Dave's Timeout In London

#815 - Learn the secrets of Westminster Bridge Road

2008-10-26T22:31:00.003Z

Timeout says:
First look at No.100, a block of posh flats now inhabited by bankers, Japanese businessmen and Kevin Spacey. It used to be the headquarters of MI6 and is alleged to have secret prison cells and a secret passage to nearby Lambeth North tube station

Dave did:

Timeout says:
Now head a few yards north on the other side of the road. Nestled between a Spar and a Chicken Palace, No.121 has a terracotta, mildly Gothic frontage that shields the remains of one of London's strangest railway stations - the Waterloo terminus of the Necropolis Railway, which took coffins from London to a Surrey graveyard. The brainchild of the London Necropolis Company, from 1885 'the stiffs express' would take corpses daily to their final resting place in Brookwood Cemetery.

Dave did:

126 down...874 Things to go!

#516 - Assess the pick of London's city squares - West Square

2008-10-26T22:17:00.004Z

Timeout says:
An unexpected patch behind the Imperial War Museum, this inviting residential square is a great spot for visitors looking for a green space in Southwark

Dave did:
Given its surroundings, this is a bit of a hidden gem. Surrounded by very grand terraced housing, this garden square was quite a pleasant surprise.

125 down...875 Things to go!

#358 - Discover an unlikely collection of art

2008-10-26T22:05:00.003Z

Timeout says:
The Imperial War Museum is better known for its displays of the mechanics and artefacts of war, but it also contains some notable works of art. Most of these can be found in two galleries on the second floor that are dedicated to art from World War I and World War II.

One of the most powerful paintings is John Singer Sargeant's 'Gassed', which depicts a line of blinded soldiers staggering through a battlefield.

Dave did:
For a free museum, the Imperial War Museum is an amazing day out! I spent a good 4 hours in this place, and it was amazing! Part war transport museum, part history lesson, part immersive experience (I was in a trench that eerily felt safe!), and part in memory of those lost in the holocaust.

Yes they had an art gallery but that was just the tip of the ice-berg, and to be honest the least thought provoking out of everything else there! A fantastic day out!

124 down...876 Things to go!

#720 - Explore London's telly locations....This Life

2008-10-26T21:47:00.002Z

Timeout says:
The London Underground has, of course, provided settings for TV drama upon TV drama. Chancery Lane tube and This Life are inseparable in viewers' minds.

Dave did:
For once, this is a thing I have done on numerous occassions in the 3 years I've been in London! And I've even watched This Life...it was one of the first DVD's I bought when I moved down here and gave me a rather stark reality of starting a life in London!

123 down...877 Things to go!

#50 - Eat your way round Alan Yau

2008-10-26T00:35:00.002+01:00

Timeout says:
Start at Wagamama, founded by Yau in 1992. Yau is no loger associated with the chai, but the business stays close to his original ethos, providing wholesome noodle dishes at a fair price.

Dave did:
Managed to tick this one off the list through a lunch with some work colleagues on the Thames southbank!

122 down...878 Things to go!

#642 - Go deco! Hoover Building

2008-09-27T23:55:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
Apart from residents of Perivale, not many Londoners trek out here. But it's well worth the effort to see this piece of architecture - possibly the finest art deco structure in Britain. Built in 1932, the principal building is a low-lying, two-storey white structure with its front divided into 15 bays by massive Egyption style pillars. It also has an outstanding central doorway that is framed by a huge sun-ray design. The rear part of the building was sensitively converted into a Tesco supermarket in 1989, and the palce has been celebrated in song (Elvis Costello's 'Hoover Factory').

Dave did:
On the Oxford tube heading out of London for the weekend, I caught sight of this very impressive building at the roadside. Unfortunately I couldn't get a decent picture with my mobile phone in time so I admit I have relied upon one from Google, but I did see it! (honest!)

121 down...879 Things to go!

#636 - Go deco! Apollo Victoria

2008-09-27T23:49:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
This Grade II-listed building, designed by Ernest Wamsley Lewis and WE Trent, opened in 1930. The exterior has two matching openings with pronounced horizontal baning and deco lettering inset in the concrete. most of the original interior is gone, but there are various maritime motifs and typically deco railings

Dave did:
Heading off to Oxford for the weekend I happened to pass by the Apollo Victoria. I think Timeout's has described everything there is to say about the appearance of this theatre...I guess the only thing needed to complete the picture is to mention Wicked is currently being shown there!

120 down...880 Things to go!

#871 - Walk under the Thames

2008-09-21T23:40:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
Yes, it's a bit dank and smelly, but how often do you get the chance to walk under a river? The Thames foot tunnel at Greenwich is open to the public, connecting Island Gardens at the southerly tip of the Isle of Dogs to Greenwich, near the Cutty Sark. The echoes are impressive, the surroundings rather spooky.

Dave did:
Probably one of my proudest achievements to date - walking under the Thames!

They really should have more tunnels under the Thames for people to cross as its a completely different experience from the bridges over the river.

119 down...881 Things to go!

#499 - Tour the capital's breweries

2008-09-21T23:25:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
For those whose interest lies more in the drinking than the watching, London boasts a handful of bars with their own micro-breweries - a refreshing change from the usual mass-produced lagers. Greenwich Union is the fine flagship of Meantime Brewery.

Dave did:
The weather was fantastic this Sunday and so I decided to head over to Greenwich for the first time in my 3 year history of London travels. I have to say I really did like the place, very homely! Unfortunately the same can't be said for their signage!

Heading up towards the Greenwich Union for one of their own beers I walked into the bar and couldn't find any sign of their Greenwich Meantime beer. So I settled for a Youngs Special (telling myself its not a beer I'd normally drink so therefore it would count).

Half an hour later I leave only to discover that I was in the wrong bloody bar! On approach to the pub you will not that there were two signs on display:

And if you were on the other side of the road you would have seen 2 pubs side by side:

Muggins here had to go and order yet another beer to sort this mess out (and it was far better than Youngs Special!). I highly recommend Meantime Brewery, they have beers of all sorts (fruit, stout, lager, ale, pale ale....) and the bar itself is very bright and airy. A good Sunday afternoon pub!

118 down...882 Things to go!

#397 - Be a nosy neighbour for Open House London

2008-09-21T23:18:00.002+01:00

Timeout says:
An annual event held around mid-September that gives architecture lovers free access to more than 500 fascinating buildings all over the capital. An essential experience for the born snooper.

Dave did:
When I entered the Fan Museum I was expecting to pay a £5 entrance fee (...£2.50 per room if you will - see Thing #352). However, it turned out this was Open House London week and so it was free entry! Nice one!

117 down...883 Things to go!

#352 - Visit the Fan Museum

2008-09-21T23:04:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
The world's only museum dedicated to fans. It's a tiny space that holds two rooms and a total collection of 4,000 antique fans, some of which date as far back as the 11th century.

Dave did:
I'm a bit lost for words on what to say about this place. It's a quaint wee tea-shop kinda museum, originally only 2 rooms big (1 being primarily a gift shop!), it was Open House London week and so they had laid on an extra 2 rooms to display their range of fans.

Only a small cabinet was dedicated to electric fans, which was a little disappointing, but I did learn one of two things about the making of fans. Turtle sheets, pearls and cardboard were all explored and used as a frame before it was decided that wood was the best option (how on earth do you turn a turtle shell into a fan anyway?).

The best fan on show in my humble opinion was a nice white thing from the 19th century which had the Royal Opera House's seating plan printed across it. Very functional and forward thinking if you ask me! Then again you'd be screwed if you then took it to the Royal Albert Hall!

116 down...884 Things to go!

#666 - Get to know the goths

2008-09-16T22:41:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
Garlic & Shots is genius. The concept is straightforward: it serves just about anything, so long as it comes with garlic. Skip the food and head over to the bar to try the 'blood shot' - a tomato, garlic and chilli vodka shot. OK, it might pong a bit inside, but there's always the very nice yard out the back.

Dave did:
One of my oldest friends announced her impending visit to London and I was asked to find a suitable pub for a drink. If ever there was an opportunity to cross off another of my Things this was it!

And so it was that we found ourselves walking down Old Compton street towards 'Garlic and Shots'. True to its word, as we entered the dark and dingy bar, a staff member was sitting on a table at the site peeling garlic cloves whilst some diners tucked into a garlic dip.

The barman had the audacity to treat US like the weird ones, giving us an awkward look as if visitors should not ask him questions until after sunset (we only asked what beers he served!). Eventually we got hold for 2 beers and headed out the back for some fresh air (although I can't smell myself - another story - Lou did note that it ponged a bit too much for her liking).

Disappointingly the beers were not complimented by any garlic, and so Lou ventured back to the bar for another round. To my horror she returned with another 2 beers....and the blood shot!

As timeout describes, the blood shot is just a 35ml shot, but crammed full of vodka, tomato juice, tequilla and chilli. Of course Lou only got one blood shot, and she purchased it with only one taster in mind - me!

It initially tastes like a bloody mary, but then once the tomato juice part is out the way, you look down the 'nozzel' of the shot glass and realise that the barman has actually crammed a WHOLE chilli into the base of the glass AND some black pepper for good measure!

Fire-breathing-dragon doesn't cover it...unfortunately Lou took most of the reaction shots which I have yet to get a hold of, but needless to say it wasn't a pleasant aftertaste (and the free bout of hiccups didn't help either - a strange reaction I have to eating chilli's)

115 down...885 Things to go!

#341 - Go to the Proms

2008-09-15T23:10:00.010+01:00

Timeout says:
Grab some tickets for the hilariously over-the-top Last Night, when normally well-behaved grown-ups act like schoolchildren, throwing paper darts and parping klaxons at inappropriate moments!

Dave did:
Not quite the proper Proms scene, but I did grab a last minute ticket for the Proms in the Park in Hyde Park, where as it happens a good friend of mine was singing in the choir for the grand finale!

I'm not much of an opera person, but I'm always up for something different and I have a thing for any operatic music by John Williams and the sort!

Well I was not disappointed on this occasion as we bore witness to Bjorn Again, Terry Wogan, a Z-list celeb conductor, Sharleen Spriteri (from Texas...the band, not the state!), and the BBC Sympharmoic Orchestra (or something as fancy sounding as that).

We kicked off with some golden oldies from Bjorn Again, who did not disappoint the females in the audience with all the big hits. I was caught on several occasions mouthing the words and so I took to gulping down my plastic-bottled Rose wine every few minutes! While the music was good, I was trying to get over the fact that I found 'Frida' pretty hot! As a reliable friend later told me, this was very wrong indeed! But just look at them...wouldn't you be fascinated by those robes and super extended legs?

Best bit of the show though, was when we confirmed that there was no miming in this act as the music suddenly cut out and the two fine ladies were left to sing the remainder of their song without any prompts...hats off to them as I'm sure the Spice Girls couldn't do that 10 years on!

Anyway, I digress! To calm my raging hormones...or to better put it - kill them dead...I had the lovely view of some oldies dancing in front of my line of vision with the main stage...

Before coming to this evening, I was well aware of the fact that the Proms in the Park is absolutely pro-Great Britain, and so I joked that I would bring along a Scottish saltire to rebel against this patriotism! Well thank goodness I didn't as right in front of me was the crazed women swatting British flags all over the place and 'dancing' like a maniac throughout the night.

As the night drew on, the real heros of opera started to make an appearance. And the man himself (supported with full-on military bugle horns) Terry Wogan came on stage to guide the night's main events.

