Wednesday, July 7, 2010

"London, London, so much to answer for..."

A one-way trip to Hell on an Oyster Card apparently:
The £4 tube fair to go one stop. The rattling overcrowded tube itself. The house prices, the negative equity, the schools, the dirt. There are plenty reasons not to live in London, which may be the reason most people in Britain don't.
The five grand "Capital Allowance" paid out by a desperate employer helped, but I must admit I really enjoyed my time working there- about a dozen games to choose from on a Saturday/Sunday, concerts galore, exotic food and women and basically outbursts of mind-expanding culture in all directions.

Having said that, three years was probably half a year too much and I couldn't really imagine myself now ever heading back for the Monday rush-hour stint on the Northern Line.
As Radio 4 celebrates its London season Stuart Cosgrove (Commissioning Editor for Nations and Regions of Channel 4) presents a programme on the joys and challenges of choosing to live and work outside the capital, Wed 7 Jul 2010, 11:00BBC Radio 4.

1 comment:

Timothy Belmont said...

London Transport wants even tourists to acquire an Oyster Card!

A pal of mine was at Wimbledon the other week and they sold him one. The plastic card seems to be replacing the old paper one-day, seven-day travel cards, I think.

I have an Oyster Card myself and think it's great. I can check my balance and top it up here at home.