12
Norfff or Sarrrf!??
Being a northerner and having lived in London for many a year, it always bemuses me when I hear of the north/south of the river divide! Tales of taxi drivers not wishing to cross that invisible border that apparently divides the Thames, friends not wishing to venture to your house for fear of missing the last train home – the list goes on!
I myself live south of the river and clearly have no loyalties to my northern roots although I once did live in Finchley Central (just around the corner from Marty Pants by the way) so you could say I have had the best of both worlds! What makes the divide such a hot topic though? Why are people drawn to one side of the water or the other? Is it the atmosphere, the great restaurants or simply the fact that the council tax is cheaper one side of the river than the other? Well lets have a look shall we?
Who is best? Norfff or Sarrfff!? First up it’s the northerners and representing the northern corner is trendy Islington. There are fantastic bars weather you want trendy gastro pubs or modern cooooooool drinking dens such as The Green, Cuba Libre or Barrio North (how appropriate!). You can watch as the fantastically good-looking people pass by or even enjoy the restaurants such as Gallipoli, Strada, or Le Petite Auberge. For shopping you’re spoilt for choice from high street names such as All Saints or if you’re looking something different you can wander into the markets for some antiques or trinkets. Then if your looking for something to whilst away the evening with then why not have a sing song in Lucky Voice – the Karaoke bar – they have some excellent cocktails (I have sampled both Karaoke and cocktails whilst practicing for my Glee Club audition)! There are plenty of hotels to choose from too! If you’re in Islington to visit the business design centre, then the Hilton London Islington is just around the corner! Or there’s the Jury’s Inn London Islington who offer a warm and friendly welcome and excellent value for money.
Now it’s time for the southerners. Which southern borough can represent the best of the south? Well Greenwich of 
course! If it’s good enough for the horsey folk of the 2012 London Olympics then it’s good enough to defend the honour of the Sarrrfff. Greenwich is home to lots of things to be proud of and some pretty good hotels too. There’s The De Vere Devonport House which is full of naval history or if you’re going to see a concert at the nearby o2 arena then the Express by Holiday Inn Greenwich is just around the corner! Greenwich is home of The Greenwich Meridian – the place from which all time is measured (Woooow), The National Maritime Museum (ooooo) and the lush green Greenwich Park! There’s something to do for everyone and my favourite part of a visit to Greenwich is actually getting there. You can enjoy a pretty nippy river boat cruise and see many of the famous London sights from the river such as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Tate Modern Gallery and even Canary Wharf!
Well I don’t know about you but I’m torn! There’s just too much Good Stuff in London on both sides of the river so I think we’ll have to put it to the vote.
So this is how it’s going to work…go to our facebook page by clicking here and vote for which is best North London or South London. Then next week we’ll reveal the results and unveil which you think is best!
That’s all for now folks!
Tarrra (that’s good bye in northern speak) or toodle-ooo (if your from the Saarff) 
24
up on the rooooooof (of the O2)
We did it. Well England did it, so technically, WE did it…
WE DID ITTTTT
Until Sunday of course, then we can watch with fevered & tense anticipation allllll over again.
Us at lastminute.com were invited by the very lovely people at the O2 to watch the game with them in Indigo at the O2, but, am getting ahead of myself.
Easy marty pants.
It was a big day… deep breathe deep breathe.
We began the day by putting on our harnesses and scaling the roof, until we set foot upon the actual roof of the O2. Yes we did. And yes, it was just as amazing as it sounds, only a week or two after Bon Jovi played a set up there! Once on the actual centre of the roof, you are literally barely 10 metres from the actual top of the main stage (where Bon Jovi are currently livvvvving ooownnnnnnnn a praaaaaaayyyeaahhhhhhhhhh). It was terrifying to be honest, well some of the guys were terrified, not me of course, ahhhaaa. Once up there we hooked up our err hooks and scaled to the very centre. It was actually like walking on a bouncy castle, it was bouncy! Crazy.
The views are breathtaking, the docklands to one side, the East London Olympics stadiums in clear view, and then of course the city, and then full circle for a fab view of the thames barrier. The legend that is Dan (of Danzibar Confederacy) even spotted Tower Bridge nestled between two buildings, he’s a clever sausage.
Not sure if the O2 are considering turning the roof tour into a commercial venture (absolutely they should), but am sure if they did it would be an absolute winner, I’d easily happily eagerly go again….! Strolling back through the mini-town with its myriad of restaurants & bars (seriously – you could practically live here!) we spotted an ad for lastminute.com (see left) tis no wonder we feel so at home here
Once we climbed down (seriously, much worse than climbing up, I was fine you understand, it was Dan, and Michelle from HR I was concerned for), we had a spot of lunch followed by the England game in the O2…..
Seriously, this is the place to watch the match… on a 40 foot screen in the Indigo. 40 foot, incredible. I never thought I would say this (me – a rare creature of the non-football-fan-breed), it was amazing. It was like watching a massive blockbuster film, but this was real life, this was happening right now, and literally all off the 1000 or so peeps around me were shouting and screaming in unison. Blimey sir, I’d go every day if football was always like this.