I'm a big fan of Terry from his Eurovision antics, but I'm afraid the old man is starting to show is age and visibly struggled to stall for time as the BBC techies got their act together! Nevermind Terry...Eurovision will always be there to top up the pension!

First of the main acts was Sue Perkins, who came on stage to lead the orchestra as part of her duties for winning the Z-list celebrity reality show 'Maestro'. Her performance was good at best, but the majority of the crowd were not impressed given that most felt the show trivalised the duty of a conductor - its really a hard sell to make a reality programme about an individual who waves a stick around in the air at a 100+ band...!

Terry was left with the best line of the night as the main conductor for the evening returned to the stage, only for Wogan to comment "not to worry John...you've got nothing to follow on from!"....nice!

As the night came to a close, my friend Suzie headed up on stage to sing as part of the choir who would lead the national anthem, amongst other 'popular classical hits'.

She's the one in green by the way!

Unfortunately her part was cut short as the show overran with its link up with the Royal Albert Hall...this is where things got really interesting as we saw all the posh folk in proper opera attire bopping up and down to the cockles and lockles (or whatever it is) song! Hilarious to watch!

All in all it was a very pleasant evening out, although I had hoped for some big operatic pieces which never really came. The closest we got to it was the BBC orchestra playing the Star Trek main anthem and a collage of Bond theme tunes. Not a John Williams piece in earshot!

114 down...886 Things to go!

#215 - Visit Little Ben

2008-09-15T23:00:00.003+01:00

Timeout says:
Given to London by the French at a time of fine cross-channel relations in 1892, Little Ben is a little (not that little, at 30 feet tall) brother to our grandest timepiece, Big Ben. Unlike its Westminster sibling, Little Ben sits rather sadly on a traffice island on Victoria Street.

Dave did:
Much as Timeout says above, it is a bit of a sad sight to see this rather unique treasure just sitting amidst the hussle and bussle of commuters, buses and cars outside Victoria station. No one seems to stop and take any notice of this rather peculiar clock sitting in the middle of the road, and everyone I've spoken to since has never heard of it!

Shame!

113 down...887 Things to go!

#800 - Watch a dragon boat race

2008-09-15T22:50:00.004+01:00

Timeout says:
Dragon boat racing is an unusual, sociable sport! A 20-seat boat with an ornately carved head can often be seen racing in lung-bursting 500-metre races, and occasionally longer distances such as the 22-mile Great River Race. Forget the Oxbridge boat race - real fun on the river comes in the shape of a dragon!

Dave did:
Now this 'Thing' has been on my radar for a while now. Not that long ago I had an opportunity at work to join in a Dragon boat race, but unfortunately spaces were quickly occupied and I fell onto the waiting list! I'm still waiting for my shot!

In the meantime though, I took the opportunity last weekend to check out how a Dragon boat actually works in the Great River Race on the Thames...and its actually quite scary and funny at the same time!

As I saw all these nice traditional rowing boats, and olympic style pencil thin boats...up ahead I spotted this thing with hundreds of short little legs peddling like mad up the river! It honestly looked like the 7 dwarfs and their brothers had got themselves into a fight with nature that they were desperately losing as they battled their way down the river!

Still cant wait for my chance to have a go (although I'll stick to the 500m races!)

112 down...888 Things to go!

#381 - Watch the Great River Race

2008-09-15T22:35:00.006+01:00

Timeout says:
A bit like the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race but more fun, this annual race sees more than 260 'traditional' boats, from Chinese dragon boats and Hawaiian war canoes to Viking Longboats compete over a 22-mile course to become the UK Traditional Boat Champions

Dave did:
Three years in London, an at least a year of it spent right next to the River Thames...and I've never once seen a boat race! Some people would say thats ridiculous, others would say its a proud achievement! For me its more of an embarrassment as it highlights how much I sleep in during the weekends more than anything else!

So when I noticed the Great River Race being advertised for last weekend I made a point of heading towards Waterloo to watch the occassion.

The official website reliably informed me that the boats would start passing the London Eye at around 4pm (thus allowing for a suitable lie-in once again!). Well 4.45 rolled by and not even a piece of driftwood passed me by!

But then at 4.50pm I finally see a speck on the horizon...and yes by 4.55pm that speck turned out to the be leaders of the pack, a pack that was very far behind!

Given the very traditional and bulky look of the boat, I was amazed at how big a gap these guys had over the opposition. It was a full 10 minutes before the next boat showed up, and trust it to be the Irish (with beer bellies in tow)!

...but then it was another 20 minutes before the rest started floating underneath my bridge!

By all accounts it looked like a dominant display by the top two in not-all-too-impressive floating contraptions compared to those behind them. Still it looked pretty tight in the midpack with some good battles between dragon boats and viking ships!

111 down...889 Things to go!

#62 - Reflect on a crime of passion over a pint

2008-08-20T23:37:00.004+01:00

Timeout says:
Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, shot David Blakely here on Easter Day in 1955, and two weathered bullet holes on the front wall outside mark the event. Today, the Magdala is a sedate spot; light pours in through the oversized, partly stained-glass windows, and chirpy young bar staff pull pints of London Pride and Greene King IPA

Dave did:

"Hang on" said John, "you should go and have a pint at a crime scene tonight!"

"Uh...okay John, are we about to witness a crime?"

Bearing in mind I had known John for all of 10 minutes over a game of London Skittles (not your normal every day kind of situation) I don't think this was such an unreasonable question!

"No, no, in you 1000 Things, the Magdala here, its just down the road, you can complete another of your things while your here tonight!"

And indeed he was right! In fact I had passed this crime scene on the way to the game of Skittles and had not even noticed it or registered its importance!

So on our way back home, I insisted Ian join me for a quick drink before the bar closed for the night. A quick glass of coke later (on a school night 2 pints was enough for me!) we made our way out the door in hunt of the infamous bullet holes.

I was tempted to pull a legendary death scene pose, but thought the better of it as the bullet holes still look quick fresh!

110 down...890 Things to go!

#45 - Play London Skittles

2008-08-20T22:48:00.008+01:00

Timeout says:
Try to knock down nine pins with a 10lb 'cheese' (more of a wedge than a ball) in as few throws as possible. A rare 'floorer' is the apogee, when all the pins are downed with one throw. Three floorers on the trot will earn you a place in London skittles history (17 were recorded in 1934, but the feat hasn't been managed since 1960). Sadly, this historic London game is nearing extinction, but there is an alley at the Freemasons Arms. Play it to save it!

Dave did:

To: enquiries@londonskittles.co.uk
Subject: Skittles Enquiries

Hello,

I read about London Skittles in my Timeout 1000 Things to do in London. I am
currently trying to complete all 1000 things (see www.timeoutinlondon.co.uk)
and I was wondering if me and a friend could come and visit the Freemason
Arms this Tuesday night to try a game?

Thanks,

David

From: enquiries@londonskittles.co.uk
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2008 9:25 PM
To: timeoutinlondon@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Skittles Enquiries

Hi David,

Yes, no problem. We start at about 8pm and play in order of arrival. You "stick" a game first (put the pins up for the players of that game), then you get to play. There's no charge for your first three visits. In the event that you decide to abandon the other 999 things and stick to skittles, the annual membership is £6 and games are 50p.

Regards,
Paul

Paul Robinson
Hampstead Lawn Billiard and Skittle Club

And so it was I found myself running out the office at 7pm to high tail it over to the north end of London. Fortunately I was not going to be flying solo for the evening as my old schoolfriend Ian agreed to come along.

We arrived at the Freemasons Arms to a very subdued and proper gastro-pub. A quick scout around confirmed that we may have found the wrong Freemasons Arms! But I had the quick-thinking to ask a member of the bar staff if they happened to play London skittles in the building, and fortunately they did...it was just downstairs and around the corner from the toilets!

I distinctly recall Ian suggesting it felt like we were heading for a bare knuckles underground boxing match...and the loud thumps and wooden grinds did not help dampen the though!

I peeped our heads around into a moderately sized room, with half the floor missing in the middle creating a gully that led to a diamond shaped platform where 9 pins stood in a diamond formation. Around this set were 3 proud members of the Hampstead Lawn Billiard and Skittle Club (they don't know why its a Lawn Billiard club...they only ever play skittles!)

We were quickly introduced to Steve, Tom and Paul, my contact from the earlier email exchange.

I had tried my best to read up a bit about the game before I had arrived (see www.londonskittles.co.uk) and understood that the game consisted of 9 skittles setup at one end of the room, and then the player was expected to throw a 'cheese' and knock down as many skittles as possible. Knocking all 9 skittles in 3 throws is considered the equivalent of a par in golf, knock them down in less than 3 throws is great, anything more you either score a 4 (if cleared in 4 throws) or a maximum of 5 (5 throws or more required to clear). With me so far? Me neither! When I originally read this my first thoughts were a) Thats alotta stinky cheese and b) Its gonna be very messy!

It's surprising how quickly you pick it the rules though (and rest assured the 'cheese' is actually a very dense circular plate of wood...denser than water I am reliably told!). Our entrance was welcomed with a rare event in London Skittles as one of these cheeses was broken in half after a throw!

A game consists of 7 frames (I think) and you play against 1 other player in turns. My first game was pretty solid, starting with a few 4's and 5's, and ending with a 3! I'm sorry to say my second game (after a few intervening ale's) was not so good and my 'technique' went out the window with a full set of 5's!

During play we discussed how I came across the club, and I explained about my 1000 Things. Luckily I had the book with me and the guys were ecstatic to find out they were #45...in the top 50! They did, however, object to Timeout's reference to the game heading for extinction...

All in all it was a brilliant night out, undoubtedly something a bit different, and hats off to Tom, Paul and Steve who were more than willing to teach us the game and let us play a few games with them. I would definitely place this in my top 5 things done so far!

109 down...891 Things to go!

#513 - Assess London's city squares: Lincoln's Inn Fields

2008-08-19T00:12:00.006+01:00

Timeout says:
This 17th-century square, laid out by Inigo Jones, is now a favourite spot for lunching lawyers from the Inns of Court. Sir John Soane's Museum faces on to the square

Dave did:
Well I didn't see anyone resembling a lawyer (no funny wigs anyway!). Curiously there were plenty of stretch limo's about (white and pink ones..??), and there was a kids exercise class in the centre of the park.

My overall assessment? A reasonable get away from the hectic city life, but the buzz of the corporate life is only a 2 minute walk away...

108 down...892 Things to go!

#849 - Take a peek at Strand Lane's 'Roman Bath'

2008-08-18T22:32:00.006+01:00

Timeout says:
Neither Roman nor really a bath, this splendid little curio at 5 Strand Lane can be glimpsed through a murky barred window down a cruddy side alley off Surrey Street. The red-brick plunge pool is first mentioned in records towards the end of the 18th century and Dickens wrote about it in David Copperfield, but archaeologists have found no evidence to confirm it has Roman origins.

Dave did:
Today wasn't my lucky day. An hour long walk to get to the Inns fields, and on my way home I decided to seek out this little gem.

The dark alley was gated and locked, and the sign informed me that it was around the corner at the end of the alley...

so my best shot of it was this:

First impressions count, and I don't think I'd consider a swim down there!

107 down...893 Things to go!

#34 - Nose around the Inns of Court

2008-08-18T22:14:00.004+01:00

Timeout says:
The Inns of Court - four self-contained precincts where barristers traditionally train and practice - are an oasis of calm in the middle of the city. The Inns - Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Inner Temple, Middle Temple - meander in a broad zig-zag from Holborn down through Chancery Lane to Blackgriars and Embankment. They trace their history back to the 14th century, when the old manor house belonging to Sir Reginald de Grey, Chief Justice of Chester, was converted into a 'hostelry' for law students fleeing the disarray of King Edward's court (hence Inns).

