Part 1: "Londoners Anonymous"

“It's nice to have some continuity you can come back to. I feel that in coming home, coming back to London” (especially after fighting Evil Empires as a sergeant of the Alliance?). So says Felicity Jones; totally addicted, apparently - and she wasn’t even born in London!

Reckless & rebellious Jyn Erso - carefully avoiding all BA overnight flights, in: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

Hello! My name's Max; and I actually am a Londoner - one who just can't kick his London habit (the group responds: “Hello, Max!”).

In fact, my name's Max; and I'm just starting to realise I'd simply forgotten many of the things that make London so great.

Is it really "So Much Nicer to Come Home"?*

Unlike many “Londoners”, I really was born in London. Just five miles from Tower Bridge, in fact. I've lived and worked here, on and off, ever since; for the best part of five decades, now. I currently live on the city’s clean, green, Northern edge; though still just 12 miles from Tower Bridge. I'm a regular visitor to the many tourist sites/sights that my great city has to offer (including its myriad museums, gorgeous galleries, fabulous theatres, opulent opera houses; its cinemas, pubs, bars, clubs and sporting venues). Only now, however, am I finally realising how very little I really know about The Old Girl. Also, indeed, how ludicrously little others know of her, too. In the weeks to come, I hope to help with that sad situation via this, my new London-in-a-nutshell blog.
For instance ...

The opposite of London? Natural & unfiltered, a December sunset
at the Coconut Court Beach Hotel, Barbados 

Having spent Christmas away in wonderful, warm, winter sunshine, I started my New Year by returning to London via Gatwick Airport. In fog, rain and freezing cold temperatures; and to a 67-mile drive home - after getting very little sleep, on a crammed-full, over-night flight. My recent travel experiences got me thinking about some London questions. One of which was: “Is Gatwick really a Londoner?” No map nor sane commentator could surely convince me that it is. Yet it remains a key airport serving Britain’s capital city. It's bigger sister, Heathrow, can at least claim to lie within the “London Borough of Hillingdon” (just 21 miles from Tower Bridge) rather than in West Sussex. Does that really make Heathrow culturally and spiritually any more an integral part of London than Gatwick? It's probably something of a moot point.

As a general rule, if celebrities publicly utter unflattering, off-the-cuff condemnations of your abject, under-performing ‘services’, without fear of contradiction (or law suit!) then you know you’ve probably got a massive PR problem on your hands. It's unlikely the following, from Jenson Button, represents the sort of "continuity" which Felicity (and Gatwick Airport?) value so highly: "As usual at Gatwick I waited for my bags for a good hour, so I had plenty of time to think things over in Baggage Reclaim”.**

JB: on belatedly hearing news that his baggage had finally arrived in Gatwick's award-winning reclaim area?

Meanwhile, across town, our primary airport has issues of its own to deal with, including: “Heathrow expansion will cause travel chaos”; and “Heathrow urges stranded passengers to stay at home as heavy fog cancels flights”***.

The second of those headlines is from the day I flew out of London myself, after experiencing delays and disruption at Gatwick (below).

Most of us who live here know only too well how difficult it can be to travel around London. At times, it's almost as difficult to escape via her airports; or even to reach said airports - or to be reunited with your luggage, eventually. They'll have to try harder than that, to stop us coming back though. Because, on balance, it really is "So Much Nicer to Come Home"*

Anyway, that's probably enough about airports, and baggage, for now. In future, I'll hope to stick nearer to London's beating heart; mulling over the pros and cons of life amidst the culture of the world's greatest city. So let's talk again, here, soon; whether you're feeling a little under-exposed, or you're already a fully paid-up member of Londoners Anonymous.

All across the town, all across the night;

Everybody's driving with full headlights.

Black or white, turn it on; face the new religion... ****

Your Addicted London Buddy,

Max ("F-H-W")


Quote sources:

* from "It's Nice To Go Trav'ling" (Billy May, Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen, 1958)

** from “A Championship Year”, by Jenson Button (2009).

*** “London Evening Standard” headlines, 9th and 18th December 2016, respectively

**** from "London's Burning" (Joe Strummer, Mick Jones) - The Clash, 1977

With thanks, kudos and technical credits to Ade "L'Etranger" Coen.