"loobyloo" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:56:57 -0700, Louis Krupp wrote:

I also recall the time (I don't remember the year) when I went to a
ticket window at Glasgow Central, asked about a train to Glasgow, and
was told the next one would leave in a couple of hours. So I waited. I
learned about the 15-minute walk to Glasgow Queen Street on a later trip.


Hello Louis

I used to work as a ticket collector on London Underground, and one thing
I
noticed about visitors from north America is that they would often
truncate
the station name they wanted directions for. So for example, they often
asked me for the way to "Liverpool".

That's because it's quite common in the US to call streets by their name,
and omit the "boulevard/street/whatever" that comes after it. I have
American friends in London, and they do it all the time. Doing it with road
names is pretty silly, considering most colloquial names for old roads are
simply the terminating town/city of the road, followed usually by "road".
Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex Road"
becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of fish

After a while you realise they mean the tube station "Liverpool Street",
but "Liverpool" is a large city in northwest England, so the question is a
bit ambiguous. I mean, you're doing it yourself there, by saying you were
asking the way to "Glasgow", when what I presume you meant was "Glasgow
Queen Street" It would be good if visitors from the US and Canada
could
be encouraged to use the full names of the stations they want to go to.

I'm surprised about your experience in Glasgow though. That must just
have
been bad luck, because I go up there often and my experience is that
people
in Glasgow are generally very helpful and honest.
--
Cliff Laine, The Old Lard Factory, Lancaster http://www.loobynet.com
* remove any trace of rudeness before you reply *
------------------------------------------------------------------
The greatest achievement of the thinkers of the Sixties was
to convince their audience that incomprehensibility was the
sign of greatness.

Luc Ferry and Alain Renault

Richard J. wrote:
People who had intended to travel by Tube would have found the Tube
station *open* (for the service to Acton Town), but there would have
been lots of staff at the entrance to advise those who wanted to go to
central London that if they bought a Travelcard from LU, it would be
valid on HEx. At least, that's what happened last year. I wasn't there
this time, and it seems you weren't either.
No, I wasn't. But if I had seen a sign to say that the service to
central London was suspended, then I probably wouldn't have made it all
the way to the Tube station either, to meet these legions of staff.

If you want BAA to offer the concession to their passengers as well, who
do you propose should foot the bill and why?
What bill? Did BAA run extra trains or otherwise incur any extra costs?
--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633116.html
(60 041 at Reading, 22 Jun 1999)

loobyloo wrote

I was in London this weekend. I had come from Lancashire, where we eat
lots of lard, carry a pigeon in our trousers at all times, and find
sentences with two negatives in them impossible to understand.

Although I had no idea about the engineering works before I arrived in
London, I quickly found several informative leaflets and posters explaining
the situation quite clearly, and was able to work out a different route to
where I was going.

But did they charge extra for your whippet?

--
Hil

"d" wrote in message
...

Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex
Road" becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of fish

Meeting someone on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham becomes something of
a challenge! ;-)

Ian

In message , Ian F.
writes
"d" wrote in message
k...

Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex
Road" becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of fish
I know why visitors from the US do it; as pointed out elsewhere, they
do it at home. But it really annoys me because of the confusion it
causes. When in Rome.......

Meeting someone on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham becomes something of
a challenge! ;-)
Regular utl readers might remember my tale of some Americans I met some
years ago in Oxford who were looking for Selfridges. After a great
deal of discussion and confusion, I eventually ascertained that they
were staying in London, had been wandering around Hyde Park looking for
"Oxford" (ie Oxford Street) and some helpful passer-by had managed to
put them on the Oxford Tube coach which stops at Marble Arch. An hour
and a half later (but bizarrely not really seeming to think that
anything was amiss) they arrived at Gloucester Green Bus Station
and.......
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Chris Tolley" wrote in message
...
Richard J. wrote:
People who had intended to travel by Tube would have found the Tube
station *open* (for the service to Acton Town), but there would have
been lots of staff at the entrance to advise those who wanted to go to
central London that if they bought a Travelcard from LU, it would be
valid on HEx. At least, that's what happened last year. I wasn't there
this time, and it seems you weren't either.
No, I wasn't. But if I had seen a sign to say that the service to
central London was suspended, then I probably wouldn't have made it all
the way to the Tube station either, to meet these legions of staff.