Dave did:
Have you ever had one of those days where you go off in search of some site around town...you have your printed map and know exactly where your going. And an hour later you realise you didn't know exactly where you were going at all!

Well that was the story of my evening in London tonight! I've suddenly had the wind in my sales of late, and keen to crack on with my 1000 Things I noticed that the Inns of Court gardens were not that far away from my office...unfortunately I decided to take a circular route, reaching my target in ever decreasing circles! A 10 minute walk from my office turned into a 1 hour hike!

Got there in the end though! I did some research on wikipedia beforehand and apparently the Lincoln Inn Fields inspired the creation of Central Park in New York. I'll be honest and say I've never been to Central Park, but if its anything like this one then I think I'll give it a miss...nothing that special if you ask me!

106 down...894 Things to go!

#944 - Watch the London Triathlon

2008-08-10T17:17:00.001+01:00

Timeout says:
It can seem like sadism to watch athletes putting themselves through such torture. The London Triathlon involves a swimming, bike and running race. The races are important fundraisers for charity.

Dave did:
A few months ago I arranged a primary school reunion through facebook, trying to get together some old schoolmates who grew up with me out in the middle-east and now so happen to live in and around London. To cut a long story short, only 2 people showed up...and 1 of them was 2 hours late so I never actually saw them!

However, I met up with the late-comer a few weeks later for a drink, and she announced she was taking part in the London Triathlon later in the year. At this point a small lightbulb went off in the back of my mind (1000 Things, I am ashamed to say wasn't at the forefront of my mind back then), but I couldn't recall why at the time.

Then this weekend I was reading through my 1000 Things bible and realised I was meant to watch it. I quickly went online to check out the dates only to realise that it was this weekend! My old schoolfriend hadn't even reminded me she was doing it!

Unfortunately I didn't get out in time to see her perform the swimming leg for her team, and I had to resort to checking out the Olympic-standard triathletes the following day.

Got down to Embankment where my research reliably informed me that the cycling leg would pass through. Was there any cyclists rushing past? Not one! The barriers were setup, the police presence was felt, but nothing else was really happening.

I looked left...

...two tourists walking straight over the cyclists path.

I looked right...

...oh hang on...

...finally a cyclist!

So there you go...I saw the London Triathlon!

105 down..895 Things to go!

#786 - Visit the Thames Barrier

2008-08-10T01:38:00.005+01:00

Timeout says:
The key player in London's flood defence system and an arresting piece of modern architecture.

Dave did:
As part of my work's grand cruise down the Thames we did not only see the Thames Barrier, we cruised THROUGH the Thames Barrier! Unfortunately it was not in action while we passed through it (well maybe not so unfortunate as it would be difficult for us to about turn and come back through it again!), but Gillian (my partner for the evening) could see how excited I was by what we achieved that evening! It was very very cool! (and yes I am very very sad!)

104 down...896 Things to go!

#995 - Go on a Thames River boat trip

2008-08-10T01:30:00.003+01:00

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Christian O'Connell (Radio DJ)

Timeout/Christian says:
My daughter is transfixed by the Thames - the sheer size of it. We're going on a boat trip this summer - a good one that goes from Kingston, past Putney and on to Westminster

Dave did:
Well as explained in my last post, I did go on a lovely Thames cruise for a work's event, but unfortunately it didn't take in the pleasant sights of London. I did see the O2 Centre (nee the Millennium Dome), Canary Wharf, and the Thames Barrier...but still would have liked to have seen London city, rather than London scrubs!

Never turn down a free lunch though...I cruised the Thames with free food and booze and thats NEVER a bad thing!

103 down...897 Things to go!

#279 - Actually use river transport

2008-08-10T01:23:00.003+01:00

Timeout says:
Have a gander at any Ole London picture of the Thames and the first thing that'll strike you is the amount of river traffice there used to be. These days most boats on the river are used by tourists - and perfectly nice they are too, taking you about the many sights of the Thames...an excellent way to get from east to west - or just to see the river's landmarks

Dave did:
Work announced that they were to hold a Charity Ball on a boat, which would cruise down the river Thames.

Perfect, I thought, maybe I'll get to see Tower Bridge open while I sail under it, maybe I'll see the London Eye and Westminster and see the sights of London from the one place very few people do see them from!

Unfortunately none of the above happened (although we did go under Tower Bridge, it did not open up for us!). We actually travelled from Tower Bridge east-wards, towards Canary Wharf, and then on to the Thames Barrier. Not the nicest of routes in London (lots of warehouses, ship yards and other pretty worn down areas of London), but it was still a great night out!

102 down...898 Things to go!

#552 - Eat Indian street food at Imli

2008-03-20T01:01:00.002Z

Timeout says:
You don't have to travel to Chowpatty Beach to share the sensations millions of Indians enjoy every day; instead, go to Soho. At Imli - the spacious, contemporary offshoot of popular north Indian restaurant Tamarind in Mayfair - the makhani dahl is a dream dish.

Dave did:
Well Imli serves up quality Indian dishes at a fraction of the cost of Tamarind...but for me its all about the snob-factor and so I decided to head for Tamarind instead!

Yes, despite my severe debts, I managed to weedle myself into a position at work to take my whole team out to Tamarind for a celebratory meal. See what I did there? Its all about using your networks to get to these places!

We went with the set menu, but all I can say is that it was a fabulous evening and the food was terrific! Unfortunately the photo opportunities were not so much in abundence, and this is the best I've got!

101 down...899 Things to go!

#592 - Join in with the family at the National Gallery

2008-02-21T23:20:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Children's workshops run every weekend and daily during the school holidays, where kids can learn to make everything from foil jewellery to clay shoes.

Dave did:
As with Thing #608, I happened to attend a children's dramatisation of the Chinese festival in the middle of the National Gallery. Can't recall too much of it except that the trio of performers attempted to teach the kids a novel full of chinese phrases in the space of 5 minutes and even I struggled to keep up (the songs to remind me weren't much use either!)

100 down...900 Things to go!

#608 - Attend a free public lecture: National Gallery

2008-02-21T23:17:00.000Z

Timeout says:
The National Gallery runs several series of well-respected and formative talks. These include lunchtime lectures

Dave did:
During the Chinese New Year Festival celebrations I wandered into the National Gallery and literally stumbled across a school of children all gathering around a corner of the gallery to watch a dramatised lecture on the origins of the Chinese festival.

Free lecture if you ask me!

99 down...901 Things to go!

P.S. No photography allowed in the National Gallery so cant prove it other than giving my word!

#929 - Celebrate Chinese New Year

2008-02-20T01:09:00.001Z

Timeout says:
Even if the festivities around Trafalgar Square mainly revolve around the sale of pricey noodles to tourists, its still worth bracing the crowds to see Chinatown come to life for Chinese New Year in mid-February, also known as Spring Festival.

Dave did:
I came, I saw, I queued for hours...and I watched a dramatised history lesson in the National Gallery

98 down...902 Things to go!

#576 - Get lost for words at the International Mime Festival

2008-01-24T23:44:00.001Z

Timeout says:
Mimefest was founded 30 years ago and is now one of the world's most important visual theatre festivals. The event incorporates shows for children and adults, wit performances by rising stars as well as a multitude of established names in the fields of circus acts, puppetry, physical theatre and live art.

Dave did:
Searching up on the shows on offer this year, I was at a loss as to which one to choose as they all looked extremely fascinating...one was based solely around the use of big bubbles and imagery!

I eventually decided upon the 'Sadari Movement Laboratory's' interpretation of Woyzeck - A German stage play written by Georg Büchner in the early 1800's.

Of course I say I decided, the fact that it was the last show to have any tickets left DID influence that decision slightly!

Anyway, the play is based on a true story of a poor german soldier driven by inhuman military discipline to madness and the murder of his mistress. It remains "one of the most enigmatic, shocking and influential works of modern theatre" (Southbank Centre).

This interpretation was a stripped-down version from Korea using only 10 wooden chairs, 10 bodies, movement, space and light to create a dynamic physical and visual language, revealing the charaters' emotional states.

The mime company itself - Sadari - was founded in 1999 and is one of Korea's best known young theatre companies which won a Herald Angel and Total Theatre Award during the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

So....in case you haven't already guess all that colourful blurb was just copied out of my programme guide!

I have to say I entered the theatre slightly apprehensive as I wasn't sure what to expect, the seats were uncomfortable and all I saw in the centre of the stage was a solitary chair:

However, over the course of the next 80 minutes I was mesmorised by how 10 people dressed in black, armed with one plain wooden chair each and some clever lighting, could create completely different scenes and make you really feel what was going on in the main characters minds.

Mime is usually associated with silent street actors dressed in black and white striped shirts. But in this case there was no silence, as the entire show was given an almost celtic backing track (Piazolla's tango music apparently) and the actors spoke constantly in korean with a few english phrases thrown in for good measure. It was also partly like a silent movie with two sentances being projected on the back wall between each scene describing what was going on.

As I already mentioned, the use of the chairs was particularly interesting and the choreography was very intricate. Over 12 scenes the Sadari group created a cemetary, a military parade, a fairground, a circus, a surgery, a mirror room, a nightmare (with lots of talking heads), a pub, a church, and a forest!

The love scene should also be noted...when I first read there was going to be some sex involved I have to admit an eyebrow was raised (well both really as I cant really do one effectively without concentrating really hard!). You may have heard of having sex on a chair....but how about two wooden chairs....back to back? It was incredibly inventive and I must say very moving (oh god, terrible, terrible use of words there!), the female was also making the most of her ability to do the splits too!!

At the end the team were even able to create their own credits, whereby they re-presented key scenes from the show within the space of 2 minutes...and these were drastic changes in scenes both for character changes and settings with the chairs.

All in all (summating here as I am rambling on a bit!) a terrific show, and just the right length in time to make for a pleasant school night past-time!

97 down...903 Things to go!

#740 - Skateboard: South Bank

2008-01-24T23:33:00.000Z

Timeout says:
London's many skaters are blessed with an increasing number of designated skateparks in which to practice their tricks. The gradditied stretch of the South Bank beneath the Royal Festival Hall remains the beating heart of the London skate scene.

Dave did:
I had a skateboard as a kid, but I never really got what it was all about...you stand on a board with wheels and you keep pushing yourself along with one foot. Maybe the problem was me viewing it as a mode of transport like a bike, cause I found it very inefficient and resulted in a very very dead leg! Only the Back to the Future movies kept my interest up in them, but even then I remember sticking on my walkman with the BTTF Soundtrack, lining myself up at the top of my driveway and skated down onto the road...only for a family friend to drive up behind me and beep the horn to make a point that I shouldn't be listening to music whilst skateboarding...and there finished that dream (although I will always be the first in line for a hoverboard!)

So getting back to this Thing. I'm no longer an owner of a skateboard, and my astute upbringing probably means showing up with a board won't exactly help me to blend in anymore than showing up in a hoodie would!

I therefore decided to sit back and just enjoy the scene as other kids tried, tried and tried again to complete their tricks...I promise to play an hour of Tony Hawk when I get home to make up for my obvious loss...

96 down...104 Things to go!

#961 - Much a macaroon at Laduree

2008-01-24T23:26:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Bringing Parisian cafe culture bang up to date, the London branch of Laduree inside Harrods boasts a wealth of delicate dainties for shoppers with sweetly indulgent tastes.

Dave did:
I didn't hang around, but I did pick up some nice chocolates...one even had the Harrods logo on it!!

