#477 - Join the NFT

Timeout said:

Like so many others, you might never use it, but at least membership of one of the great film institutions will make you feel all cultured!

Dave did:

I think if there is one thing all my friends would say about me, is that I have a huge collection of DVD's, and have a habit of buying more!

Of late I've tried to reduce my collection to the core essentials (if anyone would like a DVD of Open Water let me know!), but I guess if there's one membership card I should really have in my wallet, its one for the British Film Institute!

Now I'll be honest and say I looked at this thing and thought "Hey! That's easy, just order a membership pack online and bingo! Another Thing ticked off my list!". Well I received my pack and card today, and on the bridge side, it actually looks like a pretty good deal!

I will now receive a monthly newsletter informing me of the best of world cinema, and reports on popular cultural icons (this month: Andy Worhol!). I've been given two free tickets to an IMAX movie viewing of my choosing, and I get discounts year round for their DVD shop and cinema tickets.

The downside is that instead of a nice sparkling plastic card...I've got a cheap studenty piece of paper with my membership number on it. Not exactly quality stuff, and I doubt it'll last the year, but I guess its better than nothing!!





18 down...982 Things to go!

#110 - Ride the DLR in the front carriage

Timeout said:

Push the kids out the way and pretend that you're the driver. Because kids don't know how to drive trains

Dave did:

After a lovely meal in the rain at West India Quay, I decided to take the DLR back home...again something I haven't done before!

The first challenge was to work out which direction the train would be coming from (as it was nightfall working out which way south was proved difficult from the DLR platform!).

Well all I can say is I rode in the front carriage IF the train had been going in the opposite direction! As it turned out I had gambled on the wrong end of the platform and so sat quietly by myself at the front carriage that was going backwards! I'm sure the experience was just the same as if moving forwards, and if anything how many people can say they've ridden at the very back?



17 down...983 Things to go!

#577 - Visit London's loveliest tube stations (2/6)

Canary Wharf

Timeout said:
If we had to recommend just one station you have to see in all its architectural glory, it has to be this one: Canary Whard. Sr Norman, we salute you.

Dave did:

Canary Wharf is my favourite station in London, by far. Canary Wharf the area is also quite nice, if a little too business-y, as it feels clean, with plenty of nice bars/pubs and plenty of people around!

So I decided to end my marathon day (where I've ticked off 12 Things!) by heading over to Canary Wharf for a movie and some food. The movie was sold out, and I ate my food the in outdoor courtyard where it rained...never mind it was still a nice end to the day!

#879 - Buy Timeout Magazine

Timeout said:

Buy our magazine, if we still haven't given you enough to do...

Dave did:

A blatant pat on the back here by Timeout, but nonetheless if they feel its a thing thats got to be done in order to experience the full delights of London then who am I to question them?

(Please excuse the awful self-taken photo...can you tell it was taken after a hard days work?)



16 down...984 Things to go!

#100 - Comb the shore for historical loot

Timeout said:

It's primal, gut-level fun - and there's the potential for economic reward! On the shores of the Thames, fragments of the city's great sprawl of history are churned up day after day, and they're yours to make of exactly what you will.


Dave did:

As I was walking along the Southbank, I noticed some people below me walking along the beach that had appeared beside the Thames. I cant recall ever seeing this before, but the tide had gone out enough that a suitable beachfront had made itself known right between Millennium and Blackfriars bridges.

A lightbulb moment suddenly came to me, and I remember Thing #100 and how I needed to go on a treasure hunt on the shores of the Thames!

I quickly found a stairway down to the beach and started my hunt!

So here was my hunting ground...



...and granted my initial forages did not bring much luck with them...

...an interesting fragment of rock (obviously dated from the times of Yore!)...



...a length of rope which I believe was severed from the very ship Captain Cook sailed off on...



...but fear not, for I found gold! Yes GOLD! On the newfound Southbank beach!




