The Future At Kings Cross, and An Unsatisfactory Reply

On Saturday four of us went to the degree show at St Martin's school of art.   I love degree shows - so full of energy, of ideas, and enthusiasm.  And we wanted to see inside St. Martins' new building. Or is it an old building? Well, it's a regenerated old building, set by the canal in the newly transformed area of Kings Cross. (below)

Here it is, decorated with a silver foil artwork which runs across several neighbouring buildings too.  Most spectacular it is, reflecting the sky and the light and slicing the blackened brickwork into unexpected shapes. I specially liked the bit where the canal curved around, with the narrowboats gliding peacefully by.

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My favourite section was called "Textile Futures". What was it all about?  I don't know, but the big red banner invited us to come along and see.

The exhibits included Yesenia Thibault-Picazo's  "Craft in the Anthropocene" display.  She has created items intended to resemble geological remains from the "Human Period" - our period - of history, seen from a perspective of long into the future.     Specimens of imaginary fossilised bones, plastics, even mobile phone remains, are made into elegant objets d'art..

I can tell you, the plastics "specimens" were wonderfully squeezy and fabulously coloured!   I've shown them at extra large magnification so you can see the detail.

We also all loved Qian Wang's "Self Medication" - tea-drinking health rituals with beautiful (and eccentric) ingredients. I am sure the look of your infusion is just as important as the taste or what is in it.

The building used to be part of a railway goods yard. The main entrance was a courtyard, now glassed over. You can still see the remains of the whitewashed walls of the now demolished sheds.

I found myself walking over this. I don't know what it is. But the place is an art school, after all.
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This area of  Kings Cross used to be a nightmare, with grim public housing, grimy burger joints, traffic fumes, noise, boarded up shop fronts.  But in the last five years it turned the corner, and it's now one of London's most interesting and artistic areas, full of wonderful unexpected creative stuff, lots yet to come. How fabulous to see this change.

If you get the chance, go while there are still things to discover, before Starbucks and Gap and the chain stores move in.  And if you want a coffee, try Green and Fortune in the nearby Kings Place concert halll, like we did - YUMMY!

On a less positive note, and I've had a response from Legoland Windsor. It's here,  and, not surprisingly, it reflects some of what I said in this post   

You might already know by now that I don't think it's part of their business strategy to invest in giving their guests the best possible time.  Despite this, they do invest in other things. In offering various ticket discounts, so people feel they're getting a bargain, so they feel a bit grateful.  On making journalists and bloggers feel like VIPs, so the company can quote their enthusiastic praise to get good publicity.    And they spent a fortune on getting and promoting the Lego brand name, which many people love so much that they don't want to criticise it.

And that strategy works.  Legoland Windsor is very busy and makes lots of money, and since the park's owners are a finance company, they are, by that standard, succeeding.



Despite this, I think tourism businesses should factor the customer experience in their calculations and place at least some value on whether guests have a nice time.     In the picture above, the  person who put their child's  teddy on the Lego model wanted it to be fun, and  I gave Legoland Windsor a lousy review, because I felt they really didn't care if anyone had fun or not.   The kids cried,  we missed almost everything, we were thirsty, hungry, the staff didn't care and the adults felt stressed and ripped off - BUT we came, we bought,  and we paid that £3 car parking fee just as much as if we'd been happy.

Do you think I'm being a sentimental idealist about this, I wonder?  

Wot I Did This Week

It's been "scribble scribble scribble"  *   at my desk, and I haven't really got out anywhere very much.  Still, I'll tell you what I HAVE done..

First, since I haven't had a response from Legoland Windsor's customer service, (read my moan about it here)  I have tweeted about it @jennywoolf, here. I only have a few hundred followers since I don't use Twitter much,  but if you use Twitter, then please feel free to retweet or link to FB.  I think a few people have. I am told this often generates a response.

If they do respond, I hope they don't just offer me a free trip to "make it up to me."  In my work,  I've visited (free and paying),so many theme parks in so many places, and talked to those who run them. The good ones - I think Legoland likes to consider itself in that category - organise themselves to accomodate large crowds of guests instead of blaming them for the place being too busy!     And they check the attractions often to make sure they're not too decrepit or disappointing   And honestly, they should be doing it.