95 down...905 Things to go!

#646 - Drool over the food halls in Harrods

2008-01-21T21:23:00.000Z

Timeout says:
You could admire the Mohammad Al Fayed waxwork in menswear or worship at the Dodi and Diana shrine in the basement. You could check out the ten-foot-tall gold pharoah in the Egyptian Room or try to eat and drink your way round all of the 28 in-store restaurants and bars. But when we're at Harrods and feeling the need for full-bore, over the top opulence, there's only one destination: the legendary food halls.

Dave did:
Never been to Harrods before, and if I'm honest I don't really respect Mohammad Al Fayed as a person. I won't turn this into a political discussion but the way he handles himself around the whole Dodi-Diana issue has not done him any favours if you ask me.

But anyway, Harrods is more than one man - in size and notoriety! This was to be my first visit to the department store and my expectations were much akin to how I imagine Vegas to be - Blackpool drugged up on steroids and acid!

On approach this idea was not dimmed (literally!)...it didn't take me long to spot which store was Harrods:

Upon approach my minds eye was still not disappointed as I came across a display window outside:

Upon entry, however, I was proven to be quite mistaken in my pre-judgement! Ok there were some cheesey bits and bobs around the place, but on the whole it was quite within itself, and with the sale that was on while I was there the prices seemed on the wrong side of reasonable but still alright as London goes!

Of course as Timeout mentioned, Mr. Al Fayed was there to welcome me into his store:

Yup, and he stays standing on that pillar all day! Amazing!!

I got to ride in the amazing 'Egyptian Escalator'!!

(and in case you were wondering it was indeed like any other!)

There was the big green teddy bear armchair (strictly no sitting allowed!)

And then there was the Dodi-Diana memorial...now this I had my apprehensions about. I had heard it was a bit OTT and self-glorifying, but in actual fact it wasn't that bad. Yes maybe its a bit crude being based in a department store (the Diana memorial in Hyde Park is something far more suitable - no matter how many casualties it holds to its name!) but it was still relatively understated and I guess created with good intention:

Unfortunately my initial fears were realised elsewhere in the store where I found this cringe-worthy statue:

The plaque underneath simply stated "Innocent Victims", its the dove I take issue towards!

But finally, I made my way to the Food Hall...and managed to sneak in a few freebie bites :o)

94 down...906 Things to go!

#568 - Get Stuffed (and enjoy London Taxidermy)

2008-01-20T22:03:00.001Z

Timeout says:
As well as its famous collection of dinosaur bones, the Natural History Museum has a number of stuffed animals, including an enormous polar bear.

Dave did:
Ok first point to note, if you ever, EVER, need to get an idea on how mad your life would be with children in it...just pop down to the Natural History Museum on a weekend afternoon! Madness is not the word for it!!

On entry into the museum I was welcomed by a large dinosaur skeleton (or skellington as I overheard one mother explain to her 2 year old...*sigh*). Obviously this wasn't a personal greeting on the extinct mammals behalf, but nonetheless it was a very different opening scene to most museums I have visited of late.

That said, however, I couldn't help but immediately compare it to the History Museum in Chicago which I visited just over a year ago. Both museums are very peculiar in that they seem to be identical in terms of layout, design and build structure/architecture. Part of me started to wonder if this was more than a coincidence...and who was the first to think up this mixture of history and modern exhibition.

By the looks of things London may have been the imaginative one, and bonafide original as both London and Chicago made use of the dinosaur greeting. However, where London opted for this skeleton...

A plant-eating Diplodocus, Chicago clearly wanted to go one better and came up with this...

Oh yeah, that's right! A full blown meat-eating (human-eating if you believe Spielberg!) T-Rex!! Now which one is gonna catch your eye and make an immediate impression huh? London has to do some homework I think!

Anyway! Back to the purpose of this visit, and what I have now termed "The Hunt for the Stuffed Polar Bear!"....like the Red October. But. Not. (!)

The National History Museum is a maze...and just when you think you've rediscovered the reception area, you find yourself in another tourist shop! But in getting lost in this maze I did make a number of discoveries in the taxidermy department...

I present to you - the Two-toed sloth!

But may I take the liberty to point via magnification one thing:

...I rest my case...

Next up was the tiger devouring a deer or Onyx of some sort, special mention was made by the child beside me at the time of the 'realism' in the tigers tongue...

Round the corner, and I found two rabbits adopting the traditional Waltz position...

And then it was time for the stampede of all living mammals! Who would have thought the Rhino and the Blue Whale would unite as one (not literally of course) and fight for the greater good...

But alas...after wandering around for a good hour...I found my polar bear and all was well in the world!

93 down...907 Things to go!

#224 - Skate outdoors...The Natural History Museum

2008-01-20T19:41:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Temporary ice rinks spring up all over town as Christmas approaches, with new ones popping up every year.

Dave did: There are a few ice skate parks I was meant to visit this winter, but thanks to work commitments, Christmas parties and the like, I never got a chance to actually go and try out on one!

Low and behold I find out that the last rink to still be open in mid January was placed right next door to the Natural History Museum.

So I got myself down there, and found a mile long queue for the 'Ice Rink Box Office' and the following sign up on display:

This was at 3 in the afternoon!!!?! And so I was reduced to just watching everyone else enjoying themselves out on the ice!

92 down...908 Things to go!

#719 - Explore London's Telly Locations: Cathy Come Home

2008-01-20T19:35:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Ken Loach's epochal Wednesday Play 'Cathy Come Home' was one of the first TV dramas to be largely shot on location, documentary style. The easiest location to find it Liverpool Street station, where Cathy's children are snatched by social services.

Dave did:
I'll admit I haven't seen this TV programme, but I have passed through Liverpool Street station many a time, and I can see why children could easily get lost!

91 down...909 Things to go!

#839 - Spitalfields Market

2008-01-20T19:20:00.000Z

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Julie Myerson (Author)

Timeout/Julie says:
I love visiting Spitalfields Market on a Saturday afternoon with my teenagers.

Dave did:
Having exhausted my opportunities for Things to do on Bricklane, I headed back towards Liverpool Street station with the intention of passing through Spitalfields Market. This didn't prove too difficult to find:

What proved slightly more challenging was getting in...

I did however explore the other shops on the outer rim of the marketplace, and then around the back I found a lot of restaurants and one market stall still opn.

90 down...910 Things to go!

#288 - Grab a 3am bagel at the Brick Lane Beigel Bake

2008-01-20T19:06:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Famously open 24 hours a day, the Beigel Bake provides safe harbour for clubbers on the hoof, bleary-eyed nightshift workers and peckish insomniacs.

Dave did:
Well seeing as I live in the North-east of London, and I was in the area, I went and bought a bagel and made a promise not to eat it until 3am...which I duly did, and Salami beigels are not very nice after some beers at 3am in the morning!!

89 down...911 Things to go!

#451 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Story

2008-01-20T18:57:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Around the corner in lovely period Wilkes Street, captivating Story looks more like an art studio than a shop, with exquisite vintage and reclaimed clothing, furniture and other objects strewn about the bare white space

Dave did:
Erm...don't get me wrong here, I appreciate all standards of shops, but this one looked rather down-trodden and closed! It was definitely No.4 Wilkes Street though!

Instead, I would like to nominate this fine establishment as #451 of Things to do in London. The electric pink and funky 80's clothing inside was great to look at!

88 down...912 Things to go!

#450 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Luna & Curious

2008-01-20T18:49:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Make a detour for a couple of highly original shops. Luna & Curious is a divine boutique where a clutch of designers showcases and eclectic assembly of goods, including newly embroidered vintage clothes, mixed-media jewellery, surreal costume pieces, printed bed linen and boudoir attire and simple white ceramics

Dave did:
Boudoir attire? Whats wrong with some shorts and a t-shirt?

87 down...913 Things to go!

#449 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Beyond Retro

2008-01-20T18:32:00.000Z

Timeout says:
The biggest baddest retro shop in London. Beyond Retro is a huge space holding over 10,000 garments and is particularly good for bags, trainers and cowboy boots

Dave did:
I was genuinely interested in this shop, and was hoping to come across something I had always wanted but had long ago forgotten I wanted. Unfortunately a quick stroll around (and trying to look inconspicuous next to guys wearing bright green spandex with Sesame Street tight t-shirts) most of the clothing was for girls or guys who still happen to own a body the size of a 10 year old! Very disappointed!

86 down...914 Things to go!

#448 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Hauser & Wirth Coppermill Gallery

2008-01-20T18:26:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Pass a bit more tat and a tattoo parlour and you'll come to Hauser & Wirth Coppermill gallery, whose inaugural exhibition displayed works by martin Kippenberger and Dieter Roth. (Though note that by 2008, the gallery may have moved on from this address.)

Dave did:
Yes it has moved on...to Picadilly Circus.

Fear not for in the true spirit of 1000 Things I will go and explore the exhibition in its new home.

85 down...915 Things (still) to go!

#447 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Ella Doran

2008-01-20T18:20:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Alongside Ella Doran's trademark photographic tablemats you'll find cushions, espresso cups, fabrics, make-up bags - even plant pots and picnicwares.

Dave did:
Tablemats - check, cusions - check, cups - check, bedsheets - check, make-up - I don't think so!, plant pots - dead but check, picnicwares - in London?

85 down...915 Things to go!

#446 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Mimi

2008-01-20T18:16:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Mimi houses an unusual collection of jewellery sits among well-priced handmade-to-order leather bags and belts in girly colours

Dave did:
...Bags and belt's in girly colours doesn't really suit me...

84 down...916 Things to go!

#445 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Shelf

2008-01-20T18:09:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Shelf is an arty 'purveyor of gifts and fineries' and a great place to find individual items such as Katy Hackney's delicate silver jewellery and E Loveless's cloth-bound book Gelati in Venice. Also sold are delightful regularly changing limited edition prints

Dave did:
They had shelves, and I already got 'em. Nice red frontage though

83 down...917 Things to go!

#444 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Dragana Perisic

2008-01-20T17:59:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Yugoslavian designer Dragana Perisic creates distinctive and deceptively simple garments in silk, cashmere and organza, as well as delicate fabric jewellery, belts and scaves

Dave did:
Got me St. Andrews Uni scarf and my fake rolex watch. Quite happy with my lifestyle in those departments :o)

82 down...918 Things to go!

#443 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: F-Art

2008-01-20T17:47:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Funky gallery f-Art holds regular art exhibitions

Dave did:
OK cynicism put on hold for this one. I do appreciate good art and there was one particularly nice piece of comic book collage art that I did appreciate. Then I saw the £250 price tag and decided it was time to move on...

81 down...919 Things to go!

#442 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Comfort Station

2008-01-20T17:42:00.000Z

Timeout says:
No.22 Comfort Station displays unusual, highly covetable fashion accessories such as silk cuffs and belts with silver buckles.

Dave did:
I've got a belt thanks (with a Thundercats buckle that is waaaay better than a silver one!), as for silk cuffs...my shirts come with them already attached!

80 down...920 Things to go!

#441 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Labour & Wait

2008-01-20T17:35:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Old-fashioned Labour and Wait combines cool with homespun selling high quality household items such as brooms, twine and aprons

Dave did:
Household cleaning? Pah! That's what hired help is for...

79 down...921 Things to go!

#440 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Mar Mar Co.

2008-01-20T17:27:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Mar Mar Co. adds some quality Scandanavian homewares to the mix, more Skandium than IKEA.

Dave did:

78 down...922 Things to go!

