england :: london :: general

[sybaritical]

* strokes chin *

[dansta]

Does anyone here swim? I've just moved to London from Sydney and am looking for a regular pool. So far I've tried London Fields Lido and Market Sports in Shoreditch, but I'm keen to check out some others. I swim every day and am willing to travel for good facilities (large, clean, pref. chlorine-free). Thanks.

[sybaritical]

Hampstead Heath?

[dansta]

^ Thanks, it's on my list. It's unheated, though, which could make winter swimming tricky!

[The_D]

Bang in the middle of town, the refurbished Marshall Street baths:

http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/leisureandculture/active/marshallstreet/

There's also Oasis, on the corner of Endell Street. Great swimming there in the warm outdoor rooftop pool with the rain falling all around you (this is London...). I haven't been there in a while, but it used to be a good place.

[The_D]

p.s. if you go the Marshall Street baths, have a curry afterwards at Masala Zone, two doors down the street. Veg thali with undhiyo.

[dansta]

Thanks, I'll check out both of those.

I'm staying with friends in Camden while I look for my own flat, and there's a Masala Zone nearby, so I've already done the veg thali! Big thumbs up.

[Magsåvningsreserven]

i got a red ribbon in school

[The_D]

i got a red ribbon in school

Damn you. I only got a blue; came second.

[Magsåvningsreserven]

blue's better than red?

you get a badge too, no?

[The_D]

No badge. You had to pay extra for that, I think...

[dansta]

Does anyone know where to buy Woolite Dark in London? Or any other brand of dark wash? Failing that, any suggestions for super-gentle laundry liquid/powder?

[The_D]

Ecozone eco balls (seriously...) will wash stuff without bleaching dark colours. If it's delicate fabric you're worried about though, they're not so ideal (clunky plastic balls banging around in your drum...). Dr Bronners is available in quite a few places; if you're in Soho, Whole Foods on Brewer Street still stocks it, I think.

[dansta]

^ Thanks for the suggestions.

95% of my wardrobe is black, so finding something that won't bleach my clothes is the top priority.

Black wash brands are so readily available in Australia and the US... I'm surprised they're not in the UK, too. Also, everyone washes with hot water here! And tumble dries! People seem resigned to the fact that their clothes will fade/shrink...

[sybaritical]

I picked up a bottle of woolite dark at Tesco a while ago ...

[dansta]

Checked Whole Foods: no Dr Bronners.

I've checked a few Tescos and Sainsburys, too, and haven't found Woolite Dark yet. But I called the manufacturer and apparently it is still being distributed in the UK.

No sign of the Ecozone balls, either! This is proving harder than I thought...

[sybaritical]

No Bronner's in Whole Foods? Go back, try again you're looking in the wrong place. I bought a new bottle last week. It's a wholefoods staple.

Woolite dark is trickier but a goggle search tells me that the forecast for you is a visit from Ocado

[sybaritical]

Oh & BTW, if you don't feel llike ordering from Amazon Wholefoods have all the Ecozone products too.

[dansta]

Hey, thanks. I may have missed Bronner's at Whole Foods... I'll check again this evening. Failing that, I'll give this Ocado thing a try.

[dansta]

(ps. I was at the Whole Foods in Camden which I think has a reduced range... The only cleaning products I could see there were Ecover.)

[sybaritical]

Go to Kensington High Street later on today. They do a £5 food & wine thing every Thursday so you can shop, then get totally trashed on choice little bits of food all paired up with suitable wines from their ranges. Is fun.

[dansta]

Haha, thanks for the tip!

[Nov Spur]

Going to be in London for a few weeks in September, any tips on procuring football tickets that aren't 300% of face value?

[sybaritical]

Support Fulham.

[FranklinCosgrove]

In the UK right now. Gunna be in London starting Thursday. Anyone wanna meetup? Sup sybaritical. Sup Magnetic.

[tweeds]

Support Fulham.

All the cabbies sat in Chelsea pubs just sniggered a little

[jstavrin]

I'm an English major at UC Berkeley (with 1.5 years left) who wants to live and work in London after school. How should I go about this?

[Yom]

not London but...

anyone from/in Bournemouth?

or close to?

[dansta]

I'm an English major at UC Berkeley (with 1.5 years left) who wants to live and work in London after school. How should I go about this?

Can you be a bit more specific? Are you talking about visas/work/accom?

[Sugar Mountain]

The job market for fresh graduates in the UK is very tough at the moment, with high unemployment amongst that demographic. London is better than the rest of the country but will be fiercely competitive for the good jobs. Your best bet would be to either seek work with a US firm that could post you to London for a stint or pursue postgraduate education at a London university, I would imagine. Good luck - it's a great city to live in.