to have an up-to-date map. So I have at least two others, but they don't hold a candle to my first one.
Anyway, I returned to London for a couple of days two weeks ago. I prepare my trips less and less, which is not a good thing, but when I am returning to a city that I already sort of know, it just doesn't seem important. Nevertheless, the night before my trip, I started hunting for a map of London. If you have followed other threads at Anyport, you might know that my flat is rather topsy turvy due to all sorts of works that have been done (and a whole new team of labourers arriving Monday morning to try to fix some of the damage) -- anyway, I did not find my most recent map covering all of London. However, I did find a small guide covering all of the central tourist areas with fold-out maps for at least 12 areas, so I threw that in my bag. It covers all of the things like Oxford Street, the West End, Kensington and that sort of stuff, but can you imagine that Earl's Court was on the absolute edge of the map as though it were the end of civilised territory?
Well, I was staying at Earl's Court, where I have stayed numerous times in the past, and I have always liked the area. During my previous two trips to London, I stayed at the Ibis Earl's Court, which is not at Earl's Court at all but at West Brompton. I even complained to the hotel (which is quite nice but which is a nest of Chinese tour groups), and they confessed that the name dated back to before the Earl's Court exhibition centre was demolished. So I was highly amused to stay at an Ibis Styles this time, which is actually in sight of the Earl's Court underground station but which calls itself "Ibis Styles London Kensington" -- proof of the dishonesty of hoteliers. They do this in Paris, too. Hotels next to Gare du Nord are called "Something-or-other Opéra" and hotels in Montparnasse get "Eiffel" thrown into the name. I find it kind of sad 1) to convince tourists that there are only a few desirable places to stay in a city and 2) to mislead them about the location of hotels by using names abusively.
Okay, enough crap. I knew I was staying at Earl's Court and was very happy with it. The Ibis Styles was in one of the usual Victorian streets with another dozen hotels. The Ibis Styles is the red brick building.
i.postimg.cc/g2h0YXg1/London-janv-2019-005.jpg
But what I really liked was the ethnic feel of the walk from the tube station. A taste of the Philippines!
i.postimg.cc/PqzrDGs4/London-janv-2019-006.jpg
i.postimg.cc/s2Rg1j8x/London-janv-2019-008.jpg
perhaps a touch of Thailand...
i.postimg.cc/vHkBFLtW/London-janv-2019-009.jpg
There were also side alleys with a touch of all sorts of other cultures.
i.postimg.cc/0Qk5dt9q/London-janv-2019-007.jpg
On top of that, the Doctor seemed to be in the area for a visit. Every single tourist (like me) had to take a picture of this.
i.postimg.cc/vTDQCc1q/London-janv-2019-012.jpg
And yet everything was all right here at spendid Earl's Court.
i.postimg.cc/V6Kf7jN0/London-janv-2019-010.jpg
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Post by onlyMark on Jan 18, 2019 18:05:32 GMT
Not far from there is 267 Old Brompton Road. It used to be the office of the overlanding company I worked for. I spent many a time staying above the office and wandering the streets round there.
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Post by mossie on Jan 18, 2019 19:17:56 GMT
And I always thought Earls Court was a suburb of Sydney Australia, with the occasional motor show thrown in.
Nice to see London from different eyes, everyone has different views of the same city.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 18, 2019 20:29:38 GMT
This is great! I love how you bracketed the exotica with classic shots of London.
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Post by mich64 on Jan 19, 2019 3:15:16 GMT
I am imagining what goodies are inside the supermarkets/grocery stores! I am looking forward to seeing more.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 19, 2019 5:42:19 GMT
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Post by mich64 on Jan 19, 2019 16:50:43 GMT
I had to look up the websites for Slug and Lettuce and Waxys Little Sister. There was an orange hot chocolate drink that I think I will have to try to improvise soon from their drinks menu to help warm us up! I thought the name Waxys seemed familiar and then realized we had been to their Glasgow restaurant, Waxy O'Connors, we really enjoyed our evenings there.
One of the reasons I so enjoy all of the reports on Anyport is that I am not just inspired by the members experience and pictures but also to research the possibilities if I get to visit!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 19, 2019 17:30:01 GMT
I had noticed a few 'Slug and Lettuce' locations on previous visits and it really does confirm the whole concept of British humour. The French could absolutely never use such a name for an eating establishment -- at most for a pesticide service.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 19, 2019 17:44:00 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 20, 2019 3:07:44 GMT
So far, so fascinating. Looking forward to more of your meandering. I kept meaning to go look at Westfield but never made it, so thanks for taking a peek for me.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 20, 2019 13:57:57 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jan 20, 2019 14:24:08 GMT
You certainly choose odd times of the year to go to England or Scotland!
Mind you, the last time I was in London was also in January, but 12 years ago. There was a Chinese New Year celebration in Trafalgar Square. And the first time I went to Earl's Court it was called Kangaroo Court.
Other than some architecture, not much seems to have changed. What is that round building in the last set of photos? Looks like a set of rings a small child would pile up but is rather crooked.