#439 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: Taylor Taylor

2008-01-20T17:23:00.001Z

Timeout says:
Get a clip at hip hairdresser's Taylor Taylor!

Dave did:
Due a haircut, but not today thanks!

77 down...923 Things to go!

#438 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: The Shop

2008-01-20T17:19:00.000Z

Timeout says:
The Shop sells a host of vintage clothing and china - you can even purchase an early Sindy wardrobe complete with contents

Dave did:

76 down...924 Things to go!

#437 - Upgrade your lifestyle on Cheshire Street: City 16

2008-01-20T15:23:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Vinyl junkies can pick up Hawkwind's Doremi Fasol Latido or perhaps some early Jacques Brel.

Dave did:
OK, first thing to note here...I'm a guy, and although that may not come as a surprise to many of you (I bl**dy well hope not anyway!) it does mean that I am not such an avid shopper, or a window shopper at that...so the following few Things did not contribute to my lifestyle being upgraded (mainly as I don't have a spare £1k to spend!). However I did my utmost to peruse the shops offerings...I apologise for any cynicism shown in advance!

So, No. 1 Cheshire street, and the shop so called 'City 16'. Well when I got there I could find a 'City 16' but I did find No. 1 Cheshire Street:

It was still an off-beat arty type bric-a-brac type of shop. Best item for sale was a Risk type board game called "War on Terror"...was so tempted to buy it!

75 down...925 Things to go!

#470 - London novels in their settings: Harry Potter

2008-01-13T23:05:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Bowing to the inevitable a few years ago, Kings Cross station installed a small tribute to the mythical platform that takes Harry Potter and his fellow child-wizards to Hogwarts: a plaque and a luggage cart, which is half-disappeared into the wall of the station annex that houses platforms 10 and 11.

Dave did:
Absolute genius if you ask me! I have read all the Harry Potter books (Goblet of Fire is by far the best!). Unfortunately no one was near by to take a photo of my pushing the trolley...

74 down...926 Things to go!

#588 - Read in the shadow of the King George collection

2008-01-13T22:58:00.000Z

Timeout says:
This towering black storage facility in the British Library houses its priciest tomes.

Dave did:
One thing I did find in the British Library was this collection of old books. It looked very impressive although I was slightly confused as to how someone accesses the books. There was a door marked "staff only" but opening it would just put you face to face with a wall of books, how you navigate around all the books in the glass cage I have no idea!

73 down...927 Things to go!

#994 - The British Library

2008-01-13T22:35:00.000Z

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Christian O'Connell (Radio DJ)

Timeout/Christian says:
On a Saturday I love going to the library with my dad. The British Library has such a unique aura: there's something very special about the atmosphere. You can feel the knowledge surrounding you. One of the few places in London that's calm and peaceful. This is a noisy city and the British Library is a haven from it.

Dave did:
I've passed the British Library on several occassions, but I've never had the opportunity to properly check it out.

This weekend I was invited to be interviewed for a position on the committee of a London society. The interview was being carried out directly opposite the the British Library - two birds with one stone!

So after the interview (the first time I've ever been offered a dram of whisky mid-interview by the way!) I popped over to the library to cool off.

Its a very confusing place, I'll give it that much! I can see how it could be very soothing and a very comfortable place to study in, but as someone coming in for a quick visit the place has the wierdest and most confusing floor plan! In the 30 minutes I spent there I felt I only found about 2% of what the building had to offer as I kept finding myself back where I started!!

Unfortunately I was working to a schedule, so will have to make a return trip with a good book!

72 down...928 Things to go!

#168 - Get on location - Sabotage

2008-01-13T22:31:00.000Z

Timeout says:
London's transport system has played some significant film roles, one of which was where Hitchcock decided to blow up a Routemaster in Sabotage (1936)

Dave did:
Never seen the movie, but I've ridden the Routemaster (it didn't blow up, but they do flicker the lights when they're about to close the line...)

71 down...929 Things to go!

#167 - Get on Location: Sliding Doors

2008-01-13T22:13:00.000Z

Timeout says:
London's transport system has played some significant film roles. The biggest is as the lucky/unlucky tube train of Sliding Doors Gwyneth Paltrow exits and enters Embankment station, even though the fateful doors belong to a bright and shiny Waterloo & City train at Waterloo station rather than a dull, workaday carriage on the District Line

Dave did:
I have to say I'm a fan of Sliding Doors. I haven't watched it for a while (and I did just recently buy it in a charity shop on VHS...just need to hook up my old VHS player!) but what I do remember is how Gwyneth's character follows two distinct paths in her life and at the end of both she comes out either weaker or stronger. It's interesting that London is picked as the setting for this story as it is a city where you could (if you wish) completely redefine yourself and live a completely different life at the flick of a switch. London is that diverse that you could try being a goth for a day, or a homeless person, or a rich git, a party animal...the list goes on and on.

Anyway, I digress! My friend of mine played a game of Tube trivia with me a while ago, and one of his questions was "what is the shortest tube line in London?" I couldn't work it out, but my best guess was the East London Line. In fact it was the Waterloo & City line, one which I had never really been aware of or in fact travelled on (its only got 2 stops, one at either end!).

So I hopped on and tried to recall Gwyneth's key scene whilst making a mental note for the next time I play 'Tube Trivia'.

70 down...930 Things to go!

#712 - Explore London's telly locations - Big Brother

2008-01-13T22:06:00.000Z

Timeout says:
A more widely viewed lynchpin of Channel 4's schedule over the past few years has been Big Brother. The most recent series have been filmed at Elstree Studios

Dave did:
One of my work Xmas parties was actually held at Elstree Studio's so thanks for my hard earned work over the past year, they rewarded me by ticking off one of my Things!

Little did I realise that apart from hosting Big Brother, Elstree was actually responsible for producing such films as Indianan Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark, all 3 original Star Wars movies, and Batman!

69 down...931 Things to go!

#110 - Ride the DLR in the front carriage

2008-01-13T21:57:00.000Z

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

Dave did:
Well I first said I did this back in July. Unfortunately I didn't really complete this thing back then as when queuing up for the DLR train I found myself at the very back of the train not the very front (50-50 chance of that happening really!)

So this time I made sure I got the front seat, and then spent the trip trying to sneak in a few photos on my mobile phone before the angry looking driver would tell me to get off!

Near the end of my journey, the driver decided to pack up and just left me sitting at the front on my own as we approached the next station...maybe these trains are controlled by the mind as I was certainly concentrating very hard on making sure we made it to the next stop!!!

(Still) 68 down...932 Things to go!

#685 - Pay your respects to the London Stone

2008-01-13T21:43:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Every day hordes of City workers rush past a stone set in a glass case in the front of the Sportec sports shop opposite Cannon Street station, with no inkling that it is one of the oldest, most mysterious and possibly most historic relics in London. Supposedly once marking the centre point of London, in 1742 it was deemed an obstacle to traffic on Cannon Street and relocated to the wall of St Swithin's Church across the road.

Dave did:
I was very intrigued by this stone, especially when Timeout suggested that it wasn't very obviously placed despite its history and original purpose. Unfortunately Cannon Street station is used more during the working week as it is in the business side of London.

So walking out to a deserted station and street on a Saturday evening was more than a bit unnerving to say the least! It took me several attempts to locate the stone, and after a quick search on wikipedia (thank goodness for internet on mobile phones) I found it!

Unfortunately the sports centre is now closed (as in completely, not just for the evening) and according to wikipedia the building which houses the stone is actually due for demolition to build new business blocks. The British Museum is now looking to relocate the stone once more...

I say it took me a while to find the stone, but had the sports centre still been operational I think it would have been easier as wikipedia's pictures presented like this:

What I found was this:

Dark, lifeless, and completely inconspicious! I attempted to look inside the metal grating but couldn't make a thing out!

So I resolved myself to reading the plaque laid above it and quickly move on before I got mugged...

68 down...932 Things to go!

#776 - Drink in a German beer garden

2008-01-13T21:26:00.000Z

Timeout says:
You fancy having a little lederhosen-slapping fun? No problem! Enjoy Bavarian dishes such as bratwurst, weisswurst and stein's of Erdinger in one of London's Bavarian Beer Houses/Gardens

Dave did:
This Thing was actually completed last summer when my friend Nelson was visiting from America (see Thing #81 where I mention our previous evening's activities which ticked off this Thing!)

So I found the Bavarian Beerhouse on Old Street about a year ago and fell in love with the place almost immediately! Not only do they serve some of the best German beers, not only do they serve them in Stein glasses, and not only do they serve the best shot I've ever heard of and had the good fortune to try out (Porno-Bruase anyone?), but they've also got barmaids in full Bavarian costume providing table service and good fun chat!

Yes you could say the Bavarian Beerhouse is probably one of my favourite spots in London for a night out. Unfortunately on this occassion it also proved to be my most expensive nights! i won't got into details, but our barmaid for the evening, Pati, was very good at her job and made sure I was always topped up with a good beer.

Other recollections of the night include the shot mentioned above - Porno Brause - where you are served a shot of vodka and specially imported packet of sherbert. As Pati demonstrated a number of times - you take the shot of vodka, hold it in your mouth and then pour in the sherbert into your mouth. Next you shake your head side to side before swallowing it all. It is honestly the best and easiest way to down a straight shot of vodka, and the tingling sensation afterwards is very surreal (as are the uncontrollable spasms you get for a few minutes afterwards).

All in all, a very enjoyable evening and one that has been revisited on a number of occassions since...

Nelson and I enjoying a stein...Nelson was later to be found sleeping on my front doorstep as I lay passed out in living room!

Yet more stein's and this time a shelf-full of Porno-Brause's

The dream couple - a Beerhouse barmaid and her avid drinker!

67 down...933 Things to go!

#689 - Ride a Routie

2007-12-07T00:03:00.001Z

Timeout says:
Remember when you could risk life and limb by jumping on and off buses while they were still moving? (Dave - Not really!) Rememver the shenanigans of trying to dodge the conductor? Well, you should do. It was only in December 2005 that the last of the regular Routemaster buses, the 159, rolled into Streatham Garage for the last time. Transport for London announced soon after the being voted as the nation's most popular icons in 2006, that the bus would live on along two 'heritage' routes.

Dave did:
Can't say I've actually been on one of these apart from the Glasgow Transport Museum as a kid. Was as much fun as a bus can be on a rainy day in London...

Routemaster

Me on Routemaster!

66 down...934 Things to go!

#626 - Check out modern architecture at the National Gallery

2007-12-06T23:56:00.000Z

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Roxy Beaujolais (Restauranteur)

Timeout/Roxy says:
I love looking at modern architecture, for example the new portico of the National Gallery. There's now an excellent view as you walk down the steps

Dave did:

Yup. Admired!

65 down...935 Things to go!

#481 - Visit Trafalgar Square

2007-12-06T23:48:00.000Z

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Ken Livingstone (Mayor of London)

Timeout/Ken says:
No matter how many times I go there I still cannot get over how much Trafalgar Square has improved since we ended its previous incarnation as a traffic-choked roundabout. The central staircase leading up to the north terrace and the National Gallery really opens it up

Dave did:

What can I say? I came, I saw, I took a pretty photo (with my mobile, hence the crappy quality!) I'd be interested to see what Ken meant by the pedestrianisation of the Square, I can't imagine how it used to be?!

64 down...936 Things to go!

#166 - Get on Location: Trafalgar Square

2007-12-06T23:40:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Anyone wo managed to dig out Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo's 'It Happened Here' (1963) can see what Nazi-occupied Britain might have looked like in 1944: swastikas adorning Nelson's column, and the SS visit St. Pauls

Dave did:
No German war memorabilia here, but a beautiful site!

