The West End of London has a lot to recommend it: the theatre district, the great shopping, the buskers in Covent Garden, the myriad pubs and bars.  But, on the whole, I’m not a fan of the West End between the hours of 5pm and midnight.  Why?  Because it’s busy.

Busy, of course, is not unusual in London.  Everywhere’s busy.  The tubes are packed, there are long lines to get into tourist attractions such as the Tower.  The West End, in my opinion, is beyond that.

It’s narrow footpaths and hundreds of tourists, and everyone in a rush, pushing to get past – or otherwise it’s people who don’t fit in the pubs, not letting you pass at all.  It’s taxis that don’t stop for you and no traffic lights.  It’s newspapers and vendors on the street, and noise and billboards, and neon lights.

Also, in the midst of this, and this is a bit of a side note, there’s a frustrating lack of ATMs.  In New Zealand I’m used to ‘hole in the wall’ machines on almost every city block.  Here, they’re really only outside banks, in stations, or – if you’re prepared to pay for the privilege – in a few convenience stores.

I was in Covent Garden for a networking event tonight, almost got run over, couldn’t find an ATM.  But the speaker was fantastic, and it was great to meet a few other marketeers.  Of course, then I did have to come home via Earls Court.

Don’t get me started on Earls Court.

(But I ♥ London, all the same).

Tash