Sooooo thanks O2 for a phenomenal day, sincerely it is a magical place, they even have a roller disco there, myself and the legendary athlete Dan wanted to have a whizz round, until I reminded him that errr he was very ‘tired and emotional’, maybe tomorrow?
8
Slippery when wet (especially on Vinyl)
Is it a comment on today’s pop music that bon jovi are one of the largest bands around? Currently playing at the O2 it seems like they are the biggest band ever (we are talking about bon jovi right?). Back in the dark ages I had the ‘Slippery when wet’ album (well, I say I had it, basically it was my sisters, so therefore, as with such things, it was mine), on vinyl (vinyl? Already it seems so odd… It was made of vinyl? What was the turntable made of zinc? No one ever says ‘oh I loved my zinc-record-player’ so why were records vinyl (oh wait I get it, tapes were tape, jeez – don’t make me use my brain!)…. Where was I? ah yes, Bon Jovi, they’re ok I spose!
I remember the bon jovi album really well, I loved it, until my best pal borrowed and it never returned (ah, those carefree vinyl zinc magnesium soaked days), actually my sis has never forgiven, to this day she doesn’t lend me things in case I lend it to a mate.
I was thinking the above whilst strolling to see the Holiday Inn Express Greenwich this morning. I got off the tube at North Greenwich and walked to the hotel (yes, it is the only hotel within walking distance to the O2), about six minutes by my watch (not sure what metal/plastic that is made from). There were bon jovi posters everywhere, and when I got to the hotel, bon jovi t-shirt wearers, and then, wow, there was Jon Bon Jovi, tucking into the scrambled eggs and sausages at the breakfast bar.
Ok, its all true, cept that last bit (they were poached eggs). The hotel was great, forget what you may think you know about Holiday Inn Expresses (formerly called Express by Holiday Inn’s dontchaknow), this hotel is a great modern escape. Breakfast (Bon Jovi fans am sure were happy to discover) is always included in the rate, and I wasn’t jesting – it also includes egg n bangers.
The rooms (and the whole hotel actually) are all fresh, and shiny, & have great tagged pillows proclaiming ‘firm’ or ’soft’ and (did ye know) are all air conditioned (and have triple-glazed windows). There is an independent chinese restaurant in the same building, and an odeon imax liteally a moment away (and errr of course the O2 is a 6ish minute walk away, which if you didn’t know has like a million restaurants (ok, maybe a tiny exaggeration there). So, as I was strolling back to the choob, being a mischevious soul, I looked on the internet on my phone for a vinyl copy of ’slippery when wet’ so I could finally give my sister back her property (what’s twenty odd years between siblings!), I got one, a bargain at £5.99, which ironically is probably how much she bought it for in ‘our price!’.
29
O2 – please give the doctor his tardis back
Summer is definitely here. I know because ‘the madness’ has already arrived. I knew it this morning when the coffee machine decided to splutter and kerplop out its probably very last coffee, it kind of shook, shimmied, made a noise that may make sense to some aliens, and then spat out a kind of lukewarm brown blobby thing. With a start like that, it can only get better… and it did!….
First meeting of the day was with & at The O2 – alright! Who says the hotels industry is boring! The kid in me is always impressed at the big ol’ tent that is The O2, I love it, just as the kid in me is overwhelmed at the success and phenomenal comeback of the good doctor – Doctoorrrrr Who, i mean. The fact that a mere 5 years ago myself and fellow ‘Who-ers’ were ridiculed and sneered at (especially when we bought our Dr Who merchandise from the children’s book section – hahha – who’s laughing now?!), and now – ahhhh how we revel in the great success of our favourite time lord back in the haven of our (two) hearts.
So so so so (I am going somewhere with this honest), it was a double whammy that our meeting was held in the O2 lounge, literally, a double for the interior of Dr Who’s tardis, look at it, standing chatting at one of the illuminous consoles I could only imagine that once the meeting had finished, we’d step outside and we’d be back in the ’60s fighting off the fiendishly art-deco daleks.
Alas, that didn’t happen – but equally as exciting – when our Sales Director for UK Lifestyle at lastminute.com; Mark Bower (the stranglee in the pic) walked into the lounge, on his i-phone it appointed him as the ‘Mayor of the O2′ in relation to both his frequent patronage of the O2 and of course his prestigious and illustrious persona.
So quite a meeting really, at the O2, in the tardis, with noblemen appointed by an app, it was (or should that be ‘it will be?’) the future baby. Fabulous.
On the way back to the office, en-route in Westminster station, the new Mayor of the o2 showed us a great shortcut when changing from the Juuub (that’s the Jubilee line to you humans) to the District/Circle… the lift! Technically, it is quicker to do the lift than it is to enter the myriad of escalators – it was a first for me anyway. Wow all this and it’s not even lunch yet… wait – it’s lunch.
ps – o2 guys, the doctor said just leave the keys under the mat
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