This gold medallion clearly came from the infamous booty of 'Starbucks', dating back to the early turn of the century, and it now takes pride of place on my mantlepiece awaiting the next time the Antiques Roadshow hits Tottenham South!


15 down...985 Things to go!

#645 - Go Deco! at the Oxo Tower

Timeout Said:

Check out the distinctive window design that spells out 'OXO', created by Albert Moore in 1928 to get around advertising restrictions (yes to windows, no to rooftops). The Oxo Tower now houses shops, restaurants and flats

Dave did:

I think the Oxo Tower is probably one of the first things you'll notice on the Southbank Skyline when viewed at night (that and the Millennium Wheel of course!). This was certainly the case when I first arrived down in London, and of all the products to be advertised so prominently, I found it quite amusing that a stock cube would be the one London would take most pride in (hey, what can I say? I have a bad sense of humour!).

Apparently there is a restaurant on the top floor, but I couldn't find a way to it, although there was an exhibition on the 4th and 5th floors about the Oxo Tower. Alas it was shut when I got there!

14 down...986 Things to go!

#603 - Scare yourself stupid in Tate Modern

Timeout said:

If you press your face to the glass on the fifth floor of the gallery you can look right down the Turbine Hall. Its a long way down!

Dave did:

I've always liked the Tate Modern...mostly because the most innovative exhbitions are the free one's shown in the Turbine hall. Unfortunately they no longer have the 5 story high slide that was open to the public last year, or the giant sugar cube mountain...but what they did have on this visit was an exhibition on the ability of today's cities to support the world's population. It questioned whether the design of cities around the world are suffice for our future needs.



One display that really connected with me was about Dubai where I used to live near when I was younger (1990-96 to be exact). It showed how in 1990 Dubai was a desert land, whereas today its a fast expanding property market! The interesting thing picked up on was the need and purpose of the city, and how Dubai's was different from cities of the past as it was not necessary a gathering of people for social needs, but a growth due to the economic needs of the country as a whole (UAE's oil reserves are quickly diminishing). Furthermore, Dubai is widely recognised for the way it is transforming its coast to suit the 'need' for property, creating man-made landmasses to build on.

Another video exhibit that I quite liked was where there were two video screens facing each other, one showed a picture of a high street in Beijing, the other a woman in a white top. Each time the woman blew as hard as she could, the street opposite her would move further along (in that she was blowing herself backwards out of the street). This project was highlighting the growth of commercialism in China, and how a small high street has grown at a massive rate (it takes the woman a very long time to blow herself along the entire road...please don't snigger every time I say 'blow herself' its incredibly childish and I'm doing it enough for both of us!). Of course the artist has a history of illustrating these points 'with some humour' which brought a small smile to my face!

Here are some more photos I took that I found of interest:




13 down...987 Things to go!

#165 - Get on Location...Enduring Love, The Constant Gardener & Match Point

Another film location for three movies...none of which I've seen as yet (although I do have the Constant Gardener on DVD!)




12 down...988 Things to go!

#1 - Take in the View from Tower Bridge

Timeout Said:
For the best Thames panaorama, Tower Bridge cant be beaten!


Dave Did:

Again, another popular tourist location in London that I've lived minutes away from in the past yet never given the time of day to fully explore it or appreciate its existence!

Tower Bridge...probably the one bridge that is constantly confused with London Bridge (hey even the Americans got it wrong!). As should probably have been expected the Tower Bridge exhibition very much catered for the London Tourist, and so in a way it put me off a bit as I am more one of those people who prefers to find their own way around a site, and to take in things at my own pace. Instead I handed over my money, got thrust in front of a camera (why? I wasn't sure at the time), and then taken in a lift up 42 meters above the Thames to the Tower Bridge Walkway. There I was given a short video presentation which to be fair was quite interesting. Most interesting of all at this point however, were the designs submitted alongside what we see today as Tower Bridge that were ultimately dismissed. My favourite is this one...can you imagine what it would have been like today:





After the video presentation I was finally let loose on the walkway between the two Towers. Again I have to be a scrooge and say it wasn't quite what I had hoped for, with exhibition signs all over the place and several small windows made available for those wanting to catch a glimpse of the Thames view. I tried to take a few shots which you can see below, but getting a proper shot through all the girders, windows etc. did prove troublesome!







