Friday, April 14, 2006

Cycle Commuting on a Monopoly Board

I started cycling to work last week (after my helmet arrived at the store) and last night was the first time I didn’t get lost. ☺
In my defence, I do devote most of my attention to not getting run over by buses or swiped by taxis, and when the road is clear I spend more time watching the Monopoly board go passed than thinking about directions.
As the attached link shows, my homeward commute starts at Waterloo and after heading across the Thames, I skoot down The Strand (past the theatres currently showing Chicago and Stomp) and on through Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square (the home of those enormous lions - that look more like big dogs - and Nelson's Colonnade). I have been trying to turn up Regent St, but have kept missing the turn off (until tonight!) so head down Pall Mall and up St James St instead. This then means I have to choose between Piccadilly (and a crazy 6-lane version of the Arch de Triumph) or about 1km of one-way streets (coming at me) up through Mayfair.
Tonight I did find Regent St and took Oxford (at Oxford Circus - funnily enough) down to Marble Arch. Marble Arch is slightly better than the round-a-bout near Piccadilly as it’s 5 lanes instead of 6; from there it's a relatively easy ride along the top of Hyde Park, to Bayswater.

All up, I cover 3 sides of the Monopoly board and save around $1620 on accommodation (assuming they all have at least 4 houses) ☺

(Quedos to anyone who can tell me the exact amount I would save assuming 4 houses and no mortgages ☺ )

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