It is funny - I wasn't planning to complain, but since I have, I am now quite interested to see what happens.

Back at home, my favourite rose has been enjoying the lousy wet weather  - plants have a different take on the rain from us!

I went into the West End for some meetings, and on to the South Bank where I dropped in at an exhibition about the "Beano" comic, called "Beanotown"

It didn't have many kids in it - it needed kids in the play areas.  A lot of it was about the history of the comic, which was one of my favourites as a kid.

Good old Biffo. I used to be so pleased to see his face every week and it makes me feel rather cosy to be wished a "Happy Easter, Readers!" after all this time.

Saw the John Lennon Educational Foundation bus parked in a quiet backwater. I like the doodled logo of John. I'd never heard of this bus but it's dedicated to offering young people

"tours of the studios and participation in free songwriting and multimedia production workshops. With the assistance of three onboard engineers, students learn how to write, perform, record and produce original songs, produce and shoot music videos and documentaries and complete a broadcast quality music video - all in one day"

I was one of the youngest, which suggests that they were missing their market on this occasion, but I bet it's livelier at the weekends and it's a great idea.

I used an old handbag I haven't carried in a while, and in it I found a sweet from the lovely Southwold Pier which cracked me up just as much as it did the first time I saw it.     It's cut from a stick of rock - can you see what it says on it?

Edible Nuclear Waste.  That is one CRAZY PIER, but strangely,  its website doesn't give much idea of what it is like.  It's arty and original, and my favourite bit is Tim Hunkin's Under the Pier Show, a display of nutty and utterly unique machines. But the pier's also a good place to hang out, eat icecream or fish and chips, and just enjoy being at the seaside.  Definitely one of my favourite piers.

Oh I am also dealing with the aftermath of the fact that I couldn't go to France last week, as planned. I would have gone to a wonderful place called Blanc     Take a look at Blanc and check out its website.  (and the picture at the top of this post is also of Blanc, in fact, you might be able to tell where it is taken from if you look carefully at the larger scale photo).  It is an extremely old medieval village in the South of France, with amazing walks all around.   I did go last year so maybe another time I will make it again..

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"This refers to: "Another damn thick book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! eh, Mr. Gibbon?" - the remark made by the boneheaded Duke of Gloucester when presented with the first edition of the enormous  "Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Edward Gibbon.

Almost Working

In my rounds of visiting blogs I've found that quite a few people have changed to "deny access" or limited access to their blogs.  Some are my favourites........ so if you have made your blog private in the last few weeks or months, drop me an email and let me know the new address (if you want me to read it, that is).

I've been wondering what Mamma has spoken about lately, and how Rose is in Oz... and several more!

I've been thinking about working lately, and also doing some work!  I haven't been able to work much lately, for all kinds of good reasons. It feels weird, and isn't that good for the bank balance.. Just as well that we have had money coming in from other things.  And as freelances, we are used to these periods. You have to be.

But the last few days I've been getting on top of the stuff that is still around the house - and catching up on weeding - although I always love weeds. How could I wish to destroy something as beautiful as this dandelion, above, if I really thought about it.

I've delivered a long delayed travel article to the editor, and I'm trying to reorganise a European article that had to be cancelled last year when my mother was so ill.   And I have just had to cancel a trip to France because T was too ill to go. He's been feeling really bad. This bug is no fun.

At this rate I am wondering if I will get anywhere or do anything else with travel at all!

I've had some talks and a meeting with a major TV channel, which is the kind of not-really-working that is quite hard on the nerves. As most professional writers know, when you eventually have proper discussions with TV companies, the usual outcome is ... nothing.

It really is.

 The first time, you're so hopeful.  You have had all the warnings and seen other writers have their high hopes dashed, often after months of work, but THIS time it will be different! This time, they really do like it, they're not just saying.   There'll be a major book deal / programme /film /series/ worldbreaking major international movie that gets into cinemas all over the world!  MacDonalds will take up the characters for its Happy Meals! We will go to Outer Mongolia and see the characters on peoples' tee shirts!  In fact, astronauts in outer space will call their little green children after the characters, having picked up the series on their strange alien receiving apparatus....

... and then someone in a position of power decides they didn't really like the idea after all -  or some bean counting accountant decides that the sums don't add up - and that's the end of it before it happened.

