Sun 03.Aug.2025
London and York, England
A refinery in the heart of the financial district?! Not so fast! This is actually
an office building. Like Paris' Pompidou Center, The Lloyd's Building puts its
plumbing, ducting, and other infrastructure on the outside. Allegedly, this allows a
spacious, uncluttered interior; you couldn't prove it by me, I never entered.
The downside is increased maintenance cost, because all your plumbing, conduits,
etc are exposed to the weather year round. The other downside is you can get a dorky-looking
building! (YMMV).
Signspotting
"Salesforce Tower" is a landmark skyscraper in San Francisco. It has a namesake in
London.
I am not touching a straight line like this!
The Houses of Parliament.
Down by the River
A handful of London Landmarks along the Thames.
London Bridge and The Shard.
The Millenium Bridge, Strictly a footbridge.
St Paul's Cathedral dome, up close ...
... and across the river.
Old York, Old York
It probably annoys Yorkshiremen (and women) when Americans double their city's name.
To me, the name York all by itself looks naked.
Apologies to my worhty Yorkshire friends, especially the good souls I stayed with
in this historic, characterful city!
Is this the hill that the Grand Old Duke marched his ten thousand men up and down again?
It is the only hilll in town that I noticed.
Does ths count as old town? It is less old than the absurdly colorful maze of lanes
around the nearby Shambles.
A residential neighborhood outside the city centre, by the river Foss,
which flows into the Ouse in town.
A short stay in York this time, under mostly-cloudy skies, but with great hospitality!
Next: Scotland