Silent Cinema: Let The Romance Commence

London / Go See
en af Henry Castiglione /  Henry Castiglione, 28. feb 2009

For many years I have avoided going to the cinema due to a dread I have for being stuck in one place for over two hours without any alcohol. It’s not that I’m an alcoholic; I just think that there are few activities that are not made better with a glass of wine in your hand (driving, eye surgery and operating heavy machinery spring to mind).

This is why the Silent Cinema nights have really grabbed my imagination. Every month they show a classic film in the beautiful Andaz hotel (formerly known as the Great Eastern) next to Liverpool Street Station. It is called Silent Cinema because you wear wireless headphones; this means you can fidget as much as you like and not hear your neighbours fidgeting, go to the bar or the lavatory with minimal disturbance and you can still hear the film. How modern is that?

I went just before Xmas to see, 'It’s A Wonderful Life'. Now recently single, I decided to bring a prospective ladyfriend. We met in the lobby, she looked delicious in a little dress trimmed with rabbit fur, I looked ridiculous in a jumper like Andrew Ridgely wore in the video for 'Last Christmas'. We were ushered upstairs by our host Damian Barr who welcomed us and the other guests with a very strong gin-based cocktail. As we settled onto our comfy sofa, drinks in hand with the film just about to start, my date looked at me as if I was this most dashing man in London. Let the romance commence!

It wasn’t to be; the film for the evening was 'It’s A Wonderful Life' and as soon as it started, I started crying and did not stop. Though she liked this display of sensitivity, she told me that she prefers her men a little more rugged; a little more like Jimmy Stewart in fact. The next film they are showing is Casablanca, another weepie. I hope my next date likes her men tearful.

ANDAZ LONDON, 40 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 7QN

Go further: Watch movies in Berlin's DDR-style Kino International or on the waterfront in Paris.

Udgivet af
Henry Castiglione

Always Look At The Bright Side Of Strife

London / Go Eat
en af Henry Castiglione /  Henry Castiglione, 14. feb 2009

There's no better time to travel than during a global financial meltdown. Price wars between airlines have led to plummeting ticket prices, and posh hotels are practically giving away their beds. Promotions on all kinds of products – ranging from hot chocolate to haute couture - make it possible for even unemployed bankers to get a taste of the good life. We asked our local bloggers to uncover the best deals, and to tell us about the simple and inexpensive pleasures that can always be found in their cities. With cheap tickets and insider advice, there's no reason why a shrinking economy should stop you from expanding your horizons.

London


Image from '28 Days Later'

Interest rates have been cut again and still no one is spending. Oxford Street reminds me of the film '28 Days Later' where London is deserted except for a few flesh-eating zombies; the markets of East London, quiet just before Xmas when you would expect people to be spending heavily, seem to be dying.

This is worrying for the Britain’s finances. But if you do go shopping it does mean that you won’t have to wade through crowds, you will be served promptly by desperate staff eager to help and prices have been slashed. And you can do this safe in the knowledge your actions have been sanctioned by Gordon Brown himself.

The smart restaurants that would not even pick up the phone last year are now offering bargain “Credit Lunches.” Take Le Gavroche for example. They now offer a lunch for £48. That’s for 3 Michelin stars and includes wine. It’s not just Le Gavroche, all London restaurants are offering cheap lunches. I am now almost a regular at Kensington’s Launceston Place for their £18 set meal. One place on 171 Farringdon Road in Islington, the Little Bay Restaurant, even lets its customers decide how much they want to pay for their meal. We’ll see how long they stay open for. 

Don’t forget that the pound is as weak as new born lamb so your dollars, euros and zloty are now worth more. If you can, like me, be paid in foreign currency then you get to play the tourist in a developing country but in London! Once proudly one of the most expensive places on earth London is now almost affordable. £3.50 for a pint of beer? Why that’s only 4 euros!


Inside Princess Louise Photo: Kelpenhagen

But you don’t even need to pay that much. For some reason lost in mists of time some of the most beautiful central London pubs are owned by a Yorkshire brewery called Samuel Smith’s. They only sell their own brand alcohol so you get Bitter for under £1.80, Lager for £2 and a double Scotch for £3. Pubs such as the Princess Louise in Holborn or The Champion in Fitzrovia are perfectly preserved examples of Victorian pub architecture. That’s where real Londoners are sitting out the recession. It’s better than borrowing more money to buy more things you don’t want even with such tempting interest rates.

Related recession posts:

Recession or not, New York is a bargain

Keep economic crisis out of your pockets

Getting happy at all hours - New York Stylee

How to go on holiday for less than 150 euro

Soviet fastfood with a view of Canal Grande

Crisis? What crisis?

Battling the financial meltdown: the Rudd response

Paris for recessionistas

Recession? Not for Istanbul's tourism industry

 

Udgivet af
Henry Castiglione