63 down...937 Things to go!

#571 - Ponder the fourth plinth

2007-12-06T23:32:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Nowhere in London gives a better sense of Britain's long-departed imperial pomp than Trafalgar Square, dominated by the 185-foot column of Lord Nelson and three plinth-bourne statues of 19th century luminaries. Screw them; it's the fourth plinth, on the north-west corner that's the interesting one. It was designed and built by Sir Charles Barry to display a statue of a horse, but no one stumped up the cash. It was then empty for 158 years until 1998 when some bright spark decided to plonk some modern art on it. This led to the idea of the Fourth Plinth Project, where the space is home to an ongoing series of temporary works of art from leading national and international artists

Dave did:
Very interesting concept, and one I must approve of as it doesn't deter from the history of the square, but definitely adds to its interest...

Thomas Schütte's "Model for a Hotel 2007" was on display on my visit.

62 down...938 Things to go!

#37 - Stay late in the museum

2007-12-06T23:19:00.000Z

Timeout says:
If your social schedule is getting in the way of cultural pursuits, combine both by attending an evening event at a museum or gallery. The framework is pretty well established - late opening of the current blockbuster show with extra entertainment - but the contents can be impressively unexpected

Dave did:
OK hands up, I didn't necessarily go to the designated late night opening at the National Portrait Gallery, but I was there when it was pitch black outside!

There was a Pop Art exhbition in town while I was visiting, but given that you had to pay a fee to view it I decided to stick to the free exhbitions which were equally impressive.

One exhibition was of the Tudor and Elizabethan era's. Did you know when Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, she had actually been married to Henry's brother previously? (Her first husband died after a few months...and she married his brother Henry 9 years or so later!). Pretty ironic really when a later wife of Henry's was beheaded after being accused of incestry!

61 down...939 Things to go!

#42 - Spin the globe at Stanfords

2007-12-06T23:11:00.000Z

Timeout says:
With three floors stacked full of travel guides, travel writing, road and wlal maps (some imported), as well as illustrated books covering all continents, atlases, globes, magazines, and accessories, the flagship branch of Stanfords is a vital stop for anyone planning that big trip.

Dave did:
Trust my luck to miss a personal visit by the travel guru himself, Mr Michael Palin, by 2 sodding days!

Still, I found a few interesting finds "Your daily countdown to the end of Bush's Presidency" being one...another, more worryingly, seemed to tempt my fate a little given the circumstances in which I came to find it:

Nevertheless I got to spin a globe!

60 down...940 Things to go!

#6 - Pop in to the Photographers' Gallery

2007-12-06T22:50:00.000Z

Timeout says:
This marvellous little gallery hold exhibits of still photography, film and installations. Its compact size means it isn't as daunting as larger exhibition spaces

Dave did:
Well I think we all know now how much I love photography as a past time, and so this visit was a must for me today!

Upon entering the gallery, I loved how I was immediately confronted with a "No Photography Allowed" sign...oh the irony...if only I were allowed to take a photo of the scene (!)

The gallery itself really only consisted of a single room where there was a coffee bar and a large long table for people to sit, have a coffee, read some magazines and gaze up at the wall filled with framed photographs. Today's exhibition was all about Insomnia.

It wasn't my type of photography if I'm honest. If there's one thing I hate in photography, its taking photos of people...and this exhibition was full of it!

Fortunately I found a gallery shop on the upper floor where a wider variety of prints could be found (the cheapest on sale was around the £300 mark). But what I did find was the work of one Veronica Bailey. Her imagery was fantastic, creating what I would term abstract art out of envelopes received in the post (www.veronicabailey.co.uk)...example below:

59 down...941 Things to go!

#361 - Pick a Bead

2007-12-06T22:37:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Beads come in every colour, size and material imaginable at the Bead Shop. They're laid out like archaeological discoveries on sectioned tables, while the wall-mounted pigeonholes give the place the feel of an old-fashioned sweet shop

Dave did:
Dare I admit that I used to do alot of bead artistry when I was a young nipper! Oh you may scoff, but I designed a load of Nintendo characters with glass bead artistry, and the were ACE!

So coming across this entry in my 1000 Things was quite a weird experience to return to! Not only did the Bead Shop turn out to be placed in a very quiet, very intimidating backstreet around Leceister Square (I never knew such a place existed), but as I approached I realised that this was perhaps more of a feminine past-time...

Fear not, for one aged old man held up the fort for all mankind! And so I marched in exhibiting the air of confidence that only a former beadster could muster (you cant show any weakness in this industry!).

Unfortunately once in the shop I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next...basically I needed a photo as proof of my experience, but the atmosphere could be cut with a knife, and as quiet as a library with people concentrating so hard on their selection of beads.

So I humbly picked up my bead basket (complete with small plastic bags and a pen to write the price of each bead on), and started picking up some beads wondering what the hell I was going to do with them when I got home (take a photo most likely!)

All I can say is that the look I got served with at the cashier's desk said it all...I mean whats wrong with buying 10 individual beads at a price of £1.20? They looked nice to me!

...And yes before you ask, I did go home and take a photo of my purchase!

58 down...942 Things to go!

#102 - Spend some time at the Royal Academy of Arts Restaurant

2007-12-02T00:36:00.000Z

Celebrity Favourite Thing - Jacqueline Wilson (Children's author)

Timeout/Jacqueline says:
If I'm meeting someone in London, I often choose the Royal Academy of Arts restaurant where there's lots of choice and no one minds if you sit talking for a long time

Dave did:
It's December and London has started to attract the showers and thunderstorms associated with winter. So what better way to pass a rainy day than to jump into a cafe where according to Jacqueline no one cares if you waste their hospitality!

Setting myself up with a sprite and a flapjack, I settled down at a table to read my book. After a while though I started people-watching and seeing who was around...what if Jacqueline Wilson was actually in today?

Well there was one elderly lady who could have been mistaken for her...but I didn't have the nerve to go up and ask her. Instead I took a sneaky over the shoulder photo of her for future comparison on here...

Lady in the restaurant

The original Jacqueline Wilson

Ah well, we'll never know for sure! Still, I highly recommend this spot for some R&R, it was very peaceful and not overly busy or pricey!

57 down...943 Things to go!

#940 - Make a call from London's first Red Phone Box

2007-12-02T00:16:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Take two steps off Picadilly and swing open the doorw of telephonic history. This sheltered red kiosk is a Grade II-listed building - not just the first ever vermillion-red telephone box in the whole world, but its wooden prototype. Dial H for History!

Dave did:
Given how iconic the red telephone box is, I'm quite surprised how much of an unassuming presence this original has. Of course it isn't helped when its hidden inside the grand Royal Academy of Arts archway entrace, and behind its wrought iron gates no less!

So it was no wonder I walked straight past it initially, and it took some serious investigation to uncover it!

No one was giving it a second glance, and there was me running over as quick as you like to make sure no one beat me to making a call in this legendary time machine (oh sorry, thats the blue one isn't it?). Imagine my disgust when picking up the handset in one hand whilst digging out some loose change to call my dear mother, that the digital screen reads out "This phone has been decommissioned". Typical!

56 down...944 Things to go!

#19 - Beadle about Burlington Arcade

2007-12-02T00:07:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Long before Londoners were browsing high spec concept shops, superstores and suburban malls, the city's consummate consumers flocked to the select tailes, corsetieres and jewellers around Piccadilly. It was here that the city's first shopping centres were built, in the form of genteel and architecturally elegant arcades. Opended in 1819, skylit Burlington Arcade is the most famous of these arcades, and the most traditional.

Dave did:
Today was all about not spending any money, so I came, I saw, I walked away very very fast.

55 down...945 Things to go!

#860 - Sit between Churchill and Roosevelt

2007-12-02T00:00:00.000Z

Timeout says:
The wartime big-hitters are preserved in jocular conversation on a sturdy bench in Bond Street

Dave did:
Just imagine if you will...Churchill, Roosevelt, and Cameron...I'm no conservative, but if I were to lend my namesakes familiarity the following picture would be priceless:

Of course, having a photographer with a steady hand would also help in the bidding war, but you can't have everything when your the unknown Mr. Cameron!

I will say this though, after sticking these two greats on a park bench, its a bit of a tight squeeze to fit yours truly's backside in between them, and once you do Winston was getting a bit too close and personal if you know what I mean!!

54 down...946 Things to go!

#889 - Visit the Animals in War Memorial

2007-12-01T23:50:00.001Z

Timeout says:
One of the silliest of London's thousands of statues, plaques, and memorials, the Animals in War Memorial sits on the edge of Hyde Park and commemorates the horses, dogs, elephants, pigeons and glow worms that saved the world from destruction in two world wars. As if this wasn't surreal enough, it was partly inspired by a book by bonkbusteress Jilly Cooper.

Dave did:
Ever seen a camel in London? If not then I suggest you go and check out this memorial...which really cannot be described any better than 'surreal'!

I really don't know what to say about this without coming across as disrespectful (which I don't mean to be). But it did strike me as something that would hold more appeal to a group of 9 year old girls than any sensible adult, although obviously animal right protesters would claim differently (but then when was the last time you saw animal right protesters campaigning against the use of animals in any dangerous profession? Not me). The engraving "They Had No Choice" also brought a wry smile to my face....yes I am going to hell when I die!

53 down...947 Things to go!

#952 - Take a Tour round the Pet Cemetery in Hyde Park

2007-12-01T23:26:00.000Z

Timeout says:
Like something straight out of a Stephen King novel, the macabre Hyde Park Pet Cemetery is hidden bhind railings at Victoria Gat. It appeared in the 1880's, when Cherry, a Maltese terrier was buried here. By 1893 there were 33 gravestones for departed cats and dogs, with the last burial coming in 1967. George Orwell described it as 'perhaps the most horrible spectacle in Britain'.

Dave did:
Progress has admittedly been slow of late, but I came into this weekend fully prepared to make up for that! Having plotted out my route around London to conquer as many Things as possible, I headed out to West London and Hyde Park.

Unfortunately things did not get off to the greatest of starts as first I was to find there was nothing to be watching at Speakers Corner (obviously free speech takes a back seat in December!), and then I spent an hour wondering around the far reaches of Hyde Park searching for a Pet Cemetery!!

Eventually after alot of web surfing on the mobile, peering through people's back gardens, and walking around in circles, I spotted lots of little headstones through some iron gates! But once again my luck was not with me this morning as the entrance was locked and looked pretty unwelcoming:

So back I went to the iron gates, and some closer inspection of the headstones revealed that poor Muffin died at the grand old age of 15 years...and is remembered in loving memory...

Perhaps London does have alot to offer, its just getting the authorisation thats the hassle!

52 down...948 Things to go!

#16 - Get your hands on the latest Apple gadget

2007-11-25T16:12:00.000Z

Timeout says:
The Apple store is a glass-staired mecca to Mac design. All that shiny chrome and cool white looks so good that after a minute or two your palms will be sweating with the urge to touch but also reach into your pocket and drop a month's salary on the latest bit of Apple wizardry.

Dave did:
Its the end of November and Apple's new iPhone has finally invaded Britain!

Work had just awarded me some gift tokens in recognition for my recent efforts and so I found myself standing around Oxford Circus directing tourists to all sorts of sights and shops. Why you might ask? Well a student friend of mine had refused to take the tube and instead walk from Victoria to the centre of town and so I had to wait from the London-newbie to make his arrival before going off to spend my tokens.

