diamond geezer

 Friday, December 30, 2016

dg 2016 index

Ten memorable London jaunts in 2016
1) The View From The Shard: I went up the Shard nine times this year, for £20.16. I may never go up again, but now I know what London looks like in all weathers. [photos]
2) Night Tube world record: On the first night, when there were only two lines up and running, I grabbed the unofficial all stations record. I believe it still stands.
3) Miglia Quadrato: A car rally round the City of London, starting at midnight and ending after dawn, hunting barely visible clues... brilliantly bonkers fun.
4) Open House: This architectural freebie is a cracker every year, and 2016 was no exception, from Crossrail to Robin Hood Gardens. [photos]
5) To the edge of London: My idea was to walk from Charing Cross to the nearest place not in London, in as near a straight line as possible. A fascinating stroll. [photos]
6) Transit of Mercury: I observed this rare astronomical phenomenon from Greenwich, Piccadilly and Hampstead - the next really good one's not until 2049.
7) Green Lanes: To understand north London, walk the full length of its longest street.
8) East London Mosque: ...and to understand another religion a little better, step inside a place of worship and speak to those inside.
9) Walking Crossrail: I followed the path of Crossrail on the surface from North Woolwich to Paddington. [photos]
10) Line of Fire: ...and I also followed the perimeter of the Great Fire of London, 350 years on.

Runners up: Brunel Museum, Lumiere, Kensington Palace, Winter Lights, Out There, The Bishops Avenue, Kenwood House, Wanstead Park, Little Ben, Roman Road Market, Museum of Brands, Widow's Son, four squares, Barking Riverside, 17 Bruton Street, William Shakespeare, Regent's Canal, Woodberry Wetlands, Abbey Wood, Boring Conference, Tate Britain, The Line, South London, Regent's Park, The Patron's Lunch, Geological Museum, Switch House, artificial hills, Parkwalk, warmest day, Designing a Moment, World Cup hedge, southeast London, Royal Docks, places Londoners never go, Nine Elms, Notting Hill Carnival, The Great Fire, Interesting 2016, Garden Bridge, Zeppelin over Bow, three postcodes, Best Cocktail Secrets, Anywhen, crisp restaurant, Queen's House, Heath Robinson Museum, department stores, Long Wall Path, North Ockendon, Stratford gyratory, Boxpark Croydon, City of London Police Museum, walking the Thames, Oak Compass, Design Museum, River Effra plaques, Winton Gallery, Twelvetrees Ramp, Ruislip Lido.

Tube: Whitechapel, TfL outside London, Fit For The Future, openings, Holborn escalators, Museum Depot, Anorak Corner, busiest time, Transported by Design, same station exit, Art on the Underground, Night Tube timetables, station closures, Johnston100, longest journey, Bow Creek, Night Tube timetables, quicker to walk, station entrances, stations with an R in, next train indicators, Canary Wharf screens, S stock, Metropolitan line extension, Croxley Link
Tube maps: January 2016 map, Zone 2/3 overlap, Battersea Park, June 2016 map, Morden error, A-Z, December 2016
Rail: rail devolution, Woodside & South Croydon, Lea Bridge, Belmont Trail, Anorak Corner, North Woolwich line, Greenford branch
Crossrail: Walking Crossrail, unveiling the Elizabeth Line, Crossrail stopping pattern, Tottenham Court Road
Buses: route 31, route 194, route 234, route 398, route 493, daily cap, route 508, blinds, route 51, least frequent, route 167, Hopper, route 108, route 563, best routes for Christmas lights, West End review, busy bus stops
Airport: Estuary, 3rd airport history, 3rd runway
Other transport: cablecar ridership, Trams, Quietway 1, The Knowledge, Blackfriars Pier

Bow Roundabout/CS2: January, February, peak roadworks, March, May, Bus Stop M, pedestrian crossings, bus stops, pedestrian crossing survey, October, Bromley-by-Bow masterplan
E20: The Orbit, London Stadium, the Slide, West Ham store, Make the Future, unfinished things, West Ham at home, Here East, Hackney Wick Central, London Stadium tour
Random grid square: Upney, Osterley, Barnet
Unlost rivers: Beverley Brook, Pymmes Brook
London Loop: section 10, section 21, Loop 8


Ten favourite Out-of-London destinations
1) Versailles: What better on one's birthday than to take a day trip to Versailles? It would have been easier without the train strike, but the lack of crowds was fabulous. [photos]
2) Hill Top and Windermere: 2016's other extreme day out was a day trip to the Lake District, and a walk to Beatrix Potter's house. [photos]
3) Manchester and Salford: How much of these two great cities could I see in one day? More than plenty. [photos]
4) Liverpool: Yes, it would have been nicer if it hadn't rained all day, but Merseyside's amazing in all weathers. Crosby beach was a highlight. [photos]
5) West Midlands: I rode the Midland Metro from Wolverhampton to Birmingham and checked out the culture along the way. [photos]
6) Poole, Sandbanks and Brownsea Island: A day trip to Dorset's harbourside finest (and next time it has to be Swanage). [photos]
7) Pointless: I went to Borehamwood to watch Xander and Richard record two shows... which might be on BBC1 next month.
8) Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft: Not just a delightful small museum, but also the chance to climb the South Downs afterwards. [photos]
9) Lowestoft: I'm not saying Ness Point's a great tourist destination, but the easterly desolation was certainly memorable. [photos]
10) King's Lynn: The only town where I've ever watched the Mayor and civic dignitaries board dodgems in the main square and gleefully bash one another. [photos]

Runners up: the Lavender Line, Lake & Riverside Walk, Newbury, Swanley, Faversham, The Great Explosion, Woking, Quebec House, New Ash Green, Copped Hall, Arundells, Clacton, Reigate Caves, Hadleigh Park, Portsmouth, Essex Architecture Weekend, Milton's Cottage, Bedford, Cliffe Fort, where I've been, Reading Gaol, Oxford
Least used stations: Midgham, Park Street, Sudbury & Harrow Road, White Notley, Kempston Hardwick, Longcross, Little Kimble
Beyond London: Three Rivers, Hertsmere, Welwyn Hatfield, Broxbourne, Epping Forest

Brexit: EU deal, Leave/Remain, alternative timeline, as it happened, London data, Armed Forces Day parade, split, Romford skinhead, vote to Leave, the problem, St Brexit's Day, Certificate of Britishness, Brexmas


Ten other favourite posts from 2016: Fruit and vegetables, afternoon tea, Little Waitrose, membership expired, pizzas, London Above, pedantry, St Median's Academy, Riddlesdown, Chez DG

Half of my ten favourite photos of the year:
(or all ten here)


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