I found one of the exhibition displays interesting, as it reported on how planes used to fly in between the Towers...with the Red Bull Air race being held further down the river, it wasn't difficult to imagine it happening again today!

The visit finished with a quick look around the engine room, which not being an engineer by profession I couldn't relate to as much...



11 down...989 Things to go!

#412 - See a Performance at the Scoop

Timeout Said:

This is a prestine open-air amphitheatre on the South Bank and runs free arts programmes of film, conert and play.


Dave Did:

I should say now that in the summer of 2006 the BBC was running a week of celebrating dance (ending with a world-record attempt at the largest dance-athon that included a record-number of different dances), and at the time I was living in London Bridge a short hop away from the Scoop. During this time I did view a performance of Bollywood dancing (with some free lessons that I gracefully declined). Unfortunately when I went today there was nothing to be seen except an art exhibition of different oversized guitars signed by different music bands....oh well next time!








10 down (kinda!)...990 Things to go!

#829 - Climb the Monument

Timeout Said:
When London was being rebuilt after the Great Fire of London, Charles II decided to leave a monument dedicated to the event. Sir Christopher Wren was assigned this task and his work has resulted in crowds clambering up 311 steps in order to get a view off the London skyline


Dave did:
MOnument is a structure I am very familiar with, even if I have never once given thought of climbing the thing! I worked in an office one block away for a good 12 months, and had to walk past it on the way to work for 6 of them, but I always found it a strange thing given its mamoth size and the fact that the building around it make it very hard to spot from anywhere more than a block away!

I remember when starting my job in London we were sent on a treasure hunt, and one of our team had to go out and climb Monument to come back with a certificate to show they had done it. I was keen to get involved but unfortunately I wasn't sure where it was at the time and so another two girls went off and achieved the feat themselves. I later got on a tube myself to go and check it out...but for the reason explained above I never found the damn thing when getting out of the Monument tube station, and returned home with a picture of Tower Bridge instead!

Anyway...I did it this time, and could I just say 311 steps is a very very VERY tough workout! If its a lactic acid exercise in your knees you want, then this is the place for it! However, the views at the top were pretty special and the certificate I received at the bottom definitely made the experience worthwhile!


Did you know...the Monument is 201 feet high which equals the exact distance from the spot that the Bakery responsible for the Great Fire of London lies (or laid).

9 down...991 Things to go!

#202 - Admire the city from Cornhill, EC3

Ok confession time....where in bleedin' hells name is the hill in Cornhill?? Honestly, its a business district, and one which I've worked in for over a year...and yet I've never come across a hill in the traditional sense which will give you what Timeout describes...

Timeout Said:

The highest hill in the City, named after a medieval grain market.

Dave did:

Well the highest point I could find was around the Bank Tube intersection...so here's a shot of the city from the highest vantage point I could find!




8 down...992 Things to go!

#595 - Spot London Weather Vanes (1/6)

Gresham's Grasshopper, Royal Exchange

Timeout said:
This insect has sat on successive iterations of the Royal Exchange since before the Great Fire. It commemorates founder Sir Thomas Gresham, whose crest is was

Dave did:

Now the problem with weather vanes is that I've never knowingly searched or found one!

And so it is that once successfully locating the Royal Exchange building (one which as it turns out I have passed on numerous occassions over my last 19 months in London, without once realising it is a shopping mall inside...I thought it was a Bank of England office?!!?), I spent the next half hour trying to find a grasshopper!

At one point I wondered if it was inside the building itself (which was closed), my mind trying to convince me that despite it being a weather vane (i.e. one of those North, East, South West, wind blowing sign things) some mad-hatter decided to place one inside for decorative reasons.