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Post by mossie on Jan 20, 2019 20:17:47 GMT
The shot of the lock holding just enough water to float small boats is retaining the most delightfully coloured water. Reminds me of the days when I lived in Stepney, hell 70 years ago! Anyway we were warned that if we fell in the Thames then it meant a trip to hospital and about 14 injections.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 21, 2019 3:30:00 GMT
The French could absolutely never use such a name for an eating establishment The French are very wise. I repeatedly read recommendations for that chain, but thought "I can't. I just can't." The Michelin building is indeed wonderful and I adore that first mosaic. Your b&w is very atmospheric. The old cladding over a new building is great, the new over the old, a la McDonald's, is kind of a shame. Interesting water pictures, with a beautiful trawler in the yacht harbor & I very much like the "stacked" building. Edited to say that I just looked up your Ibis (heh heh heh) & it is located within walking distance of the apartment where I stayed in 2016.
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Post by mich64 on Jan 21, 2019 4:07:44 GMT
I was searching our bar downstairs hoping to find a bottle of Triple Sec to add to some hot chocolate, but none to be found. I was looking forward to that drink once I found it on their drinks menu. (off to the Liquor store this week!) The food options did not seem very appealing but I have to say I enjoy a Sunday Roast menu and I recall that Waxy's, Glasgow more than sufficed.
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Post by patricklondon on Jan 21, 2019 6:03:48 GMT
"The port of Chelsea" - some of your photos show the old Lots Road power station, which used to power the London Underground. "Chelsea Harbour" is a relatively recent development from what had been a coalyard for the railways - the coal would have come in by boat. As with various docks further east (St Katharine's, Limehouse Basin), the commercial use was replaced by more upmarket residential and retail buildings, and leisure boat moorings. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 21, 2019 7:14:23 GMT
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Post by fumobici on Jan 21, 2019 20:54:59 GMT
This makes a nice counterpoint to my little London report from last month. I did stroll through Chelsea and Mayfair but nothing inspired me to take photos there really. Trying to walk along the Thames gets annoyingly complicated in places, the city should just strongarm the blockers and make the walk complete, but no doubt those holding properties on the river tend to be very, shall we say, influential.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 22, 2019 3:32:52 GMT
Very true about your and Kerouac's London photo reports being nice counterpoints for each other, Fumobici. (& I'd hardly call your excellent report "little"!)
No matter how well known a city and its landmarks, we can count on Anyporters to renew our appreciation in it.
Kerouac, I am so much enjoying your thread & pictures. Just located on the map where the last set were taken and, if I'm reading it all correctly, you are set to go past Battersea Park in your quest to reach the center of the city. Looking forward to see how you go and where you end up.
Two favorites from the most recent set are the bird feeding frenzy and that last picture with the great angle & the phone booth.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 22, 2019 14:18:30 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 23, 2019 18:58:25 GMT
I love this so much. But are you just going to leave us hanging?
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Post by onlyMark on Jan 23, 2019 19:56:59 GMT
Since he retired he's busier than ever. He has to get up at 5am every day to fit it all in. Too much on the go at once and things left half done.
On the other hand, maybe he's had a big snowfall and his new roof has fallen in. He's lying there now, trapped under an oak beam across his leg and vainly trying to reach out for his mobile phone to call for help, which is just a fingertip length out of touch. Next the zombies will break their way in and he'll be saved by lying possum until they depart - just to be waiting on the stairs for the rescuers. Then here is a fire and a hero has to rappel from a helicopter, fight off the zombies with one hand holding a stale baguette whilst lifting the beam with the other - then fireman lift him back up the rope ladder into the helicopter. Which is attacked by a surface to air missile as it lifts off.............
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 23, 2019 22:39:17 GMT
Oh, those mendacious marsupials!
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Post by lagatta on Jan 24, 2019 1:55:14 GMT
Werewolves of London!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 24, 2019 4:22:41 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 24, 2019 4:34:39 GMT
I did not at all regret this excursion. It was nice not to see a single tourist for several hours, and it was nothing if not good exercise. However, next time that I go to London, I will take the big map with me for sure.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 24, 2019 6:51:54 GMT
Looking at the map, I can see how you got turned around at Chelsea Harbour & how a nice big paper map would have kept that from happening. I have to say, too, that I often found the arrows the British stick up to indicate direction more confusing than helpful. In the Underground, they seem to be particularly fond of arrows pointing at the ceiling or the floor.
When I saw your picture of the sign post, it was obvious that you had indeed gone away from the city center and toward Putney instead. (I did get a childish thrill out of seeing the Putney Bridge station, which I'd failed to photograph when I went to Fulham Palace.) Even though you must have been frustrated, you got some good pictures and showed us some interesting stuff. You also made me feel like less of a dummy about getting lost so often, now that I know that it can even happen to people with good senses of direction.
You also made me badly want to go back to London!
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Post by patricklondon on Jan 24, 2019 8:20:45 GMT
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 24, 2019 18:27:47 GMT
This is really interesting. Ah memories...
Altho I live in England I rarely visit the capital (unless Bixa is there) ...but then I'm a home body and rarely set a toe outside the county 🙂 When I was a teenager we lived in a Bedfordshire village and would go to London on a United Counties bus at weekends. My parents would drag myself and my little sister around the museums and parks...we always walked everwhere...so we probably trudged along the Thames walk. We never went anywhere with an entrance fee 🙄 and took sandwiches as my parents thought that going into a café was very decadent.
English cities always look filthy at this time of year... they seem to be becoming more and more squalid as time goes by. Of course it's less depressing in the sunshine.
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