As I looked around aimlessly at how maddeningly and frustratingly busy the streets of London were (why oh why would anyone come to central London to 'relax' via retail I'll never know...its packed and such a waste of time!), I noticed that there was an apple store just down the road on Regents Street. At this moment a very rare lightbulb lit up in my head and with a quick text to my meandering student I was on my way down to the apple store to check out the latest iPhone gadget!

Surprise, surprise the place was packed! But after hanging around for a good 10 minutes I finally got my hands on a demo of the iPhone, albeit with 2 minutes worth of battery life left! A quick fiddle around with the inbuilt camera and I had seen enough. Nice as it is, I doubt I'd ever use many of the functions it provides - give me a GPS system on it and then I might consider buying one....but still as fashion goes you cant go too wrong with the apple!

51 down...949 Things to go!

#794 - Hire your own rickshaw

2007-11-25T16:08:00.000Z

Timeout Says:
Though certainly an eco-friendly way to see the city, hiring a rickshaw to travel around London isn't cheap, and can also be a little embarrassing (no one delivers withering looks of contempt quite like the native Londoner). Out of the way pedestrians!

Dave did:
Why go to all the effort and expense to ride around London on your own rickshaw when you can hire someone else to do it for you! Re-read Thing #530 and then you'll see that this experience was well and truly felt!

50 down...950 Things to go!

#300 - Bowl

2007-11-11T21:13:00.000Z

Timeout said:
What did bowling in London used to mean? A retail park in the suburbs, usually. Changes have rolled into town. Perhaps influenced by the stateside successf of 'boutique' bowling alleys - darker, less sticky, with bars, dining areas and no kids - Londoners have been enjoying an alternative to the retail parks in the last 18 months.

Dave did:
Flicking through the 1000 Things book, I came across this entry and realised I had inadvertently ticked this one off at a school friends stag night a couple of months ago. Rather than retro-fit this into the chronology of this blog, I've decided just to add it on here.

I headed down to Bloomsbury Lanes, where the entire place is fitted out like a 50's diner, with about 6 bowling lanes, a dance floor and a bar. Really nice place, although a bit crowded, and it became clear pretty quickly that I still suck at bowling (although I did score a strike once!)

49 down...951 Things to go!

#549 - Appreciate London's 'renegade tiling'

2007-11-11T20:49:00.000Z

Timeout said:
The trouble with graffiti is its impermanence. No sooner have you heard about Banksy's latest coke-snorting policemen than the man himself has stepped in and had the paint scrubbed away. Step forward 'renegade tiling', a slightly more durable form of street art - and one that chimes happily with the current London vogue for handicrafts.

Dave did:
You already know my thoughts on graffiti as a form of art (synopsis: intriguing). Well I can now categorically state that London's east end is a hot bed of graffiti, and not just the rubbish scrawl-your-gangs-initial-on-a-wall kind, but the cool and witty kind too!

48 down...952 Things to go!

#80 - Chill, big-style

2007-11-11T20:38:00.000Z

Timeout said:
In late 2005 the Big Chill Bar took a grey steel bunker of a room and turned it into a super-friendly and vibrant DJ bar. It's been busy ever since, whic his no mean feat on the famously competitive East End nightlife scene.

Dave did:
Still out with my friends, and suitable filled up with a cheap Indian from Brick Lane, I went in hunt of a bar I knew existed about a year a go.

Half way down Brick Lane I started losing hope that the bar still existed, but then I found somewhere similar but on the other side of the street...and lo and behold I stumbled over this little find!

47 down...953 Things to go!

#472 - Track down Eine's A to Z (Continued)

2007-11-11T20:25:00.000Z

Out with friends in the East end of London last night, I managed to guide them foolishly around the Brick Lane area, allowing me to pick up several more letters...

7 down...19 letters to go!

46 down...954 Things to go!

#472 - Track down Eine's A to Z

2007-11-10T11:26:00.000Z

Timeout said:
Eine is the artist responsible for the colourful giant letters painted on various shop shutters around east London. What started a couple of years ago with the notion that it would be pretty funny to paint two giant Es on Kingsland Road's Herbal club, has grown into a phenomenon, complete with numerous webpages devoted to tracking his whole alphabet down.

Dave did:
I'm a keen artist, or at least I enjoy the concept of art and tried really hard back at school to be good at it!

Unfortunately this passion (however poorly applied to paper) was not supported by my father, who when finding out I intended to take an Scottish 6th Year Study course in art replied "Why do you want an advanced degree in colouring in?"

And so my potential art career fell apart at the seams. Since then however, I have found the wonderful world of photography, and part of this challenge has allowed me to embellish this interest further on a part time basis (I wouldn't take the shots on this blog as being my best however...mainly cause I'm in every single one...but check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidcameron for better proof of my 'unfound talent').

When I read Thing 472 regarding Eine's alphabet, I thought it was a brilliant challenge. To head out to London's east end and track down graffitti (notice that by the end of this post I will have attempted every variation of spelling grafiti...). In some respects I find grafitti one of the most beautiful and intriguing forms of art, much like Escher's work. For a start as far as I can tell, these creations are totally formed from the use of a spray can - and how they get those straight solid lines without a stencil of some sort I'll never know! Secondly, I simply cant fathom how someone can envisage these grafitti images and then bring them to life on canvas...or a brick wall as the case may be.

Unfortunately I don't live around the East of London, and so being in the area when the shops are most likely to be shut is a tad difficult on my part to arrange. As fate would have it however, a works night out with my team saw me around the area and I came across a few of the letters....

I still intend to find the rest, so stay tuned.

46 down...954 Things to go!

#530 - Know What to Avoid: The Rickshaw

2007-11-10T10:57:00.000Z

Timeout Said:
Things NOT to do in London: The 'Scottish' Steakhouse, The east end of Oxford Street, The cardboard pizza slice, The Trocadero, The caricature, The Rickshaw.

Dave did:
For a book that is meant to tell you 1000 things to do in london, to find one entry telling me NOT to do it...well....it really left in a state of confusion as to what the correct action was!

Looking through the list of things to avoid in London, I was frightened to realise that I had ticked off most of them in my time here so far (perhaps this explains why I find myself 40-odd things into an impossible task!).

I've regularly got off at Tottenham Court Road station, in the heart of the east side of Oxford Street (mainly because that was the first and only Argos store I could find when I moved into my first flat!). I remember waiting over an hour for a started in the 'Scottish' Steakhouse and never wanted to go back again, cardboard pizza? Well any night out in London ends with one of those regardless of how much you try to avoid it!

But the one thing I've never done, and if Timeout is to be believed, the one sadistic thing I've always wanted to try - was getting a ride on a rickshaw!

Now I've tried numerous times to get friends to join me on a rickshaw and its never come to anything. Out with a newly wed couple they refused to pay part of the fare, and being kind hearted people they still refused to get on when I offered to pay for all three of us!

When my parents came to visit, the concern this time was how much space there was in the back seat for all three of us. I was determined to at least give it a go, but again they politely, yet profusely, refused.

But finally, with the almighty powerful reasoning of it being my birthday to back up my request, my dear dear friend Byf accepted my invitation was immediately hopped onto a rickshaw in Covent Garden.

Now we had just been to a comedy club around the same area with a group of my old uni friends to celebrate my 24th birthday, and we were all making tracks back to my flat to polish off a 3 litre bottle of Moet I drunkly purchased a week before (don't ask...very long story...but for your reference, here's what it looks like - I'm a very proud father):

Anyway, I digress...we had just been kicked out of the comedy club (no misdemeanor, just closing time!), and I spotted a rickshaw waiting outside the pub.

"Byf!"
"Yes DC?"
"It's a Rickshaw!"
"Right..."
"I've got to ride one of those...its in my 1000 Things"
"Cool, but what about everyone else?"
"Ah sod 'em they know where they're going, we'll meet them at the station"
"Jump in then!"

And thus began a fun-filled 5 minute, £14 trip around the tiny streets of Covent Garden ending outside Holburn tube station.

Besides Byf yelling at the top of his lungs every few minutes to disinterested passerby's that "YES, we are NOT gay, NOT GAY people!", one other story worth noting was our drag race with a BMW convertable.

Waiting patiently at a set of traffic lights, this Beemer drove up alongside us. Byf immediately spotted this, leaned out of the rickshaw, held out his arm and imitated the gunning of a motorbikes engine - with mandatory engine revving sound effects. Driver of said beemer gave a wry smile, relaxed his shoulders and gunned his engine in response.

Red
Amber
Green

The rickshaw (peddlar knowing full well what we were asking of him) took off and with his tight turning circle managed to beat the Beemer around the corner and we cut him off.....Fast and Furious eat your heart out!

Anyway, long story short - I betrayed my Timeout bible and fell in love with the Rickshaw.

45 down...955 Things to go!

#595 - Spot London Weather Vanes (2/6)

2007-09-29T13:42:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
A winged dragon built by Robert Bird in 1674 sits on a Wren steeple. This fine nine foot long monster can be found high above cheapside.

Dave did:

Its a rare occassion these days that I find myself in central London during the working week, but as it happened I was in such an occassion this week and had the chance to spot another nearby weather vane (ooh lucky me!).

Now having spotted the altogther rather odd grasshopper weather vane near the start of my 1000 Things adventure, spotting a dragon I felt would be a lot simpler, and lets face it dragon hunting is definitely a lot more exciting!

If you don't believe me, check out Mr. Batty's guide to dragon hunting in London (http://www.jimbatty.com/articles/dragonphotos.html) where he expicitly states that such a hunt requires 'patience, a sharp eye, and your wits about you. Unlike many other tourist subjects, images of dragons rarely offer themselves up...'

So don't just take my word for it! Dragon hunting is a whole new ball game, and I was about to find my first just outside my work offices at St. Pauls!

44 down...956 Things to go!

STOP THE PRESS!! - Daily Telegraph spots Gorilla!

2007-09-25T00:00:00.000+01:00

Yup, I made it onto another newspapers website!

If anyone has a copy of the Sunday Telegraph from this past week, could you please have a peak in it for yours truly and if found scan a copy of the article through to me! Thanks!

#306 - Watch Tower Bridge Opening

2007-09-24T23:49:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
When unveiled in 1894, Tower Bridge represented a dazzlingly pioneering feat of engineering. To watch Tower Bridge in action is to see why London was once the most technologically advanced city in the world.

Dave did:
Its a funny old world we live in (I've always wanted to use that phrase!), checking out today's timetable for the opening of Tower Bridge, I found that a ferry ship called "The Waverley" was passing through the bridge twice in the space of half an hour.

Ok maybe thats not the most hilarious thing you've read today, or indeed in the world, but what was quite weird was that the Waverley is usually ferrying tourists around the West Coast of Scotland where I used to go with my family on Easter holidays (and still do every summer with my friends). The fact that it had somehow found its way down to London was beyond me (its not exactly a big or indeed fast moving boat...and I certainly wouldn't want to be a passenger on that voyage around the British Isle!)

44 down...956 Things to go!

#566 - Cross London's best Bridges (2/10)

2007-09-24T23:42:00.000+01:00

Hungerford Bridge

Dave did:
A strange one this as its not actually labelled as Hungerford Bridge (its the Jubilee Bridge)...and there's two of them!?!

Ah well, the view was quite nice...

43 down...957 Things to go!

#414 - Ride the London Eye

2007-09-24T22:42:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
Most people hold out for blue skies to take a spin on the London Eye, and the skyline looks spectacular!

Dave did:
A new day, and an old pair of legs! The effects of a 7km run in a gorilla costume obviously doesn't go away over night...words cannot describe how my stiff my legs felt today!