Just as I was about to give up however, I managed to find it BEHIND the main entrance on the top of the clock tower! An ominous sign for things to come later today? I hoped not!





Some further research on this weather vane since spotting the grasshopper (yes it is a rainy day...) has helped explain that the reason the grasshopper was used to commemorate Sir Thomas Gresham was because his life was saved by a chirping grasshopper....but then even further research (yes its STILL raining) shows through Wikipedia that Sir Thomas Gresham was responsible for founding the Royal Exchange and that it was actually the founder of the Gresham family - one Roger de Gresham - was abandoned as a baby in the long grass of North Norfolk, and that a woman was drawn to him on the chirpings of a grasshopper. Of course wikipedia being the cynical machination that it is quells all these stories by stating:

" A beautiful story, it is more likely that the grasshopper is simply an heraldic rebus on the name Gresham, with gres being a Middle English form of grass"

Oh well!

7 down...993 Things to go!

#577 - Visit London's loveliest tube stations (1/6)

Bank Tube Station

Timeout Said:
Check out the paradigmatic 'Mind the Gap' bend on Bank's Central Line

Dave did:
The only tube platform it seems that has a definite curve for a train to work itself around...and I was there to see it!



6 down...994 things to go!

#834 - Blog London

Your reading it write now! Call it a 'Thing in progress' if you will! But its my Blog and its about my time in London, job done!



5 down...995 to go!

#21 - Update on the Great Gorilla Run!

Just an update on my progress with this Thing!

I've registered and setup my justgiving page:

www.justgiving.com/daveisagorilla

I need to raise £400 (on top of the £100 donation I had to make to register), I'm about 25% there as I write this, but all donations however large or small would be greatly appreciated!

And please note that the highest 'bidder' wins the opportunity to decide how I dress my gorilla (we need to put on a fancy dress on top of the gorilla outfit!) Given that my ex-boss is now highest bidder, I would like to see his donation bettered :o)

#164 - Get on Location...101 Dalmations & 28 Days Later

Just before I ticked off #566 (Crossing Millennium Bridge) I had my mate take a quick shot of me in front of St. Pauls Cathedral, which would you believe has featured in a number of films including 101 Dalmations (1996), and 28 Days Later!



4 down...996 Things to go!

#163 - Get on Location...Mission: Impossible

Timeout Said:

Tom Cruise could have been found ordering a pint of real ale at the Anchor Pub in Mission: Impossible (1996)

Dave did:

In heading to one of my favourite pubs on the Southbank with my Uni Friends (see #566), I inadvertently ticked off ANOTHER TWO number of my things to do in London! Yes you heard right, TWO things!

As it turns out Mission Impossible filmed here (something I find hard to believe, need to rewatch that movie!) and Timeout wants me to go around all the famous (or not so famous) parts of London which have featured in major blockbuster films. Unfortunately the description provided is so convoluted that I can't work out what number it is between #163 and #187!



3 down...997 to go!

#566 - Cross London's best Bridges (1/10)

After finishing our bottle of Rose at Gordon's wine bar (see #888), we headed along the Strand to meet up with another two Uni friends. We decided to head east along the strand towards Blackfriars in seach of another pub, whilst I desperately searched through my book for a good pub (Note to self: I need to sort out a system of numbers of regions in London!).

Pubs around Blackfriars seem to close very early on a Saturday, as each one we passed was boarded up! We eventually decided to head for a southbank pub I knew from when I lived there, and in doing so we crossed the Millennium Bridge (something I've never actually done before!).

Lo and Behold, Thing #566 asks me to cross some of London's best bridges, including the Millennium! BONUS!


2 down...998 to go!

#888 - Hide away with a bottle in Gordon's

Timeout Said:

Gordon's offers a wine bar by candlelight, with small hideaways in a cellar-like environment, casting back to the days of the 1940's where naughty Londoners get frisky, away from the torch of the local ARP!

