Soaring

I got on a plane for the first time in about 6 years this week, and about 11 years since my first solo trip. Not a huge amount has changed; the local airport is slightly nicer, and its security is less burdensome, but it’s still akin to cramming into an aluminium tube and taking a hopeful running jump into the skies.

One thing has changed since my last flight: I am quite a bit larger nowadays. There’s not much I could do about that in the short time I had between finding out I had to make the trip to boarding the plane. It just made the experience of travelling less comfortable, and was one more reminder I need to find a way to get back in shape. But I digress.

The purpose of this trip was a celebration. The outcome of my most recent performance review was the highest possible grade. As a “thank you for your hard work”, the business unit leader likes to gather everyone who achieves this grade for a nice meal and overnight stay. For logistical reasons there are three such events held this year, at various places around the country, and I attended the first one which was in London. So down I went on Tuesday morning.

I love London. I could never live there, because it’s utterly insane, but I love to visit and see the wonder and greatness of it that seems to be lost on the locals and anyone who visits regularly. The transportation network and related infrastructure is a particular joy to my nerdy brain. On this visit the network seemed even better than my previous visits, as the Elizabeth Line and other upgrades were finally finished. It was positively marvellous to experience how connected and easy everything was as far as getting from A to B.

The only part that let me down was when I had to go on foot; Apple Maps is pretty accurate and reliable for my small city with a singular internal public transport mode (bus), but using it in London was a nightmare. I was trying to find some coffee places in walking distance of Liverpool Street Station to meet my team at on the following day, and then make my way to the hotel. It sent me this way and that for around forty minutes, never taking the most direct route. By the end I was hot, frustrated, and only found two of the places suggested on the map.

One of those venues was too small to host us, but did give me the best Cortado I’d ever had. My experiment in asking for the addition of a pinch of brown sugar was possibly my best choice all day. Anyway: Pickwick Coffee Club next to Liverpool Street Underground Station - best coffee shop coffee I’ve had in a long time, possibly ever. I instantly felt much better after drinking it. Definitely recommended.

Apple Maps cocked up again when trying to route me from Liverpool Street Station to the hotel, which was in Shoreditch. Instead of sensibly telling me to get off at Cambridge Heath and walking less than ten minutes in a straight line, it had me getting off the Overground at Bethnal Green and took me in a long, meandering route in mostly the opposite direction through Tower Hamlets and a housing estate. At one point I received a sympathetic nod from a young man who could tell I was clearly lost and out of place. I did eventually reach the hotel, but by this point I was in dire need of a shower and change of clothes.

On a more positive note, the hotel was very nice. The room was comfortable, with the “quirky” addition of Loony Tunes masks hanging from the lights and some jazzy and subversive styling touches if you were paying close attention. The décor throughout was suitably trendy and off beat. I’d go back, if I ever felt “cool” enough. The food was divine, both for the evening meal with colleagues and morning breakfast.

Speaking of the main reason I was in London, both social events were a joy. The meal was mostly people I didn’t know, though some I’d met (online) through various projects or initiatives I was involved with. Between courses we had to take turns introducing ourselves by name, role, and one or more interesting facts about ourselves or hobbies. I spent some time thinking about this over the main course and managed to come up with a veritable smorgasbord of minor facts, most of which I’d forgotten about. I’m going to add them to a new About page whenever I get around to putting that live. At the end of the meal we each received a nice, substantial, glass trophy as a permanent reminder of our achievement, which was a nice touch to top things off.

The team meetup was more of an opportunistic thing than the meal. I’ve worked with most of the people who were there for four years, and I’d not had a realistic opportunity to meet in person during that time. When it costs £300-450 for flights + hotel for me to travel, it puts it out of budget for most team events, when it’s £30 per head available for everyone else.

We couldn’t get into the venue I’d looked at the day before, but found another in Broadgate Circle. It was more of a bar than coffee shop, but we made do. The sun shining helped, I think. The original plan was for everyone to get coffee, but I ended up having a soft drink to cool down a bit instead. Plus I was still thinking about that Cortado.

After about an hour and a half of chit chat and time away from work, I needed to leave to catch my flight home. I won’t recount the experience of Heathrow Terminal 5 here, as it would end things on a sour note. I felt refreshed after the team meetup, which is odd as I’m firmly an introvert, and gatherings drain me. I guess it was the rarity of the event made it so special. I’m hoping I can wrangle a trip back sooner than the four years it’s taken to have this trip.

Who knows, maybe I’ll get the top grade again and will have another meal to attend in a year’s time. It’s coming up for “review season” again so I better start putting my evidence together!