And so it was that after a few hours of recuperation we planned the days events, and headed out hoping to ride the London Duck Truck (Thing #125).

Getting to the Duck Tour HQ at 4.30pm, however, we found they were fully booked up for the day and so it was out of the question. The HQ is located right behind the London Eye and so my parents and I wandered aimlessly up towards the Southbank and the Eye.

To our surprise, the Eye was very quiet, with barely 30 people queuing up to take a ride, or should I say 'flight' on London's most iconic Ferris Wheel. Given this unusual occasion we decided to pick up some last minute tickets and take our flight in one of the pods, afterall it was replacing the disappointment of Thing #125, with the dizzying heights of Thing #414.

I have to admit that the photographer and architectural side of me was really drawn to the London Eye. As a structure it is quite a beautiful thing. The starch white pylons against the clear blue skies really fascinate me, as do the other worldly shapes of the pods against the London skyline. Such was my interest in the construction of the Eye, I found myself taking far too many shots of it whilst queuing for ride itself!

Once up in the air I have to admit I felt a bit underwhelmed by the whole experience. Yes it was nice, and a bit different. But really the views weren't THAT spectacular that you'd want to write home about them (although why I'd choose to do that when my parents were standing right beside me is another altogether puzzling question!). At one point I did start wondering whether the London Eye or Primrose Hill provided the best skyline of London...and I was almost tempted to concede that the Hill won hands down!

That all said, I did get to see Westminister from a very nice elevated angle, I finally understood where 10 Downing Street was in relation to everything else in London, and after a lengthy discussion with my Dad I came to the sad conclusion that if I were to get the passengers of my pod to run from side to side, we could not eventually get the pod to roll 360 degress on its horizontal plane (damn those over-engineered gears!)

On our descent the tannoy system informed us that a photo was about to be taken of our capsule, and so if we wished to be in the shot we should all gather to the North-West corner. I'm pleased to say I appeared to be the only passenger with any sense of direction as all the tourists on board flocked to the South West corner, leaving me to pose on the capsules behalf....

43 down...957 Things to go!

#938 - Attend the London Design Festival

2007-09-23T23:30:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
The London Design Festival showcases the extraordinarily creative nature of the capital's desgn scene.

Dave did:
Having conquered the British Museum, and inspected all the dead bodies therein, I made one final effort to drag my parents over to Covent Garden where I had read that the London Design Festival was hosting an free exhibition in the Piazza.

Well after walking in and around the Piazza several times, sitting down and having something to eat whilst asking the waitress if she had heard of it (she hadn't), and about to give up on the whole thing altogether...I caught a glimpse of a red poster in the distance that closely resembled the London Design Festival logo.

On closer inspection I found that it was in fact the exhibition hall...under construction, and due to open tomorrow!!!

I couldn't believe that we had walked all this way and without being able to tick off one more Thing in London! As fate would have it, however, as I turned to leave defeated I found a glass bench in the middle of the street.

Ok, so it wasn't just any old bench, but it was a London Design Festival sponsored piece of art...with a special sign reading "Keep off the Glass", cleverly placed on the astro-turf grass.

So in my eyes I've attended a part of the London Design Festival, and it gave me a small chuckle (glass-grass...classic!)

42 down...958 Things to go!

#584 - Get eye-to-eye with London corpses 2/4 ("Lindow Man")

2007-09-23T01:13:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
Stay in the British Museum to meet this dried-out individual. His 2,000 year old body was discovered near Manchester in 1984.

Dave did:
Again, another dead, shrivelled up body...although probably in a bit of a worse state than poor old Ginger (the guy didn't even have any hair left, and he died at the age of 20!)

41 down...959 Things to go!

#584 - Get eye-to-eye with London corpses 1/4 ("Ginger")

2007-09-23T01:08:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
You'll find this red-hair cadaver in the British Museum. A naturally preserved Predynastic mummy, 'Ginger' is surrounded by burial goods to accompany him to the afterlife

Dave did:
What can I say about this one? A shrivelled up body of a long dead man, who has a small tuft of ginger hair above his ears...erm ok!

41 down...959 Things to go!

#553 - Do the British Museum in our lunchbreak

2007-09-23T01:00:00.001+01:00

Timeout said:
Jog up the steps into Norman Foster's impressive glass-roofed Great Court. Swerve into Ancient Civilisations, then bound over to the Egyptian galleries, and forge ahead to Gallery 62 for a gander at the lavishly decorated coffins...

Dave did:

Bit of a cheat this one, but I hadn't had a proper lunch today, and I did sit down and have a coffee and pastry...so I did kinda go and see the Museum in my lunch hour! But to be honest you need a whole day to see the entire Museum, and I intend to return soon!

40 down...960 Things to go!

#284 - Sit in the Great Court at the British Museum

2007-09-23T00:50:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
The largest enclosed courtyard in Europe, the British Museum's Great Court has all the benfits of a classical public square - grandeur, proportion, shops, restaurants, people, events, light, air - without any of the attendant meteorological risks.

Dave did:
The first thing you notice about the British Museum as you enter is the absolutely huge skydome above it! It is quite simply amazing to look up at, but as I found out time and time again, it is also one of the most frustrating things to try and capture on camera! The scale, and pattern of the undulating glass roof (made up of 3,300 separate triangles by the way) just cannot be included in a straight forward photo shot!

39 down...961 Things to go!

#649 - Eye up haute fashion over lunch at Obika

2007-09-22T23:32:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
As you might expect from the eaterie occupying space opposite Gucci in the Superbrands section of Selfridges, glass and steel Obika is something of a looker. It serves food - and wine that comes care of Liberty Wines, one of the top Italian wine importers to the UK. Crucially, the 'bar' overlooks the catwalk of shoppers, providing some pleasurably fashionable entertainment for solitary lunchers.

Dave did:
Well we struggled to find the bar overlooking a catwalk, but over a nice glass one wine (a liquid lunch if you will), my parents and I watched on as the 'overly feminate' Gucci male staff (as eloquently described by my dear mother) faff about with some horrible looking, yet very expensive bags (I'm not one for fashion!).

We also noticed another female shopper choose to go to the changing room to try on a new belt!?!

To top it off, 'pushy mother' came to the fore once more, and demanded that our waiter sign my 1000 Things book. The poor guy didn't have a clue what was going on and wasn't sure whether to put his own name or some sort of alias! In the end he signed it and quickly made an exit. His name's Ricardo by the way!

38 down...962 Things to go!

#231 - Eat your way around Selfridges

2007-09-22T23:21:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
Selfridges Foodhall has an outstanding collection of enlightening edibles. You'll find the very best of fresh and cooked meat, fish, cheese, fruit, freshly baked pretzels, pies from the Square Pie Company, caviar from Caviar Kaspia, plus the wonderfully extravegant Moet champagne and oyster bar

Dave did:
From the above statement you'd think I'd be reporting back on some unbelievably posh grub that I tried out for the first time, and given the prices they charge something I'd never be able to try again. But no, alas I went for the free taster on offer today, and that free taster was...

...kiddies biscuits!

Oh yes, but not any normal kiddy biscuit, butter shortbread with fruity bits...and it was nice!

37 down...963 Things to go!

NEWSFLASH - Gorilla Update!

2007-09-22T23:13:00.000+01:00

The BBC have put up a photo of yours truly on their website!

Check it out...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7008863.stm

Gotta love that lucky shirt!

#209 - Admire the city from Tower Hill

2007-09-22T23:04:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
There was a bronze age settlement here, then a Roman village, then the church of All Hallows-by-the-Tower. More than 70 prisoners were executed here, with the dispatch of two prostitutes and a one-armed soldier in 1780 marking the end of a bloody era

Dave did:

Never one to stop for a rest, I noticed on my gorilla run that I passed Tower Hill, and so we just had to go back for the photo op and tick off another of my 1000 Things!

36 down...964 Things to go!

#21 - Watch the Great Gorilla Run

2007-09-22T21:19:00.000+01:00

Timeout said:
Once a year, hundreds of primates take over London's streets for the Great Gorilla Run, an annual charity event that features people dressed up as monkeys. The run is organised to raise money to protect the endangered gorillas of Rwanda.

Dave did:
Well first things first...I didn't so much watch the run as participate in it! I mean come on, it hardly seems fair to go and watch a charity race, when you can easily sign up to raise some money yourself and in the process get back some of your long lost fitness! ...or so logic would dictate.

Unfortunately my life is far from logical (as this blog has probably illustrated far more than I can try explaining here!), so having trained for all of 2 weeks back at the start of August, and then gone on holiday for 2 weeks, and fallen ill with man-flu for another two weeks after that...the fitness part of it was out of the question! I did, however, manage to raise around £250 in sponsorship, so not all was lost!

So today was the day of the run, and after a lovely sleep on my couch (my visiting parents had occupied the bed) we headed over with my gorilla costume in tow. I arrived to find around 300 gorillas in various costumes all warming up for the big event.

Among these gorillas were some celebrities as well...Phil Tufnell with the BBC crew beside him, and Bill Oddie! My reliable (if not a little pushy) mother managed to get good ol' Bill to even sign my 1000 Things book as proof that I completed this task before me!

For my fancy dress I opted for my oversized Chicago Bulls shirt (a momento from my job training out there last year...that same shirt managed to get me onto the big tv screens during the game, so it must have some good luck - and might get me on BBC tv!).

Stages to becoming a Gorilla

Stage 1: Stepping into some gorilla shoes

Stage 2: Become a gorilla that wants to be noticed!

Stage 3: Attach your face

Stage 4: Strike the pose!

The run itself was actually pretty good fun, and the first 5km were pretty straight forward too! At first I was determined to keep my gorilla mask on throughout the whole run, and I survived up until that 5km mark when the sun suddenly came out in full force and I suddenly felt like I was breathing in a sauna!!!

I managed to keep pace with a number of fellow gorillas, including a scuba-gorilla, a Baywatch-Pamela-Anderson-Gorilla, and a pair of hawaiian apes! The crowds quickly gathered around the central London course, and what with wearing a mask the freedom of expression was very liberating - running up to random tourists and posing for photos, high fiving passers by, and attempting to convert other people out for their daily run to join us as it "wasn't too late!".

Coming into the last 2km, an old man who must have been around 60 passed me on the run in his gorilla outfit. The guy looked half dead but had his 12 year old son playing pace maker for him. The second he passed me I knew the gauntlet had been thrown down....there was no way this pensioner was going to finish ahead of me in the race! And so it was I would run ahead, and then slow again to a walking pace (the sun-effect meant I couldnt last all gorilla'd up for more than a few hundred meters at a time) and then the old man would jog past me a few minutes later, at which point I'd start running again to pass him and slow once more...

In the final 1km the spirit of the moment took me over and I went for broke, giving out the high-fives, making gorilla chants as loud as I possibly could, and making sure I kept my anonymous mask on at all times!!

Crossing the finishing line with Bill Oddie waiting with a broad smile probably wasn't the most rewarding of experiences, but the medal he passed on to me, and the water and bananas being offered on a table behind him made up for that!

A winner NEVER loses his sense of style!

A winner is ALWAYS happy to pose for the camera!

A winner should NEVER let the truth come out like this!

Overall it was a fantastic morning, and given my lack of training, relatively poor health, and the very warm day, completing the 7km in 47 minutes was a very modest time (my 5km practice runs without costume usually took me 30minutes...and that was in the late evenings!!)

Will I do it again? Well the 47min benchmark has been set, and I've got my own gorilla costume now so hey...maybe!

35 down...965 Things to go!