London Still Rocks!

Yesterday, fifth Meetup in a row, and second in a row with London Museums A-Z , wa s an  Unlimited event , where they don't cap numbers - we were off to the  British Museum  to see fragments of the  Mausoleum of Halikarnassos , one of the  Seven Wonders of the Ancient World , as I previewed on  the 1st  of course. It was only as I was getting ready to leave that I remembered to book a General Admission ticket for the museum - they're free, and not necessary, but handy to have. We were to meet at 3pm - which was all booked up when I looked. Funny that! Well, I got a ticket for 2:50pm - they don't check the time anyway, as long as you have a ticket. Got a nice, early bus - it arrived as I was racing for the stop , and the obliging, lone person at the stop kindly delayed getting on, giving me a little smile as I ran up. Just to make sure the bus didn't leave. Thank you, kind stranger.. So I arrived about 2:30pm, made for the security check - they glance...

After three Meetups in a row, t he weekend belongs to  London Museums A-Z .. today, we were off to  Bletchley Park , the ticket for which is valid for a year. I got a cheap train ticket on  Uber , with a promotion knocking £5 off, plus £10 Uber credit - which was most of the cost of the ticket.  Amazing how I can get myself out, sometimes - I ended up getting there early. Our organiser had a teeny sign.. of more use, TBH, was the picture he posted of where he'd be, adorned with a big red arrow. When someone suggested getting a hot chocolate in the Starbucks , just upstairs, while we waited, I thought that was an excellent idea.. in fact, they had a new, pistachio one. So I had the new, pistachio one! And a chocolate muffin. Because, you know, chocolate. No bins. No bins on the train either. On the train, we couldn't all sit together - I unsocia bly sat on my own - in my defence, I had a time-boxed event in my phone game .. which I got finished on the train. Tha...

Tonight,  third Meetup in a run of five,  Up in the Cheap Seats   (UITCS) tempted me back with  Guidelines , at the  New Diorama  - a play about the horrors of the internet, basically. Turned out to be far enough away to take the Tube - and so to London Bridge . Buses were scheduled, but nary a one had passed me by the time I'd walked there. The plan was, Jubilee Line to Baker Street , then take any of three lines one stop to Great Portland Street , where I could eat at the adjacent Greene Man pub. Indeed, I even got a seat on the Jubilee Line! The trouble started at Baker Street - now, it's a maze of a station, but that wasn't the problem - I made my way towards the lines I needed, only to pass stalled Metropolitan Line trains; that being one of the lines I needed, I started to think something was up. Sure enough, there was an announcement - I didn't hear the full thing, but I heard something about "severe delays" on the Circle and Hammersmith and Ci...

Last night , second Meetup in a row of five, I was with  Movie Roadhouse London  - for the new  Richard Linklater  film,  Nouvelle Vague . Re ferencing the  French Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) ,   i t primarily focuses on the making of  Breathless ,  directed by  Jean-Luc Godard .  Showing in the  BFI , and I headed to  The Archduke  beforehand - although when I looked, there were only two timeslots left, and I ended up having to book quite an early one! So I had have lots of time before meeting the group.. Didn't think I'd have soup, after the  last , disastrous visit. Walked from the office in pouring rain, shoulders aching from dragging the laptop - arrived a bit late, which wasn't a problem: the lady at the desk recognised me, checked me in, and said my "favourite" table by the window was waiting for me. Hmm.. did they read my online review and equate it with me? Anyway, service was quick and friendly - to be f...

Now in  a run of five  Meetups ! For tonight, I got a ticket from someone who bought one, then couldn't go, for  Mrs. President  at  Charing Cross Theatre : an outing with  Up in the Cheap Seats  (UITCS). And that was interesting, a week after seeing  Our American Queen , because Mrs. President is about the  wife  of  Abraham Lincoln , who's mentioned in Our American Queen, and she and the Chases, subjects of Our American Queen, couldn't stand each other! I went early so I could eat beforehand. Now, I checked on Google Maps - and for some reason, couldn't see L' Ulivo , the Italian restaurant across from the theatre where I've eaten before. Never mind, I said, I'll get something somewhere. The bus , mind you, was running late - and Google Maps' advice to walk through Victoria Embankment Gardens ignored the fact that they're locked after dark. So I was late to eat.. and they're slow in L' Ulivo (which, yes, is still there and goin...