Still,  if anything comes of this, you will be the first to know, and who knows, THIS might be the one which corners the Happy Meal market!

I'm also gearing up for a really difficult project I'll be starting this autumn, in a school.  It's probably not really difficult at all, but I haven't ever worked in a school or worked with kids. I won't have to take a class by myself, but still, the idea is somewhat alarming to me, although all you teachers out there will laugh, I know.  It's not kids themselves - I love the way they see the world in such an unexpected way and enjoy everything so much....

And they can be so sweet....

and such fun.

I love their company but I'm not that good at keeping order, and I am sure I won't be able to remember their names. Still, it's good to do new things and face challenges, and being involved in these workshops will be the biggest challenge for me. .  

And apart from sitting and coughing and feeling ill (or sitting with T as he coughs and feels ill, or with V) I have also done some other things that are almost-but-not-quite work.

 Tagged along with K, F and T the other day to Oxfordshire, where K's boat needed some work doing (by her and them). My contribution was getting them all cakes in a nearby village... well they thought it was worth doing anyway!

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I chatted to other people at the marina. Some, who had older vintage boats, had been to a rally and looked incredibly splendid complete with bottles of champagne and flags

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and it's always fun to watch the wildlife on the Thames

There's no way that's work but it was a nice day.

Well, better stop writing this.   It's Father's Day and hopefully Father can manage to enjoy his day despite all his pills and piles of paper hankies. .

By the way I am going to take the advice of some of you who have left comments or emailed me, and I will send a link to my last post, about Legoland Windsor, to their PR office. I will report back on the response I get.

Hmmm.. Legoland Windsor.

I don't like being critical in this blog - there's enough nastiness in the world without me adding to it. But having said that,  I've just had such a vile day at Legoland Windsor that  want to tell you how horrid we thought it was. So if you don't want to read a load of grouching, feel free to go to the next blog!

The good news first. We had special offer tickets, so instead of paying the gate day-pass price of about £170 (about $260) for two adults and two kids we "only" paid £78 ($120).  Bad news is that there was an extra three pounds parking fee.  Parking involved crawling aimlessly around with all the other cars, with nobody to direct us, trying to find a parking space.  After half an hour of this, little A. was sobbing, and so I drove up a steep kerb onto a soft grass verge, and just dumped the car. A few other people had had the same idea.

Here's a picture of £3-worth of parking at Legoland Windsor.

And here's a picture of burning money....

Then we queued for tickets - half an hour .After that, there was a fifteen minute line at the entrance gate because the scanners didn't work.  Total, an hour and a quarter of waiting, but finally, we were in!

The park's rides all had waiting times of at least an hour each. Pretty standard fairground rides, too - rocking galleon, a flume etc.  We queued 2 hours for 2 five minute rides. Three and a quarter hours gone - and were we having fun?

I discovered we should have bought "Q-bot." to avoid those appalling lines. It's a virtual queuing system resembling Disney's Fast Past except that it's free at Walt Disney World, but at Legoland Windsor it costs (as far as I can work it out)  between £60 and £280 for a party of four, (PLUS admission PLUS parking) depending on how much less you want to wait.

Anyway we didn't have Q-Bot and it was very hot and we'd drunk all our water and needed a refill - but the water fountains were broken. Went into the restroom (long line) but the taps were all labelled "Not Drinking Water" - even though actually they DO have safe mains water in Windsor, just like everywhere else in Britain.

So headed to a food kiosk to buy a couple of bottles of water.  £2.50 ($3.88 each) - £5.

They kids asked for icecreams.  There were special soft scoop icecreams available -  specially small. About half the normal size . £2.50 ($3.88) each.

What's that picture again - oh yes....

But we didn't get to buy any of the mini-icecreams, because after queueing for 35 minutes, we reached the front, with its ketchup and mayonnaise-splashed dispensers.

and they said they didn't take credit cards.  I know it saves them a few pennies per transaction, but ....oh well.  We didn't have the large amount of cash they were asking for their fast food, so we just bought one bottle of water and did without the rest.

There wouldn't have been such long lines if the company had opened all its food outlets (like the one below) on this very hot and extremely busy day.

 But no.

