London innit?

Well! Let me start by saying Hi! Don't know how you stumbled onto me, but it's good to see ya!

So, my name is Sonny Erickson (please note the spelling! It can get confusing sometimes! Maybe I'll tell ya abouts it another time!)

And of course, this... Is my blog! Enjoy!

London!! It's not for me really! Lived there for 6 months, didn't like it, moved away!

But this weekend, a few friends and I were given tickets to a show. Yay us! Having never been to t'westend before I was quite excited! We traveled up by train, NOT, I might add, my fave form of transport, as is makes me feel a tad gippy. (more later) Journey up t'smoke was uneventful. On train at Brighton, off train at Farringdon. Next task, find friends place. Easy I thought, He lives in Farringdon, so can't be TO difficult to find. (can it?) Directions given to us as follows:-

1. Right out of station
2. Left at end of road
3. Keep walking. (WTF?)
4. Opposite Holiday Inn
5. ******* Street
6. Number ** and you're there!

One slight frikken mistake there, for those that know the area you'll have spotted it already!

it's RIGHT at the end of the road... Turn left, walk far enough and you're going under Holburn Viaduct and end up near Fleet Street!

So we ask a cabbie (limited english, not to helpful,  HOW does he know where he's going? More later) Eventually we go in the right direction and find the house!

Welcomed by open arms of friend and his missus, nice place.

Rest of evening, until time to go is  fine and fun.

So it comes time to leave, friend and missus have left for theater already. And we booked a cab.

7:10 the cab arrives (it's curtain at 7:30) 7:25, we're JUST heading round Russell Square, Past the museum and along Great Russell street. Now this was all fine, but thinking might be a tad late! When I notice cabbie (Asian guy, not speaking at all) typing in the address on his TOMTOM!!! Yipes!

Now here's the problem, ONE WAY streets. To get to where we wanna go it's a bloody long around the ways kind of route. It turns out his better bet would have been to head down to Holburn some way that I was unaware of! 

I knew things were going wrong, so I says to the others "This fool has no idea! Let's  get out and walk/run" At which we alight! Tossing the cabbie a tenner when he says "That'll be £15!" £15!!?? For getting us f'kin lost and late! I think not pally!!!

So there we are, three burly guys, running down Great Russell past shoppers and tourists, coppers and all! Feeling slightly lost I ask a rickshaw (kamikaze have you SEEN them???) rider "Oh mate! You are SO far away, let me take you guys there!"

"No mate, we'll run ta", yells Gareth as he keeps trotting towards a rather masculine looking female plod and asks her directions...

And we're off again, running along the road, dodging cabs and rickshaws. Left here, right there. Oh F'kit! Where are we now? Another rickshaw, in we hop... Tell him where we wanna go and off he peddles... Left, right, 200 yards, "Here we are Gents! That'll be £9"?!?!?

"£9?!?!?!"

"Yeah, 3 quid each minimum!"

Chuck a tenner at him as well and dive into the theater, ONLY to be told by a 12 year old usherette with garlic breath, "Sorry guys, shows started. you can't go in!"

WTF?!?!?! I was ready to blow and must have looked it! Because before I could say a word she led us thru a private entrance and into the back of the stalls...

"Sit here and go take your seats during interval"

So anyway...

Show was great, our friend had a small, but FANTASTICALLY played part of an Orc (Can you tell what we saw yet?) And after we went to a tiny Chinese and eat till our stomachs were fit to burst (more later) and drank until there was a danger of passing out!