{"id":4099,"date":"2020-06-06T13:15:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-06T12:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/?p=4099"},"modified":"2020-06-06T13:22:44","modified_gmt":"2020-06-06T12:22:44","slug":"not-travelling-so-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/not-travelling-so-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Travelling so much"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cycling is a great way to enjoy London, especially during lockdown, when we haven&#8217;t been travelling so much. Read what <strong>Mark Pinkerton<\/strong>, a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.prosperocommerce.com\" target=\"_blank\">digital commerce consultant<\/a>, has experienced lately. There are new bike lanes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many others I have self-isolated with my family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I happen to have been doing this in King\u2019s Cross, that gritty central area which has been dragged into the 21st century by Eurostar and Europe\u2019s largest central city development area &#8211; N1C &#8211; which houses Central St Martin\u2019s, Google and, soon, Facebook.<br><br>As I have been here for a couple of decades, I have witnessed the tremendous changes that have taken place. One that has remained constant until very recently is transport. King\u2019s Cross &#8211; St Pancras is one of the most connected places in London with 3 main line, 6 tube lines and a Thameslink rail station, combined with multiple bus routes and a myriad of taxis constantly queuing around the station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Peace and Air Quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the lockdown, we have had some peace and great air quality that has been a very significant improvement over our normal environment. Of course, we know it won\u2019t continue, and in fact it has already deteriorated substantially over the last 10 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many areas, pretty much everything has closed here apart from Waitrose, which is not too busy, Boots in St Pancras and a couple of small Post Office\/ mini marts. The area is normally full of restaurants and visitors so it feels unnatural right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"692\" height=\"923\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/A1-to-Archway-lockdown-e1591440678655.jpg\" alt=\"A1 to Archway looking empty during lockdown\" data-id=\"4101\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/A1-to-Archway-lockdown-e1591440678655.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/?attachment_id=4101\" class=\"wp-image-4101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/A1-to-Archway-lockdown-e1591440678655.jpg 692w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/A1-to-Archway-lockdown-e1591440678655-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/A1-to-Archway-lockdown-e1591440678655-640x854.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 692px) 100vw, 692px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">A1 to Archway traffic reduced<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"965\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty.jpg\" alt=\"Euston road almost empty during lockdown\" data-id=\"4102\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/?attachment_id=4102\" class=\"wp-image-4102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty.jpg 965w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Euston-road-empty-300x225@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 965px) 100vw, 965px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Euston road almost empty during lockdown<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We chose our flat as it has a terrace, and I don\u2019t know how we could have managed without that vital outdoor space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/terrace-e1591442040572-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Sunny terrace during lockdown\" class=\"wp-image-4105\" width=\"602\" height=\"800\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I understand why people have flocked to parks and open spaces to absorb the warmth of the sun and to enjoy the unusually clean breezes. But, I don\u2019t understand the lack of social distancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For my exercise, I cycle, as I always have in London for the last 23 years. It\u2019s a great benefit of living centrally that most places in London are accessible by bike in 30 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, I have been going further afield as the lockdown has eased a little, so I have seen how things differ between Bloomsbury and Mayfair, which are empty, to Holland Park and Chelsea, which are busy with large numbers of cars. I have no idea where they are going in lockdown! Hampstead and Archway are much less busy than normal, but with more walkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/top-places-to-visit-in-london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">central areas of London<\/a> are still amazingly quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"967\" height=\"725\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown.jpg\" alt=\"A blissfully quiet Buckingham Palace\" data-id=\"4106\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/?attachment_id=4106\" class=\"wp-image-4106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown.jpg 967w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Buckingham-Palace-lockdown-300x225@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">A blissfully quiet Buckingham Palace<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"693\" height=\"924\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Regent-Street-lockdown-e1591442689524.jpg\" alt=\"Regent Street like 28 Days Later\" data-id=\"4107\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Regent-Street-lockdown-e1591442689524.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/?attachment_id=4107\" class=\"wp-image-4107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Regent-Street-lockdown-e1591442689524.jpg 693w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Regent-Street-lockdown-e1591442689524-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Regent-Street-lockdown-e1591442689524-640x853.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 693px) 100vw, 693px\" \/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\">Regent Street like 28 Days Later<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve seen new bike lanes opening up in King\u2019s Cross, Park Lane and elsewhere, but the much-lauded Euston Road bike lane has still eluded me, as it appears to be a fiction of the Mayor of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-lane-Camden.jpg\" alt=\"New bike lane behind Camden Town Hall\" class=\"wp-image-4104\" width=\"587\" height=\"782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-lane-Camden.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-lane-Camden-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-lane-Camden-640x853.jpg 640w, https:\/\/alondonerfromafar.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/bike-lane-Camden-225x300@2x.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px\" \/><figcaption>New bike lane behind Camden Town Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully when things do start to open back up, we will somehow hold on to our improved air quality and the increased use of bikes. Fingers crossed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cycling is a great way to enjoy London, especially during lockdown, when we haven&#8217;t been travelling so much. Read what Mark Pinkerton, a digital commerce consultant, has experienced lately. 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