Saturday, 11 January 2014

Railway Station list / adventure tracker 2014

As aconvert to the world of lists so in order
to track my adventures  in going to use stations as  way points to track my adventures in 2014

Bushey- platform 4 change from normal no 6 due to signalling problems  .Train10 minutes late
Euston
Charing cross-destination Whittards to resupply some chocolate chai.
Finsbury park- not taking an American to see a pantomime
St Paul's ,
Bond Street
Stanmore -all for BGP
Angel Dirty book club
Old Street Blitz party
South Kensington - science museum lates
Leicester Square - Chinese New year
Angel Rumpus
Lambeth h North Art of Hearts
,Elephant & Castle - TG
AngelCarousel
Angel vv vs ss



London Monopoly challenge

I have discovered that their is a route designed to allow you to  visit all the london monopoly spaces in one day .

So I have decided one day this year  to complete this challenge. Watch this space for more details.

Sunday, 5 January 2014

Future cinema Ghostbusters 22nd

It was a grey and rainy night when  I set off for the Troxy Cinema limehouse to be immersed in the interactive cinema experience that is future cinema. Except it wasn't the tricky but the Sedgwick hotel ballroom and it was 1984 and I was attending an evening to celebrate a fashion icon.

One moment I was queuing in an alley down the side of the cinema next I saw a flash of light reflected from a building and I turned and there was a very familiar white Cadillac ambulance heading towards me complete with  crew of Ghostbusters and then their was a reporter and someone with a camcorder interviewing  the girls  in the queue behind me about their haute couture. The girls response was mango which prompted the reporter to say Maaan- goooo   in her best fake American accent . "Ain't that some kind of fruit."



The queue started moving forward and we edged round the corner  skirting a New York cop patrolling  the pavement. We plunged into the world of the Ghostbusters.

We were asked to hopscotch through the lobby and walked into the main cinema. The front was  an array of tables and acting on information from Naomi one of our party who had been before but hadn't been before Craig and I the first two to arrive headed for a table right at the front.
It turned out  to be a great choice although it turned out Naomi had meant a table at the front of the raised area rather than right near the stage but it did mean we were right in the thick of the action.

Craig and I settled in our table having saved various seats for members of our party by distributing scarves and coats.

Now there is a disadvantage in going to events with meetup where fancy dress is expected. So when someone dressed  as a Ghostbusters Sat at our table I wasn't sure whether it was a member of our party or an actor.  So when he accused me of looking at him funny I wasn't too sure what to do . However clued  up by the mango conversation I thought on my feet and said " I was looking at you with respect for the great job you re doing keeping the city free from ghosts" He then shook my hand. and we had a short chat.

The rest of the group drifted in and I could then explore. The back of the audiotorium was dressed with vintage desks with seriously retro gear  floppy disks , big computers , rotary phones. Their were microscopes to peer into. More desks, an evidence room with various props.

Their was some very  American food . Our table was wafted by the scent of popcorn and while we were waiting for rest of our party.

We had prime seat right at the front and once the film started we were  prime position for seeing all the shenanigans. Ranging from holographic ghosts getting zapped









Reenactments of parts of the film .

The grand finale was half the tables being stripped away in our section. Not ours to start with to allow for the inflating of a certain giant marshmallow sailor. Shortly afterwards when the film was over our tables were also spirited away and then it was time to dance like it was 1984 The only problem was that I had to leave early well about 10 30 for my traditional mad dash to Euston.. it was a great way to finish my Alternative nightlife adventure in2013  which had taken me from seedy Victorian glamour in a railway tunnel to  loud brash 1980s "glamour " in an art deco cinema pretending to be the ballroom of a new York hotel . What a journey :) Here's to 2014.



Lists and monopoly challenge 2014

Lists  a r e everywhere from the 12 days of Christmas to those lists of new year resolutions you make then throw aside.

When I go back to work  tomorrow I'll have a to do list . I'll have an inbox full of emails which is its own kind of list.

My discovery of meetup started with  a local listings leaflet and I went to a list making event last year. I attended 31 events last year due to a good friends list. Check it out at ginglelistseverything.

I run a prize for my doodling at a list making event.

Over Christmas we played monopoly  and while I was being thrashed by my sister I realised that over the last year I'd been to a lot of them.

I'd done ghost bus tours from Northumberland Avenue

-Gone to a work conference at whitehall
-SHambles through Leicester Square as a zombie
-Listened to West End show songs in Leicester Square
-Seen a Show on The Strand
-Gone to s pub on Oxford Street before going out at the katzenjammer club
- Been down Fleet Street on a ghost bus
-Got off at Kings Cross to go to a Steam punk Halloween Party
Walked down Euston Road on the way to a course induction
-Notched up Regents street and Piccadilly as a Zombie
-Been to Coventry Street to see the book of Mormon.


Not bad going  11out of 28 squares without trying so I half jokingly  said I'd try and visit them all in 2014 and promptly forgot about it .

This morning with a case of cabin fever I set off for london to track down a branch of shipyards and get some Chai. I decided on a branch on the Strand and it was only because I was convinced that Charing cross was one of the stations  t hat made me think of it.

However the Strand is one  as is Trafalgar Square which I walked past as I went up towards Charing cross road as is Oxford Street which I wandered along and as my bus went along Euston Road to get to Euston station address Euston Road.

So without trying I've racked up 4  of the 28 so I think it's worth giving it a go

So 4 down 24 to go . Suggestions for the waterworks and electricity company gratefully accepted.

One red and I can start building houses . So watch out Fleet Street.


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