Shop mannequins interest me - I try to use mannequins in high street stores to judge whether or not a shirt would look good on me. That is, until I remember that the mannequins at Gap are 8 feet tall and built like Hunter from Gladiators. I went through a period of trying to avoid shopping in stores if they had unrealistically shaped men advertising their products, but I found it almost impossible.
Today I walked past a Thomas Pink store - the men’s mannequins looked such an odd shape that I had to do a double take.
They seemed to be shaped more like an average banker rather than Sean Maguire in ‘Meet the Spartans’. Rather than the mannequin being far better looking than me with my average-man body, the wide-waisted, pigeon-chested dummies looked unhealthy and really negatively affected my opinion of the clothes.
Maybe having Mr Olympia model your clothing isn’t such a bad idea after all.
On Leadenhall Street, opposite the Lloyds Building, an unusual demolition is taking place.
122 Leadenhall Street (the P&O Tower) is being demolished from the bottom up… the bottom half of the building has disappeared - leaving only a building in the sky (apparently sat atop a concrete core).
Weird. Unfortunately this interesting sight that rivals the Lloyds Building itself is due to be replaced by the ‘Cheese Grater’ (presumably the same shape as the ‘Shard of Glass’ then?)
Just a quick one - the view across London from Parliament Hill at night in light fog is awesome.
The moon was golden tonight and the landmarks were bathed in a dewy glow. The traditional look-out at the top of the hill is good but there are some views along the paths which take in more of the skyline and are less obscured by trees.
I have been looking at gym memberships for 2008.
I am in training for a season of triathlon - while I can do most of the work outside, I do need motivation to use a swimming pool. The high cost of regular swimming makes it good value to join a gym - where I can do strength work and cardio when I am bored of doing it at home or outside.
So here were my criteria for gyms, all pretty much equal in importance (although really swimming is a bit higher):
- Cost
- 25m+ Swimming Pool, preferably with a no children and no slow swimmers in the fast lane policy.
- Racket Sports (I like to play squash and badminton)
- Attractiveness of clientele (and comfort of facilities I guess)
- Cross-London gyms (I want to visit a gym when I might be anywhere in London)
Of course, none of the chains I looked at come close to being good for all 5 criteria (indeed nobody beats 3/5).
Today I visited LA Fitness - attractiveness very high, cross-london good, cost good, swimming pool poor, racket sports none
I called up Virgin Active - I’ve made a couple of assumptions about the facilities since I haven’t visited - attractiveness high, cross-london good, swimming pool good, racket sports none, cost ‘v’ bad
I am familiar with Islington Leisure - racket sports great, cost good, swimming pool good, cross-london poor, attractiveness poor
Fitness First / Cannon’s / Esporta - not enough London gyms to be worth considering or don’t have nearby swimming pool
Aesthetics be damned, then. I have chosen to go with an Aquaterra Izz Card for Islington Gyms - the option that fits my 5 criteria best - not only is it the cheapest, having no contract will be good if I move house/decide that I’ve made the wrong decision. Islington extends down to Ironmonger Row Baths near the City (film fans - location of a really gruesome scene in Russian mafia film Eastern Promises) so at least there is one option that doesn’t require me to be near my home.
See you at the local gym,
Ronald
P.S. Apologies to regular readers who noticed that my blog was down recently - my webhost’s SQL servers are having some problems which has affected the blog but not Treasure London’s main site. I hope it’s sorted now.
LONDONERS - you must be registered on the electoral roll at your London address before April 16 in order to be eligible to vote in the London Mayor elections on May 1.
If you’ll be wanting to stand, you’ll need to collect 330 signatures and £10,000 (refundable at 5%), plus an additional £10,000 in order to feature in the distributed election booklet by March… that seems to be very few signatures and a lot of dosh. But good luck to you!
Details
I found the cutest video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCNqJ3KLyKQ
Some Americans living in Paris attempt the Time Out London Treasure Hunt… they stay in a quirky hotel, they visit Ping Pong for dim sum (hey, that’s one of my favourite restaurants too!), and mill around Hyde Park and Westminster. The video is a nicely constructed story of their adventures.
Good work guys! Come book a treasure hunt with Treasure London to have your own adventures.
Catch you later,
Ronald
Thanks to Moss Bros on Gray’s Inn Road I managed to hire black tie at the last minute.
I was most impressed that the assistant was able to wordlessly and immediately pick out exactly the sizes I would have chosen for myself (He did have to confirm my shoe size). It was the 32 waist/30 leg trousers I was most impressed by. I wonder if he would have chosen a smaller waist had I visited before Christmas… the traditional New Year’s Resolutions of less fat and more exercise haven’t had enough of an effect so far!
He also knew (or assumed correctly) that I would want a clip-on bow-tie. I really should learn to tie a bow-tie some time, it’s a rare skill. But how do people learn these days?
Anyway, I can fully recommend this branch of Moss Bros - get your tux on.
All the best,
Ronald
I spent the weekend on holiday in Lyme Regis.
It’s rare that I leave London in the winter as a European holiday seems somewhat pointless - but actually it was interesting to visit a tourist trap town during the off-season. The locals were friendly and the sea was welcoming. Turned out it was warm enough to go for a bracing swim!
Coming back to London, I appreciate it so much more. Internet on tap, any form of entertainment just around the corner, shops that are open on Sundays. There’s a lot to be said for the simple life but London’s for me.
See you around,
Ronald - Treasure London
I spent the weekend out of London. It’s always nice to leave London - not only do you get a new experience, but you appreciate the city comforts all the more.
We visited a classic British tourist attraction - Stonehenge. I’ve heard bad things about Stonehenge… most people I’ve spoken to have said it is a disappointing experience: it topped a poll of worst UK tourist attractions. I’ve heard the nearby circle at Avebury is better, but I guess they’re much the same.
I didn’t find Stonehenge itself so bad. I was, after all, expecting to see a pile of stones near a main road. It served as a pleasant break to our journey, I daydreamed a bit about the romance of the stones.
But I was very annoyed with the information provided. An attendant claimed that only one stone had been righted in modern times (whereas the internet confirms that all the stones have been carefully positioned within the last 50 years - see also Constable) and there seemed to be no available information about religious groups’ use of Stonehenge. Pictures of a closed circle as a “complete” Stonehenge with no evidence were offered as though they were realistic depictions of what it would have genuinely looked like.
The modern history of Stonehenge is where the interest lies for me - what exactly do neo-Druids find interesting or spiritual about a pile of rocks? How exactly has its look changed over the years? Why has this arrangement of stones been chosen as most authentic?
English Heritage deserve the title of worst tourist attraction if only because there is so much more they could be offering beyond souvenir pencils. Oh well.
More on my holiday will follow later in the week…
Ronald - Treasure London
Yesterday I happened to be grocery shopping in North London’s desirable Crouch End (celebrity residents have included: Simon Pegg, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, Clare Grogan, Bernard Butler, Gillian Anderson, etc).
I needed some bread, so I took a look at a fresh loaf in the local Budgens supermarket - £1.75 for a standard loaf of bread. I know the price of flour has gone up recently but that’s ridiculous.
Can anyone top that? Perhaps Highgate Village/Kensington/Notting Hill residents can do better? Anyone? Price of a loaf of bread in your local supermarket?
Update: A similar loaf of bread at my local Tesco a few miles away cost me £0.49
