[Leica] Lugnuts meeting in London

[Alex Brattell <alex@zetetic.co.uk>]

>Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 12:00:57 -0000
>From: "Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: [Leica]
>
>The first-ever meeting of UK lugnuts has been suggested by Alastair
>Firkin.
>
>The venue is London, and the date is Sunday November 22.
>

>Alastair's idea is that we spend an afternoon shooting together,
>swapping tales and gear. It gets dark around 4pm at that time of year,
>so the photographic day may be limited for non-Noctilux owners!
>
>Sooner or later rain/cold/darkness will probably drive us indoors to a
>pub, and I've suggested that we wind up with a meal early evening.
>Given that eating out in London can be expensive, a Greek meal could
>be an ideal solution. Greek food is cheap, there are plenty of Greek
>restaurants in central London, and they tend to be informal places
>were the other patrons are unlikely to complain about noisy debates
>over M v R or black taping your red dots.


Hi Doug

I'd love to meet other LUGNUTS (to prove to myself that you're not not just
a bunch of electrons!), though I doubt that I'd be up for the whole
prgramme. But I'd love to catch up with you in a pub or restaurant  - will
you be making some kind of schedule so this would be possible?

I'm under the impression that most of the Greek restaurants in central
London (eg Charlotte St) are places for office workers to behave badly,
where chewing gum from underneath the tables gets transferred to the knees
of your trousers. But that's my prejudice, based on limited experience,
don't take my word for it as I don't eat in them!

May I recommend a curry in Brick Lane with BYO booze. Banglatown is waking
up to the excitement of neon but the restaurants still offer good value, and
the surrounding (walkable) area (Bishopsgate, Spitalfields, Shoreditch,
Whitechapel) is much more interesting and varied than the shopfronts of the
West End. Go to Liverpool Street station armed with maps and film. Watch out
for the Jack the Ripper tours wandering about like farts in a trance
imagining dead bodies all over the place.

Sunday morning in that area is busy with markets  - Petticoat Lane (leather
and general - in Middlesex St!), Spitalfields (crafts, organic veg,
bric-a-brac, goes on later than the others), Columbia Rd (plants & flowers)
and Brick Lane (everything) markets all virtually merge into each other, but
the City of London is a walk away and quiet, perfect to wander about.
Spitafields is a large Victorian covered space, handy if it's a wet day.

Wherever you meet up please keep us posted - if you want any more specific
info or ideas from me, please let me know. 

All the best
Alex