Routemaster
Jun. 30th, 2008 08:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
peterbirksI walked up Gracechurch Street and Bishopsgate this morning, mainly because the walk up King William Street, Princes Street (surely the most boring street in the City -- and that's in an area where the competition for such a title is fierce) and Moorgate leaves me feeling suicidal.
The Liverpool Street route is slightly longer, but is definitely less depressing. It also allows one the privilege of walking along Norton Folgate, which is I believe one of the more obscure (i.e., unofficial) of the 'gates' to the city of London (off the top of my head, Aldgate, Newgate, Bishopsgate, Aldersgate, Ludgate, Moorgate and - damn, I had to look it up, Cripplegate). Billingsgate was another of the unofficial additions.
I stumbled upon Exchange House, a new building that appears to be a giant set of girders plumped down to the north of Liverpool Street station. On Bishopsgate itself the new RBS building has little to recommend it, but the opening up of the side street on which it is placed now gives one a superb view of the Hawksmoor church on Commercial St.
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What little I've managed to see of Glastonbury 2008 so far has been rather good. I particularly liked Reverend & The Makers. Neil Diamond appears to be the new Johnny Cash. The Feeling were fine and KT Tunstall was top-notch. And I even stayed up to watch The Verve. Lots of stuff to transfer to DVD, after which a more considered analysis will be possible. But, unfortunately, no Leonard Cohen, who did not want to appear on TV (no album to promote, you see). Oh, and Jo Whiley made a clanger she will doubtless live with for many weeks, saying "that noise in the background is James playing their set", she said. Strange, I thought, I didn't know that James were on at Glastonbury this year. Three minutes later, an embarrassed Whiley said "sorry, that noise in the background was actually James Blunt playing his set".
Well, easy mistake to make if you are just reading from a script rather than actually listening to the music....
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The Liverpool Street route is slightly longer, but is definitely less depressing. It also allows one the privilege of walking along Norton Folgate, which is I believe one of the more obscure (i.e., unofficial) of the 'gates' to the city of London (off the top of my head, Aldgate, Newgate, Bishopsgate, Aldersgate, Ludgate, Moorgate and - damn, I had to look it up, Cripplegate). Billingsgate was another of the unofficial additions.
I stumbled upon Exchange House, a new building that appears to be a giant set of girders plumped down to the north of Liverpool Street station. On Bishopsgate itself the new RBS building has little to recommend it, but the opening up of the side street on which it is placed now gives one a superb view of the Hawksmoor church on Commercial St.
++++++++
What little I've managed to see of Glastonbury 2008 so far has been rather good. I particularly liked Reverend & The Makers. Neil Diamond appears to be the new Johnny Cash. The Feeling were fine and KT Tunstall was top-notch. And I even stayed up to watch The Verve. Lots of stuff to transfer to DVD, after which a more considered analysis will be possible. But, unfortunately, no Leonard Cohen, who did not want to appear on TV (no album to promote, you see). Oh, and Jo Whiley made a clanger she will doubtless live with for many weeks, saying "that noise in the background is James playing their set", she said. Strange, I thought, I didn't know that James were on at Glastonbury this year. Three minutes later, an embarrassed Whiley said "sorry, that noise in the background was actually James Blunt playing his set".
Well, easy mistake to make if you are just reading from a script rather than actually listening to the music....
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Glast08
Date: 2008-06-30 08:12 am (UTC)Liked the Editors and I thought the Ting Tings were tremendous fun and a great breath of frresh air. The last band I've seen pack the John Peel Tent out to that extent were The Magic Numbers. But elsewhere? I only saw Jay-Z in highlight pre-watershed form. A song like 99 Reasons is a bit of a problem when you have to dip out the sound for every use of the word Bitch.
Having seen the line-ups I know there would have been enough for me to have a great time - maybe I'll have more time next Summer...
no subject
Date: 2008-06-30 03:02 pm (UTC)I think I'm going to cry.