Dave did:

Saturday 21st July, the BBC is reporting on a monsoon season in London, and I'm trying to clear up a water feature that felt it needed to place itself in the middle of my living room...what better time to get stuck into Timeout's 1000 Things!

An old Uni friend Rolf was down for a visit, and having looked through my trusty guide we agreed a trip to the Hunterian Museum was in order (#188). However, as 3pm ticks by we can both be found sprawled out on a couch each preferring to watch a repeat of Still Game on the TV...so much for my amazing start!

But soon we find ourselves leaving the flat. Despite my attempts to do otherwise, we are off to meet another two Uni friends who are in the centre of town at some wine bar. I didn't want to go somewhere that wasn't on my list, especially when there were so many other pubs/wine bars listed in my 1000 things that we could go to instead and make it 'worth my while'.

On the tube I bring out my guide book and flick through the index...low and behold the wine bar we're heading to is #888!! At last I can see my To-Do list reducing in size!

We make it to the bar and find it heaving with people. It is indeed a very dark and dingey place, but it was also incredibly stuffy, and in the middle of summer thats the last place you want to hang around. So we make the wise decision to take a table outside the bar next to a public garden. I then head in to grab a bottle of the cheapest Rose, with 2 supporting glasses, and not before too long we're sitting at our table enjoying a Ramada Rose (Shiraz) from Portugal...I did warn you I'm not a connisseur!





...it seems I'm not a weatherman either! 10 minutes into our bottle of Rose, the heavens opened and very quickly we found ourselves sitting in a pond with more water leaking through our summer umbrella!



We braved the elements and continued with our wine whilst reliving stories from St. Andrews (our University!).

Before leaving I jumped into the bar and took a quick shot to prove I had ticked off #888!



For future reference, this is Rolf my campanion for #888...you've been warned!





1 down...999 to go!

#21 - Watch The Great Gorilla Run 2007

Right well what better way to watch the Great Gorilla Run than through the eye holes of your very own Gorilla outfit?

I've signed myself up to run the Great Gorilla Run, whereby I dress up in a Gorilla costume and run a 5 mile course around central London in late September.

To sponsor me check out:

http://www.justgiving.com/Daveisagorilla

and email me if you want details on the afterparty (Banana milkshakes all around!)

The Challenge

Right, so here's the plan!

I'm an average, run of the mill 23 year old who drifted down to London for the sake of a graduate job, having spent the majority of his life in a small Scottish village (well not so small anymore, but compared to London still relatively tiny!).

I've been 'living' in London since January 2006 and thus far have yet to be really impressed or won over by the city! I'm ready to leave and escape back up to Scotland, but thus far my work won't let me. Everyone around me seems to think I'm mad for wanting to leave and part of me keeps thinking I'm missing something!


So here's the plan! I've picked up Timeout's "1000 Things to do in London 2007" publication from my local bookstore, and I am prepared to stay in London until I have completed each and every thing they suggest London can provides.





Buy it here!



Only once I have completed each of the 1000 things to do in London, will I then make the final decision to move out of London having done everything it provides.

Worryingly, despite my wish to leave London early in the new year, to complete 1000 things in just a year would mean I would have to complete 3 per day, or 20 every weekend....which is a bit of a tall order!

However, I feel this is part of the challenge, to balance my want to leave with the need to experience all London has to offer.

I'm going to use this blog to document my experiences on each of Timeout's 1000 Things and to make sure I get all of my £12.99 out of my book purchase!

Now if anyone out there has this book, or passes it in the bookstore, please do have a flick through and see if any of your hobbies or interests are listed. Having looked through it myself, there are some 'interesting' things to be done, but given that I'd also like to meet new and interesting people through this challenge, if you already take part in one of the things listed and would like a male companion for your next event then please get in touch at timeoutinlondon@googlemail.com.

Well my start date will be 21st July 2007, so expect my next post soon!