GROUCH GROUCH GROUCH.  By now we were feeling like truly valued customers *
*(sarcasm)

S and A remembered an earlier trip to Legoland in 2009. They were looking forward to seeing their favourite things,   Top of S's list was the underground station which had fascinated him.  So we went in search of it.

And it was bust. A train stuck in the tunnel, what looks like a hole bashed in the station wall, some kids lingering hopefully, but nothing happening.

S swallowed his disappointment and went off to find his second favourite thing,  a little harbour with boats. Alas, the water was shallow and brown with a sinister scum, scattered with litter, and the little ships bleached pale by the sun.   I mentally christened it Poo Lake, though I am sure it was only silt, really.. Look at it, though.

Some boats were stuck on the top of poles, to look as if they were floating, or they would have done if there'd been any water for them to float in,  instead of dirty muddy ...stuff.

S had also loved the train system.  And okay, some of the trains were still running, but ...  well, notice what's missing in the train below? In case you can't see the detail, the whole cab has come off.  The hollow interior is on show,  because it's broken and nobody has cared enough to sort it out.

The train below obviously hadn't been anywhere for some time, abandoned on its weedy track.
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Did there really have to be so many weeds?  Surely this exhibit below wasn't meant to be a model of a derelict scrapyard,.even though it looks like it.

And oh dear, the"medical emergencies" we saw among so many of the Lego figures!
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Some of the exhibits were noticeably old and faded. Lego bricks are only plastic, and, as any parent knows,  if they're left outside for years, they'll lose their colour.

And talking of Lego bricks, the boys had good memories of well equipped playrooms with special tables containing bowls of Lego bricks. So off we went and found them.  But can you see? There were no Lego bricks in the yellow bowls.  Even the kids who had found some bricks didn't have many, as you can also see in the photo below.  It was so disappointing - Legoland minus the Lego.

S crawled around on hands and knees under the table for a while in case he could find enough Lego  on the floor to make something with, but he couldn't.   The few kids who had managed to make something were rolling their creations down a tatty slide with part of the surface ripped off .

Dispiriting, I can assure you.   And this is the beginning of the annual season, when the repairs and maintenance are supposed to be complete, and the park should be at its best.  

Now to be fair, the gardens and landscaping are still nice. The grounds, once part of an old stately home, are  clean and well maintained.  You see  how pretty it looks here

 And you have to admire the skill that went into so many of the buildings.

I'm told the whole park was once as attractive as this, but ....taking a closer look, we noticed that parts of "London"  are badly out of date.  The Swiss Centre (below) was demolished in real life in 2008.

There's no "Shard" - one of London's major landmarks these days.    And Legoland's Eurostar still terminates at  Waterloo, which it hasn't done in real life since 2007.  (Nor does the real Waterloo have a giant weed inside the shed, like Legoland's.)  At this rate, Lego's London will soon be a historical curiosity. I couldn't find any information about plans to update it. Perhaps there aren't any.

Legoland Windsor was originally set up and owned by the Lego toy company of Denmark.  But Lego sold it to the private equity Blackstone group in 2005 and has been under the operational control since then of Blackstone's Merlin Entertainments.

Lego has kept a 30 percent share, so it cannot completely wash its hands of this place, and I can't help wondering how the company feels the tattiness of Legoland Windsor reflects on their brand, which is expensive but aims to convey high quality and fun.

Anyway, we ate our home made sandwiches, and little A queued another hour for another ride.   S and I looked around Miniland a bit more - and that was it .  As we trailed off to see if we could locate the verge where we'd left the car, S said that when he grew up he might become manager of Legoland Windsor, and rescue the park by having regular inspections and maintenance.

Little A merely said philosophically, "Well, it could have been worse. The park could have caught fire and we could have got burned to death, couldn't we?"

Just so we do not finish on a sour note, here is where we went the next day - above the village of Wye in Kent, completely free, with lots of space to explore, and have adventures .  It was absolutely lovely!

PS.  I just re-checked what we paid for Walt Disney World park day-passes in Florida, where we took A in February.   Our WDW day passes cost us £57 ($87) and £61 ($94) respectively including free Fast Pass in WDW and free parking.  With that kind of competition, I'm betting that Legoland Orlando is way better than the one in Windsor.  (Or do they have  broken water fountains, faded obsolete stuff and no credit card facilities in the food outlets in Orlando Legoland too?  If you've been there, let me know!)