If you want BAA to offer the concession to their passengers as well, who
do you propose should foot the bill and why?
What bill? Did BAA run extra trains or otherwise incur any extra costs?

The money they lose by people who are using the HEx to get from Heathrow to
Paddington, as the service is intended, buying travelcards instead. If
everyone gets to take advantage of the concessions being made to TfL ticket
holders, that's not fair on HEx, who are offering a helpful service to
otherwise stranded members of the public. HEx didn't instantly become part
of the underground that weekend

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633116.html
(60 041 at Reading, 22 Jun 1999)

"Ian Jelf" wrote in message
...
In message , Ian F.
writes
"d" wrote in message
. uk...

Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex
Road" becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of fish
I know why visitors from the US do it; as pointed out elsewhere, they do
it at home. But it really annoys me because of the confusion it causes.
When in Rome.......

Meeting someone on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham becomes something of
a challenge! ;-)
Regular utl readers might remember my tale of some Americans I met some
years ago in Oxford who were looking for Selfridges. After a great deal
of discussion and confusion, I eventually ascertained that they were
staying in London, had been wandering around Hyde Park looking for
"Oxford" (ie Oxford Street) and some helpful passer-by had managed to put
them on the Oxford Tube coach which stops at Marble Arch. An hour and a
half later (but bizarrely not really seeming to think that anything was
amiss) they arrived at Gloucester Green Bus Station and.......

Hahahaha! That's so unfortunate and incredibly funny hahahaha! I do
try to help my friends who I find dropping "street". It's nothing but
trouble

--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

d wrote in
:

If you want BAA to offer the concession to their passengers as
well, who do you propose should foot the bill and why?
What bill? Did BAA run extra trains or otherwise incur any extra
costs?

The money they lose by people who are using the HEx to get from
Heathrow to Paddington, as the service is intended, buying
travelcards instead. If everyone gets to take advantage of the
concessions being made to TfL ticket holders, that's not fair on HEx,
who are offering a helpful service to otherwise stranded members of
the public. HEx didn't instantly become part of the underground that
weekend

So are you saying that people who were aware of the concession should
nevertheless pay the HEX ripoff fare in order to boost BAA's profits? Surely
it is ever passenger's right to pay the least fare that they can legally get
away with.

In ,
Ian Jelf typed:

In message , Ian F.
writes
"d" wrote in message
...

Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex
Road" becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of
fish
I know why visitors from the US do it; as pointed out elsewhere, they
do it at home. But it really annoys me because of the confusion it
causes. When in Rome.......

Meeting someone on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham becomes
something of a challenge! ;-)

Regular utl readers might remember my tale of some Americans I met
some years ago in Oxford who were looking for Selfridges. After a
great deal of discussion and confusion, I eventually ascertained that
they were staying in London, had been wandering around Hyde Park
looking for "Oxford" (ie Oxford Street) and some helpful passer-by
had managed to put them on the Oxford Tube coach which stops at
Marble Arch. An hour and a half later (but bizarrely not really
seeming to think that anything was amiss) they arrived at Gloucester
Green Bus Station and.......

So if they arrived at Gloucester, how did they get to Oxford. I don't
seem to be following this very well.
;-)


--
Bob

In ,
Ian Jelf typed:

In message , Ian F.
writes
"d" wrote in message
...

Of course, dropping the "road" changes things considerably. "Essex
Road" becomes "Essex", which is an entirely different kettle of
fish
I know why visitors from the US do it; as pointed out elsewhere, they
do it at home. But it really annoys me because of the confusion it
causes. When in Rome.......

Meeting someone on the corner of Oxford and Tottenham becomes
something of a challenge! ;-)

Regular utl readers might remember my tale of some Americans I met
some years ago in Oxford who were looking for Selfridges. After a
great deal of discussion and confusion, I eventually ascertained that
they were staying in London, had been wandering around Hyde Park
looking for "Oxford" (ie Oxford Street) and some helpful passer-by
had managed to put them on the Oxford Tube coach which stops at
Marble Arch. An hour and a half later (but bizarrely not really
seeming to think that anything was amiss) they arrived at Gloucester
Green Bus Station and.......

So if they arrived at Gloucester, how did they turn up in Oxford? I
don't seem to be following this very well.
:-)




--
--
Bob